what are the best wine WEB SITES to buy wine from

[evivant.com]

whatya think ?

[Bombdog]

I use winemiles.com. The selection is growing, as they are still fairly new, but the prices are great....and the owner is a friend of mine.

Seriously, even though I live here in Napa, I can get some things cheaper from them than I can at the winery.

[Craig Camp]

...you can buy wine cheaper EVERYWHERE than you can from the winery in Napa.

The question is a little broad and the answer would change according to what wines you are looking for - certainly if you're looking for Bordeaux, Burgundy, Rhone, Champagne, Alsace, Barolo, Barbaresco, Chianti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino, Rioja, Cava, Priorat, Rheingau, Mosel and other classic wines something like WineMiles won't help much.

Then there is an additional factor that affects who is the best online store for you - if shipping to your state is legal.

Almost every major retailer has a significant web presence that includes on-line buying. I would stick to retailers with well-established reputations when taking the risks of buying online.

[Brad Ballinger]

Garagiste as a place for a little bit of everything. But if you wish to specialize, then that opens up a whole bunch of places. But the prices at Garagiste are hard to beat.

[docsconz]

I like The Wine Club, Inc. based in California. They have a great selection and prices on wines from all over the world. Like anywhere else, the selection is always changing based upon availability so they may or may not have the specific wine you want. Their recommendations are generally pretty good too.

[Rebel Rose]

I recommend starting at WineAccess.com

When you register, the site memorizes your zip code and then when you search for a wine, the site will pull up an online retailer that not only has the wine in stock, but can ship to you.

WineAccess doesn't yet have an extensive list of wine merchants, and most of the ones they do have are east coast, but their merchant list is growing, and they do have over 35,000 wines listed, so it can be a good place to start.

[chocartist]

I recommend www.cuveecellars.com. They offer an amazing collection of fine and rare wines at the most reasonable prices. It's a terrific site.

[LOS]

I buy about 1/3 of my wine from Chambers. No one else even comes close. They specialize in Loire and Beaujolais and other 'under-the-radar' stuff. I also like Wine Exchange for a good general selection, and Woodland Hills and Premier Cru both specialized in Burgundy. Some people have had issues in service with Premier Cru, but I never have and reports seem to have been curtailed in the last 2-3 years. Their email list is well worth subscribing too, as they occasionally have too-good-to-be-believed sales.

Edit: Fixed a link

Edited May 30, 2004 by LOS (log)

[WineMiles]

As a Napa local, you can do pretty well at the Napa Wineries They give us a locals only discount.

Check out: wine-searcher.com

Chances are, you'll find a vendor close to you that has great prices and won't have any shipping issues.

Of course, if you live in Pennsylvannia, your screwed. Since all direct wine shipping is illegal in Penn., even if the current Supreme Court case regarding interstate shipping falls to the side of the wine industry, no one will be able to ship to Penn.

There are a handful of other states Utah, Florida, Tennessee, Kentucky where it is a felony for anyone to ship wine directly to a consumer.

The whole shipping thing is very messy right now. You need to understand your state's laws regarding the direct shipping of wine before you go out and get disappointed by the on-line communities possible inability to serve you.

[mauss]

For those in Europe or those who do not have a problem to import or have a cellar place to keep the wines in Europe, I recommend "1855.com" or "millesima.com" or "chateauonline.fr".

Very serious operator with fair to excellent prices.