Sunday, May 17, 2015

Online Wine Merchants; A World of Wine at Your Doorstep

When it comes to loving wine, there is absolutely nothing more fantastical than receiving a shipment of wine to your door. It is like Christmas morning and Santa Claus is a vintner. 

We have found that the opportunities that online wine distributors provide wine lovers with a plethora of opportunities to experience a world of wine in the comfort of their your home.  It is very frustrating to stand staring at wall upon wall of wine in stores only to leave even more frustrated over having 1) paid too much 2) dissatisfied 3) wanting to venture out into new varietals but, confused as to what to buy. Imagine the fun you could have by hosting your own monthly wine tasting. Invite a few friends or family members over and experience the newest shipment together.  What better way to learn the lingo by comparing and contrasting varietals and yes, have fun. Another major plus is that you will not spend more than $50.00 for a great night of wine tasting. I once asked a sommelier "what is the best way to become you?" To which he replied; "Just start experiencing wine." 

Thus far, we have enjoyed four different wine merchants. We have acquired a wonderful selection that we will continue to share with you over the next few months. There are a couple wine distributors that we have on a waiting list, but, for now, we are quite pleased with the four that we will share with you. Admittedly, we owe our new wine tasting adventure to Groupon. All but *one* of the wine distributors was through Groupon.  The rest is history. Let's explore shall we? The world of wine is right at your doorstep!

Heartwood & Oak offers either wine by the bottle, specially selected cases of red, white or mixed and also a wine club. Enjoy wine packs from $79 for 6 bottles to $149 for 12. Heartwood and Oak also offer occasional deals whereby you can choose your favorites from the hand-picked mixed cases. The deal that we obtained from Groupon also gave a generous $50 voucher to be used towards your next purchase. The one downside to Heartwood and Oak is that I have yet to see a free shipping offer. The wine selections have been wonderful and we have yet to uncover a distasteful wine yet. Toscana Red, Columbelle French White are a couple of my favorites and we both enjoyed Fair Oaks Zinfandel

Buy Wine online through Splash Wines
Splash
My relationship with Splash Wines began with a Groupon special, 15 bottles of wine for $69 (plus shipping and handling). This particular collection was called the Wine Discovery Pack, and it has been delightful. I recently wrote about the Mare Vine a delightful red from Portugal.  As a way to say thank you Splash contacted me and offered an additional special 15 bottles for $98.00 (this was the total price!) For the most part, the second shipment was delightfully different from the first collection.

 Wine Insiders
Wine Insiders 
Another Groupon deal brought 12 glorious bottles of incredible red wine to my door for the low price of $79 (shipping extra). We have thoroughly enjoyed Burke Family Cabernet Sauvignon and the 2013 Monarch Glen Merlot to name a few. So many wines, such little time. From Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay to Pinot Noir, Italy to Argentina and all the way to New Zealand, Wine Insider has a world of wine waiting to tease your tastebuds. 



Virgin Wines
*Virgin Wines*
Virgin Wines is the one online merchant that was not obtained via Groupon. As I began exploring some of the wine clubs and mixed pack options, I decided to give Virgin a try. There were many others, such as WSJ (Wall Street Journal) and a couple of others, and then I realized that depending upon where you live determines which distributor will be your provider. It is quite okay, as the selections are outstanding. Along with the glorious reds that I ordered through VW, they did something that I think goes along very well with a budding sommelier, they provided wonderful tasting note cards. I have yet to sample any of the delicate reds that came with my order, but, I have this sense that they will be sublime. Imagine receiving award winning wine, delivered to your door for only $69 (plus shipping and handling)? Needless to say, I am really looking forward to a summer of wine tasting parties and sipping through some spectacular summer nights.

Go ahead and splurge and while you are at it, save yourself some significant dollars on the fruit of the vine. Imagine all the tasteful soiree's or romantic dinners, picnics and yes, cookouts you will enjoy this summer. You will be the most impressive host/hostess on the block.

Special tip: An additional plus to investing into the variety of online wine merchants is that you always have last minute host/hostess gifts on hand. What better way to say that someone matters than to gift them with a beautiful bottle of wine?
Cheers!

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