Best Wine Clubs &#8211; Wine Club Judge

BEST FOR WINE CONNOISSEURS

Vinebox

Wine Club

Value rating

Price

Check on Vinebox

BEST FOR THOSE WITH DIETARY RESTRICTIONS

Plonk

Wine Club

Value rating

Price

BEST OVERALL

Winc

Wine Club

Value rating

Price

BEST FOR WINE CONNOISSEURS

Vinebox

Wine Club

Value rating

Price

Check on Vinebox

BEST FOR THOSE WITH DIETARY RESTRICTIONS

Plonk

Wine Club

Value rating

Price

Best wine club gifts
How to choose a wine club gift
Final thoughts

Best wine club gifts

Wine club gifts offer a new way for those who already love wine to explore their favorite drink. But, some wine club gifts are better than others.

Here are five of the top wine club gifts in the US at the moment, to help you give a present your loved ones will really enjoy.

1. Winc Wine Club

Winc Wine Club is a wine subscription service with over 100 California wines and a choice selection of other worldwide blends.

They offer a wide range of whites, reds, rosés, and sparkling wines. As a result, they’re great for those who are eager to try a mix of different types of wine.

Another cool thing about Winc is that they’ve got a line of artisan wines created in the club’s exclusive vineyards. This means that with a Winc subscription, you can give your friends bottles that they might not be able to find in the supermarket.

One thing to note is that Winc uses an introductory wine quiz to determine your preferences and customize your shipment. If you’re just signing up for yourself, this is great for determining which bottles to include. But, when buying for friends it can complicate the ordering process a bit.

Still, Winc also offers curated orders for those shipping it as a gift. This way, you can skip the stress of messing up the quiz – instead you can rely on wine experts to choose the best bottles to send out to your loved one.

Each wine shipment comes with four bottles, together with food pairing tips and tasting notes. These are a nice touch if you’re giving the subscription as a gift, because they let the recipient get to know a bit more about what they’re drinking.

Another perk is that this club is pretty affordable, meaning you can give this gift without breaking the bank.

What you should note is that Winc’s wines tend to be crowd-pleasers rather than bottles with unique flavors. As a result, they’re best for beginners, rather than wine connoisseurs.

Finally, another nice thing about Winc is that you can actually give gift cards as well. If you’d prefer not to gift an entire subscription, you can just load a card that lets your friends and family members choose the bottles they’d like to order as a one-off purchase.

Overall value

Price
Check on Winc

Pros

Wines are great for beginners and seasoned drinkers alike.
You can choose unique artisan bottles you won’t find in local wine retail stores.
Offers gift cards for one-time gift purchases.
Gives you the option of curated bottles chosen by wine experts.

Cons

The quiz can make it tough to choose bottles for your friends.

2. Vinebox Wine Club

Whereas Winc is great for casual drinkers or those just getting into wine, Vinebox provides flavors for people who have more experience with wine.

While with most wine clubs you receive bottles, Vinebox sends you nine vials of wine in sampling sizes. The benefit here is that you pay a fraction of what you’d pay for those bottles. And, you can try wines from around the world as well as premium blends that are hard to find.

There are no mass-produced bottles in this subscription. All selections are sourced from boutique and vintage vineyards in Europe.

Vinebox is just responsible for packaging and distribution, which they do using closed-nitrogen environments to prevent the wine from oxidizing. This preserves the wine’s flavor profile and mouth feel.

Because Vinebox focuses on international, premium, and artisan wine, it’s great for those who already have a lot of wine experience under their belt. The samplers give wine lovers a chance to try out different wines without worrying about running into something they’ve already had.

Another nice thing about Vinebox is that they offer personalization. If you’re giving the wine as a gift, you can ask them to include a custom note in the box for your loved one to read.

The only real downside to this subscription is that it’s not very flexible. You won’t be able to make changes to your shipments or purchase full-size bottles in each order. So, you’re a bit limited in your gift options.

Overall value

Price
Check on Vinebox

Pros

Sources wines from Europe instead of local US blends.
An affordable gift option.
The wine selections are premium and high-end.
Tailor-made gift boxes that are easy to dedicate to others.

Cons

Not flexible with shipments.

3. Plonk Wine Club

Plonk Wine Club is a good pick for adventurous wine drinkers and those who have special dietary restrictions. When you’re giving wine as a gift, making sure the club offers blends that meet different dietary requirements is extra helpful.

Plonk includes gluten-free, sugar-free, and organic wines. They also offer flexibility in the type of wines included, with a combination of reds, whites, and sparkling options. Plus, you can choose to receive anywhere from four to twelve bottles of wine each month.

The flexibility is great for those who want to give the subscription as a gift. You can select the size and frequency that makes sense for the recipient, as well as for your budget.

Just note that the larger the shipment, the higher the cost – larger subscriptions can be pretty pricey. Also, Plonk doesn’t have a money-back guarantee, although they will replace corked or damaged bottles.

Another nice thing about this club is that each package also comes with tasting notes. This is a nice touch, especially if you’re gifting the subscription to someone who isn’t particularly familiar with wine.

You can also select the “This is a Gift” option at check out, which will include a gift receipt with the recipient’s package. This way, your recipient won’t actually know the cost of the subscription.

Overall value

Price
Check on Plonk

Pros

Shipments are flexible.
Offers organic and biodynamic wine selections.
Each bottle comes with tasting notes.
Hassle-free to replace damaged or corked bottles.

Cons

The subscriptions can get pricey if you choose higher quantities of wine.
There’s no money-back guarantee.

4. Naked Wines Subscription

Naked Wines connects directly with small and boutique wineries. Instead of a monthly subscription, you pay a monthly fee, which gives wineries the funds they need to continue operating successfully.

Because of the direct connection with boutique wineries, the bottles are unique options you won’t usually find in most local retail stores. This makes Naked Wines great as a gift for wine drinkers who have already tried a lot of common blends.

However, you should note that the Naked Wines business model makes it a bit different when giving it as a gift. With this wine club, you’ll be limited to giving gift cards which can go toward the monthly membership fees.

Alternatively, you can gift a curated wine box with a customized message and card. However, this will be a one-time purchase as opposed to a monthly subscription.

Although there is a bit of limitation in terms of the gift options, there is a lot of flexibility with the variety of wine. Naked Wines allows you to choose red, white, and sparkling blends from both local and international wine-making regions. This is great for helping you create a well-rounded gift with lots of options for the recipient.

Overall value

Price
Check on Naked Wines

Pros

Has direct connections with wineries so you get premium bottles.
Includes numerous wine varietals.
Allows you to add a personalized message with your shipment.

Cons

Can’t order ongoing subscriptions as gifts.

5. Firstleaf Subscription

Firstleaf is an award-winning wine subscription, which means that they’re great for wine lovers who have already tried the usual bottles you’ll find in grocery stores – Firstleaf offers unique bottles from world-class wineries.

What’s particularly great about giving Firstleaf as a gift, however, is the gift card that they offer.

With this option, instead of gifting an entire subscription, you can gift a set amount of cash that your friend or family member can then use to purchase bottles of their choosing. Alternatively, they can use the gift card toward a subscription themselves.

What’s nice about this is that it gives you a few more options in terms of gifts. For those with a set budget, this is a nice touch.

What you should be aware of, however, is that Firstleaf has some shipping restrictions. Make sure to check which state your loved one lives in before choosing to give them Firstleaf as a gift. Currently, Firstleaf ships to 47 states as well as Washington DC.

Despite the shipping restrictions, they do offer flexible shipment schedules. You can choose from monthly, bimonthly, or quarterly shipments. This is another nice perk for those who want to give the shipment as a gift.

Overall value

Price
Check on Firstleaf

Pros

Wines from award-winning wineries.
Offers both gift cards and gift subscriptions.
Flexible with shipment schedules.

Cons

Has shipping limitations, depending on the state you live in.

How to choose a wine club gift

Choosing the best wine club gift can be challenging, especially since each subscription is a little bit different.

To help you choose a great gift that your friend will love, there are a few things to keep in mind. Here’s what to consider when selecting a wine club as a gift.

Look at the quality of the wine

The quality of the wine is one of the most important factors when choosing a wine club, whether it’s for yourself or for a friend.

When looking for a wine club gift, the easiest way to tell the quality of the club is to look at the region the grapes are sourced from and the winemakers they work with. You can get this information by checking out the about page on the wine club’s website.

Checking out the region where the grapes are sourced from can give you details on how well the varietals grow in that area. Some areas are better suited to certain types of grape, so checking out the region’s specialty can give you some clues as to how the wine will taste.

Additionally, looking at the winemakers’ details can tell you how much experience they have as well as their winemaking process. This is important for determining whether additives or preservatives were used in the winemaking process, as well as their reputation for good-quality wine.

Check the subscription renewal

Depending on the wine club, most will offer a wide variety of different subscriptions. When it comes to gifting a club, you want one that gives you flexibility in renewing your subscription. This way, you can avoid the subscription renewing and billing you beyond what you wanted to give to your loved one.

Another thing to look for is whether it’s possible to cancel anytime. If you choose a club with this option, you can cancel the subscription once you hit a certain date. Alternatively, you can go with an auto-renew order.

Think about how you want to go about giving your gift, and what you want the cancellation options to be like. You might want to avoid having to remember to cancel the gift in the future.

See what goodies are included

Although they’re not essential, looking for wine club gifts that offer additional perks as part of your subscription can really help take your gift to the next level.

Many clubs such as Winc accompany each gift shipment with food pairing tips and tasting notes.

Tasting notes help enhance an individual’s wine-drinking experience, while food pairing tips elevate how you enjoy your wine. These are particularly great if you’re giving a subscription to someone who has slightly less experience with wine.

Other subscriptions offer free wine bottle openers, winemaker histories, and other unique perks. Check out what your chosen wine club gift offers before settling for one to give as a present.

Look for the right variety of wine

Some wine clubs focus exclusively on local varietals, while others, like Vinebox, only provide international wines. Then, there are clubs that focus on a mix of the two.

