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Wine

Today I learned that Wine.com is the largest wine retailer in the US and sells over 2 million bottles per year.

I looked it up1 because I just got an email about our wine delivery and started a personal wine list2. Our recent wine order will land on our doorstep tomorrow. We drink wine on occasion. I’d say we open a bottle about every other week unless we have guests which is only about every other month and we’ll open two. This adds up to 24+12 = 36 bottles a year which seems about right. We order about twice a year and get 14 bottles each time because that’s exactly how many our rack on our dining hutch holds.

I certainly wouldn't say were big drinkers since we’ll open a beer and split it between us about once every week too alternating between wine weekends because without guests, it'll take us the entire weekend to drink a bottle. I spent about five years selling wine and I tend to throw in comments about experience and I tend to get asked my opinion. I recently earned a good deal of respect from my neighbor whose daughter was getting married and in the process of discussing it, I made him a list of bubbly recommendations. He handed that list to a vendor who doubled down on my recommendations which left my neighbor somewhat impressed, so I figured I'd write it out here anytime I wanted to share it.

The easiest way I know to help someone find decent wines is by using Wine.com. We’ve got a local wine shop and I try to support them on occasion, but they just don’t have the prices and selection to compete. Our grocery stores have some wines, but again the price and selection don’t compete with ordering online. Trader Joe's will have some good values on occasion, but they'll get cleaned out and the upper-tier pricing is only slightly competitive. And while there are other online retailers, none of them have the depth of professional reviews as Wine.com. My preferred method is actually to order directly from the winery itself in person, but my travel budget doesn't exactly allow for the amount of drinking adventures I'd like to take. Only some wineries offer online sales and it's sometimes limited to cases so this is reserved for special occasions. Like anything, I mostly try and support winemakers I like3.

With Wine.com I always wait for the next $50 off coupon to arrive in the mail which essentially pays for the subscription service that handles the shipping. We drink so slowly that they must think that we have given up on their service. I set the price selectors to $15-$45 but I generally try to stick in the bottom half of that range. I sort by professional reviews and include all of the reviewers. I understand that there’s a little history of payola and kickbacks with some of them, but their reputations are on the line too and they know what they’re doing. I try to get out of my comfort zone and to vary the varietals and origins for fun. I like to ask the waiter, sommelier, or wine steward for advice. For me, it’s really all about the adventure and experience... the story, technique, history, vintage, and winery back story.

My Tips​

  • try many different varietals from many different places
  • ask for help
  • price is often deceiving and doesn't necessarily correlate to quality.
  • when you find a wine you like, learn how to describe the qualities by reading other reviews. this will help your request a similar wine elsewhere.
    • like any knowledge, it's mostly about learning the vocabulary
  • cuvées, meritages, and blends tend to have some values, but be careful because their sometimes just the leftover grapes or juice. Their usually best if they cite the exact blend from a vintner who also produces single varietals.
  • vintners rely on their reputation for quality, so the brand is important. A lot of very clever marketed one-hit wonders are shabby.
    • When I find a quality wine from a smaller winemaker, I often try their other varietals and vintages.
  • watch the vintages. oftentimes a great wine will have a bad year.
    • the fires in and around California have turned up some smokey wines for several vintages. If you see Caymus and Silver Oak cabs on sale, that's why.
  • there are a lot of good-quality reviews online. If you find a retailer review, look for a third party to verify the review.
  • if you find a stellar value on a vintage, go ahead and order a case before it's gone.
  • give wine you've enjoyed as gifts even to folks who aren't wine drinkers because it makes for a good conversations and an easy gift.
  • try to support small family vinyards.
  • I generally prefer to buy domestic wines from the US.
  • don't be afraid to cut loose on a $40-50 bottle on occasion.
    • I've noticed over the years that the $50 mark seems to be industry standard on the single vinyard
  • don't be a snob about it... nobody is impressed by your expensive taste.
    • unless of course, you just want to let others know you have money which isn't very tasteful. It's better to let them know that you have taste.
  • take note of the terroir and vintage of good wines and look for similarly located vinyards.
  • many restaurants will select good values for their by-the-glass offerings
    • they'll generally give you a sample and sell it by the bottle for a good price because they're well stocked on it.
  • if you're traveling, drink the local wine and ship a case home.
    • makes for a good story telling and memories.
  • go ahead and get the case or whatever is required to get the discounted price. you'll eventually drink em.
  • if you think you know what you're doing, get out of your comfort zone and try something new.
  • take notes and photos
    • read up about the wines you drink
  • it's good to drink a wine at it's peak for wines that need to have some age on them.
    • nobody cares what you have in your cellar or that you even have a cellar. If you're investing in wine, you're missing the point.
    • take note of 'reserve' wines because they're usually selected by the vinter when they have really good qualities.
  • cook with wine
  • almost any amount of alcohol is considered bad for your health sans very light amounts which are associated with decreased risk for mortality without direct causation45.
    • I think the real benefit is psychosocial - stress reduction and mood elevation... which could explain the lack of direct causation. If you're uptight, you die.
    • the adage about red wine being good for your heart is BS.6
    • the risk-to-benefit ratio of light drinking is more favorable in people older than age 50
  • more is not better, know when to stop yourself and your guest from drinking
    • pause for a course of food and water before opening another bottle.
    • there is definitely a curve of enjoyment that you want to stay on the upside of
    • only drink on occasion
  • always with food
  • If you balance your drinking occasions with other healthy habits like exercise then it's a win-win.
  • learn as much as you're able7
  • share it 🍷 with others

Footnotes​

  1. Wine.com - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wine.com ↩

  2. David A. Windham | TIL Lists Wine - /lists/wine ↩

  3. Randall Grahm - Bonny Doon - https://www.bonnydoonvineyard.com/randall-grahm/ ↩

  4. Alcohol and Cardiovascular Health: The Dose Makes the Poison…or the Remedy - https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/S0025-6196(13)01002-1/fulltext ↩

  5. Do “Moderate” Drinkers Have Reduced Mortality Risk? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Alcohol Consumption and All-Cause Mortality - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4803651/ ↩

  6. Biological effects of resveratrol - https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0024320599004105?via%3Dihub ↩

  7. Wine - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wine ↩