Wine Shipping FAQ

We sometimes offer Free Shipping or Flat Rate shipping promotions (good only for the contiguous US states) for wine but generally we do not offer free shipping.  We believe in being transparent and offering customers the best competitive pricing on items we sell with both product and shipping costs known with no fine print.   We don’t treat shipping as a sales gimmick.  PIWC philosophy is the same as it has been since 1964 - charge only the carrier’s rate plus handling calculated as close to cost as is reasonably possible.  Our goal and commitment is to get items to our customers as effectively and inexpensively as possible.

Most wine orders ship within 1–2 business days of receipt. If you provide an e-mail at checkout, you’ll receive an email with tracking details once your order ships.  Shipping times vary by destination and selected shipping method. 

• Standard: UPS Ground (default shipping method); shipping times vary between 1 and 6 business days from ship date depending on delivery location relative to our facility in North East, PA, 16428.  The vast majority of locations east of the Mississippi River have transit times of 2 days or less and all locations have transit times of 3 days or less.  The vast majority of locations from San Antonio, TX and points east have transit times of 3 days or less.  Refer to the UPS Transit Times Map for information about typical transit times. 
• Expedited: UPS 3-Day Select, 2-Day Air, and Overnight Air (by request); shipping time 1 to 3 days depending on selected method.  3-Day Select shipping may be a beneficial option for shipments to the Pacific states.

UPS is our designated carrier for wine shipments and we typically ship wine orders via UPS Ground Service which covers all 50 States and Puerto Rico.  Other expedited shipping methods are available upon customer selection in the shopping cart or by request. UPS offers 3-Day Select, 2nd Day Air and Next Day Air service at extra cost.  Please contact us if you need one of these other expedited shipping options.   

Wine cannot be shipped via the US Postal Service (USPS). 

Online and Phone Orders:

We can ship wine orders received online or by phone anywhere within Pennsylvania and to the following 38 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico:

AK, AL, AZ, CA, CO, DC, FL, GA, HI, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, LA, MA, MD, ME, MN, MO, NC, ND, NE, NH, NM, NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, PR, SC, TN, TX, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV, WY. 

Orders shipping to PA, DC, FL, MN, PR, and TX can be processed directly on our site.  For orders shipping to listed states other than those your order must be processed through a third-party site, Vinoshipper.com.  Click here to go to Vinoshipper.com to complete your order or continue browsing.  You will be referred to Vinoshipper during checkout if you are requesting shipment to a qualifying state.

Wine Purchased On-Site:

If a customer purchases bottled wine in person at the winery or any of our licensed retail locations, we can ship the wine to them in any state except  MISSISSIPPI and UTAH.  We can ship your order to you if you provide us a completed, signed On-Site Purchase Shipping Request Form certifying your purchase meets the legal requirements.

Yes.  Wine shipments have adult signature requirements for delivery and age and legal eligibility certification requirements at purchase.  By entering the PIWC online wine store and placing an order the customer represents and affirms that they are 21 years of age and may legally enter the WINE SALES AREA of the website and purchase alcoholic beverages and they must further affirm and acknowledge they have read and understood the following warning statement:

WARNING!  Minors providing false information when obtaining alcoholic beverages over the internet will face criminal prosecution and civil liability. Violators may be charged federally with wire and credit card fraud and under multiple state laws prohibiting the attempted purchase or possession of alcohol by minors. Penalties include monetary fines, jail time, criminal probation, loss of driver’s license and a criminal record that must be disclosed on job and college applications. Licensed sellers of alcohol (including wineries and retailers) who pay large fines and lose alcohol license privileges for sales to minors are entitled to sue the minor for compensation. All internet customers must provide a credit card number and delivery address and can therefore be POSITIVELY identified to law enforcement. IF YOU ARE UNDER 21 – DON’T RISK YOUR FUTURE!

Customers cannot complete their wine orders without actively affirming legal age and eligibility and acknowledging the above statement.

There is an adult signature requirement for the carrier to complete delivery of wine shipments.  By law, an adult (at least 21 years old) must be present to sign for all wine deliveries.  You or another adult need to be present for delivery. Please ensure someone 21+ is available at the shipping address to sign; otherwise the carrier may return the package after three delivery attempts and you will incur return and re‐delivery fees.  Consider shipping to your place of business or re-directing your shipment to a nearby carrier store or hold facility if an adult is not generally at your residence during the day.

