The Best Wine Clubs and Wine Subscription Services Review

If you enjoy trying new wines, you might want to join a wine club or a wine subscription service. You will be delivered wine at different intervals and you will then be able to discover which wines you prefer. The only thing is that you generally don’t get to choose the wines apart from the colour. You can usually choose between red, white, or a combination of the two. However, some wine clubs do give you a quiz before they send out the wines to you. This gives the club the chance to discover your tastes and choose the wines for you accordingly. Some clubs also allow you to rate the wines which will give them the opportunity to send you similar wines in the future.

Wine clubs and subscription services usually send wine boxes every three months, but some will send wine every month or every six months. However, some clubs will allow you to just take a one-time delivery, skip a delivery, or cancel without penalties. They generally don’t charge membership fees and the wine is sold at discounted prices. It is a win-win situation. Decent wine clubs and wine subscription services offer customer satisfaction and returns.

A great advantage of wine clubs is that you often get to taste wines from small-production wineries who can’t afford big marketing bills. They often produce some of the best wines out there that you won’t be able to find in your local supermarkets or off licences. By buying directly from these producers, the middle-man will be cut out and you will get wine at a reasonable price. You also get discounts because wine clubs and subscription services buy in bulk so their discount is passed onto the customer.

In addition to wine clubs and subscription services, wineries often have their own clubs and deliver their own wines monthly, quarterly, or annually. Again, the middle-man is cut out so you get the wine at a reasonable price.

 

A – Z of Wine Clubs and Subscription Services

There are a lot of wine clubs and subscription services out there and we are now going to take a look at some of them that we regard highly. We have gathered information from the ‘Best of’ guides from experts such as Wine Club Reviews and Forbes.

Blue Apron Wine Plan

Blue Apron Wine Plan cuts out the middle-man and therefore offers you high quality wine at reasonable prices. They source their wine from well-known winemakers and wineries. They are a little different as they deliver wine in 500ml bottles which is 2/3rd the size of a normal bottle. They send you six bottles and you can choose red, white, or a combination of both. This size of bottle is great for two to share. Blue Apron includes tasting notes, pairing tips, and the story behind each wine with each shipment. Skipping a month is easy as is cancellation. 

Bright Cellars Wine Clubs

This wine club was created by two MIT graduates who have concentrated on finding high-quality wines from all over the world. They ask you to first take a quiz so that they can create your taste profile. This gets better as you rate the wines you receive. They are very keen on educating you about wine which is their great love. 

They ship four bottles of wine a month. They are flexible in that they let you skip a month or cancel with ease. If you don’t like a bottle they will send you a free replacement in your next delivery. This naturally just refers to one bottle and not all four.

Cellars Wine Club

Cellars Wine Club was formed in 1999 so they have expertise. They have tasted thousands of wines and don’t sell anything they haven’t tried. They like to discover new wines and find wines that you can’t buy in your local supermarket or off licence. They have in fact shipped 34.4 million bottles of wine.  They donate 15% of the purchase price to a non-profit organisation so you can feel that you are doing some good in the world.

Cellars Wine Club is flexible. They allow you to choose the number of shipments and your wine preferences in terms of colour. 

They have nine different wine clubs and we’ll take a look at them all here.

  • Single Bottle. If you are new to wine, this could be the way to start and see how you like wine. It would also make a nice gift. 
  • Premium. This club delivers high quality wines from all over the world. 
  • International Wines. This also gives you wine from all over the world.
  • Sweet Wines. If you like sweeter wines, including dessert wines, this is the club for you. Most of the wines are white, but you might get a rose or sparkling wine.
  • 90 Plus Point. If you are a wine connoisseur, you will enjoy the wines delivered by this club. All the wines have received 90 points or above on rating scales produced by experts. 
  • Red Trio. This wine club introduces you to a range of reds from the light red of a Pinot Noir to a deep Burgundy. All the wines come from boutique vineyards so you will know that you are getting quality. 
  • West Coast Wines. This club also sources wine from boutique vineyards. These vineyards stretch from the Napa Valley as far as Washington’s Red Mountains. 
  • Sparkling. If you enjoy sparkling wine or are having a celebration, this is the club for you. 
  • Natural Club. If you are interested in natural wines, that is, wines that are made with little or no chemicals or artificial preservatives, join this club. Many of the wines they send you are organic and are fermented with natural yeast. Some of the wines will have been made with different techniques that may have been used in the past. Your selection will include red, white, and rose wines. You might even get an orange wine. This is a rose wine made with white grapes and having an orange hue.

