Bars and wineries across the nation are closed due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Fortunately, social isolation doesn’t mean you need to forgo your usual wine drinking. Whether you’re into affordable bottles under $10, or rare vintage Champagnes, there’s an online wine shop waiting to deliver them straight to your door. Here are our top five sites to buy wine online.
Note: This post contains affiliate links, meaning if you click the links and make a purchase, we receive a commission.
Best Curated Selection: WineAccess
If you love trying new regions and varietals, but hate the disappointment of a bad bottle, consider Wine Access. Every wine sold on their site is tasted by a team of expert sommeliers, including Master Somm Sur Lucero. Each wine comes with detailed tasting notes on its background, how the wine was selected, and suggested pairings. The selection is diverse, but thoughtfully curated to a manageable size, which is particularly helpful for undecided buyers. You’ll find both renowned and smaller producers, with competitive pricing on all bottles.
Get $30 off your WineAccess.com purchase of $130 or more using this link (for new customers only)
Shipping: Free on any purchase over $120
Shop Wine AccessLargest Selection: Wine.com
With over 10,000 bottles, wine.com by far has the broadest selection of bottles available. Its wide inventory makes it an excellent one-stop shop spanning both high- and low-end wines from around the world. As an added bonus, those who need help selecting a bottle can chat in real-time with their wine experts based out of San Francisco. However, for value wines, you’re better off looking elsewhere as pricing on bottles under $20 is less competitive.
Shipping: Standard rates apply, or pay $49/year for unlimited shipping
Shop Wine.comBest Under $20: Total Wine
After comparing prices for value wines (under $20) across sites, we found Total Wine to have the lowest pricing. For example, mass-market wine labels such as La Crema, Kendall-Jackson, and Bogle all cost $1-3 less on Total Wine than other major retailers such as BevMo! or Wine.com. As an added perk, shoppers can join the Total Wine rewards program and receive $5 for every 5,000 points (or $500) spent.
Shipping: Standard rates apply. Free shipping if you purchase $99 or more of “winery direct” wines
Shop Total WineMost Rare & Vintage Wines: K&L Wine Merchants
Counterfeit wines pose a serious (and expensive) issue, making online shopping for vintage wines a risky proposition. Safeguard yourself by purchasing from a retailer that works with wine fraud authorities, such as K&L Wine Merchants. K&L Wine Merchants prides themselves on ensuring the quality of its old and rare wines. Each bottle is inspected for authenticity, and any defects such as torn labels or lower-than-normal fill levels are clearly stated. Their inventory dates back to 1946, with hundreds of bottles over twenty years old.
Shipping: Standard rates apply
Shop K&L Wine MerchantsBest Vegan, Organic, Natural Selection: Primal Wine
Organic and natural wines are difficult to produce at scale. Because of this, most are not sold by larger producers are not carried by major wine retailers like BevMo! or Total Wine. Primal Wine has one of the largest selections of biodynamic, organic, natural, and vegan wines online. As an added bonus, even orange and pet-nat wines are tagged separately, making them incredibly easy to find.
Shipping: Standard rates apply
Shop K&L Wine MerchantsNote: This article contains affiliate links