Think about your recipient’s wine preferences and familiarity when choosing a subscription. If they drink a lot of local wine, it might be nice to mix things up and give them an international subscription so they can try something new. On the other hand, if they only like local wine, you can look for clubs that will cater to this.

Likewise, look at the variety of reds, whites, rosés, and sparklings each gift subscription includes. If you already know your recipient’s preferences, choose a subscription that offers their preferred type of wine.

Check for seasonal options

If you’re gifting a wine club subscription during the holidays, you can often find seasonal subscriptions that are tailored towards gift giving.

Often, these subscriptions will only send out shipments during the holiday season and won’t auto-renew, which makes them perfect for gift-giving.

Alternatively, clubs sometimes offer seasonal discounts. This can make it more affordable for you to give a wine club subscription as a gift.

Finally, clubs sometimes offer seasonal wines. This can be a great way to give specialty wines that your loved ones might not otherwise get to try. Be sure to check out what each subscription is offering during the different seasons to make sure you get a great gift.

Final thoughts

Wine clubs make excellent gifts for loved ones, whether they’re wine afficionados or just enjoy casual drinking.

When looking for a wine club gift, checking the subscription options, wine variety, and extra goodies can help you find a subscription that your friend or family member will love.

Do you still have questions about wine club gifts? Leave us a comment, and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

About the author

Jessica Fleming-Montoya

My name’s Jessica, and I’m a full-time writer and part-time wine lover. I love being able to share expertise through the power of words.

I’m a self-proclaimed wine expert who’s been a patron and member of multiple vineyards. As someone who’s lived in the California Napa Valley and studied wine formally at the university level, I’ve gained a good chunk of knowledge on wine, its origins, and the current market.

I particularly like a good burgundy, but failing that, dry white wine is my go-to. Today you’ll find me sharing my wine expertise with the world. I may or may not have a glass of wine by my desk as I do it.

Best Chardonnay Wine of the Month Clubs | 2026

Jessica Fleming-Montoya — Thu, 22 Sep 2022 10:27:17 +0000

Chardonnays are the 5th most popular grape in the world. However, while Chardonnays are all made from the same type of grape, they can have some pretty unique flavor profiles.

If you’re one of the many fans of this flavor variety, a Chardonnay wine club is a great way to explore these types of wines.

In this guide, we’ll look at the best Chardonnay wine clubs. We’ll also go over a few tips on how to pick the right subscription for your specific needs.

Quick comparison table

BEST OVERALL

Vinesse

Chardonnay Subscription

Value rating

Price

BEST FOR DOMESTIC CHARDONNAY

California

Wine Club

Value rating

Price

BEST FOR BEGINNERS

Winc

Wine Club

Value rating

Price

BEST OVERALL

Vinesse

Chardonnay Subscription

Value rating

Price

BEST FOR DOMESTIC CHARDONNAY

California

Wine Club

Value rating

Price

BEST FOR BEGINNERS

Winc

Wine Club

Value rating

Price

Best Chardonnay wine clubs
How to choose a Chardonnay wine club
Final thoughts

Best Chardonnay wine clubs

Finding a wine club subscription that offers a wide range of quality Chardonnays can be tough.

Here are five of the best Chardonnay wine clubs in the US at the moment.

1. Vinesse Chardonnay Subscription

Vinesse is a premium yet budget-friendly wine club subscription that sources its bottles from both domestic and international wine regions.

Vinesse is one of the few wine clubs that have a subscription for Chardonnay varietals only, which is aptly named the Chardonnay Wine Club. This subscription includes some quality Chardonnays from renowned wine regions, including:

The Burgundy Region in France
Napa Valley in California
Russan River Valley in California
Hunter Valley in Australia
New Zealand
Italy
South Africa
Chile
Argentina

These locations are some of the best winemaking regions in the world, ensuring that you’re getting quality bottles.

What’s also unique about this is Vinesse doesn’t just source from domestic vineyards, but also includes a few international options as well. This makes it ideal for those who don’t just want Chardonnays from the US.

The majority of the bottles are sourced from small-batch wineries, which means that you get wines that are artisan rather than mass-produced. As a result, you get much more nuanced blends.

Another perk of the club is that you get tasting notes, food pairing recommendations, touring tips for the wine regions, and detailed bottle information. For those interested in learning more about the wine you’re drinking, this is a nice bonus.

While there are plenty of great things about this Chardonnay wine club, you should be aware that the subscription only ships four bottles once a month. There’s not a ton of flexibility, so if that’s what you’re after, this probably isn’t the best choice.

Overall value

Price
Check on Vinesse

Pros

Includes both international and domestic wines.
Only Chardonnay bottles in the subscription.
The wines tend to be artisanal rather than mass-produced.
You get food pairings, touring tips, and detailed tasting notes in each shipment.

Cons

There’s not a lot of flexibility.

2. California Wine Club

Although Chardonnay originally hails from France, California’s Napa and Sonoma valleys are now famous for producing some of the world’s best Chardonnay varieties.

If you want premium Chardonnay wines sourced from California, check out California Wine Club – a subscription service that focuses on supporting local Californian wineries.

While it does not offer Chardonnay-only monthly subscriptions, you can easily include some of its fantastic Chardonnay bottles in your regular shipments.

Although this club is great for Chardonnay lovers, you’ll have to do some of the legwork in putting together each box yourself. This can be a bit of added effort when compared to Chardonnay-only wine clubs.

If you don’t mind the extra work, however, you can experience some pretty fantastic Californian Chardonnays with this subscription.

The California Wine Club sources hard-to-find Chardonnay wine bottles, ranging from limited editions from the Napa Valley, to high-end reserves grown by Michelin-starred restaurants.

Some of the outstanding bottles in this wine club’s Chardonnay collection include:

2017 Nine Hats Reserve Chardonnay, Columbia Valley Reserve
2018 Domaine Rutz Sonoma Cuvée Chardonnay
2018 Coelho Winery Chardonnay, Willamette Valley
2019 Miller Family Wine Company Thornhill Chardonnay from Napa Valley

If you’ve already got quite a lot of experience with Chardonnays, this can be a great way to get your hands on some more exclusive bottles at a lower price.

The club also has quite a bit of flexibility, allowing you to choose from monthly, bimonthly, or quarterly shipment schedules.

Each shipment comes with two or four bottles, depending on your preference, which is great if you frequently change the amount of wine you drink or aren’t looking for a standard monthly subscription.

The California Wine Club also has the following perks:

Discounted wine prices on bottles not included in your subscription.
A wine consultant to help you with choosing the best bottles.
Free passes for tours and wine tastings at Californian wineries.

If you live in the California area or want additional assistance picking your blends, these can be some pretty helpful perks. Plus, they’re not commonly included in most other wine subscriptions, making this a bit of a standout choice.

Overall value

Pros

Offers premium and reserve wines.
Has quite a bit of flexibility in terms of shipments.
Includes special benefits for in-state customers.
Offers wine consultants to help you find new bottles for your order.

Cons

Requires you to build your own subscription box.

3. Winc Wine Club

Winc Wine Club focuses on creating curated subscriptions at affordable prices. The club sources wine largely from California, but they do have a few international Chardonnay bottles available as well.

Winc specializes in catering to what you want with its wine preference quiz, which helps them determine what bottles you enjoy most. After taking the quiz, Winc will hand-pick the bottles for you, giving you guidance to help build a curated four-bottle shipment of wine each month.

Just remember that you’ll have to state in the quiz that you only want Chardonnay, or you could get a mix of different wine types.

Winc offers a number of different types of Chardonnay, largely sourced from California but with a few international bottles as well. All their wines are artisan and small-batch, meaning they support small businesses and are generally of higher quality than mass-produced wines. A few of the bottles you can get from Winc include:

2019 #TBT Chardonnay, California
2019 Kin & Country Chardonnay, Lodi, California
2020 Emu in the Sky Chardonnay, Barossa Valley, Australia
2019 Folly of the Beast Chardonnay, Central Coast, California

While these are certainly solid wines, they’re more easy drinking bottles, rather than unique bottles with complex flavor notes. If you’re looking for more nuanced flavors, Winc probably isn’t the best choice.

On top of that, there’s not a huge selection with this club. You can get through all the Chardonnays in their collection within a few months if you consistently order. So, if you don’t want to repeat bottles, this might not be the right pick.

Still, Winc is an affordable club that helps hand-pick your bottles, making it a great choice for beginners. Plus, they offer specialty wines such as organic or low-calories wines that also make it a good pick for those with dietary restrictions.

Overall value

Price
Check on Winc

Pros

Offers both foreign and domestic wines.
An affordable club.
Helps you pick out the bottles through a customized quiz.
Offers low-calorie and organic wines as well.

Cons

Not premium bottles.

4. Naked Wines Wine Club

Naked Wines is a unique wine subscription that focuses on helping small, boutique wineries grow. The club works on the basis of a monthly fee you have to pay, which you can then distribute among bottles you want to receive.

This wine club gives you quite a bit of flexibility, too. You can choose how many bottles you want to receive each month as well as how frequently you want to get your shipment.

You can also skip a month if you decide you don’t want your order, which is great for those whose wine needs change on a regular basis.

Naked Wines has tons of different types of wine varieties for you to choose from, including some pretty unique Chardonnay blends. A few of the bottles you can get with these subscriptions include:

2020 Scott Kelley Chardonnay, Oregon
2020 Jac Cole Unoaked Chardonnay, Russian River Valley
2020 Brothers Miller Unoaked Chardonnay, Santa Barbara
2020 Irene Paiva Qu Reserva Chardonnay, Curico Valley

What’s nice about these bottles is that there’s a mix of domestic and international wines, and the domestic bottles aren’t just sourced from California. As a result, you can try blends from a number of different regions.

In terms of downsides, Naked Wines is a bit on the pricier side. Although you do get retail discounts of 40-60% off, the cost of a subscription can still add up quickly. As a result, it’s not best for those who want an affordable wine club.

