Wine Price Notes

How prices are obtained and displayed within the Wine-Searcher database of 8944 wine merchant price lists.

What do the Icons stand for?

= World-wide delivery.
= Fully secure e-commerce web site.
= Primarily a retail business.
  = Open link in a new window.

Does the merchant have the wine?

We show the date we obtained each entry (directly underneath the price) and, in theory, the merchant had the wine on that date. However, most merchants do not have 'real time' price lists (a few update their list only seasonally) and recently-reviewed wines can sell out very quickly. We therefore cannot guarantee the retailer has the wine you want. Contact the merchant directly to confirm stock availability and please let us know about consistent problems. While we know that every list will have the occasional inaccuracy, we remove from the site those price lists that are always misleading.

The merchant's price is different from Wine-Searcher's:

The most common reason for this is that we have removed sales tax (see below). Another factor is that the prices of some highly traded wines do fluctuate quickly. Some merchants have tried 'Bait and Switch' tactics (listing wines they do not stock at attractive prices) ... and we remove such lists as soon as we become aware of it.

What does 'World Wide Delivery' mean?

For Merchants we list as offering 'World Wide Delivery', we do not guarantee they will deliver to every country (though they will deliver to most). For example, there are import restrictions in countries where there is a Government monopoly on alcohol sales (such as Canada and some Scandinavian countries). Furthermore, some non-US merchants will not deliver into the United States because of the complexity of regulations which currently exist. It is best to contact the merchant directly to confirm their position.

Can the merchant deliver the wine?

Click the merchant's name to view delivery areas. Within the US we show the home state of each merchant. Check the Wine Institute's list to see if merchants in that state can deliver to you.

Local Delivery Charges:

Delivery charges are described where possible (click the merchant's name to view). International shipping and taxes are complex, so please contact the merchant for full details.

Sort Order:

Wine-Searcher puts wines in price order, so this tends to put halves before bottles, which are before cases.

Local Sales Taxes:

In New World countries (USA, Canada, Australia, Chile, etc.) we show the price the merchant lists. For the US that is an ex-Tax price, and for all the other new world countries a tax inclusive price.

In Europe, sales tax is removed where the merchant has explicitly told us their prices include them. When we do this, the merchant's description will say 'The sales tax has been removed from listed prices'. Removing taxes in this way means that the prices are more easily comparable between countries and between types of merchants. A few merchants submit price lists where some items include sales tax and others exclude it, and in this case the merchant's description will include the following: 'Some of the prices listed may include sales tax'. Note that sales taxes are not always recoverable by trade or overseas customers - make sure you check the position directly with the merchant concerned.

You may find it helpful to look at the sales and excise rates in the European Community and in the USA.

Auction Listings:

For auctions running live over the Web we typically list the current bid price; for auctions that occur on a particular day we show the low estimate. Wines that are being sold by auction are identified by the word 'AUCTION' displayed in front of the bottle size. You are able to search just the auctions, (or alternatively just the retailers) by using the 'Show: Auctions Only' option (e.g. search for Dom Perignon coming up at future auctions). In some auction situations, sales taxes can be non-recoverable.

Exchange Rates:

Wine-Searcher uses Inter-bank rates to convert currencies and updates them fortnightly. If you are purchasing wine from abroad, be aware that credit card companies use a slightly less advantageous exchange rate than Inter-bank.

Excise and Import Taxes:

Wine-Searcher does not adjust for Excise taxes. Some merchants quote 'in bond' prices (i.e. Excise duty unpaid) - see the 'Common Abbreviations' section below. These taxes are normally much smaller than sales taxes, though for a few countries the effect is significant.

Bottle Sizes:

The following are the standard sizes. Where we are unsure of the bottle size then a '-' is used. Often, you will find the merchant's description will give additional information of the bottle size applicable. (Note: Our software does occasionally confuse case and bottle prices. We make every effort to keep such errors to a minimum).

Description	Liter
Miniature	< 0.250
Quarter	0.250
Half Bottle, H/Bottle, Demi	0.375
H/Liter	0.500
Pint	0.650
Bottle (spirits and some older bottles in 0.700 litre size)	0.750
Liter	1.000
Magnum (2 bottles)	1.500
Marie-Jeanne (3 bottles)	2.250
Double Magnum, D/Magnum (4 bottles)	3.000
Jeroboam (Burgundy/Champagne) (4 bottles)	3.000
Jeroboam (Bordeaux), Rehoboam (Champ) (6 bottles)	4.500
Imperial, Methuselah (Champ) (8 bottles)	6.000
Salmanazar (12 bottles)	9.000
Balthazar (16 bottles)	12.000
Nebuchadnezzar (20 bottles)	15.000
Melchior (24 bottles)	18.000
Primat (36 bottles)	27.000

Common Abbreviations:

Wholesale Merchants, Auction Houses and Brokers use a range of abbreviations. A full list of common abbreviations is available. Some of the most frequently used, in alphabetical order, are:

Description	Name
BN	Base Neck Fill
BSL	Bin Stained Label
DC	Depressed Cork
DP	Duty Paid
IB	In Bond
LS	Low Shoulder Fill
MC	Missing Capsule
OWC	Original Wooden Case
RWC	Rewaxed Capsule
SOS	Signs of Seepage
TL	Torn Label
TS	Top Shoulder Fill

Wine Prices for First Growths:

Wine-Searcher has an invaluable source of data, collected over the last five years. Listing 8944 merchants from around the world and 2917101 wine/merchant combinations has provided us with an extensive wine-pricing database. We analyzed this data for First Growth Red Bordeaux wines on sale in the USA. See our conclusions on the Wine Prices Analysis page.