Last Updated: June 30, 2025
At maxiwines.com (“we,” “us,” or “our”), we are committed to being transparent about how we use cookies and similar technologies on our wine, spirits, and beverage retail website, covering topics such as product selection, tasting notes, and delivery services. This Cookie Policy explains what these technologies are, how we use them, the types of information we collect, and your rights and options for managing them.
This policy should be read in conjunction with our broader Privacy Policy, which provides more detail on how we process your personal data.
1. What Are Cookies and Similar Technologies?
Cookies are small text files that are placed on your device (e.g., computer, smartphone, tablet) by a website when you visit it. They are widely used to make websites work more efficiently, to enhance your user experience, and to provide website owners with information about how their site is being used.
Similar technologies include:
- Web Beacons/Pixels: Small graphic files that are included on web pages or in emails and are used to monitor user activity, such as whether a page has been viewed or an email opened.
- Local Storage (e.g., HTML5 Local Storage): Allows websites to store data directly in your browser, which can persist even after you close your browser session.
- Device Identifiers: Unique identifiers assigned to mobile devices, used for tracking and analytics.
These technologies can remember your preferences, keep you logged in, and help us understand how you interact with our content and advertisements.
2. How We Use Cookies and Why
We use cookies and similar technologies for various purposes. For most non-essential cookies, we rely on your explicit consent as our legal basis for processing, in line with GDPR and other privacy regulations.
Here are the categories of cookies we use and their purposes:
- Strictly Necessary Cookies:
- Purpose: These cookies are essential for the fundamental operation of our website. Without them, core functions like site security, shopping cart functionality, and loading content correctly would not work. They enable you to move around the website and use its features.
- Legal Basis: We do not require your consent for these cookies as they are necessary for the provision of the service you have requested (i.e., accessing our website and its core functionalities).
- Examples: Cookies that remember security preferences, manage user sessions (e.g., keeping items in your cart), or ensure server stability.
- Performance and Analytics Cookies:
- Purpose: These cookies collect information about how visitors use our website, such as which pages are visited most often, how long users stay on a page, and if they encounter error messages. This helps us understand user behavior, measure the performance of our content, and identify areas for improvement in our website’s design and functionality.
- Legal Basis: Your explicit consent.
- Examples: Google Analytics cookies (used to track site usage metrics like page views, time on site, referral sources, and user demographics. We anonymize IP addresses where possible).
- Functionality Cookies:
- Purpose: These cookies allow our website to remember choices you make (such as dismissing a pop-up, your preferred language, or region) to provide enhanced, more personalized features. They can also be used to remember changes you have made to text size, fonts, and other customizable parts of web pages.
- Legal Basis: Your explicit consent.
- Examples: Cookies remembering notification dismissals or settings preferences.
- Targeting and Advertising Cookies (including Affiliate Cookies):
- Purpose: These cookies are used to deliver advertisements more relevant to you and your interests. They can also be used to limit the number of times you see an advertisement and help measure the effectiveness of advertising campaigns. In the context of our affiliate links (e.g., to Amazon, eBay, Etsy via networks like Awin, CJ, and TradeDoubler), these cookies track clicks on those links and subsequent purchases. This allows us to earn a commission if you buy something after clicking through. They build a profile of your interests to show you relevant content and ads on other sites.
- Legal Basis: Your explicit consent.
- Examples: Cookies set by Awin, CJ, TradeDoubler, or other third-party advertisers.
- Third-Party Integration Cookies:
- Purpose: Our website uses third-party services for various functionalities, such as embedding videos, displaying maps, or providing social media sharing options. These third-party providers may set their own cookies when you interact with their content or services on our site. We do not control these cookies.
- Legal Basis: Your explicit consent (often implied by your interaction with the embedded content, but our consent banner should cover this).
- Examples: Cookies set by Google Fonts (for consistent typography), Google Maps (for interactive maps), and YouTube (for embedded videos). These may collect basic usage data or track your viewing preferences.
3. Types of Cookies We Deploy
- Session Cookies: These are temporary cookies that remain on your device only for the duration of your browsing session. They are deleted automatically when you close your browser. They are typically used for essential site functions.
- Persistent Cookies: These cookies remain on your device for a set period (which can range from minutes to years) or until you delete them manually. They are used to remember your preferences and settings for future visits.
- First-Party Cookies: These are cookies set directly by maxiwines.com (our domain).
- Third-Party Cookies: These are cookies set by external domains other than maxiwines.com. This includes our analytics providers, affiliate networks, and embedded content providers (e.g., Google, YouTube). We recommend reviewing the cookie policies of these third parties for more detailed information on their practices.
