Simply put, The Black Door is the best deal in wine buying...period.

Can you elaborate on that?

The Black Door was created by the folks who started MAX's Wine Dive and The Tasting Room (fondly known as TTR), two highly popular establishments currently located in Houston and Austin. While both serve fine wines and gourmet food, they also have an incredibly large selection of retail wine, which customers can purchase at one of four locations to enjoy at home, serve at a party or give away as gifts.

In fact, together MAX’s and TTR purchase and sell more wine for on-premise consumption than any other bar or restaurant in Texas, which is one reason Lasco Enterprises, LLC (management company for TTR and MAX’s) was ranked Houston’s 13th fasting growing company for 2009 by the Houston Business Journal. Plus, because the wine is sold out of these existing businesses, there’s no additional overhead added to the price of the wines (like other retail sellers are forced to add).

The Black Door was created so that the wine buying public could benefit from this revolutionary system of high-volume purchasing and "no-overhead" operations. As a result, people who buy from The Black Door get incredible deals on some of the world's best wines.

So it's just another wine club or discount program?

Not at all! The Black Door is a revolution in wine buying! It was designed to be an experience. When you sign up for The Blacklist, you will receive exclusive membership to The Black Door, complete with access to limited time deals, special events, private wine tastings and more. And it's FREE to join.

Plus, our Try Before You Buy program invites The Black Door members to visit MAX's or TTR to taste any wine on deal—FREE—before taking it home.

And whenever you make a retail purchase, the team at MAX's/TTR will carry the wine out to your car for you. As if that's not enough, should you ever have a bad bottle (i.e., a corked bottle), you can bring it back for a replacement at no charge. You can't do that with a wine club or Internet wine sales website!

But why is it called The Black Door?

The name originated from the fact that members are able to carry out their retail wine purchases through the back door of MAX's or TTR (a black, steel door). It evolved into a name that created an air of mystery around the concept, helping to give members the feeling they belong to an exclusive, "underground" community of wine lovers.

I like drinking wine, but I don't know much about it. Can you help me out?

Being a part of The Black Door isn't just about buying wine. It's about knowing what you're buying. We want our members to be as informed as possible about what we sell, and about all things wine related. We have a team of expert brokers who are always available to assist you, and an extensive list of online resources, from blogs to wine scores, to help you make your purchasing decisions.

Alright, who the heck is Mr. Black?

That's a closely guarded secret, friends. It's all part of the mystery.