WTSO - Down The Rabbit Hole
In one of our first blog posts, we discussed the various vendors that we shop with to buy wine online. Today we are going to discuss one of our absolute favorites - let's talk WTSO!
Our first order from Wines 'Til Sold Out (WTSO) takes us back to January 2012, when we innocently ordered 4 bottles of Bodega Luz Divina Amigo, Vinademoya, Mencia 2006 for $9.99/bottle at a 63% discount. Since then we have ordered countless wines from all over the world, all at great deals. We have become loyal customers over these last 8+ years, so we would like to share with you why we love them, some tips and tricks, and some of our go-to wines we buy when they come up.
Why we love WTSO:
Pricing - Usually the flash sale wine has two reference prices for the discount - "comparable price" and "yesterday's best web price". Taken at face value, these sales are incredible! However, if you do a little digging, you'll find that some of these sales aren't quite up to the massive discounts touted in the banner. Don't get us wrong, these are still great deals and you would be hard pressed to find the wine any cheaper anywhere else online (especially if you factor in any shipping costs).
Shipping options - Wines tend to ship quickly from their NJ warehouse via UPS ground and arrive within about 2 business days. Being residents of Georgia, it is important for us to consider the timing of our shipments, as the late spring/summer/fall months are hot. Really hot. Wine does not like hot. Wine does not like hot UPS trucks. Thankfully, you can choose a ship date for sometime in the future when you think the temps will be more favorable for the safe shipment of your wine. For example, the wines we buy from May through September we have shipped to us in late October. We like to pick the same future ship date so all the wine gets lumped together and arrives on the same day. That's usually a really good day. WTSO will store your purchased wine in an ideal temperature controlled environment for no extra cost, not all online wine retailers are like this.
Commitment to Quality - We have been very impressed with the customer service we have received from WTSO and it is a big reason why we are loyal customers. By and large, we have been very pleased with the bottles we have received, but there have been a handful occasions (maybe 3 or 4) over these last 8 years when we have not been satisfied with a wine. When we say this, it isn't that we don't like the taste, it's that we believe the wine to be flawed somehow. For instance, we purchased an Oregon Pinot that we really enjoyed, and when the exact same wine came back up on the site a few weeks later, we bought more. After opening up a bottle from the new shipment, it was clear something was off. The wine tasted flawed, corked, and just spoiled. We explained this to WTSO and right away we had a credit for ALL FOUR BOTTLES of the second purchase, and we did not have to return the flawed wine. This has been extremely rare occurrence, but this commitment to quality resonates with us and we appreciate this philosophy that is rare in today's marketplace.
Selection - Want a Barolo? They've got that. Want a Napa Cabernet? Yup. Cru Beaujolais? Sure. Russian River Pinot Noir? Check. Albariño? Uh-huh. You get the idea. However, it may not be available at the precise moment that you want it, so you have to be patient or be willing to try a new wine that is available at that moment. There is always something interesting and tasty to quench your thirst. Now there are even options to a pick up a weekly tasting pack focusing on wines from a certain region, grape, or even producer.
Ease of Use - WTSO uses both a mobile app and a full desktop site that are entirely WAY TOO EASY to use. You input your form of payment, your shipping address, and it is saved forever. Once stored, it takes about about 3 clicks and tada!, wine gets delivered to your door. Use Amazon? It's just as easy. If you are like us, you might start to create a friendly relationship with your UPS guy - hoping that he or she is not judging your wine buying habit (but they really are).
Free Shipping - with a minimum purchase, usually around $40.
Question: Are these wines really sold out after 15 minutes?
Not always. We have noticed that there are certain wines that pop in and out of the site with regularity. Looking at our buying history, there are periods of time when we have ordered the same wine on 3 or 4 occasions within a six month stretch. There is also a feature that allows you to re-order a wine directly from your buying history if they still have some in stock. If you had something you loved, and want to stock up, this is an awesome feature. Their latest service is "notify me", which will let you know when a wine comes back in stock. Haven't tried this yet, but you can bet we will give it a go!
Do we have any favorites? Absolutely! Here are some wines that we have enjoyed recently that tend to be sold on the site with some regularity:
Cascina Adelaide - Barolo
Ghisolfi - Barolo and Langhe Nebbiolo
Balzini - Super Tuscan
Grevepesa - Chianti Classico
Castellani Tenuta di Burchino - Super Tuscan
Vite Colte - Barbera, Barbaresco, Barolo
Ernest Meurgey-Perron - Burgundy
Descombes - Beaujolais Morgon Cote du Puy
Quinta da Romaneira - Duoro
Bernardus - Chardonnay, Pinot Noir
Brigade - Willamette Valley Pinot Noir
The majority of the above bottles range from $10 to $20 in price, with one bottle being $40 (Barolo).
There were maybe three wines that we haven't enjoyed at all. We didn't believe them to be flawed, so we did not seek a refund.
Velenosi Querci Antica Lacrima di Morro Superiore
Enrico Morando Piemonte Rosso
Tabarrini Montefalco Sagrantino Colle Grimaldesco
Is there anything not to like about WTSO? That depends if you can exhibit self control or not! Let us know if you have any questions about the site - we are happy to help you in your quest to find great wine at great prices.
Note...WTSO did not sponsor or compensate us in any way for this post.