Great news if you’re sequestered due to the Coronavirus: you can still get your favorite wines delivered straight to your doorstep. Dozens of businesses are now vying to deliver wine to consumers in as little as one hour. Which app or website should you use? After extensive research, we’ve identified the best services for meeting a variety of needs, be it a well-priced wine or a rare vintage bottle.
Here are our top five picks for same-day wine delivery services. The right choice will depend on your needs.
For the Largest Selection: Drizly
Drizly has the widest selection compared to all the other same-day wine delivery services we researched. It sources from both large retailers, like BevMo!, and small liquor shops. With its presence in 26 states, Drizly offers 1-hour delivery to pretty much every major metro area in the U.S.
Pros: Drizly’s site is by far the easiest to use, amongst all the sites we tested. Undecided wine buyers can search for bottles by varietal, sweetness level, food pairing, or even find vegan and kosher wines. Drizly’s selection numbers in the thousands of bottles in major metros, ranging from high-to low-end. It also offers frequent deals and discounts.
Cons: Value wine shoppers may be disappointed to learn that popular sales from major retailers do not seem to flow through to the Drizly platform. For example, BevMo!’s 5 cent wine deals are available on Instacart, but not on Drizly. A $5 delivery fee applies in most metro areas, and tipping is encouraged. Higher fees and order minimums may apply based on address.
Shop DrizlyFor Value Wine Shoppers: Instacart
If you’re a cost-conscious wine shopper who likes to nab a good deal, consider Instacart. Instacart often has a slight discount to Drizly on popular value wine labels. This is due to the number of major wine retailers on its platform, in particular Costco and BevMo!. Instacart has the widest distribution network of all of the same-day wine delivery services. It reaches all 50 states in the U.S., and recently started distribution in Canada.
Pros: Wine discounts from major retailers often make their way onto the Instacart platform. For example, BevMo!’s 5 cent wine program is available on Instacart, but not on Drizly. And if you pick any bottle of value wines, you’ll usually find it is cheaper from Instacart’s Costco selection than other same-day delivery services.
Cons: A delivery fee and $10 minimum apply to all orders, and tipping is encouraged. The delivery fee varies based on order size and time of day. Orders during “Busy Pricing” times will have a higher delivery fee. The only way to avoid delivery fees is to become an Instacart Express member, which currently costs $99 per year.
Shop InstacartFor Niche/Small Production Wines: Postmates
If you’re looking for same-day delivery of small-lot or vintage wines, Postmates is a logical choice. The Postmates network includes local wine shops, many of whom sell small-production wines not available on Drizly or Instacart. Postmates is available nationwide, in 3,500 cities.
Pros: Postmates gives customers access to shops that don’t have the resources to list every rare bottle online for same-day delivery. For example, New York residents can order anything in Chambers Street Wines’ library of vintage wines, from Barolo to Premier Cru Burgundy, by simply telling a Postmates courier the exact bottle they want. Those who aren’t sure what they want can pick from the wine lists of a number of local shops. For example, Resolute Wine Shop in San Francisco offers an extensive selection of unique, artisanal wines for just a $0.99 delivery fee. Delivery fees are reasonable, and Postmates clearly states the fee upfront for each retailer.
Cons: Since Postmates originated as a food delivery platform first, it isn’t as easy to search for wines. Users must first find the wine shop they are interested in before being able to search wines by varietal or price. It helps to know what wine you want. Delivery fees still apply, but customers can join the Postmates Unlimited program ($9.99/month) to have fees waived on deliveries of any type, from dinner to wine.
Shop PostmatesFor Luxury Gifts: ReserveBar
Where else can you get your Dom Perignon custom-engraved, or delivered in a handmade leather bag? ReserveBar offers a high-end selection of luxury wine and spirits, along with artisan barware to make it entirely gift-worthy. Express delivery is available within two-hour time windows in Phoenix and Scottsdale, AZ; Boston, MA; San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego, CA; Chicago, IL; Dallas, TX; Miami Beach, FL; New York, NY, Seattle, WA, and Washington DC.
Pros: The high-end wine selection is excellent for those seeking recognizable prestige bottles. Pricing is competitive, and the delivery fee is waived for orders over $200 (although orders below $200 will be charged up to $15.97, depending on size). Tipping the driver is also not required or expected.
Cons: While ReserveBar is excellent for fine wine enthusiasts, it is not for rare wine enthusiats. Its selection does not contain many rare or vintage wines. The offering is also quite curated (and hence, limited).
Shop ReserveBarFor Free Delivery: Saucey
Saucey is a smaller same-day delivery service for wine, beer, and spirits. But what it lacks in selection, it more than makes up for in one key area: free delivery, and no order minimums. Saucey delivers in Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles/Orange County, New York City, and San Francisco/Bay Area.
Pros: There is no delivery fee, and tipping is not required (although you may feel guilty if you don’t leave your driver any tip!). Most drivers are professional couriers by background, also driving for Postmates or Instacart. Saucey also claims to be able to deliver within an impressive 30-minute time window.
Cons: Saucey’s selection is more limited. It also only distributes to five metro areas.
We evaluated a large number of same-day wine delivery services that didn’t make this list, including Amazon Prime Now, Minibar, and Swill. Most of them did not make the cut due to a more limited wine selection, fees, or distribution network.
Shop SauceyHave favorite same-day wine delivery service? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
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