Underground Cellar’s Guide to Buying Wine Online
What situation can’t be improved with a glass of wine? Whether it’s for a celebration, a date or just a cosy night in, a nice glass of wine can be the ideal accompaniment, but it’s not always easy to pick out the perfect bottle. Buying wine online is very similar to shopping in your usual store, but with a few key differences. In a regular wine shop, there should be merchants on hand to help you make an informed decision, which is assistance you won’t have when online shopping. However, you have a much better chance of finding great deals, bulk-buying offers, as well as a much more varied selection online.
Check out our top tips below from the online wine selling experts at Underground Cellar.
Know What You’re Looking For
As with any shopping experience, it’s important to know what you’re looking for beforehand. Otherwise, you could end up making an uneducated and disappointing selection. Are you planning to pair your wine with a specific meal, perhaps? Or consume it on a hot summer’s day? Based on the occasion or your own tastes, you should be able to get a good idea of the best kind of wine by doing some leisurely online research. With just a few simple clicks, you can find hundreds of expert opinions, which leads nicely on to our next point.
Read the Reviews
While the online wine market is still relatively small, buying wine over the internet is a rapidly growing trend, offering convenience and affordability. However, if you’re not a wine expert, choosing which brand to go for can often seem like an impossible task. There are thousands of different wines to choose from, each from different regions, with unique manufacturing methods and grape qualities. One of the best things about ordering online is you can take the time to check what more experienced tasters have to say. You can find wine ratings for a wide array of bottles online, reviewed by seasoned sommeliers. This can save you time, as you won’t need to order a cellar’s worth of wine before finding one you actually like! Alternatively, many companies offer taster packs so you can try a little bit of everything first.
Consider Your Shipping Costs
Make sure you’ve done your due diligence before buying wine online – you need to know where your bottles are coming from, how much time they will take to arrive, and most importantly, how much you will be required to pay for shipping. While online shopping can provide you with fantastic deals, (especially when buying in bulk) you also risk paying over the odds for extortionate shipping costs if you shop with the wrong company. On the other hand, you can write this cost off against the additional time and energy you would expend shopping in person.
The most important thing to remember when buying wine online is to do your research. All the information you need can be found at the click of a button, to make sure you get the best wine at the best prices.