Wine

In search of a great glass of wine. I find wine is such a personal preference and part of a lifestyle that it is hard to make recommendations on how best to buy it. Instead, I have written the three ways I would purchase wine, based on three circumstances you may find yourself in.

I just want to relax and enjoy a good glass of wine, without the hassle of wine education
In this case, we recommend looking at a reputable company that will select your wines for you. There are some great companies that will send you a dozen bottles (or fewer) at a regular time frame that you choose, and in a price range that you choose. Simply say, I would like 10 bottles of red and two bottles of white, delivered to my door every 6 weeks, and you are off. The benefits are you can constantly taste new wine, and with some of the better companies, you simply let them know what you thought of the wines that were sent to you each time, and they will tailor the next package to your tastes. Easy, you don’t need to know all the ins and outs, as long as someone else does. In this case we recommend wineselectors.com.au or winemarket.com.au for those with a budget and bythedozen.com.au for those who want to find those more adventurous and boutique wines.

I enjoy my wine, and want to find out more
With a little bit of knowledge you can get your wines at a cheaper price, and buy the wines that suit your palate. To help you along the way, I thoroughly recommend buying the book Quaff 2010, for only $19.95 (it was $14.95, on special last time I looked), you will be well on your way to finding bargains and it should stop you from making a few terrible choices, though not all. Armed with this book, you would be well suited to buy through Dan Murphy’s, either direct or online. If you are looking to increase your cellar, at the moment there are some excellent deals on graysonline, for those that know what they are purchasing. The wine glut in Australia has forced many wineries to sell direct to the public via auction houses such as Grays. Using the Quaff book, or your own knowledge, go onto Grays and grab a bargain, but beware, there are some very poor quality wines on the site as well, it is an auction site, so only buy wines that you have heard good reviews about.

I like to decide the wine I want, and then find the best place to purchase it
The guys at Wine Week give you some great insights into the latest wines and you can use this site to find out about new wines. Once you have decided what you want, you can use the price checker from www.winerobot.com.au to find the best price. Or for a more comprehensive wine comparison tool, you can visit www.wine-searcher.com, it is a subscription service, and costs $20 per month.