1 In some wine shops, The Fridge of Sighs is the name given to the enclosed area containing all the finest bottles. Most customers sigh and turn away after one glance at the prices of these bottles. Make the shop owner an offer anyway. If a white collectible is more than 5 years old or a red is more than 10 to 15, the owner may not want to risk having it past its prime. You may be able to negotiate a discount of perhaps 5 to 15 percent.
2 Flash sales sites are the latest catnip for the oenophiles. A flash site lets wineries sell excess inventory fast. Few people notice, and the winery’s reputation doesn’t take a hit. Vitis.com, Westchester’s very own flash site, often has high-end wines for sub-basement prices. Shipping is usually thrown in.
3 Imagine being able to try a wine before you buy it. Such is the reality of a wine-preservation system called Coravin hat came onto the retail market July 2013. The system inserts a needle through the foil and cork of a bottle, pours wine out through the needle, and leaves behind inert argon gas that keeps the wine for years after. You can sample many higher-end wines without spending oodles of money at local wine shops that have Coravin systems: Vinifera Wine & Spirits in Mamaroneck, G. Griffin in Rye, Tarry Wine in Port Chester, the Harrison Wine Vault, and Zachys in Scarsdale.
