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The Many Ways To Buy Consult The Experts Bin-Ends And Discount Stock Wine Lists Buying Direct Door-To-Door Sales Buying En Primeur Auctions Wine In Restaurants

There are many ways to buy wine, from dealing direct with the producer to visiting a famous city-centre store. In between come wine clubs, direct mail merchants, and stores of all sizes, from specialist wine merchants to edge-of-town supermarkets. You can even buy wine "pre-owned": the major auction houses have thriving wine departments. Each outlet will be trying to suit different customers. Some aim to sell large amounts of very cheap wine; others concentrate on a certain part of the world or a type of wine, or offer a high level of service (which will be reflected in the prices). Many wine lovers use several sources of supply: they visit a wine warehouse in search of bargains and bin-ends, they buy from a wine merchant or a mail-order company which has expertise in one region, and they pick up everyday wine from the supermarket with the family groceries.