4. Detailed List of Specific Cookies and Tools Used
While it’s not feasible to list every single cookie due to dynamic content, here’s a breakdown of the primary services and their typical cookie usage:
| Service/Provider | Type of Cookies | Purpose | Legal Basis | Data Retention | Link to Third-Party Policy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Analytics | Performance, Analytics | Tracks anonymized site usage (e.g., page views, time spent, user flow) to help us optimize content and user experience. | Consent | Varies (e.g., _ga for 2 years, _gid for 24 hours) | Google’s Privacy Policy |
| Google Fonts | Third-Party Integration | Ensures proper text formatting and display across devices. May collect basic usage data (e.g., font requests). | Consent | Session | Google’s Privacy Policy |
| Google Maps | Third-Party Integration | Provides interactive map functionality. May collect basic usage data (e.g., map views, interactions). | Consent | Varies | Google’s Privacy Policy |
| YouTube | Third-Party Integration | Embedded videos may set cookies to track video views, user preferences (e.g., volume settings), and deliver personalized content. | Consent | Varies | YouTube’s Privacy Policy |
| Awin | Advertising/Affiliate | Tracks clicks on affiliate links to participating merchants (e.g., Amazon, Etsy, eBay) to attribute sales for commission purposes. | Consent | Varies | Awin Privacy Policy |
| CJ (Commission Junction) | Advertising/Affiliate | Tracks clicks on affiliate links to participating merchants for commission attribution. | Consent | Varies | CJ Privacy Policy |
| TradeDoubler | Advertising/Affiliate | Tracks clicks on affiliate links to participating merchants for commission attribution. | Consent | Varies | TradeDoubler Privacy Policy |
| Internal Session/Security Cookies | Strictly Necessary | Essential for site security, user authentication (if applicable), and maintaining user session states. | Legitimate Interest | Session | N/A (First-party) |
Please note: The specific names and retention periods of cookies can change. This table represents common examples and principles.
5. Your Cookie Choices and How to Manage Them
We are committed to giving you control over your cookie preferences. For all non-essential cookies, we obtain your explicit consent via a Cookie Consent Management Platform (CMP) when you first visit our site.
You have the following options to manage your cookie preferences at any time:
- Cookie Consent Banner/Preference Centre:
- When you first visit our website, you will be presented with a cookie consent banner that allows you to accept all cookies, decline non-essential cookies, or customize your preferences by category.
- You can revisit and change your preferences at any time by clicking on the “Cookie Settings” link typically found in the footer of our website. This will re-open the consent management tool, allowing you to withdraw or modify your consent for different cookie categories.
- Browser Settings:
- Most web browsers allow you to control cookies through their settings. You can typically configure your browser to:
- Block all cookies.
- Block only third-party cookies.
- Delete specific cookies.
- Alert you when a cookie is being set.
- Please note that blocking or deleting strictly necessary cookies may significantly impair the functionality of our website and prevent you from using certain features.
- For instructions on how to manage cookies in your browser, please visit your browser’s help page:
- Most web browsers allow you to control cookies through their settings. You can typically configure your browser to:
- Opt-Out Tools for Advertising and Analytics:
- Many advertising networks and analytics providers offer specific opt-out mechanisms:
- Google Analytics Opt-Out Browser Add-on: tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout
- Digital Advertising Alliance (DAA) Opt-Out (US): optout.aboutads.info
- Network Advertising Initiative (NAI) Opt-Out (US): optout.networkadvertising.org
- European Interactive Digital Advertising Alliance (EDAA) Opt-Out (EU/EEA/UK): youronlinechoices.eu (for EU/EEA/UK users to manage preferences for participating ad networks).
- For specific affiliate networks, you may need to visit their respective privacy policies to check for opt-out options:
- Awin: awin.com/gb/legal/privacy-policy
- CJ: cj.com/legal/privacy-policy
- TradeDoubler: [tradedoubler.com/en/privacy-policy/)
- Many advertising networks and analytics providers offer specific opt-out mechanisms:
- “Do Not Track” Signals:
- While some browsers offer a “Do Not Track” (DNT) feature that sends a signal to websites indicating you do not wish to be tracked, there is currently no universally agreed-upon standard for how websites should respond to these signals. Therefore, we do not currently respond to “Do Not Track” signals. However, you can still manage your cookie preferences through the methods described above.
6. International Compliance and Your Rights
This Cookie Policy is designed to comply with data protection and privacy laws across various jurisdictions, including:
- General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and UK GDPR (EU/EEA/UK): We prioritize clear, explicit, and informed consent for all non-essential cookies. You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time. We also respect your data subject rights, including the right to access, rectify, erase, restrict processing, and portability of your personal data processed via cookies.
- California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA) – US: For California residents, our use of targeting/advertising and some analytics cookies may be considered “sharing” or “selling” of personal information. You have the right to opt-out of the “sale” or “sharing” of your personal information. We provide this option through our cookie consent banner and a “Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information” link in our Privacy Policy and/or website footer.
- Other US State Privacy Laws (e.g., Virginia VCDPA, Colorado CPA, Utah UCPA, Connecticut CTDPA): We aim to comply with the various requirements of these laws regarding consumer rights, including the right to opt-out of targeted advertising and certain processing activities. Our consent management platform facilitates these opt-outs.
- Canada (PIPEDA): We emphasize transparency and generally seek consent for cookies that collect personal information.
- Australia (Privacy Act 1988) and New Zealand (Privacy Act 2020): While these laws focus more on notification and reasonable steps to protect personal information, our comprehensive approach to consent and transparency aligns with their principles.
7. Changes to This Cookie Policy
We may update this Cookie Policy periodically to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. When we make changes, we will revise the “Last Updated” date at the top of this policy. We encourage you to review this policy regularly to stay informed about our use of cookies and related technologies.
8. Contact Us
If you have any questions or concerns about our use of cookies or this Cookie Policy, please contact us via the contact form available on our website.