Overall value

Price
Check on Naked Wines

Pros

Has domestic wines from a number of different states.
Includes boutique wines.
Offers a lot of flexibility.

Cons

Tends to be on the pricier side.

5. SomMailier Wine Club

SomMailier Wine Club is a French wine subscription that works exclusively with small-batch wineries in France. This club is a family project of the Bordeaux region, with great connections in wine-tasting events and communities.

Because of the club’s connections, each shipment includes the wine’s history and information, tasting notes, and food pairing ideas. They also have a wine region map on their website that you can use to learn more about each bottle in your subscription.

One of the famous wine selections offered by this wine club is their Chardonnay collection. You get at least three bottles per shipment, and you can personalize the delivery according to your taste preferences.

Some of the Chardonnay you can enjoy include:

2020 La Croix Belle, Cotes de Thongue
2019 Cháteau Pech de Jammes white
Via Cariratis Chardonnay
2019 Domaine Bulliat, Cuvée Caracteré

All the bottles offered at SomMailier are French, so if you want domestic wines, you’re out of luck. However, considering that the first Chardonnay wine was made in France, these wines tend to be very good if you like this type of wine.

Another thing to know about SomMailier is the shipping costs and the per bottle cost tend to be on the higher end. Still, since you get premium bottles, you tend to receive higher-quality blends than you do with other subscriptions.

Overall value

Price
Check on SomMailer

Pros

A family-owned project that supports local businesses.
High quality wines.
Flexible shipment options.

Cons

Only offers French wines.
Shipping prices are quite high.

How to choose a Chardonnay wine club

Choosing an ideal Chardonnay wine club requires you to do your research and really look into each subscription service. If you do your homework, you should end up joining a club that offers high-quality wines at a reasonable price point.

Here are a few essential factors you shouldn’t neglect when choosing a Chardonnay wine club.

Look at the region they’re sourcing from

Chardonnays are sensitive grapes that are greatly affected by the climate and weather of the region in which they’re grown.

For instance, if wine clubs source grapes from climates with cooler temperatures, you get bottles with higher acidity and citrusy flavors. In contrast, warmer climates will yield Chardonnays with tropical fruit flavors like pineapple.

On top of that, some areas are simply too hot or too cold to produce wine with a rich, balanced flavor. When looking for a club that’s focused on Chardonnays, make sure to check out what regions the clubs source from.

Some of the top Chardonnay regions to look out for include:

Champagne, France
Franschhoek, South Africa
Franciacorta, Italy
Margaret River, Australia
Napa Valley, California

Although there are other areas where you can find good Chardonnays, it’s important to do your research. Verifying where the grapes are grown can help you find tasty blends with a robust flavor profile.

Check for small batch vs. large batch wineries

Both small-batch and large-batch wineries can produce great wines, but the flavor profiles often come out quite different.

Small-batch wineries allow wine-makers to pay more attention to every detail in the process. They’re more likely to ensure that the fruit is grown in ideal weather conditions for the perfect maturation of the grapes.

Additionally, small-batch wineries offer more transparency into their winemaking process. It’s often easier to see how the wine is made, fermented, and aged, which can tell you a lot about the quality of the final product.

While large-batch wineries can also produce unique tasting bottles, they often take less care in their products, producing wines that are more easy-drinking as opposed to having nuanced flavors.

Think about what type of Chardonnay you’re looking for. If it’s easy drinking you’re after, clubs that source from large-batch wineries are probably fine. On the other hand, if you’re looking for unique flavors and subtle tasting notes, you’re probably better off sticking with clubs that source from artisan wineries.

Find clubs that offer tasting notes

While tasting notes aren’t essential, if you’re joining a club that only sells a certain type of wine, they can be helpful. Otherwise, the flavors of the different wines can start to run together after a while.

This is especially true if you’re a beginner and haven’t been drinking wine for a very long time. With the tasting notes, you have a guide to help you identify and differentiate the different Chardonnay bottles you try.

Research the winemakers

Every winemaker has their own process for growing, fermenting, and bottling wines. The technique a winemaker uses can greatly affect the taste and flavor profile of the final product.

Chardonnays are a type of wine that is very easy to make too bitter or too dry. When an inexperienced winemaker attempts to make these blends, they can end up quite low-quality.

Before committing to a Chardonnay wine club, look into what winemakers a club partners with. This should give you some clues as to the quality and taste of the Chardonnay, and can help you select a club that fits your preferences.

Final thoughts

Chardonnay is one of the most commonly sought-out wine varietals, but finding a good wine club can be tough.

Keeping an eye on the type and number of different Chardonnays a club has, as well as the region they source from, is the key to helping you discover your new favorite Chardonnay blend with a wine club you join.

Do you still have questions about Chardonnay wine clubs? Leave us a comment, and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

About the author

Jessica Fleming-Montoya

My name’s Jessica, and I’m a full-time writer and part-time wine lover. I love being able to share expertise through the power of words.

Best International Wine Clubs | Europe & Around The World

Jessica Fleming-Montoya — Fri, 16 Sep 2022 15:00:32 +0000

While there are plenty of great domestic wines to try, some of the best blends on the market come from foreign countries like Italy, France, and Argentina.

One of the best ways to try wines from around the world without spending a fortune is through an international wine club. With these clubs, you’ll get to try hard-to-find foreign wines that have been handpicked by sommeliers.

In this guide, we’ll take a look at the best international wine clubs for you to try. Plus, we’ll go over how to choose an international wine club that’s worth your money.

Quick comparison table

BEST OVERALL

International Wine of the Month Club

Subscription

Value rating

Price

BEST VALUE

WSJ

Wine Club

Value rating

Price

Check on WSJ Wine Club

BEST FLEXIBILITY

Vinesse Wines

World of Wine Club

Value rating

Price

BEST OVERALL

International Wine of the Month Club

Subscription

Value rating

Price

BEST VALUE

WSJ

Wine Club

Value rating

Price

Check on WSJ Wine Club

BEST FLEXIBILITY

Vinesse Wines

World of Wine Club

Value rating

Price

Best international wine clubs
How to choose an international wine club
Final thoughts

Best international wine clubs

If you’re interested in trying an international wine club, you’ll want to make sure you’re joining one that provides great quality wines. Even though there are a number of options on the market, not all of them provide the same caliber of wine.

Here are the five best international wine clubs in the US right now, and the differences between them.

1. International Wine of the Month Club Subscription

The International Wine of the Month Club has been in business for over twenty years, making it one of the oldest international wine clubs on the market.

What really makes this club unique, however, is that wine experts rigorously check every part of the wine-making process of each bottle included in the subscription.

Also, all the bottles have to be approved by a panel of 30 judges. Only if a wine makes it past the judges will the International Wine of the Month Club include it in their subscriptions.

What’s great about this process is that it means that you get high-quality bottles that have undergone a rigorous vetting process. You won’t have to worry about getting mediocre international wines – instead you know you’re getting premium picks.

The subscription ships wines from all over the world. A few regions they source wines from include:

Portugal
Italy
France
Chile
Argentina
Australia

However, there are tons of other wine regions that you can get bottles from with this club. If you want a truly international club, the International Wine of the Month Club is a great choice.

Each shipment includes two bottles of wine as well as comprehensive tasting notes, detailed wine profiles, winery histories, and suggested food pairings. While these are more nice-to-have than must-haves, they’re great if you really want to learn more about the wine you’re drinking.

The one downside to the International Wine Club of the Month is its flat shipping rate. Postage isn’t cheap, and this can make an otherwise relatively affordable club pretty pricey.

Overall value

Price
Check on International Wine of the Month Club

Pros

Each subscription comes with a history and profile of the wineries the wines come from.
Ships from just about every winemaking region you can think of.
The wine is hand-selected by sommeliers.
Good value before shipping is taken into account.

Cons

Flat rate shipping, which is fairly expensive.

2. WSJ Wine Club

The Wall Street Journal has a wine club which focuses on sourcing wines from all over the world.

This club only ships cases, which means that with each order, you’ll receive 12 bottles of wine. While the savings this gives you are nice to have, it’s a lot of wine, so if you’re not a big wine drinker, you might find this club is a bit much.

However, if you do drink a lot of wine, you can get a huge discount purchasing wine this way. Not only do you receive bottles at 20% less than average retail prices, which range from $15 to $35 per bottle, but you can also get an introductory offer of about $100 off your first order.

In addition to the wine, you’ll also receive tasting notes, serving suggestions, and food pairings with your shipment. This is nice if you’re looking to use the wine to entertain, or simply enjoy learning more about different wine pairings.

The WSJ Wine Club offers wines from just about every winemaking region you can think of, including:

France
Portugal
Italy
Australia
New Zealand

There are also tons of other regions available with their subscriptions. And, you can use their interactive wine region map to learn more about where each bottle comes from and what makes it unique.

Overall value

Price
Check on WSJ Wine Club

Pros

They source from just about every wine-making region around the world.
They have an interactive wine region map, so you can learn more about the bottles you purchase.
You can get hefty per-bottle discounts.
Great if you drink a fair amount of wine.

Cons

Only ships in bulk.

3. Vinesse Wines World of Wine Club

The World of Wine Club from Vinesse Wines is another excellent subscription for international bottles.

It focuses on small-batch production, and sources wines from award-winning vintage and boutique wineries. Plus, each wine bottle in the subscription undergoes a meticulous extraction process and inspection, prior to being included.

This wine club grants you a shipment box of twelve bottles from the following wine regions:

France
Chile
Italy
Australia

While these are some excellent wine regions, it’s a notably short list compared to some other clubs on the market. This means that although you’ll get international wines, you won’t get to experience as many wine regions as you would with a different subscription.

Still, Vinesse does its best to engage subscribers with the wines they ship by including
wine touring tips, recipe suggestions, tasting notes, and wine information.

