How to Find Your Favorite Wines for Less at Costco

Enjoying wine (and who doesn’t, really?) can become a quickly expensive hobby--some bottles of wine can go for hundreds of dollars, and if you don’t have that kind of money to spend on something you’re just going to drink anyway, we understand. There are ways to enjoy wine without breaking the bank, and building up your cellar with bottles from Costco is a great way to do just that.

As any Costco fan will tell you, buying your groceries, household items, and almost anything else under the sun at a wholesale retailer like Costco is a great way to cut down costs. Not to mention, Costco has its own signature line of wines, Kirkland Signature, but they also sell other brands as well. If you're not picky about your wines, it's easy to just grab one of the cheaper Kirkland options and call it a day. With this exclusive line, you can take your pick of red, white or rose. But if you are a wine connoisseur and want to choose your flavors a little more carefully while staying in budget, Costco can help you there as well.

There is, as always, a method to the madness when it comes to getting the most bang for your buck. When you’re wandering the wine aisles, there are a couple things you can look at to make sure you’re actually getting the best price. If the price ends in $.97, that means it’s a markdown from the original price (which would have ended in $.99). Take your time when going through the bottles and see if you can find the one (or ones!) that have already been marked down; chances are, the prices on those won’t be going down anymore.

You also should spend a little extra time looking through the bottles, especially if you know about wines and vintages and have a specific year in mind. Costco stocks all their wines of a type together, so there might be a current year and an older, possibly better year, right next to each other. If you’re interested in choosing a specific year rather than just whatever is closest, spending a little extra time searching will pay off for you. Also, you have the option of looking underneath the display, if you’re really feeling like going on an expedition.

Costco doesn’t only sell wine, of course; they also sell other liquor, sometimes for a fraction of the cost you’ll find in other grocery stores. Their signature vodka, for example, goes for $16.99, while the same size and proof at a grocery store goes for almost $30. Costco’s signature Kirkland brand has options for almost everything, so whether you’re looking for a bottle of bubbly or something a little stronger they have an option for you.

Of course, there’s something to be said for paying for what you get. You might be able to score a $10 or $20 bottle of wine, but there’s always the chance that it won’t be a great bottle, or that you might not enjoy it. If you aren’t picky with your liquor, then Costco is perfect--you’ll be able to get cheap liquor and spend the money you’ll save on something else.