ALLBIDS Blog

How to Buy Wine Online

Wednesday, 12 September 2018 | Mike Leano

Walking into a liquor store can instil some anxiety if you don't know anything about wines. Which bottle - out of hundreds - should you get? The saleslady can probably tell that you don't know where to start, can't she?

This is probably why consultancy firm Wine Intelligence estimates that 79% of wine consumers use the internet when they buy the fermented grape juice.

The problem when you buy wine online is that while it's more convenient and possibly less stressful than visiting the store in person, it doesn't really address the part about not knowing much about the subject, and thus you don't know what you'd like.

To help you in your shopping jaunt, here are a few tips on how to buy wine online.

Know what you want to buy beforehand

Visiting a wine retailer's website without a plan and looking around until something catches your eye isn't ideal. Don't worry, no elaborate details are necessary; you just need to have a basic idea what you're going to buy.

Ask yourself some basic questions like:

• What's the wine for?
• Will it be served at an intimate gathering or large party?
• Is it a gift? Who's the recipient?

Knowing the answers to these questions beforehand will give you a better idea what to look for when browsing the store.

Choose the wine that goes with your food

While you do have the freedom to drink whatever wine you want while dining, not all combinations go well together. So if you're going to buy wine online, make sure you consider what dishes you plan on having while drinking it.

Over the years, people have discovered a few terrific pairings, which include but are not limited to the following:

• Full-bodied red wines like Shiraz or Cabernet Sauvignon go well with red meats, steaks and hard cheeses.
• Medium-bodied red wines like Merlot and Sangiovese go well with smoked meats, white meat (e.g. fish, chicken) and hard cheese.
• Light-bodied red wines like Grenache and Pinot Noir go well with roasted vegetables and white meat.
• Sweet white wines like Muscat and Riesling go well with smoked meats and desserts.
• Light-bodied dry white wines like Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris go well with roasted vegetables and fish (e.g. salmon, halibut).
  
  

Vintage matters

Have you ever noticed the year printed on a wine bottle's label? That's the wine's vintage, which is simply the year when the grapes were picked and the beverage was made. When people talk about vintage, they're referring to a wine's flavour profile.

A wine's vintage matters because the weather during the year it was made will affect the taste. As a region's climate may vary, its grapes could react differently to changing conditions as well. For instance, the El Niño phenomenon led to heavy rains that negatively impacted Australian wines in 1993 and 1995.

Knowing the vintage will give you a better idea about the wine you're considering. Take note that this will involve some research on whether a specific vintage is good or not, and this brings us to the next point:

Do your homework

Research before you buy wine online so that you can make an informed decision. Read books, magazines and websites that provide you details on what vintages are good and what you should avoid.

Here are a few excellent sources we recommend:

• Check out Wine Spectator for different vintage charts across several countries. This page, for instance, shows vintages for Shiraz bottles from Victoria from 1996 to 2017, giving you a good idea what to look for.
• Wine Folly comes with a wealth of information on wines. Want the basics? They have a comprehensive beginners' guide. For various how-to lessons, check out their blog.
• Delectable (iOS, Android) is a wine app that lets you find descriptions and ratings by simply taking a photo of the label.
  
  

Price and quality are not the same

Fun fact: wines are no longer priced based on reputation or quality. While a bottle from Thomas Jefferson's cellar would surely fetch a ridiculous price, wine prices are typically based on factors like start-up expenses and level of investment.

That means bottles from the world's top wine-producing regions will usually cost more than those from obscure wineries - no matter how excellent its quality.

How does this apply to buying wine online? Getting a bottle with a higher price tag doesn't necessarily mean it will be better - or that you'll enjoy it more - compared to the cheaper one.

Ignore the awards stickers

If you've ever read a wine label, then you've probably encountered those that proclaim it's a winner of X or Y awards. Or maybe it has a really high score in a ratings scale you've never heard of. Whatever the case, pay no attention to these.

Why? Because competitions are typically entered by large wineries - and smaller ones don't have the resources to do so. If you ignore these, you miss out on less known vintages and hidden gems.

Don't judge a wine by its seal

The Greeks and Romans started using cork for sealing wines. Screw caps, in contrast, have only been used since the late 1950s and they were originally placed on inexpensive wine jugs. The image kind of stuck since then.

In the last decade, this perception began to change. Wineries in Australia and New Zealand started using screw caps on more types of wine. More winemakers are actually using screw caps for sweet and white wines because compared to corks, they're more effective at keeping oxygen from entering the bottle.

Note: More complex vintages (e.g. red wines, Chardonnay) get better with some oxygen, which corks/synthetic corks allow. This takes the edge off tannins and makes the wine easier to drink.

The lesson? Don't let screw caps put you off when you buy wine, especially those you mean to drink right away. But if you plan to keep the bottle for a while, aim for cork.

Try cheaper alternatives

When shopping for wine, keep an eye out for these two options, which should provide you better value for money, but not at the expense of taste:

Second-label wines

These types of wines are cheaper because they're:

• Made from younger vines.
• Surplus stocks.
• Produced without the need for cellaring.

Like first-label bottles, second-label wines are created by the same winemaker from the same vineyards, but could cost about a third of the price.

Wines from lesser-known regions

Doing a quick Google search should show you the most popular (and usually higher-priced) wine-producing areas. These usually include Bordeaux in France, Napa Valley in California, and Montalcino and Chianti in Italy.

As an alternative, consider trying wines produced from lesser-known regions like Australia, Chile, Argentina and Spain. They're growing in popularity but the bottles from these areas are usually more reasonably priced.

Buy wine from a reputable seller

Be more discriminate when choosing where you buy your wine. Some may offer bottles at tempting prices, but are these sellers legitimate? Are their payment systems secure? See to it that you purchase only from recognised and reputable outlets.

ALLBIDS holds many wine auctions every day. We provide layers of protection on each auction, which means you can bid with confidence. So find your favourite bottle today at ALLBIDS.

Looking to sell your own wine? ALLBIDS can help. Ask us today via chat, phone or email to find out how.