Why Buy Wine Online? Evan Powell, April 10, 2007 PointlessWines.com   On February 1, 1978 I left my office in San Francisco and made the drive to Napa Valley. I had a specific objective in mind. That was release day for the magnificent 1974 Heitz Cellars Martha’s Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, a wine that even before release had been anticipated to be one of the great wines of the century in California. I wanted to be standing on the front step of the Heitz tasting room when the doors opened, so I wouldn’t miss out.  I was a struggling new computer salesman back then, but I scraped together all the cash I had to buy a case of the vaunted ‘74 Martha’s. It was my first acquisition in what turned out to be a long love affair with collecting and enjoying great wines.   Looking back on it, it was the best investment I ever made in my life. But I needed to be there that day to get it. In 1978, there were no personal computers, and the words Internet and website would not enter the English language for another decade. But today, through the magic of the Internet, we can be on any winery’s doorstep instantly. And now that more and more states are allowing their citizens to order wine for direct shipment, this is becoming the new way to acquire and collect great wines, as well as exceptional values in everyday drinking wines.   At the moment, three out of four Americans live in states that allow direct ordering of wine online for shipment across state lines. One out of four are not so lucky. For example, if Americans living in Chicago call a winery in California and order some wine for direct shipment, they can enjoy it on their dinner tables next week. If Americans living in Salt Lake City try to do the same thing, the State of Utah says they will be charged with a felony.   There are a number of socially regressive states like Utah that prohibit their citizens from exercising the rights that most Americans enjoy. If you want to order wine for interstate shipment, take a look at this map. If you live in a yellow or blue state, you are in luck. If you live in a dark purple state, you are toast. Thankfully, the large majority of adult Americans currently have legal direct access to wines and wineries nationwide through the Internet, as the U.S. Supreme Court decreed that they should in 2005.   Why buy online? Three reasons ....   1. Great selection. By far, the best reason the buy online is that many of the best and most exciting wines are not available in your local wine store. Many small production premium wines being made in the United States are sold only from the wineries since there is not enough of it to be put into distribution. So if you want to collect truly fascinating, original, and exciting wines that your friends have never heard of, finding and buying them online is the only way to do it short of visiting the wineries in person.   The same is true for imported wine. Online resellers who import directly can assemble a vast book of amazing wines that will never appear in your local wine store. For example, K&L Wine Merchants in San Francisco maintains a great collection of modestly priced French Champagnes that go far beyond the typical Veuve Clicquots, Moet White Stars, Dom Perignons, and Crystals that you find everywhere. Many of them are Champagnes that most Americans never hear of, and never get a chance to experience. But by buying online, a whole new and diverse world of wine experiences can be delivered to your doorstep.	2. Great prices. In addition to unparalleled selection, another reason to buy online is price. Online resellers deal in volume sales, so they can often reduce their profit margin on each bottle sold and give better deals to their customers. Don’t expect big discounts on wines that are in low supply and high demand—sometimes the resellers are just lucky to get their hands on the stuff. But in many cases you can find great deals online, and you'll find some of them on this site.   As far as buying direct from wineries goes, you will usually pay full retail price since they do not want to undercut their own resellers and ruin their distribution. But they will compete in two other ways. First, they can often offer you unique, limited production wines that are not in distribution which you can’t get any other way. Second, they can offer better pricing through discounts if you join their wine clubs.   3. Customer Service. A third reason to buy direct from wineries and online resellers is for better customer service. For example, it is often easier to get a bottle replaced if it is corked. For every case of wine you buy, there is a very good chance that one of the bottles is tainted by the cork (see Bring on the Screwcaps for more info). In my experience, when you buy wine direct from a winery and you call to notify them that you received a corked bottle, they will get a replacement shipped to you promptly, with no further hassle. If that particular wine is sold out, they will ship you the next vintage or another bottle of similar value. Keeping you happy and enthused about their brand is their prime interest, so customer service from a winery is usually outstanding.   The same is true of online resellers. They may have official published policies that require the return of the (almost full) bottle before a credit it issued. But as a practical matter there is no easy and cost-effective way to do this through the mail. So the better online resellers will make it as easy as possible to issue a credit or get another bottle sent to you, without you having to return the bottle, because they want to keep you as a happy and satisfied customer. This policy will certain vary by reseller, and dealing with resellers that have the highest commitments to customer satisfaction will serve you well in the long run.   Conversely, if you buy from a local retailer you must, at minimum, recork the bottle and take it back to the store for credit. Sometimes they will open it to verify your assessment that it is corked, and if they don’t agree, they won’t issue a credit. And the clerk can’t do it, they must call the manager. You wait because the manage is busy .... one irritation after another.   Beyond that, some retailers won’t even accept returns at all. The largest wine retailer in Las Vegas has a posted policy that all sales are final. They declare (falsely) that if a wine is damaged, it must have been heat damaged by the customer leaving it in the car. This policy is posted year around, even when it is snowing outside. The fact that one out of a dozen bottles they sell is probably corked from the get-go is not acknowledged. At this retailer, no corked wines are accepted for return. Basically—it’s your tough luck. A great reason not to do business with a wine retailer like this!    Conclusion   So there it is. Three great reasons to buy online—selection, price, and customer service. If you are one of the luck 75% of Americans who live in a state that lets you buy wine online, take advantage of the opportunity. If you live in a state that legally prohibits you from enjoying the same rights as your fellow Americans, I offer my condolences. Perhaps it is time to consider a move?