Should you buy wine at a winery

Here are some buying tips to consider for purchasing wine at a winery.

If you buy wine, where will you store it before you arrive home? In the summer,
a car trunk gets very hot quickly reaching temperatures that may be harmful
to the wine.

Larger production wineries sell their wines through distributors. In general,
you will find the cost of these wines to be less on the shelf of wine stores
than at the winery. Many wine retailers will buy on volume and will be able
to offer the wines at less than the list price recommended by the winery.

Smaller production wineries have a limited distribution and are more difficult
to find in retail wine shops. The only way to buy these wines is either at the
winery or through the winery's Web site. The wines are usually not discounted
because of the limited distribution.

Many wineries, even high volume production wineries, will only sell reserve
bottlings or specialty wines through their wine club or at the winery. The pros and cons of joining a wine club.

Occasionally wineries will run special sales. This is particularly true of the
smaller wineries. If the winery has a newsletter or mailing list be sure to sign
up. This way you will find out about special sale events at the winery. Often
wineries with excess inventories will discount their wines to make room for the
next vintage.

If you join a wine club, beware of the shipping costs. You may end up paying
more for a wine that you find for less at a local wine shop. The pros and cons of joining a wine club.

Important Inside Tip for Buying Wine at a Winery

Over the years of visiting the wine country, we have learned to always
visit the local wine shop or wine retailer and see what local wines they carry.
You will often find great bargains this way and pay much less than
at the winery. Some examples: The Bottle Shop in Santa Rosa, Alberstsons in Paso Robles, Pokerville Market in Plymouth.