Why Local Wine Sellers Should Be the First Stop for Your Next Bottle

Whether you consider yourself a wine connoisseur or a wine-lover in training, it’s never been easier to buy your favorite tipple than it is today. From supermarkets, to local grocers, big box stores, convenience stores, and even boutique stores, you can get your hands on a bottle of wine on almost every street corner.

But the reality is that all of this choice doesn’t always make for the best wine selection. If convenience is your number one goal, then you’re covered. But if quality, and good value for money meaning anything to you, then local wine sellers are your go-to.

Here’s why it’s always better to buy from local wine merchants versus the corner store, just because it’s convenient!

1. Wine Sellers Offer a Greater Variety

Maybe you’ve heard of the term, maybe you haven’t, but it’s easy to fall into a ”wine rut”. This means that you’re stuck on trying the same wine varieties, from the same wine regions. While there is nothing wrong with enjoying certain types of wine, staying in your comfort zone boxes you in. You miss out on an array of beautiful wine varieties that you never even knew existed.

Shopping for wine from a local wine merchant means you get a more personalized experience. They generally offer a great variety of wines that you otherwise might not try. You can learn about the wine you’re drinking and its producers. All in all, this will help you develop a greater appreciation for the wine you’re drinking, while discovering new, exciting varieties!

2. Your Local Wine Merchant Will Learn What You Love

Think of it this way–the more you shop for wine from a local merchant, the better they to go to know your palate. This means they can develop a deeper understanding of what you love in a good wine.

It’s like having a personal sommelier on-tap. Your local wine merchant can keep you informed about new varieties that come in and encourage you to try new things. They could become influential in growing your wine palate and knowledge of wine itself.

3. Become a Wine Connoisseur Yourself

If you come from a family that loves a good wine, or have a group of friends with the same appreciation, you might find them turning to you for great wine recommendations. If they’re always asking you to recommend a good wine, but with no other specific criteria, this is where your local wine merchant will come in handy.

Simply send them to your local wine shop for the perfect wine recommendation. The more you learn about new wine varieties (by trying them out), the better your personal knowledge becomes, too. In no time, you might find yourself making recommendations based on what you’ve previously tried and loved, becoming somewhat of a connoisseur yourself.

4. Establish an Impressive Wine Collection

If you’re a wine lover you might have a decent collection of wine already. But if you want to grow your collection into something versatile and special, shopping from your local wine store can really ramp up your fine wine game.

The best part is that there is never just one local wine merchant in your area–you’ll most likely discover a few. Each merchant will have their own ”thing” to offer. This way you’ll have the chance to shop for something specific and expand your wine collection into one that’s truly unique.

5. You’ll Receive Better Customer Service

Local wine merchants have a greater drive to sell wine than any other convenience, box store, or supermarket in your area. This is because they’re independent stores and need the wine sales. But not only that, wine merchants are passionate about their products and have the wine knowledge to match.

This makes for a better wine shopping experience than anywhere else–except, perhaps, from the winery itself. Customer service matters to independent retailers. So rest assured, you’ll received personalized, top-notch recommendations that make the entire experience far more enjoyable.

6. Learn About Wine From Scratch

No one is born loving and understanding fine wines. An appreciation for good wine develops over time and is generally the result of generational past-times or something you learn to love from your group of friends and your lifestyle.

Entering a supermarket with rows upon rows of wines on offer is understandably intimidating for a beginner wine drinker. Where do you even start when you have no idea what the difference between a Merlot or Pinot Noir is? What will you actually enjoy drinking?

So, if you’re new to enjoying fine wines, shopping from a local merchant can actually do wonders for growing your wine knowledge and appreciation. They can guide you in the right direction on what to try as a beginner, and slowly build from there.

7. You’re Supporting Local Business

Finally, one of the best things about shopping from your local wine merchant is the fact that you’re supporting an independent business. And they need all the support they can get in these economic times.

You’re also supporting the local producers of the wines who put everything they have into creating beautiful wine varieties. All in all, this means putting money back into your local economy, rather than lining the pockets of large corporations.

Expand Your General Knowledge With Us

It goes without saying that there are plenty of benefits of buying from local wine sellers. Not least of which is how it supports your local community, even if you’re only purchasing one bottle of wine a week!

Want to expand your knowledge of wine? Check out the rest of this site for your pick of topics to learn about.