Joe the Coupon Guy shows how to make wine affordable

CLEVELAND - It’s wine season in Northeast Ohio. Vintage Ohio Wine Festival kicks off August 3 ^rd and runs through the 4 ^th in Kirtland, and this weekend it’s the Cleveland Wine Festival . Joe Daugirdas aka Joe the Coupon Guy likes his wine, and knows how to find a good deal.

Grocery stores are a great place to find discounted wine when its past its peak or a new year comes in . Daugirdas said savings of fifty percent are not unheard of for wine. Look on the bottles for hang tags that offer you savings on items other than wine like meat, produce, or condiments. Sometimes the hang tag or sticker attached to the wine is for a rebate. The rebate typically increases depending on how many bottles you buy. Also, look in your  coupon circulars for wine rebates.

If you buy in bulk, you can save. Daugirdas said most stores and wineries offer a 10% discount when you buy an entire case and often you can mix and match.

Looking for a great wine and don’t know what to buy. Daugirdas said 2007 is his favorite year. His favorite region is Washington especially the Walla Walla region including brands like Barnard Griffin Port, Tagaris Merlot, and Chateau St Michelle. 

 Can’t find what you are looking for? You might be able to buy it online. The GoldMedalWineClub allows you to discover wine and get big discounts on gifts and accessories.

Daugirdas also said LOT18 is a place to look for hard to find wines that perhaps were made in small quantities. You can buy at a discount and sometimes get free shipping. Once you become a member, you’ll get a $10 credit to use within 48 hours. Membership is free.

Wine Woot offers deals and gadgets for cheap. The offers are always changing.

Eating out

When you’re dining out and trying to decide if you should buy the bottle or just buy it by the glass, multiply the glass price by four. You typically get four glasses to a bottle. If the total price is less than the bottle price, buy the wine by the glass.

Look for discounts during happy hour or special pricing for a day of the week including half off bottles of wine.

Also, consider bringing your own bottle. There are BYOB restaurants. Sometimes you have to pay a corking fee or per glass fee. It’s a way to drink wine while dining out without paying the markup you’d pay at a restaurant.

Here’s a look at Joe the Coupon Guy’s restaurant wine deals:

MONDAY
Beckys Bistro - Willoughby Hills - retail price wine night

Matchworks Tavern - Mentor - half price wine

Lure - Willoughby - half off bottles of wine

TUESDAY
Manhattan Deli - Willoughby - half off bottles of wine with two entree purchase

Sara's Place - Gates Mills - half off glass of wine

WEDNESDAY
Vittorios - Wickliffe - 1/2 off house wine

Sushi Rock - Beachwood - half price wine 

D'Vine - downtown Cleveland - half off flights of wine

THURSDAY
The Blonde - 6901 Rockside Rd in Independence - half off wine bottles after 7 PM.

AuroraInn Dining Room - Aurora - offers half-priced bottles of wine at lunch and dinner.

Paragon - Euclid - half off bottles of wine

 FRIDAY

Claddaugh - Legacy Village - half off bottles of wine - rare to see a deal like this on a Friday

Ohio Wineries

Ohio has a lot of wine to offer, and you can find the best of the best from the Ohio Grape Industries Committee .

Wine sampling is not free in Ohio, but you can save on other things like cheese plates and entrees. Look for coupons in the 2012 Our Town coupon book . Daugirdas said the following deals can be found in the book:

BeneVino - free cheese plate
Buccia Vineyard - free cheese plate
Candlelight - BOGO snack menu item
Debonne Vineyards - free cheese plate
Emerine Estates - free cheese plate - lots of fruit wines including caramel apple
Ferrante - free Trio garlic bread with purchase of two luncheon entrees
Firelands - free cheese plate
Grand River Cellars - BOGO dinner or luncheon entree
Heinemans Winery - free cheese plate
Hermes - free Baked Labrea bread with olive oil with purchase
Horizons - BOGO dinner or luncheon entree
Joe Biscottis - free cheese plate
John Christ - free assorted cheese and crackers with purchase
Klingshirn - 20% off non-wine purchase
Lakeshore Inn - free cheese plate
Lalure - free wine glass with wine purchase
Maize Valley - BOGO menu item
Markko Vineyard - free cheese and crackers
Mastropietro - free cheese plate
Matus winery - free cheese plate
Myriddin winery - free cheese and crackers
Old Firehouse winery - BOGO dinner entree
Paper Moon Vineyards - free cheese plate with food or beverage purchase
School House winery - free cheese plate
Swiss Heritage - free pound of swiss cheese with Heritage wine purchase
Vermillion Valley - free bruschetta with french points with food or beverage purchase
Virant - free cheese plate with food or beverage purchase
Winery at Spring Hill- - free dessert with any food or beverage purchase