Buying wine online in the UK and US: a guide to the big shops

We have reached the last stop on the tour: we have looked at the Italian online wine shops, the apps and marketplaces that deliver in Italy, then France and Germany. What remains is the Anglo-Saxon world, where online wine began earlier and where some of the most respected names in the wine trade live. Finding your way around is hard for a simple reason: these are excellent shops, often held up as models, but almost none of them is designed for someone receiving the parcel in Milan or Bari. This instalment should be read as a map of reference points, not a shopping list. And since Vinofilo’s readers get by in English, the sites of these shops are also a good read in themselves.

Why you (almost) never buy from there

Let us start with the obstacle. Since 2021 the United Kingdom has been a third country with respect to the European Union. A case that leaves a British warehouse and arrives in Italy is no longer a simple parcel between two member states: it requires a customs declaration, import VAT and, since it is alcohol, the excise of the destination country. The same mechanism has made the flow in the opposite direction slower and more expensive: in 2021 Jancis Robinson described the return of paperwork, with delays and costs added to every shipment to Great Britain. The practical result is that many British merchants do not ship to Italy, or do so only through dedicated services and case by case. The Wine Society, for instance, states that it sends wine to members abroad “in countries that allow the import of alcohol”, but for the rules on the European Union it refers you to an export office to contact.

The United States is a different and in some ways more complicated case. There the three-tier system applies, a legacy of the post-Prohibition era: producers and importers sell to distributors, distributors to retailers, retailers to consumers, and each tier is kept separate from the others. On top of that, each state, and sometimes each municipality, writes its own rules. There are states where retail sale is in public hands and states where direct shipping of wine is allowed only in certain cases. That is why the big American shops ship to some states and not to others, and Total Wine states that it does not ship abroad.

So why bother? For four reasons. First, reference prices: knowing what a wine costs in a mature market helps you understand whether an Italian offer is generous or inflated. Second, reviews: many of these sites publish tasting notes that English-speaking readers consult anyway. Third, en primeur, the sale on paper of Bordeaux vintages and others, where some British merchants are fixed points. Fourth, guides and newsletters, which are well written.

Majestic

Majestic is the British chain that made buying wine by the case of six normal. Founded in 1980 with a warehouse north of London, it is based in Watford and today has more than two hundred stores across the United Kingdom and Jersey, as well as the website, launched as early as 2000. It is owned by the Fortress fund, which took it over after the separation from Naked Wines, the company with which Majestic had merged in 2015. In the financial year ended March 2025 revenue was around 386 million pounds.

You order online, with home delivery or collection in store, and since 2021 there has been a subscription club. Shipping costs and thresholds change often, so you will find them on the site. On users’ voices we do not have enough material to summarise recurring themes. The accounts describe a chain with more customers and rising costs. It suits those who live in the United Kingdom and want a shop around the corner; for you it is a thermometer of mid-range British prices.

The Wine Society

The Wine Society is the romantic exception of the group: a cooperative founded in 1874, based in Stevenage, that sells only to its own members. You join once and for all, with a fee that in recent years has been 40 pounds, and it has no outside shareholders to reward. It has about 183,000 active members, of whom 78,000 buy fine wine, and lists about 1,650 wines. The latest financial year closed with an operating loss, a declared choice to protect members from price rises.

Delivery in the United Kingdom is free, which is rare among merchants, and there is a paid cellar storage service. There is also an initial offering under tax suspension, similar to en primeur.

Why is it liked? Critics, from Jancis Robinson on down, appreciate its value for money, the buyers’ work on unusual wines and the absence of aggressive commercial logic. Doubts mainly concern allocations of highly requested wines, which cause some grumbling on the members’ forum, and a fairly high average age of members. It is ideal for those who live in the United Kingdom and want a merchant they can trust. For you it is a style reference: wine trading done with expertise and without shouting.

Naked Wines

Naked Wines has a different idea: customers, called Angels, regularly pay money into a “piggy bank” that funds small independent producers, and in return they get access to wines that would otherwise not exist. The company is listed on London’s AIM and operates in the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia. In the financial year ended March 2026 it took in about 199 million pounds, 20% less than the year before, and closed with about 486,000 active customers against 581,000. Management chose to cut acquisition spending and aim for a smaller, more profitable company. It funds 281 independent producers, against 302 the previous year.

The model is fascinating but needs to be understood before joining: it is not a shop where you simply buy, it is a relationship with an account in which you leave money. On customers’ experiences we do not have a solid base for reporting recurring themes. It suits those who live in one of the three countries served and like supporting small producers; for us it is a case study in crowdfunding applied to wine.

