Best Wine Retailers

[Mattstolz]

agree with Benchmark and Chambers. also can’t have this convo without mentioning envoyer. but not sure if you include it in this as its more of a mailing list than what I would really call an online wine retailer. (most of the stock is sold with the email offers and not by browsing the website I would guess)

[Richard_T_r_i_m_p_i]

How are we defining “best” here? Customer service? Prices? Selection?
In my experience with wine retailers it’s pretty much “pick 2 out of 3 of those qualities”

Give me prices and selection.

Premier Cru. QED

RT

[Jonathan_Jaggers]

Some good ones mentioned already. I’ll add:

Rye Brook Wines for selection & prices (though their shipping has gone up recently)
B-21

[mmeyers]

+1 for Vinopolis and Sec. would also add E&R in Portland now that they have an online presence.

I also use MacArthur beverage in DC. Good selection, a lot of inventory that passes through them and have had very good experiences with shipping and customer service.

Would add Graft in Charleston. I’ve enjoyed stopping in when I’m in town, and more recently have had some things shipped to me. Not nearly the scope of operation like some others, but definitely interesting selections.

[Paul_R1]

Gordons

[John_Glas]

How are we defining “best” here? Customer service? Prices? Selection?
In my experience with wine retailers it’s pretty much “pick 2 out of 3 of those qualities”

Give me prices and selection.

Premier Cru. QED

RT

I bought from them one time and it was in stock. So really my comment is for in stock only (Envoyer will make an exception) and prices.

[John_Glas]

How are we defining “best” here? Customer service? Prices? Selection?

In my experience with wine retailers it’s pretty much “pick 2 out of 3 of those qualities”

Give me prices and selection.

Easy answer: wine.com. Pretty good selection. Prices are 20-30% less than wine-searcher minimum if you play the coupon and cash-back game right. Atrocious customer service.

As many people on here that buy from them I have not. Been tempted but something about applying this coupon and that coupon doesn’t appeal to me and I love to save money!

[Guillermo_M]

I’ve had good experiences with:

• Wine Access - decent pricing, great with codes; customer service second to none (they noticed I didn’t like a wine, and even though I told them it wasn’t technically flawed just not my cup of tea, they credited me for it)
• Saratoga Wine Exchange - great prices, fast shipping, carry hard to find regions
• Bassins McArthur Beverages - fair pricing, quality selection, and it’s local to me
• Calvert Woodley - another local store that sometimes has amazing deals on good stuff
• Envoyer- amazing prices, especially for champagne, and they deliver cross-country via refrigerated shipping (except delivery day itself)
• WineEx- some otherwise impossible to find wines at good prices when on sale (haven’t used them during high/freezing temps so can’t speak to that)
• WineWorksOnline - great specials, fast shipping

Am in the middle of orders with (haven’t received for good reason) but good experience so far:

• Cellar D´Or (the one at www.thecellardor.com) - great pricing, will hold shipping till better temps (which is why I’m still in the middle)
• Robert Panzer / Down to Earth Wines - Will knowledgeably discuss wines over email; very fair pricing; good selection of hard to find wines; posts here all the time; only negatives are small matters like he prefers getting paid by check or will do a credit card surcharge, and the website is hard to use (but is PACKED with unique info on many of the wines)

[Mark_Y]

Golden8Wine

[Markus_S]

Are there any retailers who have temperature controlled storage?

The old Table & Vine in Northampton, Mass used to keep their entire selling floor at cellar temp. You needed to go in there with a sweater in summer. Alas, they became Big Y and moved to Springfield and that store no longer carries on the tradition (but think they do have a smaller area which may be somewhat cooler than the rest of the store). I’m sure Bueker can correct me if I’m wrong.

[Noah_C]

Some good ones mentioned already. I’ll add:

Rye Brook Wines for selection & prices (though their shipping has gone up recently)
B-21

Just curious if anyone here has ever been to the Rye Brooke brick and mortar store. What an experience! I was in the area about a year ago and stopped in out of curiosity. Not what I expected at all!

First of all, it’s a little store front in a suburban strip mall. Second, they were closed even though I arrived 45min after they were supposed to open. Eventually some guy unlocked the door and when I walked in I was greeted with scream-o heavy metal blasting out of the stereo. There were a few nice wines on the shelves, but also lots of mass-market stuff. I asked the guy behind the counter a few questions and he clearly had no clue what he was talking about.

At first I thought I might have the wrong place, but then a customer walked in, said he had an order waiting for him, and someone came out of the back with some real quality stuff. I didn’t want to be too nosy but saw a few PYCMs, a Clos de Vougeot, along with some other stuff I didn’t get a glimpse at. I asked the worker where all the other wines were stored and he said that there is a gigantic basement where most of their stock is kept along with another storage facility off site.

I know many retailers only have a small percentage of their inventory out on the floor, but you usually get a sense if a store is quality when you walk in. Chambers Street feels like a place that sells nice stuff, as does FlatI\iron, Zachys, a few other places I’ve been. Not Rye Brooke! They’ve got great stuff, but what a weird place!

[John_Morris]

I’ve had terrific service for years from Dan Posner’s store, Grapes, the Wine Company, in North White Plains, NY. They have a very good selection, great prices and they deliver free to Manhattan even for a single bottle. I know they ship to other states.

I should add that I’ve found the recommendations from Bob Millman there almost always suit my palate, and he’s alerted me to a number of offbeat wines I’ve liked, as well as mainstream things like Burgundies. For me, he adds real value.

Oh, and the owner does respond to customers.