Another benefit of Vinesse’s World of Wine Club is that you get quite a bit of flexibility. With this subscription, you can choose:

The number of bottles per shipment: 3, 6, or 12
The kind of wine: red or white, or mixed
How many shipments per year: 2, 3, or 6

These customization options are great for personalizing your subscription to your individual needs and tastes. For instance, if you drink wine regularly, you can get a larger subscription. On the other hand, if you don’t drink very often, you can opt for smaller or less frequent shipments.

Like the International Wine of the Month Club, Vinesse’s World of Wine Club has an extra shipping fee. However, they do have a one-time deal for two extra bottles at a low cost for new members, which can help to make the club more appealing to budget-conscious wine drinkers.

Overall value

Price
Check on Vinesse

Pros

You can choose from multiple subscription sizes.
There’s lots of flexibility with shipment frequency.
They offer wine touring tips and tasting notes with their subscriptions.
Good value for new customers.

Cons

You have to pay extra for shipping.
The list of countries they source from is relatively short.

4. Naked Wines Subscription

Naked Wines is a relatively new wine club that operates by accepting donations from anonymous investors and then using this money to fund small, local winemakers. This means that the club’s wine selections are quite unique, and the bottles are often hard or impossible to find in grocery stores.

Additionally, because Naked Wines partners with the winemakers directly, the wine bottles are significantly marked down. If you’re looking for an affordable international wine club, the low cost per bottle can make this a good option.

Naked Wines lets you choose from the following international wine subscriptions:

Cabernet Around The World
Passport to South Africa
Passport to France

While the passport clubs focus exclusively on South Africa and France, the Cabernet Around the World selection grants you access to cabernets from other countries. This is great if you want to broaden the number of wine regions you purchase from.

At the same time, however, you’ll only get cabernet with this subscription, so if you’re not a big fan of this type of wine, it probably isn’t the best choice.

And, since the only other international subscriptions focus on two countries exclusively, you may find Naked Wines’ international wine selection a bit limited.

Overall value

Price
Check on Naked Wines

Pros

Helps support local winemakers.
The bottles you purchase are unique and hard to find in grocery stores.
You get bottles at a great discount.

Cons

Mostly focuses on two countries outside the US.
Their international wines are largely cabernet.

5. FirstLeaf Wine Club

FirstLeaf has a reputation for selecting boutique wines, but they don’t limit their picks to any one country or region. As a result, they’ve got a fair number of international wines on offer.

FirstLeaf works hand-in-hand with wineries and vineyards, which helps keep the costs of this subscription pretty low. In fact, FirstLeaf is one of the most affordable international wine clubs out there.

Plus, with their wine satisfaction guarantee, you can get a refund or a new bottle if you don’t like any of their picks. Both of these factors make this club a good choice for those on a budget.

Another good thing about FirstLeaf is they have an introductory quiz that helps them hand-pick bottles according to your taste. This quiz will allow you to select what types of tasting notes you like, as well as whether you prefer red, white, rosé, or sparkling wine. This is very helpful for those who are just getting started with wine drinking.

As for the delivery schedule, you can choose between monthly, bi-monthly, or quarterly deliveries. With every shipment, you’ll also get a bit of information about each wine and the tasting notes to look for. This makes FirstLeaf quite a good choice for those who are just getting into international wine tasting.

Unfortunately, FirstLeaf isn’t a club focused on international wine exclusively. As a result, your subscription will often come with a mixture of domestic and foreign wines. For those looking for a purely international club, FirstLeaf might not be the best choice.

Additionally, FirstLeaf doesn’t have a huge selection of wine at the moment. After a while, you may find you’re repeating the same bottles rather than exploring new international wines. Still, if you don’t mind repeating bottles, this won’t be an issue.

Overall value

Price
Check on Firstleaf

Pros

Lots of options for delivery frequency.
Includes tasting notes and winery information.
Has an introductory quiz to help you pick wines you’ll love.

Cons

Not focused exclusively on international wines
There’s a small selection of wine to pick from.

How to choose an international wine club

Before settling on any of the above international wine clubs, there are a few things you need to consider.

Here are a couple of issues to think about when choosing a great international wine club.

Look at how many countries a club sources from

Some wine clubs, such as the International Wine of the Month Club, have an extensive list of countries that they source their wines from. On the other hand, some clubs, such as Naked Wines, only have a few select countries where they source international wines.

When looking for an international wine club, make sure to check how many countries a club sources from. If you want to experience the best of international wine, you’re going to want to look for a club with a larger number of countries available.

On the other hand, if you are only interested in international wine from a specific region, you don’t need to worry about clubs that offer wines from numerous different countries.

Think about what type of subscription you’re looking for, and keep this in mind as you look into wine clubs. This way, you’ll find a club that helps you experience the type and variety of international wine you’re after.

Check the quality of the wine

Regardless of whether you’re looking for an international wine club or not, you want to think about the quality of the wine you’ll be receiving.

However, this consideration becomes even more important with international wines. This is because it can be harder to verify the quality of the bottles with an international club, since you may not be familiar with the wineries.

Before settling on an international wine club, check how the club sources its wines. Do they have wine experts handpicking the bottles, or do they simply partner with wineries that give them a good commission?

If the company doesn’t explicitly state how they choose their wines, there’s a good chance they’re making partnerships with profit in mind instead of for quality bottles.

Doing your research into the type of wineries the clubs partner with, and how they pick their bottles, can give you a good idea of the quality of the wines you’ll be receiving.

Examine the regions the wine comes from

When looking for an international wine club, you need to look at the regions that the bottles come from as well as the countries they come from. The reason for this is that different regions are known for producing certain types of wine.

For example, Bourdeaux in France is famous for dark red wines such as Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, thanks to the types of grapes that grow best in these regions.

In contrast, if a region grows a type of grape that doesn’t do well in that area, you may get subdued tasting notes or a lower-quality wine. This is why checking the growing regions as well as the country the wine comes from is so important when choosing an international wine club.

Check shipping costs and availability

While international wine clubs can be a great way to experience wine from around the world that you wouldn’t normally find in your local supermarket, they can also come with high shipping fees.

In terms of the shipping cost, you’ll need to look at this to make sure that it doesn’t make the club unaffordable. In general, you shouldn’t be paying more than $25 for shipping from an international wine club, regardless of the number of bottles in the shipment. Any more than this can make it less affordable to purchase your bottles through a wine club.

Additionally, you need to look at the availability of shipping to your state. Make sure that your chosen club ships to your area, and be sure to read the fine print for any additional stipulations regarding the shipping time or cost.

Final thoughts

There are some excellent wines to be found in a number of different countries outside the US. And, with an international wine club, tasting these wines for yourself becomes much more accessible and affordable.

If you still have questions about international wine clubs, be sure to leave us a comment. We’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

About the author

Jessica Fleming-Montoya

My name’s Jessica, and I’m a full-time writer and part-time wine lover. I love being able to share expertise through the power of words.

Best High End Wine Clubs | Premium, Exclusive Subscriptions

Jessica Fleming-Montoya — Fri, 09 Sep 2022 12:44:15 +0000

While medium-grade wine is fine for easy-drinking, if you’re a true wine connoisseur, higher-end wines can be a better choice.

A great way to discover high-end, premium wines is with a wine club subscription. These clubs connect you with wines that the average consumer doesn’t have access to, allowing you to taste nuanced flavors you won’t get anywhere else.

This guide will walk you through some of the best high end wine clubs in the US. And after that, we’ll also share tips on how you can choose the best high-end wine club for your specific needs.

Quick comparison table

BEST OVERALL

Wine Access

Collector’s Club

Value rating

Price

Check on Wine Access

BEST FOREIGN WINES

International Wine of the Month Club

Subscription

Value rating

Price

BEST CABERNET

California Wine Club

Membership

Value rating

Price

BEST OVERALL

Wine Access

Collector’s Club

Value rating

Price

Check on Wine Access

BEST FOREIGN WINES

International Wine of the Month Club

Subscription

Value rating

Price

BEST CABERNET

California Wine Club

Membership

Value rating

Price

Best high-end wine clubs

There are several wine clubs out there that focus exclusively on sourcing luxury wines for subscribers. Also, many of the well-known or bigger wine clubs actually have their own premium subscriptions for those who want a better drinking experience.

In this article, we’ve put together a list of the top high-end wine clubs for you to choose from.

1. Wine Access Collector’s Club

Wine Access is a club that’s well-known among wine lovers for sourcing rare or hard-to-find bottles. And, for those looking for premium wines, they have a special subscription called the Collector’s Club.

The Collector’s Club features luxurious wine collections from various iconic wineries worldwide. Wine specialists handpick exclusive bottles from the finest wine regions, including:

Bordeaux Estates
The Napa Valley
Grand Cru

You will also gain access to premium-aged library wines and bottles you can’t obtain from standard retail wine outlets. If you’re looking for bottles you can’t find on grocery store shelves, this is a good subscription to choose.

While you can definitely find collector’s bottles with this club, they will cost you quite a bit. Although the subscription generally includes shipping, you’ll have to pay additional taxes, which can make the price of your shipment upwards of $250.

Moreover, there’s an additional shipping fee for those who live in Hawaii or Alaska. If you reside in one of these states, the high cost of the club may make it a bit inaccessible.

Aside from the wine bottles, each shipment also comes with free climate-controlled storage for your drinks. This is very helpful for collectors who want to add new, exclusive wines to their wine cellar.

The Collector’s Club also grants subscribers the following:

Invitations to private wine tasting events
Exclusive access to limited off-the-site selections
Initial access to the series’ limited allocations
A 10% discount on all one-time purchases on Wine Access
Free access to the wine club’s concierge services

These benefits make it a great club for those who are serious about collecting specialty and premium bottles of wine.

Overall value

Price
Check on Wine Access

Pros

Sources wines from some of the best wine regions in the world.
Includes a storage box with each shipment.
Many bottles can’t be found on grocery store shelves.
Includes some nice other benefits for wine connoisseurs.

