How to Find and Buy Wine Online (and Save Some Money)

Look what just showed up on my doorstep?

Buying wine online used to be scary. “What if the wine never shows up?” “What happens to my credit card number once I’ve made the purchase?”

There’s no need to worry, these days it’s really quite easy and very safe — and buying wines you love can be done from the comfort of your laptop or smartphone, at any time of day or night.

I love exploring and discovering new wines and finding old favorites in the many online wine shops. It’s as easy as finding a reputable online wine shop like Dall’Uva, peruse their wine list for the wine styles, regions, and flavors that you like, add a few bottles to your cart, then check out with a credit card or your Paypal account. Your wine will magically show up on your doorstep in just a few days.

It’s really that easy, and with today’s credit card and Paypal protections, your purchase is 100% safe.

Here are 5 great reasons to buy wine online.

  1. We fly our wines directly from Italy so you get the best choice and the best wines possibleMore variety online, including great wines you just can’t find locally. Local wine shops can’t carry everything — usually, they stock some cheap national brands and a few regional bottles, but often are very limited in their Italian selection. When you buy wine online, you get access to wines from all over the planet, not just local. You can even find special releases and rare wines that your local shop simply can’t get.
  2. Wine is almost always cheaper online. One of the best things about the Internet is how easily you can compare wine prices, especially using price comparison websites like wine-searcher.com (see below). Wine from an online retailer can be 10% to 30% cheaper than at your local shop.
  3. Online wine shops allow you to find great wines and a very wide selectionGet wine recommendations from Sommeliers who really know their stuff. Somms live to help you find great wines that taste delicious. Most online wine shops (like Dall’Uva) have a Sommelier on staff (that’s me), ready to help you make tasty wine selections. Some online shops even have a live chat feature so you can talk directly to the staff Somm (see that bubble on the lower right corner of your screen? Click it). Staff Somms in the online wine shops help make it easy for you to get great wine recommendations that fit your taste and budget.
  4. Buying wine online is safe and easy. Internet commerce has come a l-o-o-o-ng way since the early days, and now just about every online wine shop uses strong encryption for your browsing session to protect your personal data, and super-secure payment processing so your credit card number is safe. Also, Visa, Mastercard, AMEX, and Paypal all protect your purchase, so if you’re not happy with your purchase, you can get your money back.
  5. Shipping is fast and safe when buying wine online at Dall'UvaYou can get fantastic discounts and specials like free shipping on your order. Online shops often run specials on new wine arrivals and discounts for first-time buyers. Some even offer free shipping when you buy a case of wine. Take advantage of these great deals and save even more (see below for how to save 10% and get free shipping).

Finding a wine you love, at a fair price.

If you have a special wine you really love and want to find it at a good price online, just pull up wine-searcher.com.

What is wine-searcher.com? It’s simply the coolest search engine ever for finding wines, everywhere on the planet. As of this writing, They have over 9 million wines listed with prices from nearly 90,000 wine shops all over the world.

Wine-Searcher.com is a great site for finding a wine you love, and at the best price.
Searching for my favorite Barolo from Bartolo Mascarello.
Let me see…oh wow, Dall’Uva has the best price! 😀

There’s a free version anyone can use, and a paid-for pro version ($60 for 12 months). Both are available online and as apps for your iPhone or Android phone. The pro version is mostly used by wine collectors to find rare wines, and wine shops to see if their wine prices are competitive. :-).

To use the wine-searcher.com site, just type in the name of your favorite wine and eccolo!  You’ll find a list of wine shops through the USA that carry the wine, including a star rating of their quality. It orders the wine shops by lowest price and provides a link to the shop’s website (usually directly to the wine in their store). You can even narrow it down to just the shops in your State. COOL!

That said, some wine shops won’t (or can’t) ship outside their home state. Also, don’t just go for the cheapest price, you need to check the shipping costs, and don’t overlook the store’s rating — go with a reliable shop with a good price and fair shipping costs.

How long does it take to get my wine?

With most online shops shipping orders at Amazon-speed (same day), sadly most online wine shops take up to 5 days to get your wine out the door and on it’s way to you.

Some shops, like Dall’Uva, ship your wine the same day you order it. At Dall’Uva, if we receive your order by 10 AM Pacific Time, it goes out the same day. If you miss the 10 AM cutoff, don’t worry, we’ll ship your wine order out the next day.

Once your wine leaves the shop, it takes from 1 to 5 days by ground shipping, depending on where you live. UPS has useful maps showing the number of business days it takes a package to travel from the shop to you, like this one.

If you want to calculate the number of days to your location, you can use UPS’s handy calculator.  Note: if you want to calculate the shipping days from Dall’Uva to your home, use our zip code in the “Ship From” field: 93446.

