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Natural Wine Lovers Can Score Tons Of Unique Bottles By Shopping This Site

by Ashley Tibbits
Nok Lek/Shutterstock

With many bars on hiatus and restaurants limiting their dining options — which in turn greatly impacts traditional means of socializing — one business that's booming is booze. As those staying at home attempt to keep themselves entertained, alcohol sales have seen a major boost. But if you've just been buying what's left on the shelves of your local supermarket and have started to desire a little something different, you may want to peruse the online options — which are better than ever, by the way. And while figuring out where to buy wine online can be tricky, some sites/clubs/services are making the process not only safe (one less trip to take!) and easy, but could be just the thing to keep you abreast of the latest wine trends and bottles you otherwise may never have heard of.

There's no shame in grabbing your bottles from Trader Joe's (after all, they've got some seriously good ones for under $5) or your other local grocery store, but there are a couple of benefits to shopping wine online. First of all, there's less contact: No standing in line or sharing aisles at the store. That could make for a safer transaction. Secondly, it opens up your options and can give you access to out-of-the-box wine selections you wouldn't otherwise be able to get your hands on.

For example, natural wines may be one of the biggest trends in the industry right now, but they're produced on a much smaller scale, which means your major grocers probably won't have them. The same goes for a lot of indie labels producing exciting sustainable, biodynamic, and generally just unique and interesting stuff. Of course you do have the option of buying directly from the source, which works best if you know exactly what you're looking for. Additionally, you can check with your local wine shops and see if they're offering delivery/contactless pickup options.

If neither of those options are available to you, there are a few online sources in particular that could be your new BFF when trying to figure out the next rosé or orange wine you'll be sipping all summer long. Ready to start stocking up? Ahead find six sites that will give you access to some seriously great wine and deliver it straight to your door — no pants required.

Wine.com

Wine.com is probably the most comprehensive online resource for buying wine. You can narrow your search by varietal or region, plus get access to virtual tastings, pairing tips, and more. And because there's so much to choose from, there's something for practically every price point.

Acme Fine Wines

This Napa-based business specializes in small wine producers and prides itself on offering the stuff you won't see in stores. You can join one of several membership options or just grab bottles a-la-carte for nationwide delivery.

Winc

Love wine but aren't necessarily an expert? Winc is a great option for you, as it makes suggestions based on a simple quiz with questions like "How do you like your coffee?" and "How adventurous are you when it comes to food and drink?" You also have the option of becoming a member (and saving some cash in the process) or just buying single bottles.

Naked Wines

Want to support independent winemakers? Naked's business model allows for exactly that — while getting its customers (or "angels" as they're called) impressively low prices on bottles in the process.

Helen's Wines

The LA-based boutique is a sister company to one of the city's hottest eateries, Jon & Vinny's (it also supplies the restaurant with its killer wine list), but now you can shop its curated selections — all of which boast natural and sustainable practices — and have them shipped nationally for a $20 flat rate (plus $1 per bottle). And, yep, you can also join Helen's club and get recommended bottles on the regular.

Primal Wine

Curious about natural wines but don't have a boutique shop in your area that offers them? Primal gets you direct (and deliverable) access to low-interference, biodynamic, vegan, and low-sulfite bottles — whether you want to join the club or just peruse its Bottle Shop to start.