8 mistakes you should avoid when shopping for wine at Costco (COST)

• Costco wines have quite a fan base — just ask everyone who contributes to and follows Costco Wine Blog.
• Business Insider spoke to blog founder Andrew Cullen and reviewer Erin Reyes about the mistakes Costco members can avoid when shopping for wine.
• They advised members to always sample the wine before buying a huge case and to always dig around in the bins.

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Don't expect unlimited options.

Cullen and Reyes agree that Costco has a great selection of vino, with especially good coverage of California and other domestic US wines.

But you shouldn't think of the warehouse chain as your one-stop shop for the exact, specific wine that's on your mind.

"Costco is almost like a curated wine collection for you," Cullen told Business Insider. "You're not going to go there and find whatever bottle you may be looking for. If you're looking for a Chardonnay, you're going to have to buy whatever Chardonnay is there."

Reyes recommended calling ahead if you've got a particular wine in mind, to make sure it's in stock. 

Don't be intimidated by the more expensive options.

Costco is famous for its value-oriented approach. And Reyes and Cullen both say that the chain boasts quality wines for good prices.

But Cullen said that you shouldn't be afraid to occasionally splurge on a more expensive wine.

"I think it's a great place to buy more expensive wine," he said. "The average price savings that you're getting — it's magnified as you spend more."

He gave the example of the 2013 vintage of the Joseph Phelps Insignia. Cullen said the wine could go for around $225 at most retailers, but Costco members could pick it up for around $199. Cullen happened to get an especially killer deal on the wine.

"I was able to get that for $179, which is a pretty good deal," he said.

Don't be afraid to dig around.

You might feel a bit silly tearing through the wine bins like you're searching for your dropped keys. And Cullen said that he feels that people think he's "weird" when he starts digging around in the wine section of the warehouse.

But he doesn't let that stop him, and for good reason. Cullen said that different vintages are often mixed up in the bins together. If you forgo rooting around, you risk missing out on the best vintage.

That's because different vintages tend to be thrown in the bins together.

"Don't just grab the first bottle," Reyes told Business Insider. She said that while vintage might not matter as much for lower-end wines, for high-ticket bottles it's far more crucial.

Cullen also recommended checking beneath the wooden racks, where you might find a forgotten bottle of an otherwise sold-out wine.

Either way, it's a mistake to leave the warehouse without doing a thorough investigation of the available bottles.