online wine buying in Europe

[jimv]

My trip in June to Northern Italy is still going as planned. Car rental might do me in though ! So expensive these days.
But I wanted to know if any one has info about which online stores are better to buy from with delivery to Italy.
I have done a couple of purchases prior to leaving Australia and had them delivered to my hotel, some worked out well, and another took so long I almost missed it.

[Ian S]

Hi Jim
I've used some for delivery to the UK, and all have been very well packed, typically in sturdy double walled cardboard or with moulded polystyrene, which is then packed into cardboard.

Call me Wine in Milano was a favourite, though they stopped shipping to the UK, so it's been a while. They had a wonderful selection and prices were very good. They'd be my first port of call.

Xtrawine I've used a few times, and the selection and prices almost as appealing as Call me wine.

Italvinus has been useful for UK shipping, but I prefer the above two.

Grandi Bottliglie used to be a bit of a treasure trove of older wines, though much of the value has gone these days IMO. Lovely owners though, and can still house some bargains, plus will stock wines you might not see elsewhere.

There are a couple of others I've used, which I'll try to dig out. There are also some very interesting stockists of older wines, including one in Alto Adige that had a great selection last time I looked. In terms of delivery times, I'm pretty sure Xtrawine display if the wine is not yet available, and if avoiding these, delivery has been super quick to the UK (often inside a week).

Hope this helps.

[sjw_11]

Call me Wine in Milano was a favourite, though they stopped shipping to the UK, so it's been a while. They had a wonderful selection and prices were very good. They'd be my first port of call.

Xtrawine I've used a few times, and the selection and prices almost as appealing as Call me wine.

Italvinus has been useful for UK shipping, but I prefer the above two.

Grandi Bottliglie used to be a bit of a treasure trove of older wines, though much of the value has gone these days IMO. Lovely owners though, and can still house some bargains, plus will stock wines you might not see elsewhere.

I have used Italvinus or Vinissmus as it is now quite a few times. They are reliable and have a pretty good range and pricing (especially by Oz standards).

I looked at Grandi Bottliglie the other day and I agree with Ian, they have some curious options but the value is frankly garbage or at least not very certain depending on the wine in the bottle!

I have not used Xtrawine or Call me Wine.

I guess you were looking for Italian wine to be delivered? There are of course some other good options for EU delivery if you cast a broader net. Decantalo from Spain (with some wines from elsewhere) is a top pick in that regard. Vinissmus also does French and Spanish wines so could be a good choice if you fancy a mixed assortment.

[jimv]

Thanks for the insights. Do you know much about this site?
https://www.winetip.com/eng/

[Ian S]

Hi Jim
I've not seen them before, and don't recall them coming up on Wine Searcher. The list does somewhat lean towards the 'collectible' end of the market, but there are also plenty of very good wines, at fair prices, and with a little age on them already (all the way through to some fully / over mature wines). It's an interesting list for sure. What would I buy? Probably stuff around the fringes like the Massa Derthona (Timorasso) and Gabutti's Barolos. If I was (absolutely) splurging, one of the half bottles of Avignonesi Vin santo, which probably looks like crazy money, but is an incredibly intense wine.

Regards
Ian

p.s. One potential issue with them is the requirement to supply a 'fiscal code', which is a type of Italian national ID number. In addition, their payment options are a little scary - Bank Transfer gives you no guarantees, paypal is very good for guarantees but has a 3% surcharge, whilst the thought of emailing a photo of front/back of credit card is scary indeed! Of those options, I'd recommend Paypal despite the 3% surcharge.

[jimv]

Does any one have any good recommendations of any larger supermarkets with big selections of local wines ? From time to time I stumble across them when travelling and able to stock up on some amazing buys. So any in the Barolo area that you guys may know of?

[sjw_11]

Does any one have any good recommendations of any larger supermarkets with big selections of local wines ? From time to time I stumble across them when travelling and able to stock up on some amazing buys. So any in the Barolo area that you guys may know of?

If you are in Barolo area, I would suggest a visit to Eataly... either the warehouse style one in Alba or the first outpost in Torino Lingotto... It isn't the best selection or the cheapest, but I love these places anyway. (Amazing food as well, so it is a must visit if you are staying in a flat with a kitchen)

Otherwise, I don't recall ever seeing a great selection in any supermarket around there, but Ian has more experience in the area maybe he has a tip.

[Ian S]

French hypermarkets are typically much better for wine than Italian ones, but it's a fair mention of Eataly, which I don't so much see as a food and drink temple, but rather one of the *very* best supermarkets in the world. I find better stuff (and better priced) in specialist shops, but still use Eataly to 'fill in the gaps' on the last day, and would definitely recommend it to anyone who is either short on time, or doesn't get joy from food (or wine) shopping. The beer selection also worth a look.

Often better for wines are the regional enoteche, such as the ones in Barbaresco and Gattinara. I believe they are co-ops, operated by the local consorzio of wine producers, with most but not all wineries represented. Not the place for big reductions, but they can be the place for a bargain in the form of a good but 'under the radar' producer.

I still find Italian super/hypermarkets interesting to browse, be it the Italian branches of Carrefour, Aldi, Spar (Despar in Italy) or the likes of Bennet (note the one t), Crai, Conad, Esselunga, or others, but typically we'll use them for simple everyday stuff (and yoghurts - I love the wide variety of flavours). Some of the smaller supermarkets (the 2-6 till ones) can give some pleasant surprises on the wine shelves and I've seen Mastroberardino's Radici on the shelves surprisingly frequently.

[sjw_11]

Eataly, which I don't so much see as a food and drink temple, but rather one of the *very* best supermarkets in the world.

Well put, that is exactly how to view Eataly.
I used to work for Woolies for some time, I am a supermarket person at heart, hence why I love Eataly so much. I have been to them in Torino, Alba, Genoa, London, Paris, LA and NY and the consistency is off the charts. People don't know how hard that is to achieve.

[jimv]

I decided to get some French wine delivered to my hotel in Parma and buy the Italian wines while travelling around.

Went with this etailer : https://en.ngvins.com

The prices seemed to be good . Went for the following, the cndp to bring home and the rest to consume while in Italy.

Domaine du Vieux Telegraphe Chateauneuf du Pape, 2019,
Chateau de Beaucastel, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, 2019,
Domaine de la Janasse, Chateauneuf du Pape Rouge Vieilles Vignes, 2019,

Domaine Billaud Simon Petit Chablis, 2019,
Domaine Jean Foillard Morgon Cote de Py, 2019,
Domaine Ott, Chateau Romassan, 2020,
Benedicte & Stephane Tissot Arbois 'Rose Massale' Chardonnay, 2020,