Frequently Asked Questions

Do you offer wine storage?

We do not offer wine storage. Customers have up to two months to take delivery once notified of an order ready for shipment or curbside pickup. We charge a monthly storage fee of $100 per case on any order that a customer leaves in our storage without prior notice or agreement.

What is your En Primeur (wine futures) offer, and how soon can I see the wine?

En Primeur (wine futures) is a long-running practice in Bordeaux when new wine is offered to the market after the annual barrel tasting in the first week of April. This is about 6 months after the last harvest when the wine is starting to exhibit its unique characteristics and potential. Buying En Primeur (wine futures) is potentially a good way to secure access to a particular wine before the price is bid up. In most vintages, although not always the case, the price of wine increases due to either popularity derived from top reviews by wine critics or the limited quantity produced. Typically, new wine sold at en primeur still needs to age for another 12-18 months in the barrel before bottling. It takes patience and due diligence on the part of customers to become familiar with the merchant from whom you make your En Primeur purchases. As an established Bordeaux specialist, we are active in buying and offering En Primeur wines to our customers. We follow strict rules to sell only En Primeur wines, for which we have secured allocation. Our customers have guaranteed access to the wine they purchase and typically receive delivery within 6-12 months after the wine has been bottled.

Why do some of your First Growths display "Sold Out"?  What if I would like to order them?

Fine wine, especially the First Growths, should ONLY be served after proper aging.  Until they are ready to be opened for drinking, there is no point in shipping the First Growths around the world since fine wine doesn't like to travel.  The best place to let the wines age is where they are made, in Bordeaux.  Hence, we store our First Growths inventory in a bonded warehouse in Bordeaux.  Our bonded warehouse is authorized by French Customs, so our wines are not subject to VAT taxes imposed on goods destined for domestic French or extended European markets.

From time to time, we may have First Growths wine in stock that has been properly cellared for 5-10 years.  We may also offer First Growths from more recent vintages on rare occasions.

If you would like to order First Growths from us, we would be happy to open a sub-account for you at our bonded facility in Bordeaux, where your precious purchases can be stored in pristine conditions (with the added protection provided under an insurance policy underwritten by ACE EUROPEAN GROUP, the world's premier insurance company.  For customers who know the insurance industry, ACE acquired CHUBB in the US in January 2016.).  If you ever travel to the Bordeaux area, you can schedule visits to our facility to inspect the stock or taste the wine of your choice.  Upon special request by discerning customers who would like to store the wines in their cellars stateside, we can arrange the transportation and importation of your Bordeaux collection for delivery to your cellar.

What is OWC and why would I order OWC?

OWC stands for Original Wood Case.  These are the wooden crates that chateaux pack their wines in for shipping.  It usually bears the brand logo and specifications of the vintage.  Some even carry traceable stickers to track the provenance of the wines.  These cases are usually highly sought after by collectors who may wish to display the cases in their cellars.  Should you consider investing in wine and selling your investment wine at a later date, OWC enhances the appeal to the buyers and increase the market value of the wines you offer.  The majority of the wines we offer come available in OWC format.  Some hold six bottles, most hold 12 bottles, and larger format wines can even have individual wood cases for single bottles.  For a small shipping fee, we will send you the original wood case, along with the wines you order.

What is your Pre-Arrival order-taking practice?

Pre-Arrival order-taking is an option offered by most reputable wine merchants to allocate wines that have not been shipped to or arrived in the US.  We have a strict policy of only making wines already stored in our Bordeaux warehouse available on a Pre-Arrival basis.  These wines are in the process of being packed for shipping in a container in 30-60 days.  While importation of wine is not a precise business, due to transit time and customs inspection, our Pre-Arrival wines typically arrived 30-90 days after an order is placed.

What happens to my advance payment for Futures and Pre-Arrival?  Is my money safe?

We have stringent financial controls that require us to deposit any advance payment from customers into a segregated US bank account, and keep the money safe as a current liability under Unearned Revenue item on our corporate balance sheet.  Futures and Pre-Arrival orders are not recognized as revenue on our books until we ship the wines to customers.  So, yes, your money is safe.

When you place Futures and Pre-Arrival orders with us, you are buying wines already allocated to us by our Bordeaux trading partners or in our possession either in our Bordeaux warehouse or in transit on a container ship.  We NEVER sell wines that we don't already have allocation to or already own.

How soon can I expect my wine after I order?

Weather permitting, when an item is in stock, we usually ship within 2 business days.  If we receive your order before 12 noon Pacific Time and your delivery address is within the GSO Next Day service area, there is a good chance you can receive your wine the next business day.

If you ordered Pre-Arrival items, it could take 1-3 months for the wine to arrive at our cellar under normal conditions.  Following the two rounds of wine tariffs imposed by the Trump Administration in October 2019 and December 2020, we are seeing longer delays due to the expectations that these tariffs are temporary and can be reversed under the Biden Administration.

If you ordered Bordeaux wine futures, see the answer above to the first question.

Why can't I check out (or: why can't you ship to my state)?

When it comes to shipping and transporting wine across state lines, our international business partners frequently jokingly call us the Un-United States of America.  Thanks to the legacy of Prohibition, or more likely, the pre-existing distribution network's ingenuity to lobby (ahem, "sponsor") legislative bills to discourage direct to consumer shipping, consumers face a mounting challenge in shopping for wine across state lines.  Many years of concerted lobbying efforts by wine growers across the US have opened doors for shipping of domestically produced wines.  But imported wines are becoming more restricted than ever.

We are sorry if we are not able to ship to your state.  If you want to help, please consider visiting the web site, Free the Grapes!

Free the Grapes! is a national, grassroots coalition of consumers, wineries and retailers who seek to remove restrictions in states that still prohibit consumers from purchasing wines directly from wineries and retailers.

 

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