The holiday season is upon us, the time of year for family, friends, food — and wine. Yes, it’s true, I associate the holidays with alcohol. It never used to be this way (probably because I didn’t drink), but for the past five years, I’ve spent late November stocking our wine rack. There are several reasons for this: For a long time, I used the shotgun method of buying wine. I went to the store and bought bottles at random, usually based on whether I liked the label. Nowadays, however, I’m more methodical. I’m reluctant to buy a wine I haven’t tried before; I mostly buy wines I know I like. And I try to get them for as little as possible. My top tip for saving money on wine is to buy what you like. When you buy a bottle blindly, there’s a chance you won’t enjoy it. Buying bad wine is like pouring money down the drain. But if you stick with old favorites, wine can be an excellent value. How can you tell what you like? You have to experiment. Wine recommendations should be treated like movie reviews: They can give you a general idea of what you’re going to get, but your actual reaction will be intensely personal.

To know for sure, you have to taste a wine. When you find something you really like, write it down. For me, this only happens about once a year. When I taste a wine that knocks my socks off, I immediately send myself an e-mail so I won’t forget. After doing this for the past few years, I’ve developed a short list (of four wines) that I’d actually like to have on hand. There’s no need to keep elaborate notes (unless you want to). I’m an unsophisticated wine drinker. Heck if I know. Some people are serious about wine, and that’s fine. For me, though, wine is fun. Eating a good meal while sharing a bottle of wine is a bonding experience. Wine brings people together. And it does that just as well at $8 a bottle as at $80 a bottle. Note: Blind taste tests have shown repeatedly that neither wine experts nor average joes can tell the difference between fine wines and cheap wines. Price is no guarantee of quality. As much as I love it, wine can be expensive. It pains me to spend $25 on a bottle of something to drink.

So I don’t — not if I can help it. Instead, I keep my eye out for wine bargains. Here are five ways I save money on wine: I’m sure there are other ways to buy wine for less, too. Consumer Reports, for example, is a fan of buying wine online. (Their wine shopping tips include advice for buying via the web.) And I’ve always wondered if it might be possible to get a good deal by buying directly from the winemaker. wine and food new zealandIf you have tips for saving on wine, please let me know.best wine cook with Further reading: If you’d like to learn more about wine, check out the Consumer Reports wine buying guide. best red wine in 2010It’s a short intro to the types of wine and when to drink them.glass of wine 35 weeks

So, how do I put these tips into practice? That’s easy to answer since I’ve been doing so for the past couple of weeks. First, I do 90% (or more) of our alcohol shopping at the end of the year, when the best bargains can be had (at least here in Portland). We stock up during the holidays, and then don’t worry about alcohol for the rest of the year. When I start my holiday wine shopping, I check to see if I’ve noted any favorite wines over the past twelve months. beer and wine brandsThis year, for example, I had two: the Graffigna Centenario malbec and the Domaine de Ménard sauvignon blanc. best wine making kits 2014I don’t know where I drank these, but I liked them enough to make a note to myself. best cooking wine redSo, I headed to a local wine shop and ordered a case of each. best cooking wine red

(Along with cases of two past favorites.) For less than $8 a bottle, I now have wines I know I like — enough to last a year or more. Once each year, I place a big wine order, which lowers my costs. Next, I stopped at Safeway to buy some pricier wine. (We usually take this to parties; I don’t mind giving expensive wine as a hostess gift, but I can’t bring myself to drink it at home. list of top wine brands in indiaUsing the sale I mentioned above, I bought six bottles regularly priced $20 or more. I paid a total of $96 for wines that would normally have cost $150. Finally, after Thanksgiving, I’ll carry the latest issue of Consumer Reports with me on a trip to Costco. If I find any of their recommended wines, I’ll buy two or three bottles of each. This brief burst of wine shopping will keep us stocked for at least a year, and will save us money to boot! A brief word about booze

It’s more difficult for me to give advice about beer and booze. I don’t drink beer, and I’m under the impression that each state has different rules and regulations for the sale of distilled spirits. Here in Oregon, for instance, liquor stores are under the oversight of the Oregon Liquor Control Commission, which tightly regulates how and what they can sell, and at what price. Because prices are controlled by the state, shoppers can visit the OLCC website to download a price list and to see current specials. My guess is that in most places, it pays to be patient. If you have favorites, wait until they go on sale. When they do, stock up. For instance, I’m a fan of Scotch whisky, and like to have my favorites (Ardbeg, Caol Ila, Lagavulin) on hand. Rather than pay full price for these, I wait until they’re marked down, then buy two or three bottles. Recently, for example, I found Caol Ila discounted from $54 to $50 a bottle. I bought two bottles to tuck away for the future.