Online Wine Sales — A Growing Market
Danes are buying more and more wine online. The convenience of having a case of wine delivered right to your door, combined with the ability to read detailed product descriptions and reviews, has turned online wine sales into a rapidly growing market. For you as a wine retailer, this is an obvious opportunity to expand your business beyond the four walls of your physical store.
In a brick-and-mortar store, you’re limited by geography. Your customers are those who live nearby or happen to stop by. With an online store, you can reach wine connoisseurs across the country. That customer in Northern Jutland looking for a specific Barolo producer can find your store via Google and place an order right away.
Online wine retail also has the advantage of letting you tell the story behind the wine in a completely different way than in a physical store. You have room for detailed descriptions, photos from the vineyard, and personal recommendations. The knowledge you possess as a wine merchant becomes an asset that sets you apart from supermarkets and large online retailers.
Product Descriptions That Sell Wine
Wine is a product where the product description really makes a difference. Customers can’t taste the wine online, so your words have to do the job. A good product description is the difference between a sale and a customer who clicks away.
An effective product description for wine should include:
- Grape variety — e.g., Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Riesling
- Region and country — e.g., Tuscany, Burgundy, Mendoza
- Vintage — the year of the harvest
- Tasting notes — aroma, body, finish
- Food pairings — what the wine goes well with
- Serving temperature — practical information customers appreciate
- Alcohol content — required by law for online sales
The better your product descriptions are, the higher you’ll rank on Google. Shoporama’s AI Assistant can help you craft product descriptions based on the basic information.
Varieties and Filters — Find the Right Wine
Wine retailers typically have a large selection, and customers need to be able to navigate it efficiently. No one wants to scroll through 500 wines just to find a white Burgundy.
With Shoporama, you can organize your wines so customers can filter by the parameters that matter: grape variety, country, region, price range, color (red, white, rosé, sparkling), and other relevant characteristics.
Product variants are also important. Many sellers offer wine both as individual bottles and in cases of 6 or 12—often with a case discount. With variants, you can set this up on a single product page so customers can choose the quantity that suits them.
Legal Requirements for Online Alcohol Sales
Online sales of alcohol are subject to specific legal requirements in Denmark. Here are the most important points:
Alcohol License and Registration
To sell alcohol online, you generally need an alcohol license or must be registered with SKAT as an alcohol retailer. Contact SKAT to ensure you have the necessary permits.
Age verification with ePay and MitID
In Denmark, there are two age limits for alcohol: 16 years for the purchase of beverages with an alcohol content of less than 16.5% (beer and wine) and 18 years for spirits with an alcohol content of more than 16.5%. When selling online, you must ensure that the buyer is old enough.
Shoporama has built-in age verification at the product level. You set the age requirement directly for each product in the admin panel—either 16 years or 18 years. When the customer proceeds to checkout, Shoporama automatically sends the age requirement to ePay, which verifies the customer’s age via MitID before the payment is processed. If the customer has both wine (16 years) and spirits (18 years) in their cart, the higher age limit is automatically applied.
This means that, as a wine retailer, you comply with the law without any manual effort. You set the age requirement once per product, and the system handles the rest. No “I confirm that I am over 18” checkbox—just real verification via MitID.
Labeling Requirements
Your product pages must list the alcohol content, volume, and country of origin.
Taxes and SKAT
The sale of alcohol is subject to excise taxes in Denmark. Shoporama integrates with e-conomic, Dinero, and Billy, making it easier to keep track of VAT and taxes.
It is recommended that you consult an accountant with experience in the alcohol industry to ensure that you comply with all regulations.
Shipping Wine—What Should You Consider?
Wine is heavy and fragile. This places special demands on your shipping strategy.
Packaging
Wine bottles require special packaging to prevent breakage during transport. Invest in high-quality packaging with inserts for the bottles.
Weight and shipping cost
A case of 6 bottles of wine weighs about 8–9 kg, and 12 bottles weigh 16–18 kg. Many wine retailers offer free shipping over a certain amount to encourage customers to buy more at a time.
With Shoporama, you can choose between PostNord, GLS, DAO, Bring, and Shipmondo as shipping providers.
Temperature and Season
Wine is sensitive to high temperatures. In the summer, the temperature inside a delivery van can exceed 40 degrees. Many wine retailers advise against shipping expensive wines during the hottest weeks. Make this clear on your online store.
Brick-and-Mortar Store and Online Store with POS
Most wine merchants have a physical store. With Shoporama’s integrated point-of-sale (POS) system, you can manage both channels from a single system. When you sell a bottle over the counter, the inventory is automatically updated in the online store.
The POS system supports MobilePay, Stripe, QuickPay, ePay, PayPal, Klarna, and ViaBill.
Offer in-store pickup as a delivery option. The customer orders online and picks up the wine the next time they’re in the area. A loyalty program ties it all together—points for purchases made both in-store and online.Example: A customer tastes an Amarone in the store and wants to take a case home. You scan it into the POS system—and the 6 bottles are immediately deducted from the online store’s inventory. There’s no risk of an online customer ordering bottles you’ve just sold.
Example: Peter buys 2–3 bottles of wine a week—alternating between the store and online. With the loyalty program, he earns points in both places. Every three months, he has enough points for a free bottle. This keeps him loyal, and he chooses you over the supermarket’s wine section.
Newsletters—Your Most Important Online Sales Channel
For wine retailers, newsletters are worth their weight in gold. Your customers want to discover new wines, hear about seasonal recommendations, and be notified of great deals. A good newsletter doesn’t just sell wine—it builds relationships and keeps you top-of-mind.
The newsletter feature costs just 1 kr. per 100 emails. Use them for:
- New wines in your selection — “Three new Italian wines from Piedmont—try them before they sell out”
- Seasonal recommendations — “5 wines for summer barbecues” or “The best red wines for winter”
- Wine nights and tastings — Fill the seats for your next wine tasting
- Case deals — “Order 6 bottles and save 15% this weekend”
Example: You send out a newsletter about a new Barolo that you’ve just received. You tell the story of the winery, recommend it for long-term aging, and offer a case discount. 20 customers place orders within 3 days—most order a whole case to save on shipping. Revenue: 15,000 DKK from a single email.
How much does an online store cost for a wine shop?
| Plan | Price | Transaction fee | Users included |
|---|---|---|---|
| FLEX | 0 DKK/month | 5% | 1 user |
| PRO | 1,400 DKK/month (excl. tax) | 0% | Unlimited |
Optional add-ons: server-side tracking (89 DKK/month), newsletter (1 DKK per 100 emails), additional users (49 DKK/month). Learn more about pricing and plans.
Get started with your online wine store
You can try Shoporama for free for 30 days —no credit card required and no strings attached. With the Page Designer, you can build your pages visually using drag-and-drop, and with a load time as fast as 250 ms, your customers will enjoy a fast experience.
Shoporama features automatic cookie consent with Consent Mode v2, so you’re GDPR-compliant from day one.
Your wine knowledge is your strength. An online store gives you the platform to share that knowledge with all of Denmark. The big supermarket chains can compete on price, but they can’t compete on passion, expertise, and personal service.
Start your free trial and take your wine business online.