Cheap Wine Sites: Part II

So back in October I mentioned two discount wine sites I wanted to check out. And while I've checked the sites every day since, I haven't bought anything. Why? Well, lots of reasons. Partially because the deals I've liked have sold out in minutes, but also because a lot of the deals have been meh. Here's my initial impression on each site:

Cinderella Wine: When it first launched, I felt like every wine on this site would sell out 10 minutes after making its debut. (Wines were announced at midnight, but now they're announced at 9pm ET.) Lately, the wines haven't been selling out, but the deals have been aimed more at the wine collector as opposed to the wine newbie who just wants to try stuff out. Nothing wrong with that, but I personally don't like paying over $30 for wine (especially if I've never tried it) and it feels like most wines here are priced $30 and up. The few that have been under $30, don't really grab my attention. I like that the site lets customers comment and that it provides ratings for each wine, but sometimes the ratings can blind you and what Wine Enthusiast gives a 92, might be a 62 when you try it. So I've been hesitant.

Wines Till Sold Out: This site has only had one deal I've liked and that deal sold out rapidly. The other wines it's listed have been obscure to me. I don't claim to know every wine out there, but I like South American, Portuguese, and Spanish wines and there haven't been many listed in the past month. The site lacks diversity in my opinion.

One thing I dislike about both sites, you must buy a minimum of 3 bottles (sometimes 4) to get free shipping. I have no problem buying 2, but 3? This makes me feel like I'm being sold wine they're overstocked with. (Which is probably the case, but when that's actually noticeable, that's not good.)

I'll continue eyeing both sites and hopefully will jump on something this week – whether or not it's something I know or have never tried before.