One of the most alluring things about wine, to an amateur (and that’s most of us), is that so little is known about it. We all know that there are different places wine comes from; that there are different colours of wine; and that there are â€good†wines and less good wines. Some of us might even know that there are different varietals of grape, the inclusion of which can alter the flavour and fullness of a wine. We also know that there’s a lot more to know, and that if we knew what else there was to know, we’d be a lot better at picking wine. And that, surprisingly, is where wine online really comes into its own. The best online wine stores (take the Colchester Wine Company, for example, who have managed to translate their friendly high street store into virtual form) are bursting with information about countries of origin, Old World wine, New World wine, varietals, vintages †everything, in other words, that all of us poor hicks now nothing about but want to understand. By making themselves mines of information as well as wine retail outlets, sites that sell wine online can (and do) attract whole communities of wine buyers †people with a similar hobby or obsession. There’s a sense in which Internet wine retailers are as much like common interest clubs, almost geek sites, as they are actual stores. They’re places a person can go to learn about wine; to join a forum and discuss wine; and to pick up tips and information from more experienced drinkers. What this means is that wine sites are democratising wine buying for the average man or woman in the virtual street. The online wine buyer doesn’t need to know anything in advance †he or she can simply find the information on the wine online site in question. That makes the buyer happy. And a happy buyer is a buyer who comes back for more. The other huge advantage of buying wine online is the endless choice. A â€real†wine shop, no matter how big, simply can’t contain every bottle it needs: an online wine store, by contrast, can list as many products as it can get its hands on. The actual wine could be stored anywhere †the site in question is simply a front through which it can be purchased. That’s the real commercial beauty of the Internet †even the tiniest premises can offer its customers a huge selection of product. With wine, that benefit works twice over. Customers who want to know more about wine also want the chance to explore the astonishing variety of wine out there in the world: a site selling wine online can give them that opportunity in a way that a bricks and mortar store can’t. Web sites have as much â€room†as they need: â€real†shops only have as much as they can afford. Buying wine on the Internet is a great way for even the shyest of wannabe wine buffs to get ahead of the game. And with such variety available, it’s also a great way for everyone to get their hands on some really interesting booze.
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