Started in 2006, UpCounty Fine Wine & Beer has already made its mark as a top provider of fine wine and beer within Montgomery County, Maryland and the surrounding areas. UpCounty’s reputation is built on exceptional selection, a knowledgeable wine and beer staff and customer service. In addition, UpCounty is particularly noted for its great prices on wine, microbrew and imported beers through its “Mix & Match Case Discount”, “Virtual 12pk & 18pk” and other value programs.
“Great store, unusually broad and well-chosen selection of wines at good prices. the micro-brew choices are equally inspired and the service is always helpful but not pushy. Tip: check-out the 1.5L bottle of authentic Macaroni Grill restaurant's chianti for only $8.99... great buy for parties or sipping that 1 doctor prescribed glass per day. If you get 6 bottles you get 5% off as well”, says “BoldRed” on Yahoo!Local.
Goals & Strategies
Providing excellent customer service is a core UpCounty operational strength. Contributing to our success are a knowledgeable sales staff and information technology to ensure rapid and convenient access to the full breadth of wine and beer products available. In-store Wine Associates are trained to quickly research and source often harder to find wine and beer items requested by customers in Montgomery County and surrounding areas.
The introduction of UpCounty.com will further enable to provide the widest possible selection of wine and beer at competitive prices and order-ready access. Through UpCounty.com and the UpCounty Fine Wine & Beer store location, we can now offer for immediate order 100% of the wine and beer available through the Montgomery County wholesale distribution system. Further, and most importantly, UpCounty.com will continue to develop and implement industry best practices and policies to ensure the prevention of underage alcohol drinking and the promotion of responsible alcohol consumption. “Gardez Bien” or “guarded well” as the Montgomery County seal proclaims is how UpCounty conducts its alcohol trade.
UpCounty customers frequent the store from throughout Montgomery County and surrounding areas. At this time, we do not offer shipping or delivery. All orders are picked up at the store location in Clarksburg.
From I-270, take the Rt. 121 West exit. Proceed through two traffic lights, crossing Rt. 355. Go 100 feet, take first right hand turn into our shopping center. Look for UpCounty Logo on building signage.
Demand for Shopping Online
With the continued growth of global e-commerce, it’s no surprise to see how more and more Montgomery County and surrounding area residents are deciding to shop from the comfort of their own homes rather than brave the congested roadways and shopping centers. As e-commerce technology has evolved, so has e-Commerce to offer customers a more sophisticated user experience. This has translated into more wine and beer shoppers now being comfortable browsing and purchasing in a virtual marketplace. The enormous selection and availability of wine through UpCounty.com is simply not practical in a traditional brick and mortar format. The key UpCounty.com advantage for online retailing is its clear navigation, simple usability, customer reviews, product tracking and secure payment systems.
Value-added e-Commerce Services
Gift cards, promotional discounts and the ability to attain harder to find wines and beers are some of the best practices features of online retailing that are drawing customers into the virtual stores and weaning shoppers away from traditional shopping. Consumers now expect to be able to search, compare, and buy through the power of concise product detailed descriptions, pricing, availability and customer reviews. Online customer reviews help UpCounty.com customers make informed purchase decisions and increase their knowledge for fine wine and beer.
Going a few steps further, UpCounty.com customers can create personalized item lists, such as wish lists, shopping lists and others. Customers can then associate lists with events (such as a wedding or birthday) and invite others to purchase items (gift registry). Using gift registries is fun and easy way to share gift suggestions with family and friends. By viewing history, customers can view their UpCounty.com orders over the past twelve months. As orders move through the UpCounty.com fulfilment cycle, e-mails automatically provide order-status updates to the customer.
Customer-centered Care
UpCounty offers convenient hours and personalized customer care. Wine Associates are available to research and order product requests; sign-up customers on anyone of several loyalty, newsletter and club programs; or if customers prefer, place orders over the telephone from 10a-10pm 7 days per or access UpCounty.com 24 hours per day.
Broadest Possible Selection
Through UpCounty.com and the retail store location, UpCounty Fine Wine & Beer offers more than 15,000 product SKUs available for immediate ordering. The regular pricing on these wines and beers are competitive, plus our popular Mix & Match case discount programs can be used online and in the store.
In a typical year, several hundred additional products will be added. The growing selection begins with continually researching and listing new products requested by our customers; responding to wine reviews and tastings; and, taking advantage of wine wholesale discount purchases that allow us to pass on savings to our customer.
Accessibility Statement
UpCounty is committed to ensuring that all computer information technology developed and maintained for the Website is accessible to people with disabilities. Our Website currently meets the primary accessibility design standards outlined in Section 508, and we continue to make accessibility a key component for ongoing development.
Management Practices
UpCounty recognizes its responsibility for retailing wine, beer and tobacco according highest standards of personal and day-to-day business conduct. This responsibility is demonstrated in the policies and practices outlined in our employee manual, mandatory alcohol certification policy for all employees and use of information technology for optimal cost-efficiency, management control and customer service level. UpCounty is committed to performing its business within the laws of the United States and Maryland, within the policies set by Montgomery County Liquor Control, and in the most ethical manner. UpCounty is also committed towards the continuous improvement of its policies, processes and customer satisfaction.
