How to Buy Wine on a Budget

Step-by-Step Guide

1. 1

   Step 1: Learn the language of wine

   Budget wine connoisseurs should be ready to do research and read reviews, which will be heavy with terminology referring to the 5 S's: see, swirl, sniff, sip and savor.
2. 2

   Step 2: if you do not know it already.

   It's often possible to get better deals on a particular style of wine by picking a lesser-known appellation or an up and coming wine region.
   
   Up and coming wine regions include:
   Clare Valley, Australia, Hill Country, Texas, La Mancha, Spain, Mendoza, Argentina, Douro, Portugal, Central Valley, Chile and Sicily, Italy.
   
   They have great wine for a lower price than other regions in their respective countries.
   
   Some wines can be from a well-known region without a well-known name.
   
   For example, in Southwestern France, Bordeaux and Cotes-du-Rhone are well known appellations, but their neighbors like Languedoc, and Pic St.
   
   Loup offer similar taste at a portion of the price.
   
   If you like Pacific American wines, Washington's Columbia Valley outscores Napa in many wine taste tests, but it is consistently sold for less. , Many supermarkets or liquor stores have free tastings of new wines to encourage buyers.
   
   If you frequently shop at a local wine store, ask them if you can taste certain wines before you buy them. , Sites like The Budget Wino and Vino 100, post ratings and reviews on bottles under $10 and $20, respectively.
   
   Even Consumer Reports lists holiday wine deals.
   
   Keep a list of wines you like, so that you can check for sales in local ads and supermarkets. , Some supermarkets offer you a discount if you buy 6 or more wines.
   
   Ask the supermarket or wine store if you can buy the wine by the case to receive a deeper discount, or mix and match a case of wine. , During the holiday season, these stores discount a large number of wines.
   
   Choose the wine with the largest discount over the cheapest wine.
   
   Many supermarkets display both wine that's always inexpensive and wine that's marked down.
   
   If you are buying budget wine that you are not familiar with, it is best to aim for something you may not have a chance to try if it were full price. , They often list reviews on bottles of wine and offer larger quantities for a cheaper price, or single bottles at a few dollars less than the supermarket price. , Many websites like Wine.com Beverages and More (BevMo) has a sale every year that allows you to buy and ship 1 bottle at full price and the second bottle for 5 cents. , These bottles are marked up extremely high and are not budget-friendly.
   
   If you do buy from a restaurant wine list, don't be afraid to buy the cheapest bottle of wine.
   
   Some of the bottles with the highest mark up are hidden as the second or third cheapest on the menu.
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   Step 3: Research wine regions.

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   Step 4: Go on wine tastings.

5. 5

   Step 5: Use the Internet to help guide you through the wines that cost under $20.

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   Step 6: Buy the wines you love in bulk.

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   Step 7: Wait for supermarket sales between mid-November and mid-January.

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   Step 8: Buy from warehouse clubs like Sam's Club and Costco

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   Step 9: if you already have a membership.

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    Step 10: Buy wines online.

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    Step 11: Do not buy wine in a restaurant.

Detailed Guide

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