1) Sign up for Garagiste daily email offers.

Garagiste founder Jon Rimmerman emails Garagiste members one or more times each day to share his experiences and make his discoveries available for purchase. Jon’s email offers are the only way to experience Garagiste. There is no storefront or inventory to browse—virtual or otherwise. Read one of our offers.

2) If you like an offer, respond...quickly.

When you receive an email offer for a wine or food you would like to purchase, reply by clicking the link to Nicki’s email address clearly stated in the offer (To order: nicki@garagistewine.com ) - let her know how many bottles you would like and also that you are a NEW CUSTOMER. Remember, Garagiste discoveries are limited in production: most sell out, some within minutes, so act accordingly.

3) Receive order confirmation.

Once your request is submitted, you will receive a return email message (within 24 hours, but usually within 4-6 hours) stating that your order has been successfully placed or that the item has sold out. If the response is the latter, don’t lose heart. Another great discovery will come along soon. Jon is constantly in motion. Garagiste works in an egalitarian FIRST COME FIRST SERVED fashion up to a stated limit in each offer – we do not play favorites – everyone is treated to the same co-op ethos of all for one, one for all.

4) Pay for your order.

If you were successful in your order attempt, you will be directed to set up a new customer profile with Melisa (melisa@garagistewine.com) and submit credit card payment information. Your credit card will be charged at some point over the next 1-2 weeks (it will not be charged immediately). Keep in mind, many of the items we offer are pre-arrivals and many will not arrive for months or even years after offer – make sure to note the anticipated arrival status of each wine, stated in the lower third of each offer (see example here).

5) Track your order.

Our customer ordering, tracking, and invoicing system is called OARS. Several days after you have placed your first order and successfully set up a new customer profile, you can track its progress by checking your OARS account. You will find a link to your OARS account at the bottom of each email offer – this link IS NOT on our web site.

See an example of what OARS looks like here.

6) Your order arrives in our warehouse: pick-up vs. shipping.

We will notify you when your order arrives in our Seattle warehouse via your OARS account (the wine will be listed as "arrived"). If you live in or plan to visit the Seattle area, you can schedule a warehouse pickup. If not, we will let you know via OARS and also via a UPS-generated email when it has shipped. WINE IS ONLY SHIPPED TWICE PER YEAR (SPRING/FALL) AND ONLY DURING TEMPERATE WEATHER, IN ORDER TO PRESERVE PROVENANCE. Please keep this in mind when ordering – you will NOT receive your wine until the Spring or Fall shipping season begins, even if it is months away. Typically, this is April 1st – May 30th (Spring) and October 15th – Dec 1st (Fall). The good news is that we hold your wine for free under perfect condiitons (56 degrees/70% humidity) until we ship it.  Unless you arrange to pick up your food orders, they will be shipped within 30 days of warehouse arrival in order to protect freshness.

7) Pay for shipping.

We work with a low price/co-op mentality on every item we offer– we do not force you to purchase a full case (12 bottles) to obtain the lowest price – you may purchase one bottle and the price is the lowest we can muster – every day, every week, all year. As a result of adhering to a “lowest wine price” philosophy, we cannot offer free shipping or other sale teasers. Shipping is charged to you AFTER you receive your wine and will appear separately form wine charges, usually in the next credit card statement after you receive your order.  Shipping charges are billed to you at UPS/FedEx cost - WE DO NOT MAKE MONEY ON SHIPPING. Please keep in mind, wine is expensive to ship due to its heavy weight and need for delicate handling. Even with added shipping charges our prices are still among the lowest anywhere. Sample charges to the west coast are $20-25/case, to the Midwest/East Coat $28-39/case (this is merely representative and is not exact). Also note, you do not pay sales tax unless you reside in Washington State or New Hampshire.

8) Discuss and connect.

Visit our Forum to connect with other Garagisters and discuss your wine and food experiences. Follow us on Twitter for news, tasting notes (both on Garagiste discoveries and wines available elsewhere that Jon comes across), and any number of other items of interest.