Wine

Wine buying guide

Most of the wine our testers taste sells for $20 a bottle or less. We also consider wines that have consistently garnered praise from others—including some wine publications—to increase the odds of finding high-quality wine. We take care to choose bottles that should be available in many stores.

Shopping tips

A maxim of our wine advice: Don't automatically assume that a higher price means higher quality. In our tests, some higher-scoring wines have been among the least expensive. Wines we've tested have run the gamut of varietals, blends, and vintages. Finding an excellent wine that's also affordable—say, under $20—is difficult, but not impossible. In past tests, we've identified very good wines that cost as little as $8.

Here's a lesson we've learned in our buying: Even when wine consumption rises, wine prices don't, necessarily. And while a brand of a certain varietal can improve or decline in different vintages—and the same vintage might even vary among stores—vintage doesn't matter that much for bottles in the $20-and-under price range. If you want to try a wine we've tested but can't find it in the tested vintage, try the new vintage.

Value can be elusive with some varietals. In past tests, for example, we couldn't find a moderately priced, widely available bottle of one red varietal that our wine experts judged to be excellent. We had to spend $85 to find a bottle that was good enough to serve as the gold-standard "reference" bottle in our blind taste tests.

That's not to say you can't get a very good wine for a reasonable price—it just might not be excellent. But if you want a great wine at a great price, consider different varietals.

Where to find wine deals online

If you're looking for a case of that wonderful gewürztraminer you tried in Alsace last year or for a fabulous but affordable pinot noir, the Web may be your best bet.

There are not only wine Web sites but wine search engines where you can compare prices, get recommendations, and track down hard-to-find bottles. Online sales of U.S. wine, though small, have been growing and last year reached an estimated $400 million, Bryan St. Amant, CEO of VinterActive, a research company that tracks direct wine sales, said. About half of those sales were made through a winery's Web site, while the other half were made through Web sites such as www.wine.com. Just one warning: Your ability to buy wine online from out-of-state retailers might depend on where you live. The Supreme Court of the United States ruled in May 2005 that states must treat sales from in-state and out-of-state wineries the same, leading some states to liberalize their wine-shipment laws and others to consider banning sales. Wine sites will tell you if you can place orders. Or visit www.wineinstitute.org for a brief rundown of state laws.

Here are some tips to help you get the bottles you want at the best price:

Do a Web search

If you're a novice, check out www.winezap.com, where you can enter a type and price range and get a wine list. For each label, the site displays food pairings, reviews, and vendors. It also shows the best prices, including shipping and tax. If you already know which wine you want, enter the name at www.wine-searcher.com, which lists wines by price and vendor. The site culls its information from more than 9,000 price lists of wine stores, wineries, and wine auctions. You can also do a Google search for a wine you like to see who sells it, or go straight to the winery's Web site. About 93 percent of U.S. wineries have their own Web site, according to VinterActive's Vinquest 2008 report. St. Amant said that consumers will almost always find a larger selection of wine at a winery's Web site, as well as online-only deals that offer deeper discounts than online retail stores.

Watch for shipping costs

Not only is a bottle of wine breakable and heavy, it's perishable, too. Practically speaking, that means shipping is an expense that somebody's got to pay for. Shipping costs range from free, at www.mywinesdirect.com, to a flat $1.95 a bottle at www.wineexpress.com, to more than $8 per bottle at other sites. Costs may vary widely, depending on where you live and the shop from which you're buying.

Order by the case

By ordering in bulk, you'll not only get a break on shipping costs, you might also score a discount on the wine. Retailers and wineries may offer 10 or more off per case.

Check for sales and coupons

We searched "wine" at www.wow-coupons.com and found a variety of short-term discounts offered at www.mywinesdirect.com, www.wine.com, and www.winelegacy.com. Typing in "coupons on wine" at Google.com led us to sites such as www.couponseven.com and www.couponcabin.com, which had coupons for use on www.wine.com.

Consider a wine club

You can join through a retailer or a vineyard. Typically, the club will send you a bottle or two every month for several months. Members are also often privy to specials. "Wine club members will usually be able to qualify for an automatic 15 percent to 25 percent savings when they buy from a winery's online store," St. Amant of VinterActive said. Before you enlist, though, check for sign-up fees, extra shipping costs, and any restrictions.

Pick up the phone

Though telephone sales typically make up a very small part of a winery's business, it is an increasingly common way for wineries to sell wine. Besides getting quick information on available wines, prices, and whether shipping is available to your address, you might gain another advantage by calling. Say you've found a great deal offered by retailer A on a wine from winery B. Winery B might have other wines you want, but less competitive prices. With a phone call, you might find that Winery B will match the best price.

 
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