Buying wine online in Italy: apps, marketplaces and fast delivery

The phone buzzes, the bottle is already on the table: all it takes is an app and ten minutes. Or perhaps not, because the wine you picked after photographing a label is coming from a warehouse in another country and will take three weeks. Buying wine online away from the big specialist shops is a game with several sets of rules, and the rules change depending on who is holding the basket: a platform that showcases other sellers, a giant that sells everything, a courier on a scooter, a site that lives on time-limited deals.

In the first instalment we covered the big Italian online wine shops: Tannico, Vino.com, Callmewine, Xtrawine, Bernabei, Signorvino. Here we change scenery and look at the channels born from the phone, the supermarket or the rush: apps, marketplaces, fast delivery, flash sales. For each you will find who is behind it, how big it is, how it ships and what users say. These are public data and voices gathered online, not test purchases: Vinofilo has not ordered anything. Shipping figures are indicative and should be rechecked in the basket, because they change often. In the next two instalments we cross borders: first France and Germany, then the United Kingdom and the United States.

Vivino

Vivino was founded in 2010 in Denmark, later shifted its centre of gravity to the United States, and was founded by Heini Zachariassen. Its Italian page claims over 77 million users and more than three and a half billion labels scanned: numbers that make it the world’s largest archive of photographed bottles. That is the original trade: you frame the label, read the community’s score and the tasting notes. For some years now, though, Vivino has also been a marketplace, and presents itself as the largest in the world.

The point to grasp is that Vivino is not a shop with a single warehouse. It puts buyers in touch with partner wine shops and producers: the order is placed from the app in a few taps, but shipping, costs and times depend on the seller. That is why terms change from one basket to the next, and it is always worth looking at the delivery line before confirming. Availability in Italy is confirmed by the Italian-language site and by the trade press, but the list of sellers who ship to Italy varies over time.

Users recommend it for how easy it is to buy, for deals on cases and for the chance of finding labels that are hard to come across elsewhere. The big critical theme in public reviews is deliveries: some users have reported long waits, late parcels, a wrong vintage or bottles broken in transit, often when the seller’s warehouse was abroad. Customer service, on the other hand, is more often described as responsive in putting right errors and sold-out items.

Best for those who choose with the community, like to browse among many wineries and are in no hurry.

Amazon

Amazon needs no introduction, and precisely for that reason it is worth looking at how it sells wine. In Italy the best-known attempt dates back to 2016, when it opened a dedicated store curated by Vinitaly Wine Club, with over 700 wines from more than 500 wineries and deliveries declared within 24-48 hours. Today wine sits in the alcohol category: Amazon tells sellers that they need specific approval, age verification of the buyer and compliance with the tax rules on alcohol, and that they can either ship themselves or hand logistics over to Amazon, in which case the offer may be eligible for Prime.

Translated for the buyer: there is no single Amazon of wine, there are many sellers, from the neighbourhood wine shop to the distributor, and the experience depends on who appears as the seller and who ships. On delivery and return terms the general rule applies: look at the “Sold by” and “Shipped by” lines, then the estimated date. We did not find independent reviews or analyses solid enough on wine alone on Amazon.it, so we do not report their verdicts: what can be said is that the convenience is well known, that the catalogue is fragmented and that prices and packaging are not uniform.

Best for those who already have a Prime subscription, are buying a well-known label and want convenience and a familiar customer service.

Winelivery

Winelivery is the Italian drink delivery app: founded in Milan in the mid-2010s, it promises to bring wine, beer, spirits and cocktails to your door in about thirty minutes, at the right temperature. In September 2026 it was taken over 100% by Compagnia del Gusto Holding, the holding company of the Cosulich family, and will merge into the wine division Compagnia delle Vigne. According to the business press it has about 1.7 million downloads and over 400,000 customers, a network of physical venues (Wine&Bar, with some franchised outlets) and an in-house digital marketing structure.

What is it worth in euro? Reconstructions from the accounts speak of revenues just above 5 million in 2024 and over 4.4 million in 2025, with a loss of about 1.8 million; the peak was over 7.7 million in 2022. These are the numbers of a business that has found its place but is not a giant. The model is that of drink delivery: delivery is fast and works in the cities served, while the cost (the “delivery contribution”) appears only at checkout and can change with the area and with promotions.

Users recommend it for speed and for customer service, which in public reviews is often praised for its ability to solve order problems. Doubts are rarer but weighty: some users have reported an order cancelled for unavailability, with the same bottle then back on sale, and refunds that were not immediate. The company, in one case, replied by explaining that an error between the app’s stock and the warehouse had been corrected.

