The Lowdown on Wine Delivery to the Hamptons and Fire Island
Like many New Yorkers, the city's top wine stores have devised a method for dealing with the dog days of summer: Pack up and ship out to someplace cool, breezy, and quiet. Many wine proprietors offer summer shipping discounts to Fire Island and the Hamptons, targeting their beach-loving customers.
Most of the city's largest wine stores boast Web sites that allow customers to browse and order from the comfort of their air-conditioned offices. For proprietors to waive shipping fees, a minimum order cost comes into play, usually between $100 and $200. The free shipping mode of choice is UPS Ground, which can vary in transit time from two days to a week, requiring some advance planning on the customer's end.
For purchases that don't meet the minimum order cost, the price of UPS Ground to Fire Island and the Hamptons varies by package weight. All suppliers listed below will also ship via speedier UPS methods as long as customers foot the bill.
The cheapest shipping deal is at 67 Wine and Spirits, which places the minimum order cost at $125 for free shipping to both Fire Island and the Hamptons. Its Web site offers a "find your wine" search engine, as well as periodic e-mails about wine-related events and sales.
At the Upper East Side's K&D Wines, shipment orders exceeding $130 are bundled into a weekly UPS delivery arriving on Wednesday mornings to the ferries. K&D's Web site also provides weekly e-mails with special deals.
Astor Wines & Spirits offers a 15% discount on Tuesdays both in-store and online, and a minimum order of $150 qualifies for free shipping. The Web site includes a glossary page that demystifies vineyard jargon.
Among the stores surveyed here, Union Square Wines & Spirits requires the highest minimum order cost for free shipping at $200. Its Web site features a "your wine is my command" search engine, as well as links to best deals and a wine enthusiast's page titled "The Enomatic Wine Experience," which offers lengthy, mouthwatering descriptions of special wine picks for every price range.
With free shipping just a mouse click away, one can pack even lighter for a weekend of wine and relaxation.
67 Wine and Spirits, 179 Columbus Ave. at 67th Street, 212-724-6767, 67wine.com.
K&D Wines and Spirits, 1366 Madison Ave., between 95th and 96th streets, 212-289-1818, kdwine.com.
Astor Wines & Spirits, 399 Lafayette St. at 4th Street, 212-674-7500, astorwines.com.
Union Square Wines & Spirits, 140 Fourth Ave. at 13th Street, 212-675-8100, unionsquarewines.com.
