March Madness Sale at My Wines Direct

I know it is April already, but March Madness is still going on at My Wines Direct. They have a great, albeit limited, selection of wines that they select BY TASTE (you'd be surprised at the number of retailers who skip this crucial aspect of the buying process) and they offer them at great prices. The catch is, you must order in quantities of six, but shipping is FREE. My last order was a mixed pack of six which set me back $82 (about $13/bottle). But they always have specials for packs in the $75 range.

Check out these March Madness specials in the $70-$175 range (please note there is a pack of 12 included):

Chardonnay Selections - 6 Whites $69.95
This impressive collection of whites showcases the different styles of Chardonnay. Do you prefer the styles of California or Chile? Sample and see which you like best! Chardonnay is the #1 white varietal in the US; you can never have enough. Five oak-aged picks in this collection plus 1 Semillon Chardonnay for a little variety. My Wines Direct's Final Four - Chardonnay Selections, now only $69.95 + FREE Shipping. Limited time offer valid 03-24 to 4-6. Shop today!

Royal Reds - 6 Reds $79.95
These royal reds are the best of their lands, with full, rich flavors. You'll love the zesty Australian Merlot, the bold Spanish Rioja, the smooth Argentinian Syrah, plus 3 more stately reds. You can enjoy these reds with so many hearty meals or pour a few glasses for a quiet night in. My Wines Direct's Final Four - Royal Reds, now only $79.95 + FREE Shipping. Limited time offer valid 03-24 to 4-6. Shop today!

Tour the World of Wine - Mixed $84.95
Take a taste tour-de-force through small vineyards around the globe. Try a Pouilly-Fuisse from France, a classic Chardonnay from California or a Semillon-Chardonnay blend from Australia. Move on to reds and enjoy a Rioja from Spain, Syrah from Argentina and Cab from California. My Wines Direct's Final Four - Foreign Finds, now only $84.95 + FREE Shipping. Limited time offer valid 03-24 to 4-6. Buy now!

Better By the Dozen - Mixed $174.95
This pack includes a Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Mencia Roble, Zinfandel, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Rioja and 6 more versatile wines - you'll find a wine to pair perfectly with each dish and to suit all tastes. This pack also includes our special 10 year aged Napa Cabernet - a velvety, rich wine, aged to perfection, ten years in the making. My Wines Direct's Final Four - Better by the Dozen, now only $174.95 + FREE Shipping. Limited time offer valid 03-24 to 4-6. Shop today!

And if you want a really great pack of interesting wines, check out the
Bracket Buster:
3 Whites, 3 Reds $72.94
The ref has made the final call - this truly is a winning line up. Three rich reds, three cool whites plus $23 in savings AND $0 Shipping. Easy sipping and easy savings with this international mix - reds and whites from Spain, California and Chile. No matter what your bracket shows, you'll get a winning wine each time with these six wines. Don't let the clock run out on this deal. Beat the buzzer - savings end April 6!!

What I really love about My Wines Direct, aside from the great prices and free shipping, is the selection of wines I've never heard of--and they're all guaranteed. My first order arrived with tasting notes, tips and a special offer to use on my next order.

Find the Latest Wines at Wine.com

		Wine Name:
		Vintage:
		Shipping to:	Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming

A Whole Mess O' Wines Under $15

We bet you woke up this morning and said to yourself, "Self, I wish someone would post a story including 17 different wines under $15 so I can hit the liquor store." Your wish is our command. From Syrah to Riesling to Sangiovese, check out this roundup of more cheap wine than you can shake a stick at.

Washington Post - Bottles That Won't Break the Bank

As an interesting side note, this story was written by the same folks who wrote What to Drink with What You Eat- a little book that happens to be our favorite new food and booze pairing companion.

Ring in 2007 with Wine Deals

If you're anything like us, you're a little less than flush right now money-wise after blowing it all on Christmas presents and celebratory drinks. Even if you're nothing like us, January can be a little tight, especially when it comes to buying wine. We've found an interesting article that rounds up a bunch of good wines for bottom shelf prices - we wish we could take advantage of the $2 deal from Trader Joe's but the stupid laws in Massachusetts won't let us buy wine at any old store. Anyway, check out the write up of the TJ's recommendation below and read the full story at MercuryNews.com.

TWO-BUCK ALTERNATIVE: When you're shopping at Trader Joe's, you could reach for the Two-Buck Chuck. But for the same money at TJ's, you can buy something a little more unusual and interesting from Argentina. Most stores still have the 2005 Amaicha Torrontes ($1.99), a floral, aromatic wine with a fragrance reminiscent of gewürztraminer, as well as notes of white peach, honeysuckle and jasmine. But the wine is likely to sell out soon, so don't wait if you want to try it. There was a red from the same winery made from the bonarda grape, believed by some to be the same grape as California's charbono, but the wine was sold out at every store I tried.

Top Wines for $5.99 or Less

The holidays are a time for giving, and while that do wonders for your tiny Grinch-like heart, it can make your wallet feel three sizes too small. Luckily, there are easy ways to find passable-to-good wines for under $10 to help stretch your budget. AOL Food has put together a list of wines available for even less than that - they went through 34 wines and found the top five you can buy for $5.99 or less. We knew about the deals Trader Joe's has (though we can't partake in them thanks to the barbaric liquor laws in Massachusetts), but there are a couple on the list that surprised us.

Head on over to AOL Food to see the slide show and check out their list, and tell 'em Cheap Fun Wines sent ya.