Just a reminder: wine can only be shipped via UPS, FedEx, and other common carriers. The US Postal Service does not allow alcohol to be sent by mail.

Stay cool.

Weather in the US can vary wildly, depending on what time of year it is and where you live.

Any wine shop that cares about you and your wine is going to care about when your wine gets shipped. If it’s the peak of summer, your wine could get cooked — quite literally — in the back of a delivery truck. If it’s the dead of winter and freezing cold…brrr…your wine might freeze solid along the way (and probably pop your corks).

Shipping in August can be tricky, just look at some of those hot zones! Go with temperature-controlled shipping.
Looks like a pretty hot day for shipping wine,
let’s go with Temperature-Controlled shipping.

Because of that, most shops try to ship their wine during the temperate months, usually April through June, and again from September through November. It really depends on where you live, and where the wine shop is located. If you’re not sure, just ask.

Some wine shops like Dall’Uva offer temperature-controlled shipping during the hottest and coldest months. By shipping via temperature-controlled trucks, you get your wine delivered even when the weather is extreme.

If your home is only 2 to 3 shipping-days from the wine shop, some shops (like Dall’Uva) will put “ice packs” in the wine box to keep your wine cool.

And nearly all wine shops will hold your wine until the weather improves, if you’re not in a hurry.

3 great wines you can buy online, right now.

It’s really quite easy to order wine online, why not give it a try?


Roberto's Chianti Classico at Val delle Corti is a fantastic value and absolutely delicious.

Red wine fan? Here’s a great value Chianti.

Are you a Chianti fan? Can’t get enough Sangiovese?

Here’s a crowd pleaser that is a wonderful party wine, or simply enjoy with a Tuscan-style meal. This Val delle Corti Chianti Classico 2010 is a value Chianti that’s perfect as your “house red.”

Roberto’s 2010 Chianti Classico is sumptuous and shows off what the mountains around Radda in Chianti can do for Sangiovese. Bright cherry, blackberry, cocoa, wild fennel, with nice acidity.


Fantastic and rare Sauvignon Blanc from Burlotto.

Prefer white wine? Here’s a rare Sauvignon Blanc only available online.

While Italy is best known for its red wines, the whites from the northern regions are outstanding. Everyone knows about Italian Pinot Grigio, but did you know that Italy also makes a Sauvignon Blanc that rivals the best made in New Zealand and California?

Produced in the same area as the famous Barolo wines, Burlotto’s Viridis Langhe Sauvignon 2016 is the best Sauv Blanc I’ve ever tasted. It’s also very rare, with just 150 cases made. This is the kind of rare wine you simply will not find in local shops anywhere.

Delicious and refreshing, Viridis 2016 is fruit-forward and brimming with lemon, green apple, grapefruit zest and green herbs, with crisp acidity that is such a pleasure. Sauvignon Blanc fans (especially New Zealand fans) will swoon over this — and only the lucky few will get to drink it.


Delicious Prosecco, perfect for quaffing with friends.

Sparkling wine? Prosecco is a perfect choice.

Prosecco is the Queen of sparkling wines, and people slurp millions of bottles of the bubbly every year. Who doesn’t love a good POP of the cork to kick off a celebration?

I love Prosecco more than any other bubbly (yep, even more than Champagne) because it’s delicious, inexpensive and versatile. Pouring a glass of Prosecco after the end of a long, hard day is a joy, and you can even make great cocktails with it (like the famous Venetian cocktail Aperol Spritz).

The Bronca Sisters make the best Prosecco I’ve ever tasted. Here’s a great option that’s easy on the pocket book.

This is the ultimate aperitif for happy hour (think of a Venetian Giro d’Ombra!) and sipping with good friends. It also pairs nicely with almonds, prosciutto, smoked salmon, or chilled shrimp. Prosecco goes great with sushi and many Chinese dishes.


Look what just showed up on my doorstep?

I’ll make it easy for your first online order.

Need a little convincing? How about saving 10% on your order, or getting free shipping?

I have two coupons listed below that will make it easy on the pocketbook, while you get to enjoy some delicious Italian wines delivered right to your door. Come check ‘em out.

Save 10% on your first order

Place your first order and I’ll throw in a 10% discount on everything you buy (well, except for rare & collectible wines — they’re already priced with a discount). Just enter this coupon code at checkout, and you’ll immediately save 10%:

lucky-ten
COUPON CODE

Free ground shipping on your first order over $300

If your first purchase from our shop is over $300, I’ll ship your wine to you by Ground delivery at no charge. Just enter this coupon code at checkout and select Free Shipping, and you’re all set:

ship-free
COUPON CODE

(And, yes, you can use both coupon codes on your first order, and get both a 10% discount and free shipping.)

Cheers!
~ Michael

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