Please note that we do not ship unless temperatures are
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Copyright 1997-2009
The Chicago Wine Company
The
Chicago
Wine
Company
Fine and Rare Wine Merchants Since 1974
835 N. Central Ave - Wood Dale, Illinois 60191 U.S.A.
Office: 630-594-2972 ** Fax: 630-594-2978
E-Mail:
info@tcwc.com
Terms and Conditions
When
bidding at Auctions, please keep in mind that there is No Buyer's Premium
imposed at The Chicago Wine Company. Other companies charge 15% or more.
We now require a copy of your Driver's License, State ID or passport to be kept
on file prior to releasing your shipment. Please enlarge a copy so that we
can clearly read your birth date. The copy can be faxed to (630) 594-2978 or
scanned and e-mailed to info@tcwc.com.
Please note that our privacy policy is very strict. We do not share
or sell any information you supply.
L E V E L S O F O L D E R W I N E S
As most of you already know, older wines often have some ullage, which is
perfectly normal and does not necessarily adversely affect the wine. We
always try to describe every wine we sell as precisely as possible. To
standardize the descriptions we use (vis a vis ullages), the
following guidelines will apply:
1. For any wines from the 1992 vintage and older, if the levels are in the
neck or very high-shoulder, no mention will be made, as we believe that very
high-shoulder levels for wines 15 years and older are perfectly acceptable.
2. For any wines from 1993 and younger, if the levels are not in the neck
we will state the levels specifically.
3. For all wines, where the levels are either high-shoulder, mid-shoulder
or low-shoulder, we will state that specifically.
The bottles used for most Burgundy and Rhone wines do not have shoulders as do
the bottles used for most Bordeaux and other wines. Accordingly, rather
than using the shoulder as a reference point in describing the levels in
Burgundy and Rhone bottles, we measure the distance between the bottom of the
cork and the level of the wine. The following is a comparative ranking for
Burgundy and Rhone wines versus Bordeaux wines:
Burgundy / Rhone
Inches Below The
Approximate Comparison To
Bottom Of The Cork
Bordeaux Classification
------------------
-------------------------
1-1/4" - 1-3/4"
Very high-shoulder
2" - 2-1/4"
High-shoulder
2-1/2" - 2-3/4"
Mid-shoulder
3" - 3-1/2"
Low-shoulder
1. For any Burgundy or Rhone wines from the 1992 vintage and older, if the
distance between the bottom of the cork and the wine is 1-3/4" or less, no
mention will be made, as we believe that these levels for wines 15 years and
older are perfectly acceptable.
2. For any wines from 1993 and younger, any unusual ullage will be stated
specifically.
3. For all wines, when the distance between the bottom of the cork and the
wine is more than 1-3/4", we will state that specifically.
T E R M S A N D C O N D I T I O N S O F
S A L E
The wines and related items listed, as may be amended by sale room notice or
announcement, are being offered for sale by The Chicago Wine Company ("TCWC"),
either as principal for its own account or as agent for various owners or other
consignors ("Sellers". These Terms and Conditions of Sale constitute the
complete terms and conditions on which all of the wines and related items will
be offered for sale.
1. Live Bidding Registration. Everyone who plans to bid in
person at the Auction must register prior to the Auction. All bidding at
the Auction will be done by paddles only. Registration facilities will be
available prior the Auction. You must be 21 years old or older to purchase
wines from TCWC.
2. Absentee Bids. Bids will be accepted in advance of the
Auction by mail, e-mail, telephone or fax. Bids which are submitted to
TCWC in writing or are otherwise left with TCWC prior to an Auction for
execution at or below a specified price, are entertained and executed by TCWC
for the convenience of bidders, but TCWC shall not be responsible for failing to
execute such bids or for errors relating to its execution of such bids.
3. At the absentee bidder's request, TCWC can limit overall expenditures
in the Auction to a pre-determined limit communicated to TCWC by the absentee
bidder. If such a request is made, TCWC will stop bidding on new lots as
soon as the absentee bidder reaches the predetermined limit in successful bids.
4. Bidding Procedure. The highest bidder acknowledged by the
Auctioneer shall be the buyer. The Auctioneer has the right to reject any
bid and to advance the bidding at his absolute discretion and, in the event of
any dispute between bidders, to determine the successful bidder or to reoffer
and resell the item in dispute. Should there be any dispute after the
sale, TCWC's record of final sale shall be conclusive.
The bidding increments in Silent & On-Line Auctions will be $1.00 There is
no buyer's premium in The Chicago Wine Company Auctions.
