I used to really enjoy buying stuff on the internet because, as my wife is so fond of saying, “it comes to me.”
Now, with the unique circumstances that go along with fighting a pandemic through self-quarantining and social distancing, buying “stuff” online is more of a lifeline. However, when it comes to buying wine online, the internet can prove to be a tad more complicated than just stopping by your local wine shop on the way home from work.
In the pre-coronavirus days, many people would buy a couple of bottles of wine from a wine shop and typically consume them shortly after purchase. But buying wines online takes a little more planning because the wines have to be shipped, and someone – over the age of 21 – has to be home to sign for them (which is not much of an issue these days).
In addition, buying just a few bottles over the internet from time to time is very inefficient and costly due to the shipping costs. It’s really designed either for collectors who are looking for a specific wine or consumers who are buying a case or two at a time.
Most importantly, laws regarding the shipment and receipt of alcoholic beverages, including wine, vary greatly from state to state and can be very complicated.
For example, Virginia passed a law several years ago that allows out-of-state wineries to ship to residents of that state as long as the shipper is registered with the state, keeps accurate records of all shipments and pays the appropriate excise tax (4.5%) to the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control.
Maryland will allow shipment of wine into most of the state, but if you live in Montgomery County, it must pass through a complicated system of checks and balances. According to the Wine Institute, Maryland residents can only have wine shipped from wineries that have obtained a wine seller’s permit from the state.
This permit “enables the out-of-state shipper to ship only wines which are not already available (and have not been in the last two years) in Maryland through a distributor.” And the wines cannot come from an out-of-state retailer.
If you live in the District of Columbia, count yourself lucky. As long as the winery or retailer pays the appropriate tax – about 10% to the D.C. government – wines can be shipped to your front door from both retailers and wineries.
However, while you are not required to have any special permit to receive shipments of alcohol in D.C., there is a limit. You are allowed to receive up to one case of wine, spirits, or beer per month per person from out of state.
If you have more than one resident – over the age of 21 – per household, they can also receive one case per month, so there is a way to receive multiple cases under certain circumstances.
Now that you know the rules, here are three ways to effectively use the internet in order to get what you want.
First, most domestic high-end wineries have websites where you can go online and purchase hard-to-find wines directly from them. A second method is to visit wine auction websites such as Wine Bid, Hart Davis Hart or K&L Wine Merchants auction branch, where wine enthusiasts can bid on specialty wines online.
But be aware that there are a couple of drawbacks to using online auction sites. Since you are buying wines from another consumer, there are no guarantees as to how the wine was stored or what condition the wine is in. It is definitely a buyer-beware enterprise, because you can not return it.
And don’t forget, if you live in Maryland or Virginia, you still have to comply with state laws regarding shipping.
My favorite way to utilize the web is as a resource to find certain wines that I am interested in. Two useful websites are Wine Access and Wine Searcher. These sites can help you locate wineries and retailers who can ship wine to your specific area.
If you find a retailer that needs to ship the wine to you, make sure you ask them if they can legally ship to your state – although most will clearly state on their website where they can ship wine.
While I definitely miss going to wine shops, I’ll learn to navigate this brave new world of buying wine online. After all, from my wife’s perspective, it will come to her.
In the meantime, stay home, stay safe and drink responsibly.
