The internet is awash with great wine deals. Google "buy wine online" and you'll be hit with pages and pages of offers from New Zealand wine websites, individual wineries and the supermarkets.
The retail wine market has become incredibly competitive in the past decade, which means bargains for customers at every price point.
Blackmarket.co.nz, which is popular with friends of mine, says it's just as cheap as the supermarkets because the boxes are delivered direct from the winemaker or distribution company, cutting out the middleman. Blackmarket director Richard Knight says 80 per cent of orders are for six or 12 bottles of the same wine. He also sells pre-mixed cases from distributors.
Unless you really know your wine, it's difficult to tell what's a bargain and what's not because there may only be one website selling that wine. Many of the websites, however, show customer reviews or the number of repeat purchases by customers, which is a good way to weed out anything that might be undrinkable.
If you've fallen in love with a wine from a specific winery you can probably buy it direct. Chris Canning of The Hay Paddock vineyard says many of his customers buy direct because they can't get the quantities they want from local wine stores. The Hay Paddock also offers a discount for case lots.