The bidding increments in Live Auctions will be as follows:
I N C R E M E N T S
$ 5 - $ 50 $ 5. (e.g. $
20 - 25 - 30)
$ 50 - $ 200 $ 10. (e.g. $
50 - 60 - 70)
$ 200 - $ 1,000 $ 20. (e.g. $ 200 -
220 - 240)
$1,000 - $ 2,000 $ 50. (e.g. $ 1,000 - 1,050 - 1,100)
$2,000 - $ 5,000 $100. (e.g. $ 2,000 - 2,100 - 2,200)
$5,000 - $10,000 $200. (e.g. $ 5,000 - 5,200 - 5,400)
Over $10,000 $500. (e.g. $10,000 - 10,500 -
11,000)
IMPORTANT: PLEASE NOTE THAT ANY BIDS RECEIVED THAT ARE NOT AT THE PROPER
INCREMENTS WILL BE REDUCED TO THE NEXT
LOWEST INCREMENT. The Auctioneer may change bidding increments at his
discretion.
5. Purchase Price. The purchase price for each lot shall be the
final bid price. There will be no buyer's premium in our Auctions.
6. Sales Tax. The buyers shall pay any applicable State and local
sales tax, and any applicable compensating use tax of another state which TCWC
may be required by law to collect, at the time of payment of the purchase price.
7. Federal Excise Tax. This $.18 per 750ml bottle tax may be
imposed. Currently, The Chicago Wine Company absorbs this cost.
8. THE MINIMUM TOTAL BIDS THAT WILL BE ACCEPTED IS $250.
9. Lots. A lot is the quantity of wine or related items as described
in the catalogue. In some cases a lot is a single bottle and in others it
is five cases. Please note the description of each lot before bidding.
Bids are for the lot as described in the catalogue or by the sale room notice.
TCWC reserves the right to withdraw any lot before or at the Auction.
10. Reserves. As an explanation, a reserve is the minimum price below
which the lot will not be sold. The reserves may be implemented by the
Auctioneer and/or by our representatives.
11. Payment, Delivery and Storage. No lot may be taken away during the
Auction, nor may any lot be taken away or delivered unless the purchase price
thereof has first been paid in full. Payment is generally due in full
within ten days of receipt of TCWC's invoice confirming the sale. However,
TCWC reserves the right to request bank and other references and/or the right to
demand immediate partial or full payment of the purchase price from the buyer.
NOTICE TO ALL BUYERS:
Please be advised that most states and the District of Columbia have enacted
laws to regulate the shipment into the state of wine and other alcoholic
beverages purchased in another state. Some statutes make such shipments a
crime unless a permit or license is obtained. Many such laws, however, have
various exceptions for wine purchased for personal consumption. Since
these laws may affect your purchase from The Chicago Wine Company (TCWC), we
urge you to investigate your state's law on this subject before shipping or
arranging to ship any wine purchased in Illinois from TCWC. Buyers, and
not TCWC, are the owners and shippers of all wine
purchased in Illinois from TCWC. Accordingly, if buyers wish to arrange
delivery of their wines after purchase, they are responsible
and bear all risks thereafter, including selecting a carrier and providing
delivery instructions. All sales are made in Illinois and
payment in full is due TCWC upon confirmation of orders. TCWC is unable to
assume any responsibility for assuring compliance with
applicable laws, obtaining licenses or otherwise advising its valued customers
on shipment laws. You must be 21 years old or older to
purchase wines from The Chicago Wine Company.
Cancellation
Policy: There will be 10% cancellation fee enforced for any order cancelled by
the customer within 30 days. After 30 days, cancellations will not be
accepted.
SHIPMENTS
While buyers are responsible for selecting a carrier to deliver their
wine, TCWC is pleased to follow buyer's instructions in packing of the
shipments, in helping arrange the collection of the wine by the carrier selected
by the buyers, in collecting shipping and insurance charges from the buyers and
transferring those payments to the carriers. However, the buyers, not TCWC, are
the owners and shippers of record for their wine shipments. Any claims
for damage or loss in shipment are between the buyers and carriers. TCWC
is itself not responsible for any damage or loss in shipping.
Please note: Any wines being shipped via U.P.S. may not be insured and
will be shipped at the customer's risk. If you wish to have your wines
insured during shipment, we ask that you please consider using a recommended air
freight company (next day, second day or 3-5 day), a refrigerated truck line
(recommended for shipments of 1,000 pounds or more) or some other carrier of
your choice. Shipments will be sent pre-paid only if payment is received
prior to shipment or a valid Visa or Mastercard is to be used for payment.
Due to the large number of Items being offered, it will take two weeks after
receipt of payment to process orders. All wines that are picked-up
or delivered within the State of Illinois are subject to 8.25% Illinois Sales
Tax. Taxes in other states may also apply,
please inquire prior to shipping. Sales Tax due must be paid in full
before any wines can be released. Packing materials are available at cost.
