I was excited by my discovery of Vinatis, having been on a recent trip to France and finding so many of the wines I had discovered there were not readily available in the UK. I put in my first order for 24 bottles on July 2 and they arrived, intact and exactly as described on July 11. Admittedly, this was longer than the "4-5 business days" touted on their website and when I asked them about the delay they unsurprisingly blamed "Brexit".
Now, I don't know whether Brexit is a genuine reason or a convenient, catch-all excuse for anything that has to cross the Channel these days. Regardless, I'm certainly willing to give Vinatis another go, despite being skeptical at first, especially when one of their customer care team told me my package might not arrive until close to three weeks after my initial order. Their tracking information is of no use since my order claimed to have been released from Customs at the same time the order was made, so is Brexit really the issue behind the delays? There were also no updates until I heard from DPD early this morning that my package was due today.
The packaging is superb, many other suppliers would have tried to put 24 bottles into just two boxes, but Vinatis used four boxes with very sturdy protective devices that I was very pleased to see is all recycled and recyclable cardboard. I am also pleased that they use one of the most reputable carriers in the UK, DPD, so no chance of my wine ending-up in the neighbour's hedge!
Well done, Vinatis, you have earned my trust and I will be buying from you again, despite my initial reservations.