Hot summer temperatures in the South and Southwest can be hard on wine during shipping so for greatest peace of mind we recommend you get your orders in before mid-July or consider waiting until late September when things start cooling down again.  Shipping during summer months to other parts of the country is less risky.  The biggest threat to wine from exposure to higher temperatures is not the heat exposure itself but rather potential failure of the airseal due to pressure buildup and fluid expansion in the bottle.  There is risk to shipping wine in hot weather but, if you must have your wine shipped during the summer, you can take some steps to reduce the chance of adverse effects. 

1.     Reduce the potential duration of exposure to higher temperatures by using an expedited 2-Day or 3-Day shipping option and plan your orders so they will ship on a Monday or Tuesday to avoid having your wine sit in a potentially unconditioned warehouse over the weekend. 

2.     Avoid exposing the wine to a hot day on a local delivery truck by directing your order to a nearby carrier store or hold facility for pickup instead of delivering to your address.  This will also  eliminate multiple heat exposures from missed deliveries and re-attempts.

3.     Risks are greater to wine you are planning on cellaring for an extended period than to wine you are planning on drinking in the shorter horizon.  So, for wine to be cellared, just plan your orders for cooler months only and summer ship only wine you want for nearer-term consumption.

4.     Keep in mind that the packaging – shipper boxes of relatively thick cardboard with thick cardboard internal sleeves and shipping peanuts – provides some measure of insulation protection which is helpful if heat exposure is not protracted.

5.     Inspect your wine upon receipt for signs of potentially compromised airseal – corks pushed up above the bottle top and signs of wine leakage around the cork.  If these flaws are not present, your wine is most likely OK.

All UPS wine shipments are insured for up to $100 per package as part of the shipping rate.  Additional insurance for higher value packages is available for extra cost.  We reserve the right to insure packages up to actual value if we deem it necessary and prudent and include the additional insurance cost in the shipping and handling charge.  Note that the standard insurance does not cover heat damage to wine.

The insurance is with the carrier and claims must be filed with the carrier.  Although our responsibility for the package ends when we have delivered your order to the carrier, we are willing to assist with the handling of claims. It is your responsibility to report damage upon delivery or discovery. It is also always a good idea to photo document the concealed damage in the context of the packaging. E-mail or call PIWC and we will assist you with your claim to the best of our ability.

All available wine shipment options include standard insurance up to $100 per package; additional insurance is available for additional cost.  We’ll work with you and the carrier to resolve issues quickly and fairly and get replacements for damaged items to you.  If you are present for delivery, inspect all deliveries immediately, preferably while the delivery company’s driver is still there. Note any missing parcels or visible damage on the bill of lading, have the driver acknowledge the damage in writing on the bill of lading if still present, and take photos of damaged packaging.  You should not refuse the damaged shipment. If you refuse damaged shipments, matters become more complicated and reduce the carrier’s liability.  You should inspect the shipment contents as soon as possible after receipt for concealed damage and photo document any damaged items and notify the carrier immediately.  The longer package inspection and notification is delayed on the receiver’s part, the greater the chance becomes that a claim will not be allowed by the carrier.  Contact us BEFORE sending anything back—either call (814) 725-1314 or email info@piwine.com with your order details.

Our packing staff is very diligent and proud of their work but occasionally we make mistakes. If we make a shipping mistake, we will correct the problem. Please e-mail or call us immediately if you believe we have made an error – wrong product, missing product, incorrect quantity, incorrect color, etc. - and we will work with you to resolve the problem in the most advantageous way.  Call (814) 725-1314 or email info@piwine.com with your order details.

Our website is configured with our default carrier’s shipping calculator app to determine carrier rates.  The shipping calculator determines shipping cost based on item weights, shipping service option, and shipping destination.  Carrier rates include a fee for adult signature verification at delivery.  A nominal handling charge of 15% of carrier’s shipping charge is added to cover packaging costs. 

If you feel the shipping cost for your order is excessive or may be in error, please contact us immediately and we will verify it and correct it if necessary.  Our commitment is to work with you to find the most economical and accurately priced shipping option for your order and we apologize for any inconvenience from errant shipping app calculations.

No. Wine orders must be placed separately from winemaking supplies or equipment due to legal regulations governing alcohol shipping. Simply place each type of order on its own.

We stand behind the products we sell and our goal is that our customers be delighted with our wines.  If you have problems or dissatisfaction with any of our wine products, we will work with you to resolve the issue including accepting returns if necessary. Please DO NOT RETURN goods without first checking with us. Give us details of any problems or dissatisfactions. We may be able to resolve the matter without further shipping costs to either party. Please e-mail us at info@piwine.com or call us at (814) 725-1314.

Currently, we cannot ship wine to international retail customers.