[John_Morris]

Some good ones mentioned already. I’ll add:

Rye Brook Wines for selection & prices (though their shipping has gone up recently)
B-21

Just curious if anyone here has ever been to the Rye Brooke brick and mortar store. What an experience! I was in the area about a year ago and stopped in out of curiosity. Not what I expected at all!

First of all, it’s a little store front in a suburban strip mall. Second, they were closed even though I arrived 45min after they were supposed to open. Eventually some guy unlocked the door and when I walked in I was greeted with scream-o heavy metal blasting out of the stereo. There were a few nice wines on the shelves, but also lots of mass-market stuff. I asked the guy behind the counter a few questions and he clearly had no clue what he was talking about.

At first I thought I might have the wrong place, but then a customer walked in, said he had an order waiting for him, and someone came out of the back with some real quality stuff. I didn’t want to be too nosy but saw a few PYCMs, a Clos de Vougeot, along with some other stuff I didn’t get a glimpse at. I asked the worker where all the other wines were stored and he said that there is a gigantic basement where most of their stock is kept along with another storage facility off site.

I know many retailers only have a small percentage of their inventory out on the floor, but you usually get a sense if a store is quality when you walk in. Chambers Street feels like a place that sells nice stuff, as does FlatI\iron, Zachys, a few other places I’ve been. Not Rye Brooke! They’ve got great stuff, but what a weird place!

I’ve been curious to check it out. You just saved me a trip to that corner of Westchester.

[Victor_Hong]

I’ve had terrific service for years from Dan Posner’s store, Grapes, the Wine Company, in North White Plains, NY. They have a very good selection, great prices and they deliver free to Manhattan even for a single bottle. I know they ship to other states.

I should add that I’ve found the recommendations from Bob Millman there almost always suit my palate, and he’s alerted me to a number of offbeat wines I’ve liked, as well as mainstream things like Burgundies. For me, he adds real value.

Oh, and the owner does respond to customers.

Ideally also to even Andrew K.

[David_K2]

Some good ones mentioned already. I’ll add:

Rye Brook Wines for selection & prices (though their shipping has gone up recently)
B-21

Just curious if anyone here has ever been to the Rye Brooke brick and mortar store. What an experience! I was in the area about a year ago and stopped in out of curiosity. Not what I expected at all!

First of all, it’s a little store front in a suburban strip mall. Second, they were closed even though I arrived 45min after they were supposed to open. Eventually some guy unlocked the door and when I walked in I was greeted with scream-o heavy metal blasting out of the stereo. There were a few nice wines on the shelves, but also lots of mass-market stuff. I asked the guy behind the counter a few questions and he clearly had no clue what he was talking about.

At first I thought I might have the wrong place, but then a customer walked in, said he had an order waiting for him, and someone came out of the back with some real quality stuff. I didn’t want to be too nosy but saw a few PYCMs, a Clos de Vougeot, along with some other stuff I didn’t get a glimpse at. I asked the worker where all the other wines were stored and he said that there is a gigantic basement where most of their stock is kept along with another storage facility off site.

I know many retailers only have a small percentage of their inventory out on the floor, but you usually get a sense if a store is quality when you walk in. Chambers Street feels like a place that sells nice stuff, as does FlatI\iron, Zachys, a few other places I’ve been. Not Rye Brooke! They’ve got great stuff, but what a weird place!

Those kinds of places are my favorite places.

[Noah_C]

Some good ones mentioned already. I’ll add:

Rye Brook Wines for selection & prices (though their shipping has gone up recently)
B-21

Just curious if anyone here has ever been to the Rye Brooke brick and mortar store. What an experience! I was in the area about a year ago and stopped in out of curiosity. Not what I expected at all!

First of all, it’s a little store front in a suburban strip mall. Second, they were closed even though I arrived 45min after they were supposed to open. Eventually some guy unlocked the door and when I walked in I was greeted with scream-o heavy metal blasting out of the stereo. There were a few nice wines on the shelves, but also lots of mass-market stuff. I asked the guy behind the counter a few questions and he clearly had no clue what he was talking about.

At first I thought I might have the wrong place, but then a customer walked in, said he had an order waiting for him, and someone came out of the back with some real quality stuff. I didn’t want to be too nosy but saw a few PYCMs, a Clos de Vougeot, along with some other stuff I didn’t get a glimpse at. I asked the worker where all the other wines were stored and he said that there is a gigantic basement where most of their stock is kept along with another storage facility off site.

I know many retailers only have a small percentage of their inventory out on the floor, but you usually get a sense if a store is quality when you walk in. Chambers Street feels like a place that sells nice stuff, as does FlatI\iron, Zachys, a few other places I’ve been. Not Rye Brooke! They’ve got great stuff, but what a weird place!

Those kinds of places are my favorite places.

It was certainly an experience to remember!

[Karen_Troisi]

Are you looking for Napa Valley wines? If so I highly recommend Randy and Carrie Bowman’s Napa Valley Wine and Cigar. They have an awesome selection of wines.

[Andrew_Demaree]

Are you looking for Napa Valley wines? If so I highly recommend Randy and Carrie Bowman’s Napa Valley Wine and Cigar. They have an awesome selection of wines.

I miss them participating on this board.

[Paul_Mason]

Vin Chicago. They have a great selection, knowledgeable staff, and some of the best prices in the country.

[Tyler_F]

WineAccess is by far the best, IMO. Not nearly the best selection, but by far the best customer service. K&L, JJ Buckley, and Benchmark are also great.