Shipping Policy

You must be at least 21 years of age to order or receive alcoholic beverages.

• The billing address needs to match the address on your credit card statement.
• All alcoholic beverages are sold in California and title passes to the buyer in California. By placing an order, you authorize us to act on your behalf to engage a common carrier to deliver your order to your place of choosing and you are at least 21 years old.
• Shipments are restricted to California, states reciprocal with California, and NON-PO BOX addresses.
• Non California residents are responsible for determining whether they may lawfully import wine or spirits into their state. Each state has its own laws regarding the importation of alcoholic beverages. Please check with the appropriate agency in your state.
• The Wine Connection will arrange for shipment on behalf of the buyer, to an address specified by the buyer, provided that such shipment will not subject The Wine Connection to any sort of legal action. If a buyer lives in a state where the direct shipment of wine violates the law, we suggest that the buyer provide an alternative address in another legal state.
• We ship by ground or air from San Diego, California. Our shipping prices include approved packing materials.
• Most items ship within 2-3 days from when the order is placed.
• Insurance is included with standard ground shipping.
• No International shipping.

Shipping for Current Inventory Wines

We were lucky enough to find a logistics partner that allows us legally to ship wine and spirits to most (but not all) states. Yes, we agree that shipping laws for alcohol are terribly out of date and need to be updated, but until that point, here we are.

Please refer to the chart below for which states where can ship wine and spirits. In general, because we have to use a third-party logistics partner, our shipping times will be slower than expected, particularly to the Midwest and East Coast.

For States west of the Rockies, we ship directly from our store using Golden State Overnight (GSO).

For States east of the Rockies, we ship out of our logistic partner’s Los Angeles warehouse.   During the summer months (March- October), we ship via temperature controlled trucks from our LA hub to the regional warehouse.  At the regional warehouse, it is transferred to the local carrier (e.g., UPS, FedEx, LSO).  Refer to the Regional Gateway Map.

For states with more stringent shipping regulations such as AL, OK, TX and IL, we are always required to ship in a temperature controlled environment.

Once your wine reaches the regional warehouse, you will receive the tracking number from the local carrier.  Typically, you should expect to receive the wine in 2-3 days after you get the tracking number.  For California, Washington and Oregon, you should receive a tracking number the day after we send it to the carrier.

Expedited shipping is available for wine only and priced up on request. At this time, we are not able to offer expedited shipping for any Spirits.

Please note that because of the archaic shipping laws, wine and spirits must be shipped in separate containers.

Rates vary by Zone and Sates.  Please see the average range of rates for both Wine and Spirits:

# Bts           Wine                             Spirits     
1             $17     $45                    $20      $50
2             $18      $50                  $22      $55
3             $20     $55                   $24      $60
6             $24     $65                   $26      $70
12           $30      $75                  $30      $85 

Pre-Arrivals versus Current Inventory

We have two distinct portions of our website–Current Inventory and Pre-Arrival. Because they are separate systems, you are able not able to order place an order that contains both Current Inventory and Pre-Arrival Wines. Any discounts available for Current Inventory are not able to be applied to Pre-Arrival wines.

Shipping for Pre-Arrival Wines

For more information on shipping Pre-Arrival Wines, please see our  Pre-Arrival Shipping Policy

Heat Damage During Shipping

We ship to most states using temperature-controlled trucks from California to the regional warehouse in your state.  Once it lands at the regional warehouse, the wine is handed off to a local carrier (typically UPS or FedEx).  The local carriers do not provide temperature-controlled trucks.  Please see above from a more detailed description of the shipping process.  

If you are worried about the temperatures during delivery, we are happy to hold items due to extreme weather conditions, ensuring your wine arrives in the best possible condition.

Please be aware that insurance with the carriers does not cover heat damage.

If you have any questions regarding shipping, please contact us at Hello@TheWineConnection.com

Regional Gateway Map 

Zone Shipping Map

Estimated Ship Times

States                            Able to Ship         October -March    April -September