Retailer check: Rue Pinard USA

NOT RECOMMENDED. I was intrigued by what looked like a big stock of old fortified wines. But I had two bad experiences and I would recommend steering clear.

First, I bought what was labelled as a 1900 Madeira for what seemed like a great price. When the bottle arrived, it seemed very suspect, and sleuths on this board convinced me that the bottle was not what was claimed (sorry hyperlink function not working, but here is the thread: Seeking info on old mystery bottle of maybe Madeira). I contacted the company about the discrepancy. It took awhile, and they ignored me for weeks, but eventually conceded their mistake and gave me a 20% discount on my next purchase, but would not refund me any money.

Since I was given a discount, I tried to use it towards another old Madeira. Again, the price seemed great. But after I paid, I got an email that it was “out of stock”. I checked the website the next day, and the wine was still there, but they had jacked the price up. I guess they realized that with the discount it wasn’t worth selling to me at the listed price. Pretty sneaky if you ask me.

I’m definitely not a fan of them.

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