- Here’s how to get alcohol delivered right to your door whether it’s your favorite wine, beer, or spirit.
- Many regions have statutes limiting alcohol delivery so check your state’s laws before you shop, and if you place an order, be sure an adult who is 21 years or older can sign for the package.
- Due to the novel coronavirus, some companies are experiencing delays and have implemented increased health and safety features so take those into account when ordering.
- See more: The best places to buy alcohol online — from general online liquor stores to monthly wine delivery services
This content is intended for readers 21+. Please drink responsibly. If you or anyone you know is dealing with alcohol abuse, get help. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357) provides a free, confidential, 24/7, treatment referral, and information service.
Trying to carry two bottles of wine, a handle of whiskey, a six-pack of beer, and some bitters to stock our bar cart might as well be an Olympic sport. But when the gold medal is a long sip of vino — worth it.
For anyone who doesn’t want to participate, there’s always alcohol delivery. We’ve broken down how to buy alcohol online and the best places to order from whether you’re into spirits, wine, or beer.
One thing to keep in mind with any alcohol delivery service is that each state has its own laws.
Alabama, Oklahoma, and Utah have outright bans on booze deliveries to private citizens. In almost all other states, wine deliveries are perfectly legal, though they will require a signature from an adult who’s 21 or older in most places. Check the National Conference of State Legislatures‘ Direct Shipment of Alcohol Statutes page for the most updated information.
Here are the best places to buy alcohol online:
- The best place to buy wine online: Wine.com
- The best place to buy indie wine online: NakedWines.com
- The best place to buy beer online: Craft City
- The best on-demand alcohol delivery: Drizly
- The best place to buy alcohol gifts: ReserveBar
- The best spirits subscription: Flaviar
- The best wine subscription: Vinebox
- The best beer subscription: Beer of the Month Club
Prices and links are updated as of 9/3/2020. We've added the best products to buy from each service, shipping information, and a new category for indie wines.
The best place to buy wine online
Wine.com boasts the world's largest online wine selection, letting you find your old favorites, discover new wines, and shop collectible and boutique wines.
There's no shortage of choice at Wine.com, where you can shop by varietal and region, or browse various curated lists and deals. You can also pick up gift baskets, glassware, and other wine accessories to supplement your bottles.
Each product page features helpful winemaker notes, reviews from trusted critics, and additional information about the vineyard. There's also a live wine expert chat function in case you need extra help.
In addition to home delivery, the site offers order pickup from more than 10,000 participating locations including Walgreens, Duane Reade, and Safeway.
If you anticipate ordering often, get the annual $49 membership, which is called the StewardShip program, and gives you free shipping on every order for a full year with no purchase minimum.
Shipping cost: Varied and based on the number of bottles and the size and weight of your order.
Read about more places to buy wine online
Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc 2019
The best place to buy indie wine online
NakedWines.com lets you support independent winemakers around the world and you'll receive big discounts so you can stock your wine supply for less.
If you're interested in getting to know the winemaker behind each of your bottles, you'll love NakedWines.com, which specializes in lifting up independent wine labels around the world. You can become an "Angel" who invests directly in up-and-coming winemakers, and in return, you'll get wholesale prices (up to 60% off wine) and a free gift bottle every month.
Even if you don't want to become an Angel, you can still shop the large variety of red, white, sparkling, rose, and sweet wine on the site and try the user-friendly filtering system. You can even browse winemaker profiles to hear directly from the source, read customer reviews, and easily shop all the wine from that maker.
There's a generous welcome offer of $100 off your introductory case that includes six bottles of reds and whites. For future orders, there is a six-bottle minimum.
Shipping cost: $10 for orders under $100. For orders $100 and more, delivery is free - except for Hawaii (+$70) and Alaska (+$130).
Read our review of NakedWines.com
Quevedo Family Touriga Nacional 2018
The best place to buy beer online
Craft beer enthusiasts will be happy with Craft City's impressive inventory that tends towards smaller brewery labels.
If you have a particular craft beer in mind - maybe you tried it while traveling or you bought it from a store once and never saw it again - chances are that Craft City carries it. It also happens to be a great place to buy other fizzy drinks, like craft kombucha and craft soda.
You can enjoy the nation's best craft breweries, from more well-known names like Ballast Point and Allagash to labels you've never heard of. The nice thing is that you can buy single bottles rather than full packs, so you can create a fully customized beer stash.
Some of the products include ratings from Beer Advocate and Rate Beer, plus each page tells you exactly how much stock is left and whether you need to act quickly to snatch up your favorites.
Shipping cost: Based on your specific location, and generally, we found you'll pay between $10 to $16 for ground shipping.
Read about more places to buy beer online
Mason Ale Works Cash Stout
The best on-demand alcohol delivery
For alcohol delivery within the hour, Drizly provides the most reliable, well-designed, and widely available service.
Drizly works with your local liquor stores to get you wine, beer, spirits, and even mixers, snacks, and party supplies quickly. Delivery's free in New York City and only $5 in other areas. Drizly service is available in more than 220 markets nationwide.
Stock and pricing really depend on your neighborhood retailer, but you should expect all the big brands and bar essentials, as well as more unique offerings such as craft brews, bottles from local distillers, and exclusive wines. They should cost you retail price, or a little more, though Drizly also regularly runs deals and promotions to save you some money.
Both the website and app are easy to use and you can look at your past purchases to make reordering a breeze.
Delivery cost: Free in NYC and $5 elsewhere.
Read our comparison of Drizly, Minibar, and Saucey
Hornitos Reposado Tequila 1L
The best place to buy alcohol gifts
ReserveBar is an online luxury spirit and wine store that carries rare bottles, gift sets, and fine drinkware. It's the perfect place to find top-shelf options for special occasions.
ReserveBar is an online delivery platform offering everything from bottom- and middle-shelf wine and spirits to the very tippy-top (think Armand de Brignac Blanc de Blancs and Remy Martin Louis XIII).
However, since it does charge a premium on common bottles and brands, we recommend going to other sites or your local liquor store for the bottom- and middle-shelf stuff and focusing instead on all the rare vintages and limited offerings - if you have the budget.
You'll also find custom engravings, fancy crystal and barware sets, and gift baskets. If you ever want to make someone in your life - be it a partner, relative, or business contact - feel special, ReserveBar's the place to find the best boozy gift.
At the time of this update, there's free shipping on orders of $150 or more with the code "SHIP150," a threshold that shouldn't be too difficult to hit given the high-end nature of ReserveBar's offerings.
Shipping cost: Shipping is $15-$35 for orders under $150. It's free on orders over $150 with the code above.
Read our review of ReserveBar
Johnnie Walker Blue Label
The best spirits subscription
Flaviar is an accessible starting point and community for people wanting to expand their experience with spirits, and it offers no shortage of member-exclusive features to dive into and explore.
The world of fine and niche spirits can be overwhelming, especially if you're new to the scene. But if you're interested in trying small-batch whiskeys, vodkas, tequilas, and more, personalized spirits subscription service Flaviar is an excellent place to start.
In addition to providing quality options (including rare bottles) at great prices, Flaviar also serves as an online community for fellow fans to get together and talk about everything spirits-related.
It carries more than 20,000 different spirits and every three months, members can pick out one full-size bottle and a curated Tasting Box filled with various samples. There are many other perks, including member reviews, articles about different spirits, cocktail recipes, and interviews with industry experts.
Membership cost: $95 per quarter or $300 per year.
Read our review of Flaviar
Flaviar Annual Subscription
The best wine subscription
With its single-serving glass design, Vinebox provides a creative way to enjoy nine different wines each quarter.
