Wines Direct Merchants - Where To Buy Wine From?
We work with over 20 wine merchants and supermarkets in the UK and bring their stock together so that you can compare their offers and get the best deals. This page lists all the merchants we are working with at the moment with valuable information about who they are, their delivery options and the products they sell.
How To Choose Your Wine Merchant?
It can sometimes be difficult to choose where to buy your wines or spirits from. Here's some advice to help you. Depending on which factor is most important to you, you will want to buy from a different type of merchant:
- Price: You will usually find the best price at supermarkets or big merchants such as Majestic Wine. Because they have big stock capacities, they can negotiate very good deals with suppliers and pass the savings on to their customers. They also run a lot of promotional offers like "Save 25% off everything" and sometimes offer voucher codes so you get even more savings.
- Stock Level: Again, your best bet will be wine shops from supermarkets such as Tesco Wine by the case or Cellar by Waitrose & Partners, or bigger wine specialists such as Majestic Wine or Laihwaite's. They have much more stock because their customer base is much bigger. However, be careful with online groceries shops because there's usually a limit of 36 bottles per order. Also be aware that they might substitute your items if they're not in stock in your nearest store.
- Choice: If you like having large choices, you could be happy with some supermarkets offers as some are expanding their range, especially online. However, wine specialists like Majestic Wine, Laithwaite's, Virgin Wines and some smaller independent merchants, might be more suitable for you. They always try to stay clear from competing with supermarkets by offering a larger range with more rare wines.
- Rarity: If you are looking for the little gem you tried at this great restaurant, or on your holiday in Italy, your best bet will be independent merchants. They often stock wines that are less known by customers and can help you choose with an expert knowledge. Some shops will even specialise in one or two countries so you know they'll have more varieties to offer. Small shops have more freedom when it comes to choosing wines whereas supermarkets need to satisfy a certain type of demand.
- Customer Experience: If you are after an amazing customer experience and want to learn more about wine, you also might want to turn towards smaller independent merchants. This doesn't mean that supermarkets will have bad customer service, but it's a more formatted experience because they're a much bigger company. With smaller, family-run businesses, you can usually get the extra personal advice or friendly chat that bigger businesses can't always offer.
- Delivery Options: The bigger the merchant, usually the cheaper delivery options will be. Most big merchants will offer free standard delivery or Click & Collect, which is really useful if you have a store nearby. Again, this is because they have the infrastructure available which helps them keep costs down. Smaller merchant will usually charge you around £7.00 for delivery but might offer it for free if you spend £100 or £150 with them. You have to keep in mind that delivering wine is expensive. Because it's a fragile item, it needs to be in a special packaging.
We've tried to provide as much useful information as we could for each of our merchants. This way, you can make the best decision according to what's important to you. If you're still not sure about something, feel free to contact us and we'll be happy to help. For delivery inquiries, you should go to the merchant website where they will always have full information about prices and excluded postcodes.