Frequently Asked Questions About Costco Wine and This Website

[originally published 7/19/21; updated 2/23/24]

We thought we’d mix it up with a little feature where we’d answer the most common questions we receive from our readers.

This site started more than ten years and 1000 wine reviews ago and has grown far beyond what we ever thought possible.  It’s created a great community of people all looking for really good wine bargains from Costco, and our goal is the same as when we started: to help you find them.

We’ve enjoyed speaking with so many of you over the years, and having the chance to answer many questions like you will find below.  Keep ’em coming, and let’s keep finding, enjoying and sharing info on great Costco wines.

Why can’t I find the wines you review at my local Costco?

This is far and away the number one question we get, and I wish we had a better answer for you, but Costco’s wine distribution strategy is anyone’s guess.  We’ve had readers find wines we purchased in the Atlanta area in Tokyo, Japan, but not in a neighboring state like Florida.

We are independent of Costco so only have access to the same consumer level information regarding distribution as our readers.

Many of the Kirkland wines will see wide distribution so look for those, and often times wines we review may pop later somewhere else in the country, so keep an eye out especially for our Recommended Wines, as you never know when they might appear near you, or reappear after they’ve been gone for a period of time.

How can I tell if my Costco carries a wine you review without driving to multiple stores?

A long time ago, Costco had a search tool on Costco.com that let you search each warehouse, and it was awesome. But for some reason it was pulled down, and has not resurfaced which is a bummer.

So what are the best ways to not be fighting crowds and traffic only to find the wine not there? Use the item number pictured and listed at the end of each review. Many readers will either call their store and ask if they carry that item number, or use the chat feature on Costco.com.

How much is Costco paying you do to this site?

Nothing, we are 100% independent of Costco and are just a group of passionate Costco wine fans who enjoy doing this for fun.  The ads that appear on this site help keep it running.

What do you do when you buy a Costco wine that you don’t like?

We write about it too so that our readers know.  That’s the beauty of being independent, and we believe our independence and the freedom to be real that comes with it, is a reason why the site is attracting so many readers.  We want to help you avoid bad bottles, and find good ones.

Can I take the wooden wine boxes when they are empty?

Yes, you can.  More on that here.  But the idea is that if the wooden wine boxes (in the aisle stacks, or “cheap seats”) are empty or near empty, you can just put them in your cart and take them home.  Occasionally, in the huge cardboard box pile near the check out, you will find these wooden boxes too, so keep an eye out.

Do you receive free wine?

Occasionally, and the goal is to acquire wine that is sold at Costco stores that are not near us, so we might not be able to get the wines any other way.  We have strict guidelines to always publish a note when we receive the wine for sampling purposes.

We believe in complete transparency.  We don’t receive any compensation from any wine company.  Again, independence is the key.

I have a wedding coming up, can you recommend some wines from Costco for the event?

As much as we love this question, mainly because it would be fun to attend a wedding with Costco wine, it’s really hard to answer based on our first question above – distribution.  It’s so hard to know if you can find the same wines we can when you walk in to make the big purchase.  They simply might be gone.

Check out the Recommended Wines to see if anything jumps out at you, and feel free to send in wines you are considering and we can share an opinion if we’ve tasted them.

Can I use the photos of the labels elsewhere online?

Of course.

Can you include the Costco item number and abv for each wine?

We started including this about seven years ago due to reader feedback.  Some older posts may not have this information included but almost all recent ones do at the end of each post.

What are your favorite Costco wines?

We keep a running list of wines that we recommend here.  Bookmark that link and bring it up on your smartphone next time you visit the Costco wine aisle. If I had to pick one to recommend it would be the Kirkland Champagne that’s hard to beat for $19.99. and should be widely available.

What’s Your Favorite Post on the Site?

This post, called “The Definitive Guide To Costco’s Kirkland Signature Wines,” is probably the most in depth and useful post we’ve made. We’ll do our best to keep it updated too, but it includes our history of tasting different vintages of Kirkland wines, along with scores, prices and expected arrival months in stores.

What other wine resources do you have?

Ok, so this isn’t from readers, but it’s a good question.  We have a book on Decoding French Wine, a book on Decoding Italian Wine and a book on Decoding Spanish Wine.  

Where are you based?

In the Atlanta area.  We have access to five or so Costco stores within an hour drive, which is great.

Is there anything I can do to help the site?

Subscribe to our emails and tell your friends about our site.  We would very much appreciate it.

Will the site always be free?

Yes.

What does Costco think about you doing this site?

We have had very limited contact with corporate Costco over the years, and we believe the site works because it is 100% independent.  We would like to keep it that way, and I am guessing that they see the value in the community we’ve built. 

What are your wine credentials?

Nothing official, just a person who has been tasting and writing about Costco wine for a long time. And who has researched and written a few wine books but I’m really just an average person who enjoys wine like most of our readers. I figure we are all just looking for good wine buys and I hope I can help discover and share some that I find.

What’s the future hold?

More wine reviews.  A couple small surprises we’re working on. If there’s any feedback you’d like to share with us, please let us know.

—Thanks again for following us and we hope this answered a few questions you may have had.  Cheers.

Andrew, Editor