You asked about discount wine sellers:

In some of the Tuscan towns, we found Coop wine stores. Small wineries set these up as a place to sell, so people don't have to travel to the various small wineries to get some. These shops are much cheaper than a regular retailers and the person in charge is extremely knowledgable and helpful. We found thse coop shops in Montalcino as well as a few other small towns.

When in Lisbon, Portugal this summer we had planned on going to the wineries in Oporto to buy some nice ports. However, a local clued us in to the best places......he told us to go to Jumbo, a huge mega- store (like our BJ's or Sam's Club) and we went and found tons of the best ports (and regular wines) at incredible prices. When we got to Oporto and took a couple of tours at the port headquarters and happily learned that our source was right. Prices from the winery were alot higher than where the locals shop.

Candice NYC