FAQ About Costco’s 2020 Wine Advent Calendars

We’ve posted detailed reviews of each of the two Wine Advent Calendars available at select Costco stores (Calendar #1, Calendar #2), and it’s created a flurry of emails and comments from readers. 

So I thought I’d take a second and address some of the most popular questions and share all the information we have.

Will the Wine Advent Calendars be available at my Costco?

This is super hard to say for sure, and we are independent of Costco so can only provide the info that’s available.  Each of the websites for the calendars provides more insight.  The Wine Advent-ure calendar website states:

“This year’s calendar will be in most Costco stores the first week of October, 2020.   Unfortunately, we do not have the ability to provide in-store dates by store nor the ability to direct consumers to locations that still have inventory available.  Please contact your local Costco store for more information. The product is only available in Costco stores and is not available for purchase online.”

And the second Wine Advent Calendar website states:

“Please consult with your local store for availability. We do not have inventory information by location. Expected in stores and on Costco.Com before October 1st.”

So the best way to know for sure is to contact your local store.

Ask them if they are stocking item numbers 1480467 and/or 1357643.

I’m really dying to find a calendar, is there anything else I can do?

Yes. We’ve heard from many readers who will go on Costco.com and use the chat feature to ask customer service about availability at various stores.  Also, check out our social media sites (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter) as many readers have said in the comments where they’ve found the calendars.

The producer of the second box said it will be available on Costco.com?  Is that really the case, we can order online?

We don’t know anymore than what was posted on the site.  It’s not currently on Costco.com as of the publishing of this story, and most of the wine on there now is only available to be shipped in CA.  So it’s hard to say if it will be widely available online.  I’d contact your store directly with the item numbers.

Are the Calendars going to be available in Canada?

We don’t have an answer to this question.  If anyone from Canada finds a box in their Costco, please let us know.  I’ve had quite a few Canadian readers hoping to hear it’s been spotted there.

Are the two Wine Advent Calendars the same?

No, there are two different ones.  Here’s an Instagram post that shows both of them.  The red box that is pictured also comes in a green version and both the red and green boxes (pictured below) contain the same wines.  But the Wine Advent-ure calendar features different wines.

What wines are inside?  Which calendar has more reds or more whites?

I tallied them up for you.

The Wine Advent-ure Calendar has 13 reds, 9 White, 1 rose and 1 sparkling.

The second Wine Advent Calendar we reviewed had 14 reds, 7 whites, and 3 rose.

You can find a list of the wines on the corresponding websites for each Calendar, along with super in depth videos on many of them.

Which calendar has better wines?

I tasted four bottles from each calendar for our reviews, and enjoyed them.  I would put the wines that I tasted all in that 86-88 point range.  And at an average price of $4 per half bottle, that’s a pretty good deal. 

So I think both boxes are equally good buys.  It sounds like they are selling fast, so I would buy whichever one you see.  Or buy both and start your calendar 24 days sooner.

Does the Wine Advent-ure calendar for 2020 contain the same wines that it did in 2019?

No, I believe there may be one or two that are the same (and I could be wrong here), but by and large these are new wines in 2020.

Where are the wines from?

Both boxes source wines from many of the same areas around Europe, including Italy, France and Spain.  Depending on the box there are also wines from Moldova, Bulgaria, Argentina, Chile, South Africa, Portugal, and the U.S.

I found the second Calendar you reviewed but it is sealed and doesn’t list what wines are inside?

That’s by design so the wines will be a surprise.  It’s a fun way to learn about new regions and taste new wines you might otherwise pass up.  But if you really want to know, you can check out the end of our post here, or the website for the Calendar.

I think that about covers it.  As you begin to open your calendars and taste the wines, feel free to post your thoughts in the comments below this post.  Or on social of course. 

Cheers.

Andrew

Costco item number for Wine Advent-ure Calendar: 1357643

Costco item number for Wine Advent Calendar: 1480467