Amex Offer: $50 off $250 at Benchmark Wine Group

Amex has a offer for $50 off $250+ at Benchmark Wine Group:

Direct Link

Key Terms

• Link offer to card before buying
• $250 can be across one or more transactions
• Get a $50 statement credit
• Expires 8/22/2020

Benchmark is a Napa based retailer that specializes in selling fine wines purchased from private collections. That being the case you'll see a somewhat random assortment of high end wines, with often as little as one bottle of each available.

So it's kind of like going to an estate sale online. You never know what you're going to find but if you've got an eye for value and know your stuff you can find some good deals.

Some of the wines are very expensive, but not all of them. They're running a bin sale at the moment with wines as low as $15/btl.

Maximizing the Offer

They don't participate in shopping portals. They do sell gift cards, so if you want to lock in the 20% and/or avoid overshoot that might work.

Shipping is complimentary on $250 orders, which pairs nicely with this offer.

Beyond that I don't see any angles (no promo codes, no refer-a-friend program for example). So it's a 20% off with free shipping kind of play.

What to Buy?

For me, this is an opportunity to buy wines from harder to find small California producers. If you shop at places like Wine.com, Total Wine, and Costco (like most of America does) the value can be good but the assortment gets tiring.

An offer like this provides an opportunity to buy just a bottle or two from boutique producers with mailing lists that are supposedy hard to penetrate and/or charge a lot for shipping. Also producers you recall fondly but haven't enjoyed in a while.

Rhys single vineyard Pinot Noirs for $55/btl before discounts for example.

See: Kosta Browne, Sea Smoke...Is Rhys Vineyards the Next Cult California Pinot Noir?

Dehlinger Pinots in the $50s.

See: 7 Reliably Outstanding Fruit-Forward California Pinot Noir Producers

Sea Smoke Southing for $79/btl before discounts.

See: 2009 Wine of the Year: The 2004 Sea Smoke Southing Pinot Noir

If you're just getting into wine, it could also be a way to try aged wine with good provenance before going too hog wild exploring the world of age-worthy wines.

I think there's some value to be had here. Good luck rifling around their site.