Empathy Wines

Empathy wines source their grapes straight from the growers, blend them, bottle them, and then send them directly to you at half the cost they would be in the supermarkets or off licences. The wines are all produced in California. They send you three shipments a year, matching the wines to the seasons. You get rose in spring, white in the early summer, and red in the autumn. You can choose to have three bottles, six bottles, or twelve bottles per season. 

First Leaf Wine Club

When you sign up with First Leaf Wine Club, you are given a quiz so that they can determine your wine tastes. After tasting and rating the wines, there is a 96% success rate so the quiz is definitely working. First Leaf cuts out the middle-man and you get up to 60% off your wine. Not a bad saving. You can easily skip a delivery or cancel the membership without any questions. 

Gold Medal Wine Club

Gold Medal Wine Club is the longest running, same-ownership wine of the month club in existence in the US. All of the wines are from150 different family-owned boutique wineries. 

Let’s take a look at the six wine clubs that they offer.

  • International Wine Club. This club delivers wines from family owned vineyards from all over the world. They are not wines that you would usually find in your local supermarket or off-licence. You get a shipment of three bottles every three months.
  • Garagiste Wine Club. Wines delivered from this wine club are from small producers. In fact none of them produce more than 1500 bottles annually. You get two bottles a month .
  • Pinot Noir Wine Club. This wine club offers two bottles of Pinot Noir monthly. Most of the wines come from California vineyards although you occasionally get a bottle from abroad. Most of the wines come from small producers.
  • Gold Wine Club. The wines come from boutique wineries in California. You get two bottles a month.
  • Platinum Wine Club. These wines are all 90+ rated, ultra premium, and high quality. They come from the best winemakers in California. You may get a bottle of wine that hasn’t yet been released in wine shops. You get two bottles a month.
  • Diamond Wine Club. This is an exclusive club and only allows 500 members to join. You may have to go on a waiting list if they are full. The clubt sends red wines from both California and from all over the world. All of the wines have a rating of 93+. You get two bottles every three months. 

Great Clubs Wine of the Month Club

This club supplies rare international wines for wine connoisseurs and newbies wanting to spread their wings. The wineries are all small but many have won awards. You can choose a two-month subscription, a three-month, a four-month, a six-month, or a twelve-month. You can choose red, white, or a combination of both. 

Hello Fresh Wine Club

Hello Fresh was first a meal kit delivery service. Then it opened a wine club, giving you the opportunity to pair wines with the meals. If you are not choosing the meals, you can still order the wines. An advantage is that you can choose the delivery date. Every wine order contains six 750ml bottles of wine and you can choose red, white, or a combination of both. The deliveries come once a month and cost $89 per shipment. Shipping is included in the price. You can pause or cancel your subscription at any time with no penalties.  

Laithwaites Wine Clubs

Laithwaites have two wine clubs with a delivery of 12 bottles every three months. Each bottle has tasting notes and serving advice.

Let’s take a look at the two wine clubs.

  • The 4 Seasons Wine Club. You get 12 bottles of premium wine and  you can choose red wine, white wine, or both.
  • Laithwaites Reserve Club. You get the same benefits with this club, but the wines are of a higher quality and have been produced in smaller quantities. 

Martha Stewart Wine Club

If you join the Martha Stewart wine club, you get 12 bottles of wine every three months hand-picked by Martha. You have a choice of red, white or a combination of both colours of wine. There is a low price introductory offer, you get serving, pairing, and entertaining suggestions for each bottle of wine, a tasting note guide,  and free delivery. With your first delivery, you receive a Deluxe 7-piece lever pull corkscrew set. Delivery is free.

NInety+ Cellars

Wine shipments are sent quarterly and include a hand-picked selection of seasonal and  new wines from highly-rated wineries. There are three options.

  • Starter Club. This is ideal for people who want to start their wine journey or for those who drink just occasionally. You get a mixture of reds and whites, and sometimes a sparkling or rose. 
  • Red Club.  If you enjoy red wine, this is the club for you. You can choose to have six or twelve bottles delivered every three months.
  • Mixed Club. Again you can choose either six or twelve bottles per quarter. You will get a mix of reds and whites and sometimes a sparkling wine or a rose.