Upon receipt of full payment for those lots on which the buyer is the successful
bidder, TCWC shall either: (i) Deliver or arrange for delivery of the wines to
the buyer or anyone the buyer designates in Illinois; or (ii) Hold the wines in
TCWC's temperature-controlled facility pursuant to the terms of TCWC's customary
storage agreement until the buyer or someone the buyer designates can arrange to
pick them up. Please note that all wines must be paid for in full before
being put into storage.
All deferred delivery items are indicated as such in the catalogue by an
asterisk (*). Most items will be available for delivery within 3 months of
sale. Bordeaux futures will arrive approximately three (3)
years after the vintage.
12. Buyer's Default. If any applicable conditions herein are not complied
with by the buyer, TCWC may, in addition to asserting all remedies available by
law, including the right to hold the buyer liable for the purchase price, either
(i) cancel the sale, retaining as liquidated damages any payment made by the
buyer, (ii) resell the property at public Auction or privately on seven days'
notice to the buyer, or (iii) sell any other wine then stored by buyer with TCWC
for buyer's account and application of the proceeds to buyer's obligation to pay
such purchase price and pay any balance to buyer. If TCWC resells the
property, or sells any wine stored by buyer with TCWC, the buyer shall be liable
for the payment of any deficiency in the purchase price in the auction and all
costs including warehousing, the expenses of both sales, reasonable attorney's
fees and all other charges due here-under and incidental damages.
13. No Warranties. ALL WINE AND
OTHER ITEMS ARE SOLD "AS IS" AND NEITHER THE SELLER NOR TCWC MAKES ANY EXPRESS
OR IMPLIED WARRANTY OR REPRESENTATION OF ANY KIND OR NATURE WITH RESPECT TO THE
PROPERTY, AND IN NO EVENT SHALL THEY BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CORRECTNESS OF, OR
BE DEEMED TO HAVE MADE, ANY REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY,
FITNESS, DESCRIPTION, GENUINENESS, ATTRIBUTION, PROVENANCE OR CONDITION
CONCERNING THE WINES AND RELATED ITEMS AND NO STATEMENT IN THE CATALOGUE OR MADE
AT THE SALE OR IN THE BILL OF SALE OR INVOICE OR ELSEWHERE SHALL BE DEEMED SUCH
A WARRANTY OR REPRESENTATION OR AN ASSUMPTION OF LIABILITY.
IN ALL SALES OF WINE AND OTHER ITEMS NOT OWNED BY TCWC, TCWC ACTS SOLELY AS
AGENT FOR THE VARIOUS SELLERS, AND MAKES NO EXPRESS OR IMPLIED REPRESENTATION,
WARRANTY, OR ASSUMPTION OF LIABILITY CONCERNING THE SELLER'S TITLE TO THE
PROPERTY OR THE EXISTENCE OF ANY SECURITY INTEREST, LIEN, ENCUMBRANCE OR OTHER
INTEREST AFFECTING THE PROPERTY AND NO STATEMENT IN THE CATALOGUE OR MADE AT THE
SALE OR IN THE BILL OF SALE OR INVOICE OR ELSEWHERE SHALL BE DEEMED SUCH A
REPRESENTATION, WARRANTY OR ASSUMPTION OF LIABILITY.
14. Governing Law/Jurisdiction. These Terms and Conditions of Sale as well
as the buyer's and TCWC's respective rights and obligations hereunder shall be
governed by and construed and enforced in accordance with the laws of the State
of Illinois. By bidding at an Auction, whether present in person or by
agent order bid, e-mail, telephone or other means, the buyer shall be deemed to
have consented to the jurisdiction of the state courts of, and the federal
courts sitting in, the State of Illinois.
15. Any quotes in this catalogue indicating R.M.P., Jr. are courtesy of Robert
M. Parker, Jr., Author and Publisher of THE WINE ADVOCATE, and are taken from
the following publications:
BORDEAUX - THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE FOR THE WINES PRODUCED SINCE 1961
BURGUNDY - A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO THE PRODUCERS, APPELLATIONS, AND WINES
THE WINES OF THE RHONE VALLEY AND PROVENCE
Reprinted by permission of
Simon & Schuster, Incorporated
Copyright (C) 1995, 1999, 2002.
In addition, we have used quotes from several other internationally known wine
experts and top wine publications in this catalogue. We have indicated the
source after each quote as follows:
THE VINE by Clive Coates, M.W. - C.C.
THE GREAT VINTAGE WINE BOOK by
Michael Broadbent, M.W. -
M.B.
Copyright (C) 1991 by Michael Broadbent,
M. Beazley Publishers.
Reprinted by
permission of
Alfred A. Knopf, Incorporated
Please note that we do not ship unless temperatures are
conducive. For an extended forecast, please visit:
http://www.crh.noaa.gov or click on the banner below: