Where's the Best Place to Buy Wine Bottles?

The best places to buy wine bottles in the U.S. are shown below.

I've used each of these suppliers at one time or another over the years to bottle some of my savory homemade wines.

After all the work you put in to make your tasty wine... make sure that the bottle glass compliments your efforts! Scratches in the glass or hard to remove labels can be a real pain.


Shipping is expensive these days but occasionally one of these suppliers offers a special on it - so shop carefully. Sometimes there are deals for buying more than one case as well which can soften the blow a bit too.

Buying Wine Bottles For the Home Wine Maker

Homebrewing.org

Choices - This retailer has the largest amount of different colors and styles of wine bottles found online. At last count they had over 12 different colors and 6 unique shapes of bottles! You can order single bottles or by the case.


Reputation - Great customer service. In business since 1999. Trusted by thousands of brewers and wine makers.


Shipping - Standard shipping rates for bottles. Fast shipping to: U.S. - Canada - Worldwide

Morewine.com

Choices - They have 4 or 5 different colors and styles though it varies. Sometimes you can buy wine bottles called "overrun" - bottles that didn't get used from several wineries as they become available. All bottles are sold per case of 12.

Reputation - Great customer service history. In business since 1995. Trusted by hordes of wine makers and brewers.

Shipping - Standard shipping rates for bottles. Fast shipping to: U.S. - Canada - Worldwide

Amazon.com

Choices - There are 5 or 6 different colors of bottles available but it varies. They also carry plastic wine bottles with screw   caps. Sold per case of 12.


Reputation - Easily the most widely used retailer online and likely for years to come. Trusted completely since 1994.


Shipping -  Free shipping over $35 but be aware of the higher price tag in some cases. Fast shipping to: U.S. - Canada -
Worldwide.

Where to Buy Wine Bottles - Commercial and Bulk

Option 1:

Here is a short list for wineries or bulk bottle buyers looking to buy wine bottles. Many of these wholesalers supply micro and small wineries as well with no minimum order.

They will address all of your needs regarding:

• shapes
• finishes
• colors
  
• and sizes available

You can even find a few suppliers that sell PET wine bottles.

Winesandvines.com has a current list of over 100 suppliers showing their:

• phone numbers
  
• email
  
• and website addresses

Kinnek.com is similar to a broker and you can:

• research purchases
• connect with the relevant suppliers
• get customized quotes
• evaluate and negotiate with the suppliers right on their website

Option 2:

Is to buy wine bottles from other places in the world where they're cheaper to produce and let's face it... most of the glass is coming from anyway. Eliminating the middleman in Option 1 can save you a ton of money year in, year out.

Wine bottles purchased overseas can be shipped worldwide saving your company money

Smaller wineries can make a joint purchase with another winery or two in their region to easily meet minimum order quantities.

There is a slight learning curve but these two companies below make it pretty easy. It's in their best interest because like any business - without a market, they have no business.

Alibaba.com - Founded in 1999 by Jack Ma - former English teacher from Hangzhou, China. They are the world's largest    online business-to-business trading platform for small and mid-sized businesses.

It's easy for new customers looking to buy or sell etc. on Alibaba.com. They connect buyers and sellers from around the world, and have set up an entire online learning and training center that walks you through the entire process.

This includes the details of how to go about:

• finding products
• finding suppliers
• manage orders online
• obtaining full order protection
• get real-time updates
• track payment and shipping status of your order
  

It's worthwhile to at least explore the potential cost savings when you buy wine bottles for your company. That at least costs nothing.

Made-in-china.com - Founded in 1996 by Focus Technology Co. They do much the same as Alibaba.com except they specialize in connecting buyers exclusively with Chinese suppliers.

They also have a walk-through process for buyers and sellers. Once you get your feet wet you'll wonder why you avoided this avenue of doing business before.

Keep in mind I've been talking only about buying wine bottles. But I'm sure you've figured out that:

• bottle closures
  
• labels
  
• foil
  
• packaging
  
• boxing
  
• additives

And anything else your business uses a high volume of - are worthy of getting a quote as well.

Tips on Buying Wine Bottles

UV Rays

It's well known that UV rays from the sun will damage wine. So will constant indoor lighting. Using lower UV ray emitting lights like LED's etc can help. But your first line of defense is the color of the bottle.

Lighter colored wines like Pinot Noir that are age-worthy need extra protection. White wines you're going to lay down for a length of time like a Riesling and possibly a Chardonnay need colored glass as well.

Colored bottle glass protects wine from damaging UV rays

Simple Guide to UV Protection:

Antique green- 90-98% protection, amber- 60% protection, champagne green- 40% protection

Lighter glass colors like emerald green and cobalt blue etc. give the wine less protection than the above colors.

And don't forget that people naturally expect certain wines in a particular bottle. They shouldn't have to guess whether there is a white or red wine in the bottle.

Looking Ahead Can Save Your Behind!

Would you get dressed up and go out on the town without giving a thought to whether your clothes and accessories match each other? No.

So be sure to look ahead to the final product when you buy wine bottles...

Picture the finished product and holding it in your hand. Collectively the:

• bottle's lines or symmetry
• closure method
• foil style
• weight of the bottle
• punt depth or none
• coatings or texture
• and label
  

all need to work together. Not unlike the wine inside the bottle having to be balanced properly to really show off the fruit.

Whether it's a home winery or commercial winery doesn't matter. You've worked darn hard to craft the best luscious wine you could.

Wear it with pride.... buy wine bottles and dress them up to suit your wine.

Enjoy.