Questions? call 866.909.WINE or email ben@cellaraiders.com
Questions? call 866.909.WINE or email ben@cellaraiders.com
Great wines possess a mystique and have a diverse following. Great vintages are sometimes hard to find. But an innovative wine merchant with an unassuming attitude and a nondescript business location allows connoisseurs to buy wine online with just the click of a computer mouse.
Ben Wallace established Cellaraiders, a unique "private cellar" wine business, in 2004 in Brewster, N.Y. Today, he estimates that he has available approximately 35,000 bottles stored in three climate-controlled cellars that the public rarely visits. And, yes, he is more than willing to part with them. His selection ranges in price from $20 a bottle to $20,000, as well as some cases of what he terms "girlfriend wines." You see, when he buys a complete cellar, there are often some common wines along with the greats! A bin of eight-year-old Kendall-Jackson Cabernet stored in his cellar alongside bottles of great old Bordeaux falls in that category, he explains with a smile; it's the kind of wine he would bring home for his wife "to drink with her friends."
The business depends on bulk purchases from individual sellers with private cellars, according to Wallace, who was profiled in an August 2016 article in The Wall Street Journal. He notes that collectors, many of them men in their 60s who enjoy good wine, routinely sell private stock, much of the time to make room for new purchases. He had already established his reputation as a knowledgeable wine trader through "friendly" transactions back in the day when he ran a full-time travel agency prior to 9-11, but he has built his current "buy wine online" business through word of mouth.
He is somewhat of a collector himself, primarily of burgundies. His cellars are filled with fine California varieties, as well as French and Italian vintages, but he will buy properly cellared wines of any type from anywhere in the world to sell online. Browsing through the stock leads to some unexpected discoveries as well as occasional bargains. Most of the wine is red. Champagne and dessert wines are uncommon, although you might find a legendary Dom Perignon! He has some bottles of white, although Wallace says that most "white burgundy collectors don't like to sell their wine."
Purchases are packed carefully and shipped on a timely basis, often overnight. The stock is always changing, and that's part of what makes the business so enjoyable for Ben Wallace. As he says, "There's an ocean of wine out there." He's always looking; if you have a wine collection and are interested in selling, Cellaraiders has established guidelines, and appraisal services are available.
If you're looking for a special celebration bottle or the perfect dinner party wine, or if you're interested in starting your own collection, chances are you can satisfy your wine appetite by browsing through Cellaraiders online inventory. It is updated in real time, making the buying process an always-enjoyable shopping experience.
Why not open your Cellaraiders account or contact us today? You can buy wine online and be sipping your favorite vintage almost before you know it.
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