Our Shipping Information

We can currently arrange for delivery of wines anywhere within Harris County, Texas (Greater Houston)

We can also arrange shipping to Alaska, California, Idaho, Missouri, New Mexico and Washington D.C., but this must be arranged by phone as our website is not currently integrated with out of state shipping software. Please phone 713-524-3397 to speak with us if that is something you need to organize.

At the present time we are not permitted to ship spirits. These items must be picked up in store only.

We are committed to shipping your wine to you in a manner that ensures it will arrive safely and in good condition. The following parameters discuss our shipping and handling policies:

To receive wine from the Houston Wine Merchant, you must be 21 years of age or older. Our wine shipments are sent with a "Package Contains Alcohol - Adult Signature Required" sticker. An Adult (21 years of age or older) will be required to provide proof of identification and a signature to accept all shipments of wine. Please coordinate with us, so that we can arrange to deliver the wine when a qualifying adult will be able to receive it in person. 

Local Delivery is by courier service, details of which can be found here.

We have negotiated special shipping pricing through FedEx in order to minimize the costs of shipping to our customers. All wine orders for FedEx delivery are shipped in our high-quality, purpose-built wine bottle shippers - which consist of a molded insert custom fitted to a sturdy cardboard box.  This provides optimal protection to your wine in transit. The cost of the shipper (which you can re-use to store your wine safely in your cellar or to ship wine again) will be included with any shipping quote.

PLEASE CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION REGARDING SHIPPING DURING THE SUMMER MONTHS (or any period of elevated temperatures):

Houston Wine Merchant recommends against shipping wine during the hot summer season or during unseasonably warm periods the rest of the year. If you elect to ignore that advice and ship your wines during the periods we feel are too hot, we will certainly take every precaution to minimize the risk to your wine; but there is no way for us to guarantee that the conditions on the truck or in the shipper's warehouse will be favorable. You are assuming the risk that the wine may be spoiled in the shipping process.  Please be advised that Houston Wine Merchant will take no responsibility for such damage and will not accept returns on any such shipments.

Many of our customers choose to have us hold the wines they purchase during summer months to ship once the weather is more conducive. We are happy to keep your wine in our controlled climate until shipping is safe. Your credit card will be charged initially for the cost of the wine so that we can hold it for you. When shipping temperatures are safe, we will call or email you to let you know that your package is ready to ship. Due to fluctuations in fuel prices (and the resulting carrier surcharges), we can not anticipate exact shipping costs months in advance, so your credit card will be charged for delivery fees when the wine is actually shipped.

If you still choose to ship wine during warm weather, we strongly recommend against shipping wine using Ground Service, which is generally by non-climate-controlled truck. We highly suggest using FedEx 2nd day air for any out of state orders - in order to reduce the risk of heat damage to your wine.

If you nevertheless elect to have your wine shipped via FedEx Ground, you can rest assured that we will do our best to protect your wine from the elements. Our shipments are picked up at the end of the business day, and we are the last stop on our driver's route before the truck returns to the FedEx distribution center. Any orders requesting FedEx Ground placed on a Friday will be processed but not shipped until the following Monday in order to prevent your wines sitting in a warehouse over the weekend. These steps will minimize the time that your wines are exposed to the elements, but there remains no guarantee of protection.

DISCLAIMER:  IN THE CASE THAT YOU ELECT TO SHIP YOUR WINES DURING THESE SPECIFIED MONTHS WE FEEL ARE TOO HOT, YOU ARE ASSUMING THE RISK THAT THE WINE MAY BE SPOILED IN THE SHIPPING PROCESS.  PLEASE BE ADVISED HOUSTON WINE MERCHANT WILL TAKE NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR SAID DAMAGE; THERE WILL NO REFUNDS AND NO RETURNS WILL BE ACCEPTED.