Welcome to the DC Wine Buyers Collective!
The idea behind the DC WBC is to pool our resources together so as to create a substantial buying bloc. This will help the collective secure discounts and special bargains from local and online wine retailers.
If you join, you will receive an e-mail every two to four weeks with special deals. You may choose to purchase wine by accessing a Google spreadsheet that will be linked to the deal.
As a general philosophy, the wines in this collective will be a bit more pricey than your “everyday bottle.” This collective is for people who want to try “serious” wines and want to learn as much as they want to get buzzed. Thus, we will try to seek out less common wines, older wines, and wines with character. However, we will occasionally post deals for everyday wines that are absolutely delicious!
Who Can Join?
Anyone in the DC Metro area can join. However, please note that if you are outside of the general Foggy Bottom/Dupont Circle area this may make getting your wines to you more difficult. Because the primary administrator of DC WBC is a student at GW Law, the members who will have easiest access to their wines will be fellow GW Law students. Nonetheless, the DC WBC will make every attempt to get your wines to you in a mutually convenient manner. Your patience and understanding are appreciated!
What Retailers Will the DC WBC Use?
The primary administrator of DC WBC works at Ansonia Wines on a part-time basis, so many of the wines will come from there. While Ansonia has a general 10% case discount, they also provide even greater discounts through their “Advance Order Group,” which involves them ordering wines in bulk direct from the producers. The only disadvantage to the Advance Order Group is that delivery of the wines takes at least 4-6 weeks—however, the wines are shipped and stored in refrigerated conditions, so they will be in top shape when they get to you!
The DC WBC also intends to purchase wines from MacArthur Beverages, Schneider’s of Capitol Hill, the Wine Specialist, and Bell Liquor. Other retailers, including online retailers, will be considered.
What if I Want to Suggest a Wine to the DC WBC?
Please e-mail the administrator at dcwinebuyerscollective@gmail.com with the recommendation.
Who ARE You?
Fair question. Members from GW Law School already know me (or are aware of me), but if you’re joining from the DC community, I’m a law student who loves wine but unfortunately doesn’t have much money. I keep a wine blog, which you can read here if you want!
Quasi-Legal and Technical Terms
As a member you will receive an e-mail once or twice a month with special deals. You will have a certain period of time to put in a request. Requests will be fulfilled on a first-come, first-served basis, and fulfillment will be contingent upon there being enough purchasers from among the members and sufficient quantities of wine. If you put in a request for wine and the bidding period closes, you agree to make payment. At this point, you as purchaser acknowledge that refunds will only be made if there is not enough wine to fulfill requests (i.e. you do not receive wine), or if the entire lot of wine is somehow damaged or compromised. You may also receive a partial refund if the discount amount increases between the time the order is made and the wine is procured. The DC WBC will write extensive descriptions of the wines, including whether the wine will be funky, idiosyncratic, or unusual, to help its members make educated purchases: the collective cannot, however, be responsible for members’ personal tastes and will not issue refunds. The DC WBC will always try to procure the best possible prices for its members, and the administrators of the DC WBC will not receive personal monetary profit from any purchase.