Full bottles of wine can be a lot to get through, and there's no guarantee you'll like them. That's why Vinebox gives you just enough - one 10 cl pour - to decide whether you want to commit to a full bottle. It's best for people who love variety, trying new things, and novel concepts.
Each box follows a different theme and is carefully curated, and Vinebox's innovative glass bottling system won't ruin the quality of the wine. Its patented technology keeps oxygen out and preserves the wine for up to three years.
You can also shop past seasons and themes, but keep in mind the boxes often sell out. They also make great gifts for wine lovers or anyone who wants a quarterly wine fix without the work. A Vinebox subscription doesn't require any taste quizzes, and you can skip or cancel it at any time.
Membership cost: $79 a quarter.
Read our review of Vinebox
Read more about the best online wine subscriptions
Vinebox Quarterly Wine Subscription
The best beer subscription
Beer of the Month Club has more than 25 years of experience recommending craft beers and uses three criteria - quality, freshness, and variety - to curate its 12-packs.
This club has been around since 1994 and is more than familiar with the best craft beers you should know about. Its panel members have some impressive experience up their sleeves, including over 100 collective years in the brewing industry and 500 beers rated every year to bring you only top-tier beers.
Beer of the Month currently offers five different membership types: US Microbrewed, US and International Variety, Hop Heads Beer, International Beer, and Rare Beer. You'll get 12 bottles that represent two to four beer styles and breweries, plus profiles and tasting notes.
The subscription is aimed at people who want to develop their taste in beer or simply find it too time-consuming to do the research and work themselves.
Membership cost: $29.95-$38.95 a month, plus $15 shipping.
Beer of the Month Club Subscription
Check out our other great guides
The best places to buy beer online, from local delivery services to monthly subscriptions
Buying beer isn't necessarily the easiest thing right now, especially if you live in a highly-populated area. We've rounded up the best places we could find to help you get your beer(s) of choice delivered straight to your doorstep. Whether you're looking for quick local delivery, specialty microbrews, or a subscription service, it's all here.
The best places to buy alcohol online - from general online liquor stores to monthly wine delivery services
Buying a cool craft beer, nice bottle of wine, or handle of liquor no longer requires going to your local liquor or grocery store. Online delivery services make it less stressful, more convenient, and more fun to buy the alcohol you want. But depending on what you're looking for, some companies will be better than others, so we broke down 15 popular delivery services into three sections: general online shops, discovery-based sites and subscriptions, and cocktail kits.
The best wine subscriptions we've tried
We've tested multiple services and their wines (a tough job, but someone's gotta do it!), and have selected some of our favorites for you to try. Whether you've been drinking wine your whole life or are just beginning to discover whether you prefer red to white, we've got you covered. These are our top picks for the best wine subscriptions.
The best Champagne and sparkling wine you can buy online
Don't get intimidated by all that elegant-looking French that's scribbled on champagne bottles. Remember: It's just wine, and it's meant for drinking. We've researched and tested dozens of champagnes and sparkling wines to find the best ones you can buy online. These are our top picks.
The best drinking glasses
High-quality drinking glasses can handle hot and cold liquids, are resistant to breaking when dropped, and don't spill easily. These are our top picks for the best drinking glasses.
The best wine openers and corkscrews
There's nothing like a glass of wine after a long day, but getting into the bottle can be a hassle without a good wine opener or corkscrew. The best wine openers uncork a bottle quickly and easily without breaking the cork. These are the best corkscrews you can buy.
The best cocktail shakers
When you want a delicious cold mixed drink during the holidays, after work, or when entertaining, an indispensable part of a good home bar is a top-quality cocktail shaker. Whether you prefer a Boston shaker or a cobbler shaker, these are our top picks for the best cocktail shakers you can buy.
The best wine glasses
There are dozens of different specialized wine glasses, but most glasses are grouped into one of two categories: red or white. No matter what your varietal of choice happens to be, these are the best wine glasses.
