Where to Score Great Wine Deals in Singapore

You can't find a bottle of wine in Singapore for under S$10, but these places come pretty close.

Buying and consuming alcoholic drinks in Singapore is expensive. This is due to high excise taxes and goods and services tax (GST). Singapore has been ranked as the sixth most expensive city in the world for beers. The wines, you can expect, aren’t cheap either.

While you won’t be getting wine bottles under a tenner, there are still places to get decent wine for an affordable price (before delivery charges). Here's where you can score these deals:

Credit Card Privileges

Why have a glass of wine when you can have two?

For those wanting to swirl their glasses in a bar or restaurant, check your credit cards for one-for-one deals. The American Express Platinum Card has tie-ups with establishments like Gem Bar and :pluck, while UOB YOLO Card has deals with places like The Armoury.

Wine Merchant Specials and Wine Club Memberships

Check in at your nearest NTUC Fairprice – the bigger branches have a sizeable wine section that could hold some good deals. This is where you should go for mass market wines, with the occasional gem surfacing.

Mass should not be an indication of meek wines: at the lower ends of the price spectrum are Kangaroo Ridge (S$17.25 per bottle) and Tini (S$21.55 per bottle), both with easy to drink reds that double up as great cooking wines.

Last we checked in June 2016, mid-priced Rawson’s Retreat was going at half price at S$39.95 for two bottles. NTUC Fairprice’s ‘Just Wine Club’ membership gives an extra 8 per cent discount.

Specials offered via wine merchants’ websites like Crystal Wines, WinesOnline and Underground Wines are also worth checking out. As are memberships: Wine Connection offers 10 per cent discount, and access to Wine Connection events. Wine Store’s discount structure also goes up to 10%, but you might find the occasional 15% via promotions.

Buy Online from Wholesalers

Online shops like Wein & Vin, Wein Depot, Wines Wholesales sell wholesale. Wein & Vin specializes in German, French and Austrian wines, and currently have a Josephshöfer Riesling Kabinett (Wine Spectator, 90 points) on sale for $45 if you buy half dozen. Wines Wholesale’s website has one of the bigger selections, but is the easiest to navigate.

Order Wine By the Case

The more you buy, the more you save. Aside from discounts, delivery charges are often waived. Crystal Wines gives up to 12% discount on cases of 12 of new arrivals. Pop Up Wine has a specific selection of wines for under $30 – delivery is free if you buy 24 bottles and up.

If you don’t wish to be stuck with too many of the same bottles of wine, Wine Family sells wines by the mixed cases from various wine merchants. Although these cases are not customizable, you get to try different bottles from $30 each. Underground Wines also does mixed cases from $14 per bottle.

Attend Wine Events

You get to taste and learn about the wines, and often get to buy them at a discounted rate. Check out Crystal Wines, The Wine Box SG and LocalWineEvents.com who update their wine events listings regularly. Most of these events are ticketed, and start at $30 per person.

We like Crystal Wines’ tasting events for how well-organized the tastings are, and the discounts of up to 20 per cent on bottles purchased at the events.

Read This Next:

How Not to Shop During the Great Singapore Sale

7 Expensive Things Worth Buying in Singapore

By Celine Asril

Celine Asril is a former Food & Drink Editor who writes about food, travel and lifestyle with a sustainable angle. This includes sharing sound financial tips for good future planning.