Plonk Wine Club

Plonk presents unusual wines that have been grown organically or biodynamically all over the world. They don’t sell wine that has been treated with pesticides or chemicals. They showcase wines from untapped regions such as Greece, Hungary, and Croatia. They also introduce customers to more off-beat wines such as Teroldego and Xarel-lo.You can choose the colour of the wine, your subscription frequency,and the number of bottles you want. You can have four, six, or twelve bottles in your shipment. 

Tasting Room Wine Club by Lot 18

This is an unusual wine club. They give you the opportunity to taste six mini bottles of wine. You then tell them which you prefer and they create your wine profile. You then get full-size bottles that match your taste and after you can rate the wines which will help with future deliveries. You can choose between reds, whites, or a mixture of both, specify how many bottles you want, and how often and when you want them delivered. 

The California Wine Club

The California Wine Club has been operating since 1990. They help artisan wineries share their small-batch wines with wine enthusiasts. They have a hands-on approach in that they visit the wineries, meet the families, and see how the wine is produced. 

The California Wine Club has six monthly wine clubs which we’ll take a look at now.

  • Premier Series. This is the most popular wine club. You get two bottles each month, one red and one white. However you can opt to have four bottles. In addition to the wine you get a guide to the winery, tasting notes, and wine tips. You have access to a personal wine consultant, up to 50% off reorders, and a tour of one of the wineries. The wines come from California from Napa, Snoma, Monterey, Mendocino, and Santa Barbara.
  • Signature Series. This is a wine club for people who like the best. The wines have awards, 90+ ratings, and are limited. You won’t find them in a wine shop. You can choose two, three, or four bottles a month. Most of the wines are red, but occasionally you will get a white. All the wines are from California and again you get tasting notes and tips, access to a personal wine consultant, and discounts on reorders. 
  • International Series. This wine club introduces you to wines of the world. Wines come from such countries as France, Germany, Australia, Argentina, and South Africa. Wine selections are hand-picked by the club and imported directly by them. You get the same benefits as the other clubs. Each month you will get two bottles of wine, one red and one white.
  • Aged Cabernet. Each month you get two prestigious aged Napa Cabernets, aged for eight to twelve years and ready to drink now. 
  • Pacific Northwest Series. You get two bottles of wine per shipment, one red and one white. The wines come from Washington state and Oregon.
  • Case Club Series. This is a new wine club and sends you 12 bottles. You can choose reds, whites, or a combination of both. You can also choose whether to have shipments each month, every other month, or quarterly. Most of the wines are from California, although you might get the occasional bottle from Washington or Oregon. Eash wine is hand-selected from an artisan winery.

The Fat CorkClub

The Fat Cork Club was formed in 2009 by a couple who love champagne and wanted to bring the best champagne to the US. All the champagnes have been aged for between twenty to sixty years. 

The International Wine of the Month Club

This club delivers wine from boutique wineries. They are environmentally friendly and their packaging is 100% recyclable.  

There are four monthly clubs you can join and we’ll have a look at them now.

  • Premier Series. You get two estate-bottled,  limited production boutique wines from two different wineries.. You can choose red, white, or mixed. 
  • The Bold Reds. This club offers two international red wines. They are deep reds with fruit flavours, ripe tannins, and oak tones from barrel ageing. 
  • The Masters Series. With this club you get a bottle of wine from the Premier  Club and one from The Collectors Series. The wines are international boutique wines and you can choose two reds or one red or one white. 
  • The Collectors Series. The wines are extremely limited and aged nicely. They are rich, full, and complex wines. You can choose one red and one white or two reds. 

The Original Wine of the Month Club

This club has been around for a long time, 1972 in fact. They offer thirteen clubs  and we’ll take a look at them here.

  • Classic Series. The wines come from smaller lesser-known wineries. You can choose two reds, two whites, or one of each.
  • Vintner Series. This club offers high-end wines from such places as Napa Valley, Bordeaux, the Loire, Tuscany, and Australia. You might even get a Chardonnay from Virginia. 
  • Limited Series. This club offers hard-to-find boutique wines which are in short supply and are not found in wine shops or supermarkets.
  • Pacific Wine Series. This wine club offers wines from California, Washington, and Oregon. All the wines are red.
  • Bordeaux Series. The wines in this club all come from the iconic wine-growing area of Bordeaux in France. You can choose reds, whites, or a combination of both.
  • Napa-Sonoma Series. All the wines come from the Napa and Sonoma regions of California
  • Pure Organic Wine Series. If you are interested in sustainability, try this wine club. The wines are Paleo friendly, Keto friendly, and vegan. The grapes are dry-farmed and are hand harvested. The soil is low in sulphurs and the farming is biodynamic.
  • Rose Series. The rose wines come from all over the world.
  • Sweet Series. The wines offered aren’t dessert wines, but wines with just a touch of sweetness.
  • Case Club Membership. Every three months you get eight red bottles of wine and four white.
  • Mystery Club Case.  This is a mixture of Classic, Vintners, and Limited wines. The wines can come from all over the world and will be a surprise.
  • Pinot Noir Private Club. This is an exclusive group which has limited membership. You will get your Pinot Noir four times a year.
  • Cellar Series. You get six bottles of wine, four reds and two whites every other month. The wines will be from the Classic, Vintners, and Limited series.

