Recession a Wine Lover's Windfall

When consumers zipped up their wallets and purses as the recession deepened, one of the products that suffered was high-priced wine. Some wine mavens are describing last year’s fourth quarter, which included holiday wine buying, as the worst fourth quarter in memory. Sales of inexpensive wines held up, but anything that costs more than $50 a bottle may still be languishing on retailers’ shelves and in distributors’ warehouses.

That’s a bonanza for wine lovers across the country as retailers and distributors slash prices on high-end wines to cut inventory. And, as a rule, the more expensive the wine, the bigger the discount. Wines that first appeared in retail stores at $250 a bottle, for example, are now being hawked at a fraction of their original cost. There is a time constraint, however; wine bargains are expected to hang around only until this year’s holiday shopping season starts in October.

One of best ways to get in on wine deals is get on the mailing lists of reputable wine retailers or to search sites like The Wine Liquidator. To comparison-shop several sites, try Wine-Searcher.com. Savvy wine buyers snap up bargains on these sites quickly, however, so the advice is that if you see a good deal, go for it. One caveat — although most retailers will ship wine nationwide, not all states allow it. Check to make sure the retailer can legally ship to your home.on call today,finance,consumer spending,recession,high priced wine,holiday wine purchase,fourth quarter,inexpensive wine,high end wine,wine inventory,retailers,distributors,wine deals,The Wine Liquidator,Wine-Searcher.com,wine buyer