Frequently Asked Questions

We hope you’ll love your purchases, but in case you need to make a return or exchange, please note our return policy:
Refunds will be given for orders that have been shipped in error, or damaged in shipment (up to $100, or amount insured by the customer prior to shipment). Any other returns, including “corked” or otherwise flawed bottles, will be issued merchandise credit or replacement only.

For legitimately flawed bottles, we will offer merchandise credit or replacement if the customer promptly 1) notifies us of the issue, and 2) returns the bottle to us, with the original cork in the bottle and the contents full, or nearly full. Once we determine that the bottle is indeed flawed, we will issue the credit/replacement.

If you wish to cancel an order that has not yet been shipped or picked up, you can contact us to do so. We will give a full refund if the order is cancelled within one business day of the order. All other orders, including all pre-arrival/futures orders, are charged a 15% re-stocking fee if cancelled, which will be deducted from any refund given.

For vintage wines, that is, red wines over 10 years old, and white wines over five years old, we adhere to the industry standard, and our policy is that such wines are purchased at the buyer’s risk.

All gift card purchases are final. Gift cards cannot be returned, exchanged or redeemed for cash (unless required by state law), and cannot be replaced if lost or stolen. Coupons and other discounts cannot be used to purchase Gift Cards.

Notwithstanding the above conditions, we handle many returns and exchanges on a case-by-case basis, and we try to do so with the customer's best interest in mind. If you have any questions, please contact us at 415-355-9463.

All wines offered on a pre-arrival/futures basis are clearly noted on our website as Pre-Arrival, and are confirmed as such via email upon any purchase.

Customers are notified via email upon arrival of each wine. We will never ship an order without the customer’s expressed consent, confirmation of address and contact info, etc. If your wines arrive on multiple shipments, we are happy to store partial orders until all of your wines have arrived in our warehouse and can consolidate to ship.

We do not charge for shipping at the time pre-arrival orders are placed. All shipping charges are to be paid by the customer after arrival of the wine(s), and prior to shipment.

At the time of sale, an estimated arrival time will be noted on the invoice. This estimate is not a promise or a guarantee of a specific delivery date. Cancellation of any order due to arrival dates beyond the original estimate will be charged a 15% re-stocking fee.

It is possible that due to circumstances beyond our control (including, but not limited to duties, import taxes, or tariffs) that occur before the arrival date of any wine may cause us, at our discretion, and with the best interest of our customers in mind, to delay shipment of the wine until a date that such circumstances are no longer in place.

If for any reason, a wine sold on a pre-arrival/futures basis is ultimately not available to us, we will refund the full amount paid. The Wine House will not be liable for any incremental or consequential damages, nor be required to find a replacement for the wine(s) cancelled.

Tariffs -
Due to reasons beyond our control, duties, import taxes and/or tariffs may exist at the time of order, or be imposed on us between the date of order and the date of arrival of a wine.
The prices listed on our website for pre-arrival/futures items do not include any current, or potential future tariffs. Because tariffs are paid by the US importer at the time the wine arrives at port in the US, we have no clarity on the actual amount of any such tariffs for any wine that has not yet been received into the US.

By placing a pre-arrival/futures order, the customer agrees to pay any duties/taxes/tariffs that are imposed at the time of delivery into the US.
Any duties/taxes/tariffs imposed on us at the time of arrival are the sole responsibility of the buyer and must be paid to us before we can release the wine. If such duties/taxes/tariffs are not paid, The Wine House may, at our discretion, cancel the order with a 15% cancellation fee applied, or reduce the order to reflect the stated cancellation fee.

Placing an Order Online -
At the end of your checkout process, you'll see a confirmation page notifying you that your order is being processed. We encourage you to print this message for your records. When you’ve completed checking out online, you will receive an email confirmation of your order. You can check the status of your order by visiting the "Order Status" section at the bottom of the website. Your order will normally ship within 24 hours.

To order by phone, call Customer Service at 415-355-9463. 

We accept the following methods of payment: Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, Wine House Gift Cards and Merchandise Credits. We don't accept cash, personal checks, or money orders for online purchases.

All gift card purchases are final. Gift cards cannot be returned, exchanged or redeemed for cash (unless required by state law), and cannot be replaced if lost or stolen.

Coupons and other discounts cannot be used to purchase Gift Cards.

We are required by law to collect state sales tax on orders being shipped to the following state - CA. Sales tax will be assessed on the total purchase*, including shipping/handling charges (as required) and gift-wrap services. If you have questions regarding sales tax, please feel free to contact Customer Service at 415-355-9463.

*Purchases paid for using eGift Cards are subject to applicable sales tax. No sales tax is charged when purchasing eGift Cards.