Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. Is the wine more expensive online than at retail?
2. What are the benefits of being on the mailing list?
3. How come my local retailer never gets the wine or only infrequently gets the wine?
4. Why are the Lots sometimes not released numerically?
5. Can I save on shipping costs and stop by your office or the winery to pick up my online order?

1. Is the wine more expensive online than at retail?

Selling online actually allows us to offer the wine to you at a superior price. By delivering our wines directly to you, we skip the markups in the three tier system of producers/distributors/retailers, and are able to maximize quality for price for the customer.

2. What are the benefits of being on the mailing list?

Our e-list is the only way to know about all of our new wine releases, sales, and special offers.

3. How come my local retailer never gets the wine or only infrequently gets the wine?

Our wines are only available online at chwine.com. Make sure you are signed up to our mailing list to be first to know about the latest releases!

4. Why are your Lot wines sometimes not released numerically?

A wine gets assigned a Lot number in the order that it becomes a finished wine, i.e. not 5 gallons of this or 3 gallons of that. A finished blend. These numbers are assigned numerically, but the wines are not always released in the same order.  This is because different wines react to being bottled differently. Some are approachable within a few months. Some take 6 months. We release the wine the minute we think it's saleable, but always advise if there is more upside to the wine being left in the bottle another 3-4 months or even 5-7 years (e.g. Lot 16 Stags Leap Cab). Sometimes, a wine is ready to go before its numerical predecessor and we release it first.

5. Can I save on shipping costs and stop by your office or the winery to pick up my online order?

Sorry folks, we don’t own a winery nor do we have a tasting room. We are a virtual wine company. As well, our licensing only allows for us to ship wine to you via common courier. We are not allowed to have wine picked up at our office because we would then have to be a licensed retailer (which we cannot be, because one cannot simultaneously hold wholesale and on-sale retail licenses).