Top online wine shops compared

About Top online wine shops compared

Online wine shops differ most in what a bottle costs and where it can travel, so this ranking reads entry prices, per bottle pricing, plan contents and listed markets in that order. It covers 24 brands, from a club founded in 1874 to specialist retailers based in the US, Italy, Germany and Britain. The main trade-off is entry price against what actually arrives. A low headline price means little if a shop serves a single market, sells a single kind of drink, or sets a high delivery threshold. Clubs that state a bottle guarantee and send a set number of bottles on a known rhythm make the running cost easier to predict, while broader shops add spirits, cocktails and alcohol-free options to the same basket. Read the per bottle figure next to the delivery threshold, then check the markets before ordering. A threshold of £0 and a threshold of £125 push a basket in opposite directions.

How we picked

Cost carries the heaviest weight at 40% and is built from entry prices, per bottle pricing and free delivery thresholds. Offer is weighted at 40% and reads what reaches the door: stated bottle guarantees, bottles per box, delivery frequency and how much of a drinks range is listed. Trust contributes 20% through headquarters country, legal entity, listed markets and support channels. Price at entry and price per bottle are scored separately, so a low headline figure cannot hide a high bottle price. Sources are the pages each shop publishes about itself, covering subscription and plan pages, shipping and delivery pages, terms and conditions, imprint pages, contact pages and about pages, alongside the category range figures held for this sector. Values are carried across as published, and a per bottle figure is never merged with an entry price or with what a plan repeats on renewal. Partners would be listed first, then the score order. Partners that serve your country are listed first in this ranking, then the rest by score.

Our top picks

1. 2. Total Wine

   Total Wine takes its place in this ranking for range rather than subscription value, selling wine shop, spirits and cocktails from an entry price of $9.99 with support on email, phone and chat. Founded in 1991 and based in US, it is built for varied baskets rather than a fixed box, so no box size or cadence is stated. Delivery runs in US, which keeps the offer simple rather than broad. Vino, ranked next, carries the same spirit and cocktail lines and adds a €69.90 delivery threshold, but it reaches far more countries.

   • Price from: $9.99
   • Markets: US
   • Legal entity: Retail Services & Systems, Inc.

   Pros

   • Entry price of $9.99 sits below Vino's €6.80, so a single bottle costs less to start.
   • The range spans wine shop, spirits and cocktails, wider than Bright Cellars' wine club and wine shop.
   • Support runs on email, phone and chat, so phone, chat, email and self-serve help are all open.
   • Trading since 1991 under Retail Services & Systems, Inc., with the shop based in US.

   Cons

   • It runs in US alone, so a shopper outside the US cannot order.
   • There is no club in the range: wine shop, spirits and cocktails is a wine shop selection, unlike The Wine Society's wine club, wine shop and spirits, so buyers wanting a scheduled selection get nothing here.
   • Rank 11 of 33 brands on entry price leaves plenty of cheaper doors open in the set.

2. RM7. Robert Mondavi Winery: best for Robert Mondavi Winery

   Robert Mondavi Winery is a Napa Valley winery that sells fine wine online. Orders are shipped to the buyer address with shipping and tax calculated at checkout.

   • Markets: US

3. TP8. The Prisoner Wine Company: best for The Prisoner Wine Company

   The Prisoner Wine Company sells its wines directly through its online shop. Shipping and taxes are calculated at checkout based on the delivery address.

   • Markets: US

4. CE9. Casa Emma: best for Casa Emma

   Casa Emma sells wines from its Tuscan estate with shipping to the US. Orders are placed in multiples of 3 bottles and it also offers a wine club.

   • Markets: US

5. GW10. Giordano Wines: best for Giordano Wines

   Giordano sells Italian wines direct, including regional red and white wines. It also offers food and wine hampers and gift baskets.

   • Markets: NO

What to look for

Per bottle price, not headline price

An entry price of $9.99 says little about a club, so weigh the per bottle figure instead. Across this ranking the median sits at €14.25, the lower quartile at €11.72 and the top quartile at €23.51.

The bottle guarantee

Breakage cover is close to a coin toss in this category, with 56.2% of shops stating a bottle guarantee against 43.8% that do not. A stated guarantee matters most when a case crosses a border.

Box size and delivery rhythm

Monthly delivery is the most common cadence here at 58.3%, with quarterly at 50% and every two months at 33.3%. Pair the cadence with a stated box size before adding up a yearly spend.

Delivery thresholds

A threshold is a spending habit in disguise. Compare £0 with £125 and the gap shows how large a basket each shop expects before shipping costs nothing. Paxton & Whitfield sits lower again at £45.

Where it ships

A shop serving GB, AD and AT and one serving DE are not chasing the same buyer. Markets rule out most mismatches before price enters the picture, which matters most for readers outside the US and the UK.

How you reach a person

Support runs on email, phone and chat at some shops and on email, phone and chat at others, so check that the channel you prefer is listed. In this category 90.9% run a help centre, 81.8% run phone support and 36.4% run chat.

Frequently asked questions

Top online wine shops compared by country

• Australia
• Canada
• France
• Germany
• Ireland
• Italy
• Netherlands
• Spain
• United Kingdom
• United States

The data behind this ranking

All data and the CSV