Best for last-minute needs: the improvised dinner, the forgotten gift, the bottle that needs to be cold now.

Svinando

Svinando was founded in October 2012 in Piedmont, at Valle Talloria, in the Cuneo area. In 2018 it was acquired by Giordano Vini and is now part of the listed group Italian Wine Brands. The group presents it with over 4,000 items across wines, spirits, craft beers and specialities, and with operations in eight European markets; in Italy, according to a 2021 note, it had served over 100,000 enthusiasts. A dedicated turnover figure is not public: the group reports only the aggregate figure for distance selling, which fell in 2025.

The formula is the flash sale: a few selected bottles, declared discounts, limited quantities and tight deadlines. Each label is described and goes through periodic tastings. It is a site that urges you to decide quickly, and that is at once its charm and its risk. Shipping starts at around 5 euro and is free above a threshold that, according to comparison sites, is 59 euro; returns are presented as free within 14 days. Check the terms in the basket, which can vary with promotions.

Users recommend it for the choice, the prices and the deals they find good value and, often, for wines that live up to expectations. Doubts come from logistics: some users have reported deliveries weeks late, orders with no tracking updates, broken or wrong bottles and difficult replies from customer service.

Best for those who love the hunt for a bargain, have time and order with a margin of patience.

Esselunga

Among supermarkets, the best-documented case for wine is Esselunga, which on 14 November 2023 opened a genuine online wine shop separate from its home grocery delivery. At launch it had about 1,400 labels from 350 producers, two thirds Italian and almost 400 French; by June 2025 there was talk of about 2,500 items. The bottles are kept in a dedicated warehouse, in an area with controlled light and temperature, and about 95% of the online selection is not sold in the wine shops in its stores.

On delivery, the data reported by the press are: 24 hours in Lombardy, up to 72 hours in the rest of Italy, same-day delivery in Milan for orders placed before 11 a.m., free shipping above 70 euro and in-store collection always free. These are data from 2023 and 2025: check the current terms before ordering. Home grocery delivery is a different service, with delivery at around 7.90 euro and a minimum order of 60 euro in the regions covered.

We did not find independent reviews solid enough on the online wine shop, so we do not report user opinions. A July 2026 guide describes it as a choice aimed at medium-low price bands, with many labels between 10 and 20 euro and a few top-level bottles. Esselunga’s commercial thesis is clear: a loyal customer, already used to its stores, who finds good wine there too.

Best for those who are already Esselunga customers, want a reassuring name and like being able to collect in store.

Wine-Searcher

Wine-Searcher needs clarifying right away: it does not sell wine. It is a vertical search engine that compares prices and availability of a bottle across shops and producers worldwide and sends you on to the site of whoever sells it. Founded in 1998 by Martin Brown, based in Auckland, it has changed hands several times: in 2023 it passed to Flaviar and, in May 2026, to an American company linked to the Goudet family. It claims about 20 million offers in 126 countries, from about 38,000 shops and producers.

The basic service is free; the Pro subscription shows more sellers for each label. On enthusiasts’ forums the split is clear: those who buy a lot say it pays for itself, those who buy little see no reason to pay. The recurring warnings are useful: a wine listed as available may not be, shipping can cancel out the saving and it is not always clear where a seller delivers. The tool is perfect for specific, easily identified bottles, less so for discoveries and for the Italian market, where coverage has to be checked case by case.

Best for those looking for a precise bottle who want to know whether they are paying a fair price.

At a glance

Shop	Size	Shipping	Best for
Vivino	Over 77 million users	Depends on the seller	Discovery and community
Amazon	Marketplace with many sellers	Depends on seller and Prime	Convenience and habit
Winelivery	Over 400,000 customers	About 30 minutes, cost at checkout	Last minute
Svinando	Over 4,000 items	From about 5 euro, free above 59	Bargain hunting
Esselunga	About 2,500 items	Free above 70, in-store collection	Esselunga customers
Wine-Searcher	About 20 million offers	Does not sell	Comparing prices

Our take

No rankings: these are tools for different moments. Those who feel like browsing and discovering will find in Vivino an enormous shop window, provided they always read who is shipping. Those in a hurry, with a city that is covered, can rely on Winelivery. Those who love the thrill of a deal and have patience will look at Svinando. Those who want the safety of a brand and convenience will feel at home with Esselunga or with Amazon, choosing the seller well. And before buying any important bottle, a quick visit to Wine-Searcher takes a minute and can spare you a regret.

The rule holds for everyone: look at the shipping cost before the price, check the declared times and be wary of a price that looks too good to be true if the warehouse is far away. In the next instalment we go beyond the border, with France and Germany.

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