Frequently asked questions

The questions below are the ones we actually get asked, answered the way we would answer them by email. If yours is not here, write to info@anno.wine or use the chat on this site. A person reads it, usually the same day.

Can I actually drink it?

Often, yes. Wines from the 1990s and 2000s in good condition are usually in fine shape, and a well-kept Bordeaux, Barolo or Rioja from the 1970s or 1980s can be remarkable. Go further back and it becomes a gamble that no seller can settle for you. Bottles made before 1990 are sold as collectible items and we do not guarantee drinkability, because the only way to know is to pull a cork that has been in place for half a lifetime. Most people who buy a 1955 buy it for the date on the label, then decide for themselves whether it is ever opened.

My year is not listed. Can you still find a bottle?

Usually. Some years are genuinely thin: 1945 and 1961 are famous and priced accordingly, and the war years and a few poor harvests left very little behind. Email us the year and a budget and we will come back within a working day with what actually exists and what it costs, rather than a vague maybe.

How do you check a bottle's condition?

Before anything ships, the bottle goes in front of a camera and we work through it: fill level measured against the shoulder, capsule intact or cut, any seepage, label staining and tears, the glass, the colour of the wine where the bottle is clear enough to read, and the provenance paperwork. We photograph front and back. Anything we would want to know if we were the buyer, we write down and send you on request. Nothing is dispatched without that check, and if a bottle fails it we tell you and refund you.

When do I pay?

At checkout, like any other online purchase. For deliveries within the European Union prices include VAT; shipping costs are shown at checkout before you pay. If, against expectations, a bottle turns out to be unavailable or fails our final check, we cancel the order, refund you in full straight away and tell you what else that year has to offer.

Can I see the actual bottle before I buy?

Yes. Ask, and we send photographs of the bottle along with the written condition report, before or after you order. Some listing pages show a representative image of the wine, because labels from the same year vary; the photographs we send you are always of yours.

How does it arrive?

Upright, cushioned in moulded pulp inside a rigid box, and the box inside a plain outer carton. We can enclose a handwritten card in your words, send the parcel straight to the person receiving it with no prices anywhere inside, and hold dispatch so that it lands on a particular morning. Tell us at checkout or by email.

How long does delivery take?

7 to 10 working days, most often eight. Checking and packing an old bottle properly takes time, and we will not cut that short. For a birthday or an anniversary, order at least two weeks ahead.

What if the parcel arrives damaged or goes missing?

Every parcel is tracked and packed to survive the journey. At checkout you can add Transit cover for about 5% of the order value. With it, a bottle that arrives broken or a parcel that goes missing is replaced with another bottle from the same year where one can be found, or refunded in full including delivery, within 48 hours of your photographs reaching us, without waiting for the courier. Without cover we still handle the claim with the courier for you, but replacement or refund follows the courier's procedure and limits, which takes longer. Either way, photograph the outer box, the packing and the bottle before unpacking anything else, and email us within 48 hours of delivery.

Do you ship outside the EU?

Yes, to the countries offered at checkout: besides the European Union they include the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Norway, the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia and several others. The full list is on Shipping and delivery. Outside the European Union, import duties, excise, VAT and clearance fees of the destination country are not included in the price: they are payable by the recipient, usually to the courier before delivery.

Is a wine from the 1960s a good present for someone who does not drink?

It is one of the better ones. What you are giving is the year, and the bottle is what carries it: 1964 on paper that was printed in 1964. A great many of them are never opened. They stand on a shelf in a study or a kitchen and people pick them up. If you know the person does not drink, say so when you order and we will choose a bottle whose label has aged beautifully rather than one picked for what is inside it.

There are two bottles from the same year. How do I choose?

Start with who it is for. If they know wine, the region and the producer matter, and we will tell you which of the two drank better in that vintage. If they do not, choose the label that looks like the year: a 1967 Barolo with a letterpress label and a faded crest says more on a shelf than a cleaner, dearer bottle. Condition is the tiebreaker. Given a choice between a great name with a low fill and a lesser name with a perfect one, take the perfect one. And if you are still torn, send us both links. We will give you a straight opinion rather than steer you towards the more expensive bottle.

Am I talking to a person or a bot?

A person, every time. There is no chatbot on this site and nobody reads your message with software. The people who answer are the same people who inspect and pack the bottles, and they have spent years handling old wine. If it takes us a few minutes to reply, that is why.

Can I reach a person by chat?

Yes. The chat at the foot of every page goes to the team, not to a bot. We answer Monday to Friday during Italian working hours; outside those hours leave your email in the chat and we come back to you the next morning.