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Despite years of shopping for wine on the internet, I still can’t quite get used to the idea. Wine, after all, isn’t like a book or CD. Holding a bottle, inspecting its label—you just can’t replicate that experience inside a browser window. Yet I do most of my wine buying online. Why?
For starters, the comparison shopping is unbeatable. With search engines like Wine-searcher.com and Google (which most retailers love), you no longer have to go to the Montrachet; the Montrachet will come to you. Cross-referencing the latest scores and top recommendations is blissfully easy, and especially pleasurable when you can do it at home in your bathrobe on a Saturday morning.
Certain things separate the top Web sites from the also-rans. Ease of use and good customer service matter, for a start; so does price. But ultimately, what really counts is selection. Maybe that’s why so many of the 10 terrific sites below are established retailers with online divisions: They have the best access to a wide range of wonderful wines.
appellationamerica.com
This four-year-old site is the ultimate source for obscure American wines—Merlot from North Yuba, California, say, or Ohio River Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. It also offers wines directly from more than 120 wineries. One to try: the appealing 2005 Bowers Harbor Vineyards Semi-Dry Riesling ($14) from Michigan’s Old Mission Peninsula. Tip: A search tool parses each state’s shipping laws to determine which wines shoppers can buy.
avalonwine.com
Run out of a modest Corvallis, Oregon, wine shop of the same name, this is a comprehensive source of top Washington and Oregon wines from producers like Beaux Frères and Leonetti Cellar—though it sells great wines from obscure producers, too. Tip: Avalon’s wine clubs, like the Northwest Big Reds Club and the Reserve Pinot Noir Club (membership costs $90 per month), are a great way to access up-and-coming stars, like Oregon’s Daedalus Cellars and Washington’s O-S Winery.
bountyhunterwine.com
Mark Pope’s Bounty Hunter is a restaurant in downtown Napa, as well as a catalog and Web site featuring top Napa and Sonoma wines. One recent find: the rare 2002 Mount Veeder Progeny Cabernet Sauvignon ($75) from Marco DiGiulio, who also made the cult Lokoya wines. Tip: Download the catalog; it’s an always-enjoyable read.
brownderby.com
Great deals in Missouri on California wines? Brown Derby owner Ron Junge uses his long-standing connections to bring great California wines like Copain Syrah home to the Show-Me State. He also offers hard-to-find gems such as the 2002 Diebolt-Vallois Blanc de Blancs Champagne ($60). Tip: Many, but not all, of the wines here have low markups. Low inventory numbers ("Only 6 left!!") are often a guide to bottles that are going fast.
chambersstwine.com
Owners David Lillie and Jamie Wolff are consummate wine geeks who have assembled an impressively esoteric inventory in their Manhattan store, and on their Web site, which includes lots of Loire valley wines and biodynamically grown Bordeaux, like the 2004 Château Peybonhomme-Les-Tours Premières Côtes de Blaye ($13). Tip: Check out the "Pre-Arrivals" section for Lillie and Wolff’s latest finds, like the 2001 Domaine Michel Lafarge Volnay Clos des Chênes ($78).
klwines.com
Serious wine lovers have been turning to this California retailer for more than 30 years. K&L’s wine buyers not only hunt down the best from nearly every region in the world, but also sell hundreds of direct-import wines at great prices. The Web site shows real-time inventory of just how many bottles of, say, 2004 Domaines Schlumberger Saering Grand Cru Riesling ($20) are still available. Tip: Direct-import sparkling wines include terrific bargains such as Tarlant Brut Zéro Champagne ($28).
wine-club-central.com
This no-frills site isn’t actually in Napa but Chino, a small city between Los Angeles and San Bernardino. Owners Tom and Kris De Grezia have access to highly allocated wines, which they offer at excellent prices. These include famous names like 2003 Ridge Monte Bello ($105), as well as lesser-known ones like 2005 Rusack Santa Barbara Pinot Noir ($19). Tip: Check out the "90+ Under $20" section for bargains like the 2005 Bodegas Castaño Monastrell Yecla ($6).
2020wines.com
Los Angeles-based owner Bob Golbahar specializes in hunting down impossible- to-find wines for impossible- to-reach clients like Jack Nicholson and Sandra Bullock. The informative and easy- to-use site includes prestige bottles like the 1997 Harlan Estate ($1,695) and the 1996 Denis Mortet Clos de Vougeot ($995), but also great deals such as the 2005 Two Hands Angel’s Share Shiraz ($29). Tip: The site contains lists of 99- and 100-point wines for those buying bottles to fill out their collections.
vinfolio.com
This California wine-storage company’s recently launched Web store is packed with more than 1,500 hard-to-find wines, like the 2004 Jean-Marc Brocard Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos ($47), along with scores and average retail prices based on online data and recent auction sales. Specialists offer to help anyone looking to build a killer collection—and buy at least $10,000 worth of wine. Tip: The site lists great older bottles, like the sought-after 1989 Dominus Estate ($129).
winecommune.com
This is eBay for wine lovers, where frenzied bidders vie for wines like a 1979 Château Pétrus ($650) or a 1999 Screaming Eagle ($1,800). Modest bidders can score bargains, too—there’s a no-minimum section where lots open at just a buck. Handling charges nudge up the total but are still quite reasonable. Tip: Watch auctions in the "Closing Today" section and pounce on them, eBay-style.
Jon Bonné is the wine editor of the San Francisco Chronicle.
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