Uncorked Ventures

Uncorked Ventures offer three wine clubs. The wines all come from small-production wineries.

  • Reserve Selection. The wines are all high-end.  You get three bottles each month.
  • Special Selection. This club offers solely red wines, many of which have very limited production. You can choose either two or three bottles each month.
  • Explorations Wine Club. This is the most affordable of the three wine clubs. The wines all come from California, Oregon, or Washington. You get two bottles a month.

Vine Oh!

Vine Oh! delivers wine from California.  You can choose to have either four bottles delivered each month or six and you can choose red or whiote wine or a combination of both. When you sign up you get a free gift and there are often free gifts throughout the year.

Vinebox

Vinebox has taken a novel approach to the idea of a wine club. You are given the opportunity to buy vials of  wine by the glass giving you the chance to try out new wines, new regions, and different wine styles. Especially if you are new to wine, it will give you the opportunity to find out what you like in a wine. You can buy packs of three or nine. The club also sells bottles of the trial wines so you can then purchase the wines you like.

Vinesse Wine Club

Vinesse specialises in helping wine lovers to find limited-production and unique wines that you won’t find on supermarket shelves. All the wines are approved by a tasting panel of wine connoisseurs. You receive six bottles of wine quarterly.

Vinely Wine Club

Vinely Wine Club is based in San Francisco and delivers three bottles of wine from different local wineries each month. You will be supporting local wineries and will receive high-quality craft wines. With each shipment you will find tasting notes, pairing tips, and the story of the club. The wines are often organic and biodynamic.

Winc Wine Club

Winc Wine Club gives you a quiz so that they can tailor the wines to your tastes and preferences. They then send you four bottles each month and after you have tried them, you are given an opportunity to rate them. Your ratings are taken into consideration for future shipments. The wines they supply have been produced using minimal-intervention winemaking methods and sustainable farming techniques. The wines range from classic blends to ones produced in obscure single vineyards.

Wine Awesomeness Wine Club

Wine Awesomeness wants you to discover more about wine. You will learn the stories behind the bottles you receive, how to describe the wines like a professional, and what foods to pair them with. They deliver monthly shipments of either three or six bottles.

Wine Down Box

Wine Down Box is another unique wine club. Not only do they deliver wine, but they also deliver cheese and charcuterie to pair with the wines you will be drinking. You can sign up for a one month, three month, six month, or twelve month subscription. The longer you take your subscription out for, the cheaper the price will be.

WSJ Wine Club

The aim of WSJ Wine Club is to introduce you to new wines and to expand your horizons. They have two wine clubs.

  • Discovery Club. This is a good club for those who are new to wine. You will start by tasting the club’s top twelve wines of your choice of reds, whites, or a mixture of both. With your starting box, you will get two extra bottles of an Italian red and a pair of crystal glasses.
  • Premium Club. This twelve bottle case also gives you the choice of reds, whites, or a combination of both. You will receive the highest recommendations the club gives. Most of the wines are rated at 90+.  If you choose twelve bottles of red, you will get 3 bottles of a 96 point Tuscan classic as a free gift.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I join a wine club?

If you are new to wine, joining a wine club is a good idea as it will introduce you to a world of wine. If you are an expert, it can be worth joining a wine club that delivers limited edition wines and ones that you can’t find in a wine shop or supermarket. You may find new wines that you like and you can usually reorder bottles that you like. Some wine clubs also provide information about the wines, tasting tips, and food pairings that can help increase your knowledge about wine.

What happens if the order is damaged?

Wine clubs are generally meticulous in the way they pack their wines. However, accidents can happen. Most wine clubs will take responsibility for any damage. They will usually offer you your money back or change the bottle if only one has been damaged. Some clubs will give you the next month free.

Leave a Comment