Tuesday, June 30, 2009

How I save money buying wines

So last month I mentioned how I'm addicted to my Breville juicer. My follow up post is about my other "addiction." Wine. I was never a big wine fan (I would always drink riesling or chardonnay because all reds tasted the same to me), but awhile back I went to this Argentinean restaurant in New York and had a malbec that I fell in love with. So I started drinking malbecs. Then a wine store owner suggested I try a Chilean carmenere. I did. Again, I loved it. Before I knew it, malbecs and carmeneres had become my wines of choice. Slowly I expanded from South American wines to Spanish wines (almost anything from Ribera del Duero is great), Portuguese wines (they're very cheap and taste amazing), and now I'm slowly making my way to France and Italy. Along the way I've tried and collected a good number of bottles and this here is how I save money doing so.

1) Don't buy in-store (unless it's a wine warehouse)
The mark ups you pay when you buy wine in-store are insane. Especially if you're buying in a major city like New York. (Trust me, I learned this the hard way.) Go to the stores for recommendations, but that's it. When you get home, buy your wines online. Even with shipping costs, you'll still save money.

However, like I said, stores are good for recommendations. (You should always try new wines.) In New York, I'm a huge fan of Manor House Cellar and BottleRocket. Their prices are high, but their staff is awesome and have made some great recommendations. If you must buy in-store, buy from a wine warehouse. In central New Jersey, I'm a huge fan of Wine Library and Shopper's Wine, two wine warehouses with excellent prices.

2) Make a list of the wines you like
I like keeping a few spare bottles of my favorite wines stored up. In particular, I love Achaval Ferrer malbecs, Bodegas Muga riojas, and Bogle Vineyard's Phantom (a blend of Petite Sirah, Zinfandel, and Mourvedre). Make your own list and once you have your shopping agenda, it's time for a little research.

3) Search online
Wine-Searcher.com is like Google for wines. I always start my searches here. Just type in the name of your wine, the vintage (this helps narrow your search), and wine-searcher will spit out a list of stores with prices and ordering info. If you've never heard of a particular store, look it up on the Better Business Bureau website. My Achaval Ferrer Malbec 2007 goes for $16.95 at Shopper's Wine. Cheapest price by far. In contrast, Manor House Cellar sells it for $25. Wine.com is sold out of that vintage.

4) Just 'cause you buy online, doesn't mean you're saving money
I'm not a fan of Wine.com. A lot of people flock to them thinking they're getting a discount, but you're not. If you have a coupon code and Wine.com is having a sale, you might save money. (Assuming they have your wine in stock, they're always sold out of the wines I like.) Otherwise, I'd steer clear of them. Example: A bottle of Achaval Ferrer malbec 2008 sells for $30 at Wine.com. Via wine-searcher I can buy it for $18 at Wine Anthology, another Central NJ warehouse store with excellent prices.

5) Stay away from pricey wines
$15. That's what it takes to make a bottle of wine. (According to an article in the May 2009 issue of Wine Spectator.) Pay anything over that and you're essentially lining someone else's wallet with your hard-earned cash. That's why I hate paying over $20 for a bottle of wine. It's like going to Best Buy and paying full price for an HDTV that you can get for 40% less online. As a result, I only buy bottles under $20. (Occasionally I'll do $25 if I really like the wine.) Don't get me wrong, pricey wines taste great. But you'll be surprised at how many bottles of wine taste just as good and yet cost under $20.

6) Use coupon codes
Shipping can turn a great deal into an ok deal. So just before I click "purchase" I like to scour the Web for coupon codes. Also look for online merchants that offer free shipping deals. (Wine Library, for example, has frequent free shipping offers.) Google around before you make your final order.

And that's how I try to keep my wine budget tight and in check. Any other tips, sound off below!

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Why I hate the record labels

The other day I was looking to buy the new Franz Ferdinand song, "No You Girls." I like it, it's pretty catchy. I went to my default store — the Amazon MP3 Store — and found out it was selling for $1.29. Bummer. I was hoping for 99 cents. So I checked Lala.com. Same price. iTunes. Same price. Now, $1.29 is not a lot of money in the grand scheme of things. The NYC subway costs more than that. But something about paying $1.29 for a single made me angry. Back in the day (early 90s), I used to pay $3 for a CD single which included the song I wanted along with 3 other songs. But today, $1.29 for *one* digital single just doesn't feel right.

And then I read this NYT article. (Summary: the record labels want to charge night clubs, restaurants, and even fitness clubs a royalty fee for playing music in public. They're already doing this in Australia and looking to expand to China, Italy, and U.S.) And that's when I decided I am never paying over $99 cents for a song. Ever. In fact, I'm taking a break. Unless a friend lends me an album, I'm just not buying new music (or attending any shows). Stupid, greedy record labels.