Monthly Wine Subscriptions: Experience New Wines
With 2020 being the year of staying home, entertainment at home has become a prime necessity for millions. For those who are stuck inside and bored, but love a fine glass of wine, a wine club may be the right thing to alleviate boredom. Not only do members receive bottles of wine every month but many clubs include activities or videos to fill your head with wine knowledge as you fill your glasses.
Most of these wine clubs operate on a subscription type plan where you can pick out a selection or go with a “surprise me” option. Many of the following wine clubs also offer Zoom type calls for group tastings and to socialize with other wine enthusiasts. Perhaps you are thinking of joining a club but are not sure where to start. There are many good wine clubs out there so narrowing down the search is a good idea. This list offers the best wine clubs in 2020 as well as additional information concerning pricing, features and benefits.
WINC
After a little rebranding the former Club W has taken up the new moniker of WINC. This specific wine club offers over 80 types of wines from all over the world as well as domestically produced wines. WINC, unlike other wine clubs, allows you to customize your order instead of a flat rate per box. By individually pricing their own bottles you have the option to control how much you spend so you can shop for your tastes and value. Each month you are allowed to pick 4 bottles and have them shipped to you with a flat shipping rate that remains constant. Every wine comes with information on each, from flavor profile to food pairings. WINC also ships your wine to your door quickly, which is great for any wine lover. Members pay around $52 which covers shipping and handling, and new members get 20% off coupons for their first selections. Another amazing feature is that you are not locked into anything with WINC and can cancel or skip months as needed. But what if you order a wine and do not like it? Then let them know and you get the cost of that wine credited back to your WINC membership for another bottle to try.
FirstLeaf
FirstLeaf sends you wine every month, but the difference is they are tailored to your likes and tastes. FirstLeaf works very closely with their growers so they get reasonable pricing on wine which allows you to receive savings overall for the cost of the subscription. Most of the vineyards FirstLeaf works closely with are either award winning vineyards or new businesses looking for a larger audience for their products. Looking at online reviews for FirstLeaf you will notice just how many people are in love with the customer service and quick turn around on orders of wine. When you sign up you will be given a short quiz that helps determine your specific palate and what type of wine you more than likely enjoy. The real magic begins when you start to rate the wines and the algorithms of the site start to learn your tastes and preferences. Every box of wine you receive has been crafted for your specific enjoyment. The wines are all priced around $13-15 with the whole order roughly costing $90. This may sound expensive but compared to other clubs you are receiving more bottles of wine. If you do not like a wine you are sent, it will be refunded. This company has made its home in Napa Valley, CA, where numerous award winning vineyards are located and can be found on most major social media sites under their name FirstLeaf.
Cellar 503
The concept behind this wine club is fun even if their selection is limited to Oregon vineyards. The fun or creative feature they employ is each box has a theme built around it and ideas for wine pairings with foods are included. Along with the fun themes you get to learn specifically where the wine originated from as well the producer’s stories, and a note explaining this month's theme from the head of the company. Examples of past themes being: Women Winemakers, Mexican Food Wines, and old/new world wines. Members of this club dish out around $45-50 and receive two bottles. The price includes shipping and handling. There are also virtual wine tastings held by Cellar 503 so you can follow along at home but still feel like you are there with the host at Cellar 503.
Tasting Room
Looking at the previous wine clubs you may be thinking that it seems fairly expensive to be in a wine club. This is where the club Tasting Room comes in handy. Tasting Room offers the users a selection of smaller wine bottles so you can still taste many different wines but at a lower cost, which is a life saver for wine lovers on a budget. If you enjoy a wine you taste you can order a normal sized bottle from their website. The first sampler box is priced at $10 which is unarguably much lower than the other clubs listed.
Belle & Bottle
Looking for an exclusively curated wine selection offered by a wine club started in 2020? Then Belle & Bottle is the place for you. Belle & Bottle offers ‘wine experiences’ along with all the information needed or wanted on the wine you are partaking in. This company focuses on small scale wine growers to show the skill and craft of vineyards who are overlooked by bigger wine clubs. Part of your membership fee goes to support these small vineyards to help them expand so more people can experience their craft. Exclusive offers are offered almost every week to members and a new wine gets featured too. The membership starts at $50 though, unfortunately, they cannot ship to every state. So verify your state can receive their wine before joining.
