Costco sells more wine by volume than any other single retailer in America. This fact surprises most members who think of the warehouse primarily as the place for rotisserie chickens and bulk paper towels — and it explains why the wine section at Costco deserves the same strategic attention that members give to the fresh meat case or the supplement aisle. The Costco wine program is built on the same institutional pricing logic that drives every other Costco category: eliminat

Most people assume that buying anything at Costco requires a membership. The assumption is almost entirely correct — almost. There is one commercially significant exception, and it applies in 14 U.S. states: alcohol. In many states, laws prohibit for-profit companies from requiring a paid membership to purchase alcohol. The specific states where this applies to Costco are Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan,

Costco is the largest wine retailer in the United States. That fact surprises most people the first time they hear it — because most people think of Costco primarily as a place for bulk paper towels and rotisserie chicken, not as a serious beverage destination. But the numbers are real: Costco sells more wine by volume than any other single retailer in America, and its Kirkland Signature spirits have generated a cult following among consumers who have discovered that the ware

For most of its history, Costco's identity as a wine and spirits retailer was one of the best-kept secrets in American retail. Members who wandered into the beverage alcohol section of their local warehouse discovered an extraordinary assortment of premium wines, artisan spirits, and craft beers at prices that defied comparison — bottles of Grand Cru Burgundy, aged Scotch, and premium Cognac sitting alongside Kirkland Signature spirits that routinely outperformed famous name-