I’ve been researching for the best online wine delivery services over the last few days. Like most of us, I’m spending more time online sharing conversations over social media platforms and staying inside.
Yet when a friend on Facebook argued that alcohol is not a essential service and liquor stores should be closed, I was horrified. I didn’t comment, nevertheless, I completely disagreed. Wine IS an essential service.
Still, my friend has a point and has the best interests of everyone in mind.
Then yesterday, the BBC announced that Los Angeles reopened their gun stores and deemed THEM an essential service. Clearly, what one considers essential is different for each of us.
So how do we keep our communities safe during the pandemic? By ordering wine online and having it delivered to our doorstep!!
Here's the 5 best online wine delivery services for people in British Columbia, Canada so you can maintain high spirits while in self-quarantine!
Please Note:
places that made this list must have an excellent wine selection, an easy to use online user experience, or have fantastic rates and/or quick delivery times – no money was taken for this post
- online orders and wine deliveries require a credit card for payment (besides, it’s safer for everyone)
- the law requires a person of legal age to be physically at the address when the product arrives in order to receive it. Couriers and Canada Post are not allowed to leave liquor at your doorstep
- you must be 19 years of age or older (in BC) and present id when wine and alcohol are delivered
Vancouver
Large cities have advantages. The have a vast selection of products and they are quick to adopt to new technologies.
1. Marquis Wine Cellars, Vancouver BC
Wine Delivery: all over BC
I purchase a LOT of wine for my WSET classes and for blind tasting groups at Marquis Liquor Store. I can research the wines from home from their website which has an advanced user interface with fast loading times. That and their top-notch selection places them at #1 for the best online wine delivery store.
Pros
- The most developed online user experience. Marquis was an early adopter to online wine delivery and this shows when you search through their website. It’s fast and intuitive.
- Each wine contains a useful description.
- Includes special categories for wine nerds such as ‘Grower Champange’ section, an ‘Organic/Biodynamic’ section, and a ’95+ points wine’ area
- wide selection of wine
- also sells cider
- Free if you spend over $200 + tax = $230!!
- If you create an account, you may check the status of your order, gain and manage ‘MarquisMiles’, and get special offers
Cons
- None
- well, they don’t sell beer or spirits, but this IS a wine blog so that’s not really a con in my view
Price
- If you spend over $200 + tax = $230), online wine delivery is free to one address.
- For smaller orders, there’s a flat rate charge of $12.99 + GST
- Marquis offers priority shipping for $30 when the wine needs to arrive the same-day or the next-day – as long as you order before the day’s cut-off time at 2 pm
How long do online wine deliveries take?
- within 2 business days (via Canada Post)
- Lower Mainland orders usually arrive the same day (if downtown Vancouver) or the day after (by private courier)
- if you need it the same day, select Priority Shipping for your wine deliveries for $30
- online orders available 24/7. Store hours are 11 am – 9 pm for telephone enquiries and for pick up
2. Legacy Liquor Store, Vancouver BC
Wine Delivery: all over BC
Pros
- Legacy sells not just wine, but also has a HUGE selection of beer, coolers, ciders and spirits and all of these are available for delivery
- You can search for products online
- They will ship anywhere in British Columbia
- ProTip: Find ‘Shop’ in the left middle sidebar, scroll down to ‘in Stock’ and click on the ‘In Stock’ tab so you only see what the store has available and not all of the unavailble selections
Cons
- Legacy Liquor Store has had their online wine ordering system up long before we started to self-quarantine. That means, they really have no excuse for how cumbersome this site is for the user. The interface is not nice to work with; most items don’t come with bottle shots, and the ones that do are not high quality photos. There’s also a problem with clearing your search and you will have to click over each selection to unclear it for a new search
- searching on this site is not that easy, especially for those who don’t know exactly what they want
- pricing system is complex
Price - varies depending on weight. These estimates are for a 10lb piece
- Note: the website says that prices may change without notice, so make sure that you check the costs in your shopping cart before you hit that last ‘send’.
- Further note: there may be a delay for online wine deliveries due to the huge recent spike in delivery orders.
- $15 flat rate for same day (within 4 hours) delivery to Vancouver, North Vancouver, and Burnaby (cut-off time is 1 pm)
- Same day Rush Order $30 (must order by 4 pm)
- $40 to deliver same day (within 4 hours) to the rest of the Lower Mainland (cut-off time is 1 pm)
- next day delivery – flat rate of $25
- rest of BC – the online ordering system will figure out the shipping costs at the time of ordering
How long do online wine deliveries take?
- most places in the Lower Mainland will arrive the same day as long as you order before 1 pm.
- if you miss that cut off, you may choose a ‘Rush Order’ for same day, or wait until the next day (see above for pricing)
- wine delivery is available from 10 am – 5 pm, Monday to Friday but you can order online at any time
- store hours are 10 am – 11 pm daily
Whistler
If you are in Whistler, then these are the 2 Best Online Wine Delivery stores to order from. Whistler offers the lowest cost, quickest online wine delivery times, and late night service.