Woot Wine 10/16/06: Poizin Zinfandel

This week's Wine Woot has the greatest wine name EVAR (prove us wrong) and we were all fired up for it as soon as we saw Massachusetts on the list of states available for shipping. We mean "Poizin," with a skull and crossbones on the label? Sign us the hell up. Then we remembered that with the delivery times you can expect for Massachusetts, we'd be seeing our bottles in time for Thanksgiving or Christmas, when the humor would be gone.

Anyway, Poizin sounds like good stuff according to the Wine Woot description, and costs in the neighborhood of $25 per bottle in comparison to Woot's $52.99 for three bottles (plus $5 for shipping). It's a blend of Zinfandel and Petite Syrah and it seems like a good deal, plus you can buy a bottle of Antidote (a pinot gris) from the winery's website. Get your claws on a bottle of Poizin through Woot Wine and don't forget to check out the blog for reader tips and catty comments.

Wines 'Til Sold Out

We've been paying a lot of attention to Woot Wine lately, but it's come to attention they're not the only "sell wine for an allotted time period" game in town. We've recently discovered Wine 'Til Sold Out, another online venture that works on the Woot model.

This one offers wine deals updated daily instead of weekly like Woot Wine, and from what we've seen they tend to sell single bottles that are significantly discounted, from 30-70% off. Even so, they still seem to come in at a slightly higher price than we usually spend (today's deal is a $70 Tuscan wine for just over $40).

If you're looking to widen your online wine deal horizons, put these guys in your bookmarks and check them out every day (you can also sign up for email alerts). They currently ship to 20 states, and they seem to offer free shipping on orders of two or more bottles. Check out the deals and get the full rundown at Wines 'Til Sold Out.

Woot Wine 10/09/06: Parker Station Critter Quartet

Ye gods we look forward to each week's Wine Woot. Overall they're great deals, and if they would ever work it out so we could order it (stupid no shipping to Massachusetts) we'd be getting there every week. This week's Woot includes four bottles (2 Syrah, 1 Chardonnay, 1 Pinot Noir) from Parker Station for $29.99. Even when you include the $5 for shipping that comes in at less than nine bucks a bottle.

Nothing heart stopping when you compare it to the typical price of $10-$12 plus shipping at other wine sites, but it seems like it'd be fun to experiment with. Check out this week's Wine Woot blog for customer feedback, and check the main Wine Woot page to see if they're shipping to your state. Oh, and make sure you're not drunk when they deliver it.

Woot Wine 09/11/06: Jepson Mendocino Mix

How is it that we keep forgetting to cover the weekly Woot wine deal? It's not like they change the day they release it or anything. Every Monday - how tough is that to remember? Anyway, this week's deal seems like a pretty good one for $35.99 (plus $5 for shipping), so we'll hand the microphone over to Rick at Martini Lounge to give you the details.

All the wines are pretty good ones and Jepson also makes a nice Brandy if I remember correctly. Plus there's just something so pleasant about Mendocino wines. The cost normally is around US$58 before shipping, so you're getting a deal.

Woot Wine 09/05/06: La Famiglia Pinot Grigio

We've been loving a lot of Pinot Grigio around here lately, so we're all fired up about this week's Wine Woot. You're getting four bottles for $45 (like $11 apiece), and the lowest prices we found for this wine otherwise are around $15-$20 each.

That means the discount isn't incredibly deep but it's definitely not bad, plus we're intrigued by the tasting notes: "Enticing apple, citrus and lemon zest character with mineral, floral and spice nuances. Burst of tangerine on the finish. Crisp and dry, with silky texture." We say get there, especially if you like dry white wines.

But as always, make sure you check the list of delivery states at Wine.Woot as well as the Woot Wine blog before you get too pumped up; we found out Massachusetts isn't on the list so we can't partake this week.

Woot Wine 8/28/06: Vino Noceto Wines

Once again we couldn't get to the Wine Woot until the end of the day. We suck at life.

You get a bottle of Vino Noceto's regular Sangiovese, their Reserva Sangiovese, and two bottles of their Zinfandel. All of these are great wines to have with food, like a Jumbo Jack or Whopper. Or even something fancier, like Italian Food (You know, Olive Garden and stuff).

These all are pretty well-balanced and bring a lot of new flavors to your under-appreciated palate. The only caveat is the regular Sangiovese, don't let it breathe or it'll start tasting like you're licking lollipops.

Woot Wine 7/31/06: S. Anderson Sparkling Wine

We know there are a couple things amiss with us covering the wine discounts over at Woot Wine - one, the total price usually falls well out of our "under $20" price range and two, Rick over at Martini Lounge already covers it more than adequately every week.

Still, we've had very good experiences with the wines we've gotten through Woot, the total discounts can be pretty damned substantial if you don't mind shelling out up front to buy your wine in a quartet. Plus, we'll check in on Rick each week to see if his recommendation matches up with ours and let you know.

Anyway, this week's wine Woot is for 4 bottles of sparkling wine from S. Anderson - 2 bottles of Blanc de Blanc and 2 bottles of Blanc de Noir for $84.99 plus $5 shipping. The wines and the winery get pretty good reviews over at Epinions, and the Noir is typically priced at $28 while the Blanc is usually $38. Some quick math by a Woot poster says now the average retail price is $33, for 35.6% savings overall. Not too shabby.

Recommendation: We say go for it if the following apply to you: you plan to go to a lot of chic parties this year, you plan to give them as gifts, you just LOVE sparkling wine because the bubbles tickle your nose. And don't forget since these wines came out fairly recently you can cellar these bad boys too if you don't need them quite yet.