Cons

A bit expensive, especially in Alaska or Hawaii.

2. International Wine of the Month Club Subscription

The International Wine of the Month Club focuses on estate bottles and limited wine productions. This club sources all of its bottles from famous wine-producing regions around the world, which is great for those who want to try premium bottles from outside the US.

International Wine of the Month Club is tailored to wine connoisseurs who really want to engage with the industry. Every shipment not only includes two bottles of premium wine, but also detailed wine profiles, a history of the winery, suggested food pairings, and comprehensive tasting notes.

There are several subscriptions available with this club, but for high-end wine connoisseurs, the Collectors Series and the Masters series are the best choices. These two clubs have exclusive wine bottles that are hard to find in most retail stores, and which have unique, intense, and complex flavors you won’t find elsewhere.

In terms of price, the International Wine of the Month Club’s premium subscriptions are some of the cheapest high-end wine subscriptions out there. However, you do have to pay for shipping, so make sure to factor that in.

This wine club features a 100% money-back guarantee for wine bottles you don’t enjoy, offering either a replacement or a refund, which is a nice touch.

Overall value

Price
Check on International Wine of the Month Club

Pros

Includes a lot of information with each shipment.
Great choice of high-end international wines.
Good value.

Cons

None to mention, great choice for a high-end wine club subscription.

3. California Wine Club Membership

California Wine Club is a wine subscription that sources blends exclusively from the state of California. The club focuses on partnering with local, family-owned wineries and supporting the state’s wine industry.

California Wine Club has a few different affordable subscriptions, but if you want premium wines, they have something called the Aged Cabernet Series membership.

The Aged Cabernet Series includes bottles sourced from Napa and Sonoma, two of California’s most famous wine regions. Each of the bottles in the collection are aged for twelve years and handpicked by sommeliers.

What’s unique about this membership is that individuals who want to continue aging their wines can do so in a proper wine cellar. This makes it a great subscription if you want to buy wines that will continue to appreciate in value over time.

The one thing to note is that the Aged Cabernet Series focuses exclusively on cabernet, and includes only two bottles per shipment. If you’re not a fan of cabernet or you want to buy wine in bulk, both those factors can be a bit of a drawback.

Still, even though they only include two bottles of wine, you get a copy of Uncorked Magazine’s latest issue, plus fun information about the wines, as well as pairing tips, and tasting notes. For those who are interested in the wine industry or want to learn more about their wines, this can be a nice perk.

Additionally, the Aged Cabernet Series grants you access to the club’s wine consultants, who can help you choose the best wine for your taste preferences. Even if they end up not getting it quite right, the California Wine Club offers a guarantee that will provide you with a new bottle or refund in the event that you don’t like your wines.

In terms of price, the California Wine Club is a pretty high-end membership thanks to the nature of the wine. Still, they do offer a 50% discount code (WCRHALF) for your first purchase. If you’re not sure that you want to commit to a subscription, this can be a good way to test the club out first.

Overall value

Pros

Great quality wines.
Aged bottles.
Includes plenty of additional information about each wine.
Unlocks access to wine consultants.

Cons

Only includes cabernet.

4. Gold Medal Wine Club

Gold Medal Wine Club is another wine club with a California focus. Like California Wine Club, this subscription has partnerships with California’s unique small wineries, so you get an assortment of interesting, small-batch wines.

Although Gold Medal Wine Club has a number of subscriptions available, their high-end offer is the Diamond Club. This is an exclusive subscription which is limited to just 500 customers at any given moment, and the Diamond Club only features wine bottles with ratings of 93 and above, according to a consensus score from wine critics around the world.

The reason this is significant is that it means only those who are really interested in premium wine and winemaking are involved in the club – you get access to a small community of like-minded individuals to connect with. If this is something you’re looking for, Gold Medal Wine Club might be a good choice.

When it comes to the wines themselves, Diamond Club members get quarterly shipments of two bottles. You’ll have to pay for shipping and sales tax, but the cost of the subscription is a bit lower than other premium clubs out there. If you want a high-end wine club without paying a ton of money, this can be a good pick.

Additionally, Gold Medal offers extra discounts that make it even more affordable:

10% for every six to eleven bottles purchased
12% off for 12 to 23 bottles
15% off for more than 24 bottles

You can enjoy several great deals with Gold Medal Wine Club. For instance, you can get free gifts during special holidays like Christmas or Valentine’s Day, such as wine accessories or gourmet chocolates.

Also, if you’re a new member, your shipment comes with a free cork binder. Since you get tasting notes with each order, this can be a nice way to store your corks and reuse them in the future if you desire.

Overall value

Price
Check on Gold Medal Wine Club

Pros

Only includes very high-rated bottles.
Not too expensive compared to other premium wine clubs.
Cork binder is a nice touch.

Cons

Only includes Californian wine.

5. Plonk Wine Club

Plonk Wine Club is one of the few subscriptions that offers organic bottles for health-conscious wine connoisseurs. All of the wines included in Plonk’s subscriptions are made using zero-chemical processes, helping keep the quality of the beverage high.

Additionally, Plonk focuses on small-batch and biodynamic wines. The founder is a sommelier who still plays an active role in choosing the wineries Plonk partners with and is a passionate wine expert himself, helping to keep the quality of the wines high enough for premium drinkers.

Going off the point system again, most of Plonk’s wines have a point rating of around 93. However, there are bottles like the Powell & Son, Riverside GMS 2017 that have a 100 point rating. If you’re looking for premium wines, you’ll definitely be able to find some good quality blends here.

Moreover, with Plonk, you can choose between a red, white, or mixed subscription. Each of these can come with anywhere from four to six bottles, depending on how much you want to pay. What’s nice about this is that you have a lot more flexibility than you do with other premium clubs.

The issue with Plonk is their subscriptions aren’t very big – if you want to buy 12 bottles for example, you’ll need two subscriptions.

Whereas many premium clubs focus exclusively on one type of wine, such as the California Wine Club’s Aged Cabernet series, Plonk gives you a bit more variety. They also feature high-quality younger wines (generally aged 2-4 years), so you can enjoy some different flavor profiles.

Another perk of Plonk’s subscription is that they provide a double-hinge corkscrew and recipes for wine pairings. Although not essential, this is nice for seasoned wine connoisseurs who want premium wines but aren’t looking to store them for a collection.

Plonk Wine Club also has a 100% satisfaction guarantee. You can get a replacement or refund for any bottles you didn’t enjoy, so even though the cost of the club can be a bit more expensive, you have a guarantee that you’ll enjoy what you receive.

Overall value

Price
Check on Plonk

Pros

Great if you’re looking for organic wines.
Each bottle is very well-rated by connoisseurs.
Good variety of wines available.
Includes a comprehensive satisfaction guarantee.

Cons

Only small subscriptions available, with a few bottles.

6. SomMailer Wine Club

France is one of the world’s top wine producing countries, and as a result, the country has some of the best premium wines.

If you’re interested in trying high-end wines, SomMailier’s C’est La Vie membership focuses exclusively on premium wines sourced from French vineyards.

This subscription includes three bottles shipped out every quarter, and also includes information about the blends, a history of the wine, stories from the winemakers, and a guide to the wine regions that the bottles are sourced from. This is excellent for those who want to try French wines without having to travel a long way or pay exorbitant prices.

Club C’est La Vie allows you to choose from purely reds, whites, or a mix of red and white wines. This is great for those who only want a specific type of premium wine.

French wine bottles from C’est La Vie are great for aging. If you want more complex flavors, age them in a dark place at the right temperature, between 45º and 65ºF (about 7º to 18ºC). On the other hand, if you’re just looking for high-end wines to drink right away, these bottles are also a good choice.

Overall value

Price
Check on SomMailer

Pros

Fantastic French wines.
Bottles are great for aging.
Lots of information included about each bottle, which is useful because many of them are quite uncommon in the US.

Cons

Only offers French wine.

How to choose a high-end wine club

Choosing a premium wine club isn’t something to be taken lightly, as these clubs tend to be a bit more expensive than most other wine subscriptions. Also, you need to find clubs that really do offer the premium wines they say they do.

Here are helpful tips you can use to make sure you choose a high-end club that’s worth signing up to.

Look at the types of wineries

The wineries where wine clubs source their bottles from have a significant effect on the wines’ taste and flavor profiles.

For instance, small-batch wineries normally have much more nuanced flavors. They also tend to put a bit more care into their winemaking process, producing higher-end wines overall. So, the smaller and more exclusive a winery is, the more likely it is that you’ll get great quality wines.

In contrast, larger wineries often focus more on the process of mass producing wines as opposed to focusing on creating nuanced flavors. While these wines can still taste great, they may not be quite as high-quality as small-batch wines.

Look at the types of wineries that a club sources its blends from before joining. If they have a good number of local and small-batch wineries included, you’re more likely to receive a high-end subscription.

When you look at a wine club, they often list out the wineries they source from on their about page or on the product page for each wine in your subscription.

Take a minute to read through which wineries they partner with, and look into what those wineries’ processes are like. This should give you a good idea as to whether they’re artisanal wineries, or mass-producers of wine.

Check the location the wines come from

Certain regions are able to produce higher quality wines thanks to the local climate and growing conditions. Since these conditions directly affect the flavor profile and quality of the wine, it’s important to look for wines sourced from these regions.

Research where the wines a club offers are sourced from. This helps you ensure you’re purchasing wines from areas where the growing conditions are conducive to high-quality and premium wines.

Some of the top wine-growing regions in the world include:

Marlborough, New Zealand: famous for Sauvignon Blanc
Barossa Valley, Australia: famous for Shiraz
Maipo Valley, Chile: famous for Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay
Mendoza, Argentina: famous for Malbec and Bonarda
La Rioja, Spain: famous for Tempranillo
Napa Valley, California, USA: famous for Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon
Bordeaux, France: famous for Merlot and Syrah
Tuscany, Italy: famous for Prosecco and Pinot Grigio
Cape Winelands, South Africa: famous for Chenin Blanc

You can find great wines from other regions, and you can also find other blends from each of these regions that taste great. However, looking to see if any of the wine-location pairings above are included in your subscription is a good start to making sure you’re getting what you’re paying for.

