What To Consider When Choosing a Wine Club Subscription Service
Are you looking for a reason to raise your glass and celebrate life with your friends and family? If tasting different varieties of wine on a regular basis sounds appealing to you, joining a wine club is a move that just makes sense. You will save lots of money while exploring new flavors, aromas, and faraway lands. Let’s take a look into the world of wine subscription services, and learn what they are all about.
How to Choose a Wine Subscription Service
In order to decide on a wine subscription service, it may be best to first determine if you are a wine novice or a wine connoisseur. If you are just stepping into the world of wines, it is probably best for you to seek out an introductory wine club that can connect you with affordable, quality wines.
If you fit more into the category of an experienced wine aficionado, you might be more inclined to enjoy a wine club that offers exclusive wines that you might not be able to locate elsewhere.
No matter which category you fall into, you will need to decide how many bottles a month you will indulge in with friends and family. It is also important to find a club that you have the ability to pause/resume or cancel altogether whenever you are inclined to do so. Finding a wine subscription that doesn’t empty your wallet is also critical.
How Do Wine Subscriptions Services Work?
As a wine club customer, you will typically sign up for a monthly plan. In the process of doing so, you are asked if you have particular preferences when it comes to wine. You may also be given a brief list of questions that are used to determine which types of wine you may prefer, according to the foods or drinks you enjoy. Next, you will select which wines you want with your shipment, or if you’re feeling adventurous, you can allow the wine club to select them for you.
The majority of wine clubs will inquire if you favor red or white wines, or a mixture of both. Sparkling and rose wines may also be offered. In general, wine clubs will send you between 2-4 bottles each month, however, some offer quite a bit more. Along with your shipment, many wine clubs will send detailed information about each wine selected, some including suggested recipes to prepare or other wine pairing suggestions.
What Features Make One Company Better Than the Other?
Logically, the price per bottle is one influencing factor that makes one company advantageous over another. Low-priced introductory offers with free shipping are also a bonus incentive.
Another feature that makes a wine club potentially attractive is its wide selection of reds, whites, and sparkling wines to choose from. The best clubs offer suggestions for you based on your tastes and ratings of past shipments, but allow you to choose for yourself if you so desire.
A good wine club allows its members to cancel whenever they see fit. A strong reputation should follow the best wine subscription services. The companies we rate here on tastingwine.com all have good reputations in our opinion.
Different Types of Wine Services and How Much They Typically Cost
The monthly price of a wine subscription can vary greatly. The cost is dependent on the quality of the wine you order, the number of bottles offered, and the company you select. With that being said, many companies provide an affordable basic wine club plan as well as a premium plan that sells for a higher cost.
Companies such as Firstleaf like to keep their wine tasting services affordable. They offer an introductory price of $39.95 plus tax for six bottles of wine! After this, each future shipment of 6 wines costs $79.98 (plus any applicable taxes) and $9.95 shipping.
Next enters Naked Wines. After you answer a short quiz about your thoughts on the value of wine, they reveal to you the cost. They offer 6 bottles for $39.99, which they valued at $100. They offer a 100% money-back guarantee and no requirement to make another purchase.
When you visit Wine Insiders, you are invited to sign up with your email to receive a special discount and gift when you are ready to order. They state that the wines included in their club cannot be found anywhere else and are exclusive to club members. Their offer is 12 wines plus 3 free bonus bottles of Bordeaux Blend for $89. You receive a shipment of 12 bottles every 12 weeks that you can cancel anytime.
When you visit the Bright Cellars website, you are taken through a series of questions about your personal tastes. Next, you sign in and create a password. After this, you are matched up with wines that they feel will fit your palate. It is unclear how much everyone else’s bottle of wine costs, but each of the 4 bottles in our test signup was $20 per bottle. After adding on a shipping and service fee, a discount of $50 was given, placing the inital order at a grand total of $42.10 for 4 bottles of wine not too shabby!
If you enjoy tasting wine, Wine Access offers more of a “stock up” opportunity. Their wine club shipment choices are either four times, five times or 6 times a year. They offer different themes for their wine subscription services & shipments. Their prices are definitely on the high end, beginning at $120 per shipment and going up as high as $200 per shipment, but then you’re getting more bottles from unique wine producers.
Last but not least is Winc. This wine-tasting lover’s delight offers 4 bottles for $29.95 for your first month after a quick email sign up. What happens after that in terms of pricing is a bit unclear, but when we did some digging, we found the the ongoing monthly membership fee will be $59.95 per month (but can cancel anytime.). The cool think about Winc is that once you’re a member, every time you rate the bottles you receive, their algorithm gets better and better about selecting wines you’ll like.
Why Choose a Wine Subscription Service? Are They Worth It?
Are wine subscription services worth it? In short, absolutely yes! Unless you are just a very occasional wine drinker, subscribing to a wine club saves you a lot of money. At the same time, you are introduced to new flavors and aromas from around the world which you may have never tried otherwise.
Other Factors to Consider
When ordering your first shipment of wine, pay attention to the fine print. Even though your first shipment may be inexpensive, your next one, which is likely charged automatically, may be significantly higher. Also, keep in mind that in most cases, a shipping charge is added, as is sales tax.
Final Thoughts
If you love to drink wine, and to try new varieties, joining a wine club is an excellent idea. We found pricing to be fair in our research, and the convenience and joy of receiving fresh bottles of wine in the mail on a monthly basis can’t be beat. So check out a few of these wine subscription services and see which one works best for you!
