Wine Tips: Flash Hoardin'
We're often asked which web site has the best wine deals. Recently, industry insider Wines & Vines compiled this interesting analysis on the major flash-sale sites — such as Cinderella, Wine.Woot, Lot 18 and Wines Til Sold Out — to determine which offers the biggest discounts on wine.
But who has the best selection? We spent a week watching each of these sites and the deals they offered. Based on the total number of offers during the seven days and the quality of each (which we assessed using our knowledge of the regions, brands and vintages), as well as the actual discount, here's what we found: Wines Til Sold Out takes the cake. Here's why:
Far and away, WTSO offers more deals than any other site — sometimes as many as five in a day. And assuming an unlimited wine budget, we'd have bought nearly half of WTSO's 28 offers, which included everything from high-end Bordeaux (Cos d'Estournel and Château Pavie) to Brunello di Montalcino to Central Otago Pinot Noir to enough Napa Cabernet to tar a road.
By contrast, Cinderella had 10 offers and Lot 18 had eight. Between the two, we'd have bought four of Cinderella's wines, and just three of Lot 18's. Wine.Woot had just one offer in five total that excited us.
Keep in mind, however, that the best deal scouting is done across all flash-sale sites, not just one. (And refer back to our past tips on discount wine shopping).
But we want to know: Which do you think is the best site for discount wine deals? Share your experiences with us below.