FAQ
Please read our FAQ’s before sending us a message
We are not in the business of making money on delivery charges! Domestic delivery charges are the standard Australia Post shipping rates based on your postcode and the weight/amount of wine purchased. Simply enter your postcode at checkout and it will automatically calculate the shipping rate. Please note that someone will need to be at your nominated address to sign for the goods. If you cannot guarantee this, we suggest you give us your daytime business address for shipping. Australia Post will not leave parcels unattended for insurance reasons.
For international shipments, charges vary between countries. Please be aware that the recipient is responsible for any local duties and taxes applicable to your countries laws. Contact us for a quote if your order exceeds 2 dozen bottles.
We accept payments directly via Credit Card, Direct Debit or PayPal. Our direct Credit Card payments are securely encrypted via a 128bit SSL Certificate. Always check the Padlock in your browser bar for safety before purchasing any products online.
Domestic deliveries normally take 3-4 working days on the East Coast and up to 9 days on the West Coast. Overseas delivery can take up to 2 weeks.
We acquire fine and rare wine direct from producers and reputable wholesalers from around the globe. We have been Wine Importers for over 15 years so you can feel confident that all our wines are imported in refridgerated containers (REEFERS) and stored in our temperature controlled storage facility in Sydney. Solid provenance is verified by our team. Each bottle of rare and back vintage wine is unique. We inspect each bottle by hand to assure the overall condition of the cellar meets our strict standards. When an individual bottle has a cosmetic blemish or other condition, we provide that notation (see chart below). If no condition is catalogued, that bottle is deemed to be in excellent condition for its age.
Following are the terms and abbreviations we use when describing bottle conditions:
Ullage is the natural process by which the fill level in a bottle will drop over time. While a recent vintage wine with a low fill should be cause for concern, a bottle at 15+ years of age should be expected to have a less than perfect fill.
Wines with traditional Bordeaux bottle shape:
| Label | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| VTS | Very Top Shoulder | common for wine 10+ years old. Excellent for bottles 20+ years old |
| TS | Top Shoulder | normal level for wines 15+ years of age. Excellent for bottles 30+ years old |
| HS | High Shoulder | acceptable level for wines 20+ years of age |
| MS | Mid Shoulder | not abnormal for wines 40+ years of age. |
| LS | Low Shoulder | rarely brought to market, exceptional situations |
Wines with traditional Burgundy bottle shape:
| Label | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 3cm | 3cm | good fill for wines 15+ years of age. Excellent for wines 25+ years of age |
| 4cm | 4cm | acceptable for wines 25+ years of age, cause for concern for wines less than 15 years old |
| 5cm | 5cm | not abnormal for wines over 50 years of age |
| 6cm | 6cm | rarely brought to market, exceptional situations |
Other Bottle Conditions:
| Label | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| OWC | Original Wood Case | collectible wood box issued by winery with bottles |
The following bottle conditions lead us to take extra care during inspection and evaluation.
| Label | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| DC | Depressed Cork | level of the cork is excessively below the top rim of bottle |
| RC | Raised Cork | level of the cork is above the top rim of the bottle |
| SOS | Signs of Seepage | when wine has escaped through the cork and out from under the capsule |
| WSL | Wine Stained Label | refers two situations; first a bottle has seepage that ran down the neck and over the label, second a bottle broke and splashed nearby bottles |
The reality with wine is that there is always a slight chance that the liquid inside the bottle may carry a fault or spoilage that is outside our control. As we are unable to test the wine in these bottles, we can never completely guarantee that the wine inside the bottle is fault free. Therefore the condition of the wine inside the bottle must be at the buyers risk. If however, the condition of the bottle has a cosmetic blemish or other exterior condition that was not accurately stated (as per our guidelines above), please contact us immediately to discuss the issue.
We generally do not offer discounts, however if you intend to make a large purchase, please contact us first to discuss this purchase and any possible discount options on a case by case basis.
You will receive a payment request, however if you require an invoice please let us know and we will be happy to email you one.