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Buy Wine Locally or Shop Online?
In case you might not have seen these two recent comments under the “Favorite Wine Shop” entry, Elisabeth writes:
“Dayton’s wine shops are a great place to start, but when you get the wine bug real bad, it pays to shop online. My favorite online store for both European and domestic wine is K&L, online at klwines.com. Yes, you’ll have to pay for shipping, but their prices are quite low, and the selection can’t be matched by any store locally.”
K&L Wine Merchants is located in northern California, by the way.
Elisabeth’s advice prompted this reply from Mike:
“Does K&L employ local people, pay local taxes, support local charities, hold local wine-tastings, or do anything for the local retail landscape?”
Perfectly legal online wine shopping has been available to Ohioans for years through web-based retailers such as Wine.com. A recent U.S. Supreme Court decision has paved the way for an expansion of wine shopping online, although Ohio legislators still may slap restrictions on the practice later this year. Some California wineries have mailed notices to Ohio customers announcing that it is now legal for them to ship wine to Ohio — and pointing out that consumers should fill out the proper form and pay taxes to Ohio’s state government to make the transaction entirely legal. Such purchases circumvent Ohio’s “three-tier” distribution system that mandates minimum markups from the distributor to the retailer and from the retailer to the consumer.
Does this make online wine shopping the right thing to do for you? What about the issues that Mike raises?
Link to “post a comment” and let us know what you think.
Cheers!
Mark Fisher
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Comments
By todd
October 3, 2005 9:12 AM | Link to this
It is also vital to consider that by shopping locally, and more importantly, building a relationship with a wine buyer at your favorite store, you will likely increase your knowledge, passion, and exposure to wines through tasting and face to face discussion—something you cannot do online.
By Niko Kurkcu
September 30, 2005 12:08 PM | Link to this
The Wine Works, 1550 Commerce Rd. Springfield, 45504 tel 937-323-9463, is pleased to announce Thursday Evening Wine Tastings. Every Thursday from 5:30 to 7:30 we will be tasting from one to three wines. The cost per event will be kept to a minimum, typically from $1 to $5 dollars depending on number and costs of the wines selected for that weeks tasting. Come and enjoy.
By Don
September 29, 2005 4:01 PM | Link to this
Having “gotten the bug” years ago, I have acquired wines in almost every fashion. However, to buy from an online store is not practical. By the time the distributor adds his profit, the online store adds their expenses and profit, and you pay between $3 & $5 shipping per bottle, you’re paying TOO MUCH. Shop at home and support your local shops, so they can continue to have tastings like those planned for this weekend.
By Brian
September 29, 2005 11:54 AM | Link to this
Interested in the web site listed, I took a look. Many of the same wines are offered in the Dayton area for only a dollar or so more. Once one files the appropriate tax forms with the state and pays the shipping charges, I’m certain it will exceed the $1 to $2 price difference.
By Marie
September 28, 2005 9:10 PM | Link to this
And if your wine that you purchased online is corked, what do you do then?
By Derrick Schneider
September 28, 2005 10:11 AM | Link to this
I think Mike’s comments are very valid . I recently saw a report that pointed out that money spent in local independent stores contributed three times as much money as that spent in chains (see http://www.newrules.org/retail/news_archive.php?browseby=slug&slugid=150). Online stores just siphon all the money out of your community. Of course, sometimes there’s no way to get a wine locally, so you have to buy online.