3. Blackcomb Liquor Store, Whistler BC
Wine Delivery: in Whistler only
Pros
- it’s only $2.50 per wine delivery which gives Blackcomb Liquor Store the most affordable online wine delivery option !!!!
- great selection of beer, ciders, coolers, spirits and of course, wine
- did I mention, they sell wine??
- wines are grouped by price point such as ‘Favourites under $20’ etc- which we all know is how most of us choose a bottle anyway! Click on the link above, then click on the blue button that says ‘Blackcomb Liquor Store’s favourites’
- this is the only place that offers an option to order food from a Whistler restaurant and have it delivered at the same time for an additional $7.50
- fast wine delivery times
- late night service until 11 pm for you slackers!
Price
- $2.50 per order !!!
Cons
- Blackcomb Liquor Store hires a third party to send online wine deliveries. This means they have fast service with a great price, but sacrifice an easy to use interface to search for wines. Did you notice, that the link above sends you to Whistler Dine In and not the Blackcomb Liquor Store website?
- complicated search – essentially you place a request for a region, brand, quality level, quantity and price point for each wine
- as the wine and product list is grouped in ‘Favourites under $40’, you do not know the exact price of the wine
- possibility that wine listed in the ‘Blackcomb Liquor Store’s Favourites’ is no longer available as it’s not linked in real time to their inventory
- that being said, a staff member (likely Michael, the store’s owner) will contact you via email or phone number to discuss other available and suitable options for you
How long do online wine deliveries take?
- most online wine deliveries arrive within 40-60 minutes
- wine delivery service runs from 9 am – 11 pm
4. Nesters, Whistler BC
Wine Delivery: in Whistler only
It looks like Nesters is switching over to an updated online wine store where you can view products with a description and order directly from the site by way of a few simple clicks – much like the gorgeous user interface that Marquis Wine Cellars has. However, this is a work in progress and only 50 wines are currently online.
Therefore, the original procedure for ordering wine online is also available on the website. Here users download an extensive pdf list of products to review. The pdf is not linked to current inventory and the site recommends that you call the store if you require more selections. However, most customers will find everything they need in the extensive pdf list.
Pros
- great selection of beer, cider, coolers, spirits and of course, wine
- prices for liquor includes all taxes and bottle deposits (finally! someone with the sense to do this right)
- $5 flat rate (in Whistler only)
- you may order deliveries until 10 pm (about 1 hour before they close) which means they offer late night service!
- fast deliveries
Cons
- currently shifting from an outdated online system to a beautiful and simple to use interface. Therefore, it may be a bit confusing for consumers while both systems are up simultaneously. If you are having any problems, call the store using the phone number above.
- if you use the pdf for your selection, the product may be out as it is not linked to a virtual inventory (yet!)
- while navigating through the new online system, the website is slooow to load
How long do online wine deliveries take?
- depending on how busy they are: 30-45 minutes to an hour
- online wine delivery service is available from 10 am – 10 pm daily
Price
- $5 flat rate
Victoria
There’s only 1 selection for online wine delivery for Victoria. That’s because I was looking for the best ONLINE wine delivery service and not third parties with no ablility to search for products. Still this had to make it on our list of best online wine delivery services as it has the most intuitive search tab, a great selection and ships anywhere in BC.
4. Everything Wine
Wine Delivery: Victoria Area (Langford), Whistler, Lower Mainland, BC
There are stores located in: Victoria Area (Langford), Langley, Abbotsford, South Surrey, North Vancouver, and Vancouver. I have just the Victoria number listed below.
(Check the website for the phone numbers of the other locations)
Everything Wine ALMOST didn’t make it on this list.
That’s not because they have a poor wine selection, Everything Wine has a superior wine selection. Unfortunately, they had temporarily stopped wine delivery services – likely because they could not handle the recent massive spike in online sales asking for deliveries.
I’m happy to say, they’ve got a spot on this list because they’re back! They’re also the only ones with a store in the Victoria area that has a way to view products online.
Everything Wine stores are sprinkled throughout the lower mainland and easily could have made it under the ‘Vancouver’ category instead. Their online ordering system is far superior to most stores. There’s just one small catch – you may have to wait 2 weeks to get your wine.
Pros
- wonderful wine choices
- free wine delivery and shipping to anywhere in British Columbia when you order over $200 + tax
- great user experience and interface
- lightning speed loading times
- search tab is the most intuitive one I’ve used which is a huge plus + !!
- purchase 12 or more bottles are receive 5% off
- simple pricing for shipping
Cons
- orders take 2 weeks (or 7 – 10 business days)
- although a great website overall, there are limitations. Categories of wines are only listed by grape variety and lack the country of origin/ appellation approach. This means that you won’t be able to click on Burgundy or other regionally named wines (Brunello di Montalcino, Bordeaux, Dão). However, the intuitive search bar means you can locate these wines easily if you know what you are looking for.
- no descriptions of wines
How long do online wine deliveries take?
- online wine deliveries take 7 – 10 business days or up to 2 weeks
Price
- free online wine delivery and shipping to anywhere in BC when you order over $200 + tax
- $15 flat rate for everything else
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