Research the winemakers

It’s not just the climate and growing conditions that affect the quality of wine. The winemakers’ experience and process also affect how the wine will turn out.

Before selecting a particular club, do some research on what wineries and winemakers the club partners with. You need clubs that partner with winemakers who have experience in creating good wines and who also have a process for creating quality bottles.

Most wine subscriptions list the winemaker and winery on the product page for each bottle included in your order. A quick read-through of the product page should tell you which winemakers to research online (look at what wine critics and bloggers have to say) to ensure you’re getting quality bottles.

Look for aged and vintage bottles

The longer a wine bottle is aged, the better and more pronounced the flavors are. Vintage bottles are aged at specific temperatures and environmental conditions for set periods of time to help bring out these flavors. These aged bottles also tend to be much higher-end wines than those that haven’t been aged.

When looking for a wine club, look for subscriptions that offer vintage and aged bottles. These wines are more likely to be premium blends with distinct tasting notes which you won’t find in lower-end wines.

Take note of how wines are selected

Most premium wine clubs handpick the wine bottles they offer. Handpicking ensures each bottle is high-quality and fresh, and it gives you confidence that the bottles that the club chooses really are up to the standard you’re seeking.

In contrast, when clubs simply select wines based on affiliates that they have, the bottles are less likely to provide you with the quality you’re looking for. Instead, the club focuses on promoting existing partnerships with wineries.

When selecting a high-end wine club, check how the wines are selected. Look for clubs that handpick their wines or have sommeliers and wine experts choosing which wines to include in your subscription.

Final thoughts

A high-end wine club takes expert winemakers, unique wineries, and expert winemakers to succeed. They’re excellent choices for collectors who want to add new bottles to their wine cellars or for wine connoisseurs who are looking for unique-tasting blends.

If you’re still unsure about which high-end wine club to choose, feel free to leave us a comment, and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

About the author

Jessica Fleming-Montoya

My name’s Jessica, and I’m a full-time writer and part-time wine lover. I love being able to share expertise through the power of words.

5 Best California Wine Clubs | CA Subscriptions Reviewed

Jessica Fleming-Montoya — Fri, 09 Sep 2022 12:41:48 +0000

California is the America’s leading wine-producing state, with over 3,600 wineries currently in operation.

As you can probably imagine, this means that there are some pretty spectacular wines to be had in California. If you live in this state and want to experience the best of Californian wine, a great way to do so is with a wine club membership.

In this article, we’ll go over the best wine clubs in California. Plus, we’ll look at a few things to consider when choosing a California wine club.

Quick comparison table

BEST OVERALL

California

Wine Club

Value rating

Price

BEST VALUE

Firstleaf

Wine Club

Value rating

Price

Check on Gold Medal Wine Club

BEST SMALL-BATCH WINES

Gold Medal

Wine Club

Value rating

Price

BEST OVERALL

California

Wine Club

Value rating

Price

BEST VALUE

Firstleaf

Wine Club

Value rating

Price

Check on Gold Medal Wine Club

BEST SMALL-BATCH WINES

Gold Medal

Wine Club

Value rating

Price

Best wine clubs in California

If you want really excellent wine, you’ll need to know how to pick a good club in California. While there are lots of options out there, some are a lot better than others.

Here are five of the best California wine clubs to consider.

1. California Wine Club

California Wine Club has been around since 1990 and works directly with many of the state’s artisanal boutique wineries.

This wine club focuses on limited wine production, in small batches. These small batch wineries tend to put more of a focus on each stage of production, and generally produce higher-quality wines than large-batch wineries.

Since California Wine Club focuses on working with small batch wineries, you can trust that this wine club offers some of the highest quality wines on the market. To make sure the club consistently offers great wines, they’ve developed a specialized process for selecting the wines they list as part of their subscription service.

First, some of their wine experts visit a winery and communicate with the winery’s managers. Then, they handpick the best wines for the club’s members, and categorize each of these wines into various membership tiers.

Speaking of the membership tiers, California Wine Club has a few different club-level subscriptions. What’s unique about these subscriptions is that, unlike other clubs, they’re based on the quality and style of the wine, as opposed to simply being based on quantity and shipment frequency.

The current membership plans include:

Premier Series: a mixture of red and white wines with membership starting at two bottles a month
Signature Series: mostly red wine options, with membership starting at two bottles a month
International Series: mixed red and white wine, with membership starting at two bottles a month
Aged Cabernet Series: featuring premium Cabernets from Napa Valley, with memberships starting at two bottles a month
Pacific Northwest Series: mixed red and white wine, with membership starting at two bottles
Case Club Series: mixed red and white wine, with memberships starting at 12 bottles

Regardless of which membership you sign up for, you’ll also get serving suggestions, one Uncorked magazine, tasting notes, and inspirational stories about new winemakers.

If you’re a wine enthusiast, these little perks can be great ways to really immerse yourself in what you’re drinking.

Another thing that’s great about this club is that you can connect with personal wine consultants at no extra cost. They’ll help you select wines that suit your tastes and make sure you get blends you enjoy each month.

The one downside to this club is that its membership plans are quite expensive. Still, shipping is affordable, and they give out additional discounts to those who purchase wine memberships as gifts. Both of these factors can help to make a subscription a bit more economical, despite the high price overall.

Overall value

Pros

Great quality small-batch wines.
Very strict selection process.
Lots of subscription levels to choose from.
Gives you access to personal wine consultants.

Cons

A bit expensive compared to other wine clubs.

2. Firstleaf Wine Club

Firstleaf wine club gives you access to premium wines from Sonoma, Napa, and other parts of California. It’s an award-winning wine club that offers affordable wine bottles curated to suit your tastes.

Firstleaf partners with local wineries, meaning they can offer discounts of between 40% and 60% off the retail prices in most wine stores. And if you’re a new member, you get an initial offer of wine at half price with free shipping. Both of these factors can make this a good California wine club for those on a budget.

When you sign up, you’ll have the chance to complete an introductory wine preferences quiz. If you’re not sure what types of wine you like, this quiz can be a good way to find out. Plus, if you don’t like a wine you try, you can get your money back or the bottle replaced.

Firstleaf also has a policy that allows you to tweak the wines in your shipment at any time before they’re sent out to you but after you’ve placed the order. This means that you have a bit of flexibility in choosing your wines and deciding which ones you want to try on your next shipment.

In terms of shipping options, a Firstleaf subscription offers monthly, bimonthly, and quarterly plans, giving you quite a lot of flexibility in choosing how much wine you want. The only downside to this club is the wines aren’t always quite as good as with a more expensive subscription.

Overall value

Price
Check on Firstleaf

Pros

Great value for money.
Introductory quiz for new members proves quite helpful.
Can change your order before it ships.
Flexible plans.

Cons

Can get slightly better wines with more expensive clubs.

3. Sunset Wine Club

Sunset Wine Club was created by Sunset Magazine, which is a Western lifestyle brand that offers inspiration on home decor, cooking, gardening, and travel from the Western US states.

Their wine club, true to the Sunset Magazine style, focuses on supplying wines from small and medium-sized wineries in Oregon, Washington, and California. It’s also one of the most affordable wine clubs in California.

Sunset offers free shipping, and their prices break down to about $20 per bottle, which is fairly affordable given the quality of wines on offer.

What’s more, getting a Sunset Wine Club subscription grants you an additional 10% off Wine Access’s non-club purchases. If you drink a lot of wine and feel you may want additional bottles, this can be a low-cost way to get them.

Apart from its value for money, what sets this wine club apart is its educational component – members get access to hundreds of wine education videos. This reduces the amount of time you need to spend researching tasting notes and wine history for each bottle. If you’re a big wine enthusiast and are really interested in learning about wine, this educational content is a huge perk.

One thing to note is that Sunset Wine Club offers most wines with fruity and sweet notes. If you like dryer wines, this subscription might not be the best pick.

Also, Sunset Wine Club only features wines from the West Coast. So, if you want to try international wines, it’s probably not the best choice for you.

Overall value

Price
Check on Sunset Wine Club

Pros

Free shipping.
Good value.
Gives you 10% off Wine Access purchases.
Lots of wine-related educational content on offer.

Cons

Not many dryer wines available.
Mostly just west coast wines.

4. Gold Medal Wine Club

Gold Medal Wine Club is currently the longest running wine club in California under the same ownership, and they’re famous for featuring small-batch wines in California. This subscription gives you access to hard-to-find wines from small family-owned wineries.

If you’re a wine connoisseur who’s already tried quite a few blends, this club might be a good way to branch out and try something new.

Gold Medal Wine Club also offers monthly, bi-monthly, and quarterly shipping. If you don’t drink much wine, you can go for one of the less frequent shipment plans and still enjoy some really good small-batch wines.

Besides their standard Gold Wine Club, the club also offers:

Platinum Wine Club: featuring premium wines
International Wine Club: featuring wines from around the world
Pinot Noir Wine Club: focusing on world-class Pinot Noir options
Diamond Wine Club: featuring luxury and aged wines

Wine lovers who want really rare blends can opt for the diamond wine club or the international club. But any of these options will give you access to some small-batch blends that you’re not likely to find at the supermarket.

Gold Medal Wine Club doesn’t have any sign-up fees, and they offer free cancellation anytime. This is great for those who aren’t sure they want to commit to a long-term membership. Instead, you can sign up and cancel whenever you decide you’ve had enough.

Just be aware that Gold Medal Wine Club’s pricing is much higher than several other similar subscriptions on the market. This is largely due to their focus on family-owned and small-batch wineries, however, so the quality and flavor is better than with cheaper wine clubs.

Overall value

Price
Check on Gold Medal Wine Club

Pros

Provides access to lots of interesting wines.
Good range of shipping frequency options.
Free cancellation available.