Berry Bros. & Rudd

Berry Bros. & Rudd is the doyen: founded in 1698, it is still a family company, with its historic seat in London, in St James’s Street. In the financial year ended March 2024 turnover was around 246 million pounds, down 3.3%, with a loss before tax; on the other hand en primeur grew by 15% and fine wine storage revenue by 27%, thanks to the large warehouse at Andover, which can hold up to 14 million bottles.

It is a merchant for collectors: cases of Bordeaux and Burgundy, warehouse storage, investment and cellar wines. Its world is not that of the bottle for a Tuesday evening. On users’ opinions we have no reliable material to summarise. Ideal for those who collect or want to build a cellar with a historic counterpart; for us it is the place to see how an en primeur vintage is told.

Wine.com

Across the ocean, Wine.com is the largest online wine retailer in the United States. Founded in 1998 in Portland, Oregon, as eVineyard, it took its current name in 2001 when it acquired the domain. It is based in California and is a private, fund-backed company. A 2022 description spoke of about 13,000 labels, seven warehouses and sales approaching 250 million dollars. It shipped to 41 states plus Washington, D.C.

It is the textbook example of the American market: a single site, but logistics split by state. We have no verified user comments to report. It suits those who live in the United States and are looking for choice; for us it is a window on how America perceives Italian wine.

A line on one that is no longer there: Drizly, the alcohol delivery app bought by Uber in 2021 for 1.1 billion dollars, was shut down at the end of March 2024, after the announcement in January. Uber said it wanted to focus on its food delivery service.

Total Wine & More

Total Wine & More is the wine supermarket: founded in 1991 in Delaware under the name Liquor World by brothers David and Robert Trone, it is based in Maryland and, according to available data, in 2023 had about 259 stores in 28 states. Forbes estimated its turnover at around 6 billion dollars. It is a private company and a colossus of the shelves more than of the website: online it works in 24 states that permit the sale.

Home shipping of wine, through its dedicated service, covers a limited number of states, with courier and rates that depend on weight and the service chosen; the recipient must be at least 21, show ID and sign. In extreme heat shipments may be suspended.

Users recommend it for knowledgeable and friendly staff, competitive prices, the vastness of the range and the convenience of collection. Some users have reported doubts about telephone support that is hard to reach, online orders cancelled or not delivered, shelf prices inconsistent with those charged and unclear points programmes. These are reported experiences, which vary from store to store. Ideal for those who live in one of the states served and like choosing in front of the shelf.

Wine Access

Wine Access was founded in 1999 and since 2017 has run a platform that combines wine expertise and technology to offer wines to a new generation of enthusiasts. In December 2024 it was acquired by Full Glass Wine Co., a direct-to-consumer wine company. You buy by the bottle or through clubs with periodic shipments, such as one of six bottles per quarter. According to an industry review, shipping is free above 120 dollars or from six bottles, but does not reach some states such as Utah, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama and Michigan. The details should be checked on the site.

Users recommend it for prompt customer service, quick resolution of problems, variety and hard-to-find bottles, as well as careful packing and informative sheets. Some users have reported doubts about partial replacements after a broken bottle, unclear terms on shipping promotions and limited availability of wines they had already enjoyed. Who it is for: those who live in a state that is served and want to discover labels without going from shop to shop. For us, a good example of how a club is looked after.

At a glance

Shop	Size	Shipping	Best for
Majestic	200+ stores, revenue ~386 million £	United Kingdom, to check on the site	Cases in the UK, price reference
The Wine Society	~183,000 members, ~1,650 wines	Free in the UK, export on request	Loyal members, unusual wines
Naked Wines	~486,000 customers, revenue ~199 million £	UK, USA, Australia	Those who want to support small producers
Berry Bros. & Rudd	Turnover ~246 million £	To check, strong on export	Collectors and en primeur
Wine.com	~13,000 labels, 41 states	USA, rules by state	Wide choice in the US
Total Wine & More	~259 stores, ~6 billion $	Few states, not abroad	Those who choose at the shelf
Wine Access	Club and single purchases	Free above a threshold, several states excluded	Clubs and rare bottles in the US

Our take

If you live in Italy, the honest answer is that you will rarely buy from these shops, and that is fine: between customs, excise and state laws the game is not worth the candle. Use them as tools. The Wine Society as a model of a cooperative; Berry Bros. to learn how to read an en primeur vintage; Majestic and Total Wine to understand prices and choice outside Italy; Wine.com and Wine Access to see how America tells the story of our wine. If instead you move to London or Boston, it depends on how you buy: the cooperative for those who want trust, the chain for those who want convenience, the historic merchant for those who think in terms of the cellar. No rankings: just a good reason to keep the window on the world open.

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