Does anyone use them? I'm assuming they're reputable.

I'm tired of stores/wineries telling me "Sorry, we can't ship to you" and I don't have any relatives in W. Virginia.

The two options they offer are bulk storage and "Platinum" membership which includes a personal locker. Any advice/experience with either is greatly appreciated.

TIA

I've heard some good reports about Fitch Mountain in Healdsburg.

Fitch Mountain/Always Cool is VERY Good. Have been using them for years. Nice people. Reliable. Professional. And, they will keep & store your Wines & ship in-bulk or 1 case or whatever...

Look very carefully at how they bill. There is one of these places that bills by the package. So if your winery gives them two six packs instead of a 12 pack case they charge you twice even though it was just one trip. I'd also look carefully at any other incidental charges they have listed and try to figure out what the charges will be.

We like Aero Packing in Napa- we have compared and their prices seem to be the lowest. They do free pickups at all the wineries, too.

I use Fifty-five degrees and thus far have not had any problems with them. Many wineries in Napa also ship to 55 for free so you do save on that end. Yes it is true that they charge per box (as they call it) so if you send 12 individual bottles you will get nailed for each and every one. This charging method only applies to the bulk storage. With the other memberships you simply pay per month. I chose bulk because my wines are not there for any length of time (simply a transfer spot for me).

So, when you say transfer spot, does that mean they'll ship the stuff directly to you after they get it?

NO

You have to contract a shipping company to do it for you. They will go to 55 and pick up the wine and then package it to send to you.

And you can do this for a non-reciprocal state, in say VA?

Seek1: Correct me if I am wrong. But, the answer to that is, Yes.

LCC,
Depends on the 'legality' of the question!

If I choose not to respond have I still made a response

I'm just waiting to hear ojeffso2 pipe in on this thread. IIRC he had a nasty experience with 55 degrees.

Now he uses Fitch Mountain I believe...

jaimetown: The answer is YES. That is the reason for such services. Take advantage of it. It works out well.

These guys are trying to be funny.

yes. i had some bad expeiences with 55 degrees. neil is a good guy, but very disorganized. he did rectify both of my problems. i switched to fitch mountain because most of my wines get shipped out to me immediately. good people who get in touch with me when my wine arrives. they also do their own shipping. with 55 degrees, i always had to stay on top of them.

Do they (Fitch) have a web site? If not, do you have any contact info for them?

telephone number for fitch mountain

707-433-1247

Thanks!

Could someone please give a point of reference for costs? Like how much do these places charge to accept shipments and then forward them on to you? For those that only accept and then allow shippers to come in and separately re-ship, what are the reference points for those services?

Just trying to get a handle on what could be expected....

If you call Aero- 707-554-2088- they can fax you their chart of shipping prices. I recently had a case of Melville sent there and then they shipped it to me in NJ. It was easy!