Cons

Quite expensive.

5. Winc Wine Club

If you’re looking for an affordable California wine club, Winc is a good choice. They offer low cost intro offers that are some of the cheapest on the market, at around $6 per bottle. Of course, this only applies to your first shipment, but it still makes Winc a good choice for those just getting started with wine subscriptions.

Winc also has a unique way of getting to know your wine preferences. Before signing up, you’ll take a palate quiz, which helps Winc discover your wine preferences and customize your subscription based on the types of wines you drink, as well as your favorite foods.

According to Winc, they create small batch wines with unique tasting notes. However, most of their wines seem to be easy drinking, as opposed to having unique flavors you won’t find anywhere else. For social drinkers though, this can be a good thing.

If you’re not sure that easy-drinking wine is for you, don’t worry – Winc has an introductory offer that’s about 50% off their normal membership pricing. It includes free shipping and lets you try out four different wine bottles before you commit to anything.

If you don’t like any of the bottles, you can take advantage of the company’s 100% money-back guarantee. Or, you can get a replacement bottle. This way, you avoid wasting money on wine that you don’t like.

Another thing to know about Winc is that they have a number of wines suitable for those with dietary restrictions. If you need vegan, sugar-free, or organic wines, these are all available with this wine club.

Overall value

Price
Check on Winc

Pros

Great value, especially for new members.
Smart introductory quiz.
Good range of wines for those with dietary restrictions.

Cons

Mostly only easy-drinking wines available.

Questions to ask when choosing a California wine club

Before subscribing to a wine club, it’s essential to ask yourself a couple of key questions.

Here’s what you might want to consider before signing up for any particular California wine club.

Do they ship to California?

Not all wine clubs ship to every state. In fact, local liquor laws often make it tough for clubs to ship out of the state where the company operates.

Luckily, the five wine clubs listed above all ship to California. However, there are several options out there that don’t ship to CA. Before signing up for a club, double-check that they’ll ship to your state.

Additionally, even if the club does ship to California, be sure to look for out-of-state shipping fees. Some clubs will ship out of state to California but charge extra to do so. This can be a nasty surprise if you don’t read the fine print.

Do they feature micro-wineries or large wineries?

Micro-wineries and large wineries can create some pretty different tasting wines. While one isn’t necessarily better than the other, it’s important to consider what type of wine you’re looking for.

Micro-wineries normally produce less than a thousand cases per vintage, while large wineries are the exact opposite. Wine clubs that source wines from micro-wineries often wind up with much more nuanced, unique, and subtle flavors than those that only offer large-batch wines.

Additionally, small-batch wineries are often more meticulous with their wine processes. This can lead to higher-quality wine.

At the same time, larger wineries have the benefit of being able to produce more wine more cheaply. As a result, wine clubs offering these types of wines tend to be more on the affordable side.

Think about whether you’d like to minimize your cost per bottle or access more unique, better-tasting wine when picking which kind of wine club you’ll be signing up for.

Do they feature California wines only or offer other blends too?

Even if a wine club ships to California, this doesn’t mean that it offers Californian wines. In fact, some of these types of wineries don’t offer any California wines at all.

If you want to join a real Californian wine club, your best bet is to look for clubs that contain Californian blends. Make sure to read the fine print on your chosen wine club to be certain that they offer blends from the state.

It’s also worth noting that California wines tend to have more complex flavors and are fruitier compared to other blends. Make sure to think about whether this is a flavor profile you generally enjoy. If it’s not, you may want to choose a club that steers away from exclusively California wines.

Whichever type of wine club you choose, knowing where they source their bottles from can be a helpful way of figuring out whether or not it’s a good club for you.

Do they offer in-state perks?

Some Californian wine clubs offer special perks to members who live in the state. If you’re a California resident, you may want to consider looking for a club that offers these perks for you to take advantage of.

A few in-state perks you may come across include:

Free shipping within the state
Additional discounts on non-club purchases
Exclusive wine options available only for in-state members
Being able to accumulate points and deduct the total from the price of the wine bottles you buy
Exclusive winery visits and VIP tours
Local wine tastings

Since there are so many wineries around California, it’s not uncommon for these clubs to form special partnerships that let them give even more to their members. Consider looking into these perks before choosing any particular club.

Final thoughts

California has some of the best wineries in the country, which is what can make signing up for a Californian wine club so special. Plus, many of these clubs offer special discounts to in-state members, making joining a Californian wine club even more worth your while.

If you still have additional questions about wine clubs in California, leave us a comment. We’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

About the author

Jessica Fleming-Montoya

My name’s Jessica, and I’m a full-time writer and part-time wine lover. I love being able to share expertise through the power of words.

Best Affordable Wine Clubs | Cheap, Good Value Subscriptions

Jessica Fleming-Montoya — Fri, 09 Sep 2022 10:23:31 +0000

Studies have shown that the price of a bottle of wine changes the way it tastes. In fact, these studies generally state that if a bottle of wine is priced higher, we think it tastes better even if there’s no real difference.

If you want to skip the expensive wine and enjoy affordable blends that are just as good as their expensive counterparts, an affordable wine club is a good way to do so.

In this guide, we’ll look at the best affordable wine clubs, as well as go over some tips on how to choose a low-cost, high-quality subscription.

Quick comparison table

BEST OVERALL

Winc

Wine Club

Value rating

Price

BEST FLEXIBILITY

Firstleaf

Wine Club

Value rating

Price

BEST FOR LARGE SUBSCRIPTIONS

Vinesse

Wine Club

Value rating

Price

BEST OVERALL

Winc

Wine Club

Value rating

Price

BEST FLEXIBILITY

Firstleaf

Wine Club

Value rating

Price

BEST FOR LARGE SUBSCRIPTIONS

Vinesse

Wine Club

Value rating

Price

Best affordable wine clubs
Tips for choosing an affordable wine club
Final thoughts

Best affordable wine clubs

Affordable wine clubs shouldn’t compromise on wine quality. They should still provide a quality drinking experience that matches your taste preferences.

Below, we have looked at five of the most affordable yet high-quality wine clubs you can join at the moment.

1. Winc Wine Club

Winc is a moderately priced wine club providing a service that caters to those who want an affordable subscription.

Winc works by having you take an introductory quiz that identifies your wine preferences. The quiz then picks out bottles of wine based on your preferences, making for a super-customized shopping experience.

The service has a good value introductory offer, making it a great pick for those who want to try out a wine club subscription without committing to an expensive membership. Even after your introductory month is over, the cost is lower than many other subscriptions.

Additionally, Winc gives you 10% off when you order 12 bottles or more, regardless of whether that’s as a one-off or part of your subscription. If you drink a lot of wine or have a larger household, this can be a big perk.

Another reason why Winc is such a great affordable wine club is that they partner with a lot of indie brands. Because of this, they’re able to get you exclusive access to types of wine that you might not be able to find in the grocery store.

Better yet, even if you could find them in the grocery store, you’d have to pay a premium for these indie bottles since they’re small-batch, niche wines. In contrast, with Winc, you get to try these unique craft blends at a lower cost.

Another area where Winc excels is that it offers a number of vegan, sugar-free, and organic wines. Whereas these wines are more expensive when paying retail prices at a wine shop, Winc offers them at the same price point as other blends.

If you have dietary restrictions, Winc’s specialty wines often wind up more affordable than if you purchased them at the local supermarket.

The only downside of Winc is that while affordable, there’s not a ton of selection, and they don’t frequently get new wines. After a while, you may find that you’re stuck repeating wines you’ve already tried.

Still, if you don’t mind repeating a few favorites, Winc is a very good choice.

Overall value

Price
Check on Winc

Pros

Great choice of indie wines.
Good prices.
Discounts available on bulk purchases.
Lots of sugar-free, organic and vegan wines as well as regular varieties.

Cons

Not a big selection of wines.

2. Firstleaf Wine Club

Firstleaf is another low-cost wine brand with a great introductory offer. This deal provides you with six bottles of wine for about half the price of their standard monthly cost.

What’s unique about Firstleaf is that the company partners directly with wineries. This allows them to cut their prices by between 40 and 60% of the average retail prices in most wine stores. As a result, you can get some big savings on premium wines.

In fact, some of the wines offered through Firstleaf’s subscriptions are actually award-winning. Despite that, the company maintains the monthly per-bottle price and doesn’t charge extra for adding these wines to your order. If you want to try premium wines, this can be an inexpensive way to do it.

Firstleaf also offers a 100% wine satisfaction guarantee. This means that if you don’t like a particular bottle of wine, you can get a replacement or refund with no questions asked. While this doesn’t lower the subscription cost, it can reduce the amount of money lost on bottles you end up not enjoying.

Another thing that helps keep Firstleaf’s costs low is that they offer flexible subscriptions. You can choose your delivery time and number of bottles and change them each month. This lets you tweak your subscription based on a particular month’s budget.

There aren’t a lot of downsides to Firstleaf, but one thing you should be aware of is their shipping limitations. Currently, they only ship to 47 different states due to local liquor laws. If you live in one of the six states they don’t ship to, you won’t be able to sign up.

Overall value

Price
Check on Firstleaf

Pros

Excellent quality wines available.
Great value.
Very flexible.
Includes a satisfaction guarantee.

Cons

Not available in three states.

3. Vinesse Wine Club

Vinesse is known for its affordable boutique and small batch wines. Like Winc, this means that you can try craft wines at a much lower price point than if you purchased them through a local wine dealer.

Vinesse has a lot of aspects of its membership that you can tweak, such as the delivery frequency, number of bottles per shipment, and type of wine. By providing multiple shipment options, you can create an affordable membership that meets your specific needs.

For example, if you want to be part of a wine club but want to keep your monthly costs low, you can go for a shipment of two bottles at a lower price. This can often end up being much more affordable than paying for a subscription that forces you to receive numerous bottles of wine at a time.

