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How to score wine for less

Relaxnews
Friday 26 November 2010 01:00 GMT
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As the holidays approach, saving money is at the forefront of everyone's agenda. Here are some quick and easy tips on how to get great wine within your seasonal budget.

Unsurprisingly, the key to saving money in any marketplace is staying informed - and purchasing wine is no exception, according to experts.

J.D. Roth, the author of a recent blog entry dedicated to helping people find wine bargains on the personal finance site Get Rich Slowly, advises to never buy wine on an impulse.

Instead, he says to do your homework - when you taste a great wine at a friend's home, a tasting or in a restaurant, write it down, and work from there.

Roth's top five pointers for saving money on wine this holiday season are:

  1. Wait for a sale
  2. Buy in bulk
  3. Order by the case
  4. Shop at a warehouse club
  5. Check discount stores 

Read the entire entry here:  http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2010/11/23/wine-on-a-budget-how-to-get-good-deals-on-wine/

Also take a look at www.consumerreports.org, which is affiliated with Consumers International, a global consumer protection organization present in 115 countries. The group tests products and publishes its findings in reports, which are available on its Web site.

The site offers some valuable insight aimed at helping people get the most out of their money when buying just about anything, including wine.

Tips:

  1. Don't assume that a higher price automatically means higher quality - some of the site's higher-scored wines are among the lowest priced.
  2. Search online - it's the easiest way to compare prices and track down rarer wines. The group recommends  http://www.winezap.com/ for beginners, a site on which people can enter a type of wine and a price range to get suggested wine list. However, keep an eye out for shipping costs.
  3. Check frequently for sales and coupons - contrary to popular belief, wine does go on sale.

Stay tuned for a list of popular and useful wine applications for your smartphone.

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