iDealwine

iDealwine runs online wine auctions from the Paris suburbs and describes itself as the world leader in the format. Two things sit side by side on the site: the auctions, and a conventional fixed-price shop — useful, because it shows you what a bottle sells for outside the bidding.

What you can buy

• Burgundy and Bordeaux, the two largest sections.
• Champagne and Rhône.
• Italian and other European regions.
• Older vintages from private cellars.
• Spirits in smaller volume.

How the bidding works

Auctions run continuously rather than as discrete events, with lots closing on their own schedules. The house offers free valuations for sellers and publishes price indices built from its own results, which is the closest thing to a public price history in this market. Bottles are held and dispatched by the operator.

What to check before you bid

Provenance and storage history are the whole game in old wine: read the description for how the bottle was kept, and treat silence as a warning rather than a detail. Compare the auction lot against the shop price for the same wine on the same site before bidding — the shop is right there, and sometimes cheaper. Shipping wine across borders has its own duty rules and temperature seasons; the house holds shipments in hot weather, which is a feature, not a delay.