Another advantage of subscribing to Vinesse is that the larger subscriptions give you free shipping. That means that if you do want to purchase large quantities of wine, you can save some money on the cost of freight.

Vinesse also has a grab bag offer where you can taste different wine flavors, depending on your preferences. The offer lets you pick six bottles of wine for less than $10 each, so you can get a feel for the membership before committing.

This deal is only available for your first purchase, but it’s still a nice way to see what the subscription is like at a lower cost before committing to paying full price.

A possible downside of Vinesse is its lack of transparency regarding its shipping costs. There’s an extra shipping fee of $2.50 for customers who send their wines to a home instead of to a business.

Luckily, $2.50 is a pretty small amount of cash, so this isn’t a deal breaker for most people.

Overall value

Price
Check on Vinesse

Pros

Free shipping is available with larger subscriptions.
Good choice of niche wines.
Possible to choose a smaller subscription to save money.
Grab bags give you the ability to try different wines before committing to a membership.

Cons

Extra charge to deliver to a home address.

4. Cellars Wine Club

If you’re after an affordable wine club that stays well-stocked with ever-changing options, Cellars Wine Club is a good pick. It frequently releases new wine flavors, so you’ll never run out of bottles to try every month.

What’s really unique about Cellars Wine Club is that the bottles are curated by professional tasters. Because actual sommeliers choose the wines, you get really good bottles at lower-than-grocery-store prices.

Another significant advantage of this wine club is its single-bottle subscriptions. These subscriptions are perfect for beginners who are still exploring to find what they want. While the cost for these subscriptions is lower than, say, a four-bottle subscription, the per-bottle cost is much higher.

Finally, Cellars also offers a flat-rate shipping fee. No matter how much wine you order, you won’t get charged extra. For bulk buyers, this can really cut down on how much you spend.

However, flat-rate shipping can also make single-bottle subscriptions a bit on the pricier side. You’ll need to think carefully about this before signing up for Cellars Wine Club as an affordable option, depending on how much wine you want to buy.

Overall value

Price
Check on Cellars Wine Club

Pros

Great quality wines.
Lots of new bottles constantly coming out.
Flat-rate shipping.

Cons

A bit expensive with single-bottle subscriptions.

5. Naked Wines Wine Club

Naked Wines makes it onto our list because although the per-month cost is a bit higher than subscriptions like Winc, they give you access to a huge selection, including a wide range of international wines.

If you’re already a regular wine drinker, this club is an excellent choice for trying new blends without spending tons of money.

On top of that, Naked Wines partners with multiple boutique wineries from around the world. This lets you try niche international brands that you won’t find pretty much anywhere else, at a relatively low price point, too.

Another great thing about Naked Wines is that there are no cancellation fees. Even if you terminate your membership before completing a set number of months, you won’t be penalized for it. This means it can be a good subscription to try out if you’re still on the fence about wine clubs.

Naked Wines sells its wines at around 30% less than the bottles’ retail prices, so you do get a pretty big discount. And you also get a 100% money-back guarantee for wine bottles that you don’t end up liking.

It’s worth mentioning that Naked Wines has an introductory offer. However, you have to order an entire case to take advantage of it, which can mean you might have to spend more than you originally budgeted for.

Also, when you join Naked Wines, you can start getting a lot of promotional emails. These get a bit spammy after a while, so if you do sign up, make sure to unsubscribe from the email chains.

Overall value

Price
Check on Naked Wines

Pros

Massive selection of bottles available.
No cancellation fees.
Great prices.

Cons

You might get annoyed by the promotional emails, until you unsubscribe.

Tips for choosing an affordable wine club

Now that you have a brief overview of some of the most affordable wine clubs, let’s look at how to choose which one is right for you.

Here are a couple of tips and factors you should consider when picking a budget-friendly wine club.

Calculate the per bottle cost

Cellars Wine Club aside, most subscriptions don’t offer single bottle subscriptions. Instead, you’ll have to pick a case of two to 12 wines. This can be pretty deceiving.

Even though the price of the membership goes up as you add more wines, what generally ends up happening is that the price of the bottle goes down. In other words, even though you pay more, you actually get a better rate.

Before signing up for a wine club subscription, calculate what the per-bottle cost works out to be. In many cases, if you’re willing to purchase a 12-bottle subscription or higher, you can get rates as low as $8 per bottle.

This can actually make the wine club much more affordable, especially if you only order a case once every couple of months or so.

Calculate the cost per shipment

Another thing to think about is the cost per shipment. Some wine clubs offer monthly deliveries while others send wine every three months. Others allow you to mix and match the frequency of the shipment.

What’s important is to look at how much you’re paying per shipment as opposed to how much wine you’ll receive.

For example, let’s say you’re choosing between a club that ships four bottles every month at a cost of $60 per shipment, and a club that ships twelve bottles every three months at $120 per shipment.

If you go with the first option, you’ll pay $180 for twelve bottles of wine over three months.
With the second option, you’ll pay $120 for twelve bottles of wine over three months.

Even though the first option might seem cheaper, the second option works out to be a better deal. Make sure to compare these per shipment costs against the frequency and number of bottles to see if you’re really getting a good deal or not.

Check for hidden fees

Some wine clubs have hidden fees and costs that you might not be aware of if you don’t read the fine print. For those on a budget, this can make seemingly affordable wine clubs suddenly not so cheap at all.

A few examples of common hidden fees include:

Shipping costs
Cancellation fees
Bottle replacement fees
Monthly charges, even if you skip a month’s shipment
Residence fees
Out-of-state fees

Before signing up for a club, make sure to carefully read the member agreement. Look for any additional costs and make sure you get a clear breakdown of what you’ll be paying.

Check the club’s guarantee

Money-back or bad bottle guarantees don’t save you money on your monthly costs, but they can save you money lost on wine you don’t enjoy. These guarantees basically ensure you get your money back or a replacement for wine that you end up disliking.

What’s important here is that if you decide you don’t like a particular wine, you don’t lose out on the value of that bottle. Instead, you get to try something new or get a credit back to your card.

These types of guarantees can save you quite a lot of money on wines that you end up deciding aren’t for you. If you’re on a budget, they can really make your wine subscription worth it.

Look for coupons

What’s better than an affordable wine club subscription? Discounts and deals that will help you pay lower prices.

The best affordable wine clubs don’t just have low monthly costs, but also have good introductory offers. Some of them even send regular emails with members-only coupons inside (such as Naked Wines).

Coupons will usually offer promotional discounts on top of already-cheap prices, meaning you save more money. So, aside from getting 40% to 60% off the average retail prices of wines, you pay way less than when you buy these bottles from local wine stores.

Final thoughts

Although you might think signing up for a wine club is a huge expense, there are some excellent low-cost memberships on the market. Wine clubs don’t have to be expensive, and when you read the fine print and calculate shipping and per bottle costs, you can end up getting a great deal on your subscription.

Do you still have questions about affordable wine clubs and how to choose between them? Leave us a comment, and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

About the author

Jessica Fleming-Montoya

My name’s Jessica, and I’m a full-time writer and part-time wine lover. I love being able to share expertise through the power of words.

The Best Wine Clubs for Beginners | Starter Subscriptions

Lindsay Aman — Fri, 09 Sep 2022 10:21:20 +0000

Are you itching to dive into the exciting world of great wines, but not sure where to start?

Joining a wine club is an excellent way to expand your knowledge, refine your palate, and build your understanding of what makes wine great.

In this article, we have laid out some of our favorite wine clubs for beginners, and explained everything you need to know about finding the perfect wine club for you.

Quick comparison table

BEST OVERALL

Firstleaf

Wine Club

Value rating

Price

BEST CHOICE

Winc

Wine Club

Value rating

Price

BEST FLEXIBILITY

Naked Wines

Wine Club

Value rating

Price

BEST OVERALL

Firstleaf

Wine Club

Value rating

Price

BEST CHOICE

Winc

Wine Club

Value rating

Price

BEST FLEXIBILITY

Naked Wines

Wine Club

Value rating

Price

Best wine clubs for beginners
How to choose a wine club as a beginner
Conclusion

Best wine clubs for beginners

One of the most difficult parts of joining a wine club is deciding which subscription is best for you. With so many options it can be difficult to figure out what to look for.

Below, we have reviewed some of the best wine clubs for beginners, and explained what you should expect from each of them.

1. Firstleaf Wine Club

Firstleaf is a wine club that grows with you as your wine knowledge expands. If you don’t know what wines you like quite yet, or have a limited knowledge of wines, Firstleaf is a great choice.

When you sign up, you’ll take a quiz that will gauge your knowledge of wines, and help Firstleaf learn about your current preferences.

The quiz will ask about what wines you currently enjoy, whether you like sweeter wines or drier wines, how adventurous you feel you are with your choices, and where you feel your level of wine expertise lies.

After receiving an order, you will be able to rate each of the wines you tried. This will further allow the algorithm to tune into your specific flavor preferences.

Another huge pro of Firstleaf is that they have dozens of articles written to help you deepen your understanding of different wines, pairings, regions, and other insights, which are great for beginners. If you’re wanting to really delve deep into the world of wine, you will most likely love Firstleaf.

Overall, Firstleaf is a fantastic wine club for beginners that will grow with you. They are also very affordable and offer great deals for new members, which is a nice touch.

Overall value

Price
Check on Firstleaf

Pros

Initial quiz helps to explore your preferences.
Plenty of information available about the wines.
Great value for new members.
Easy to fine-tune your future orders by rating each bottle.

Cons

None to mention, great choice for beginners.

2. Winc Wine Club

One big way Winc stands out from their competitors is that they actually brew their own wines.

When you first sign up for Winc you will take a quiz about your preferences. This will ask you questions such as what flavors you like, whether you prefer Skittles or M&Ms, different regions that intrigue you, and what your favorite foods are.

Instead of just curating a package for you, Winc will give you options as to which wines you’d like to order based on the answers you provided in your quiz.

After you receive your wines, you’ll be prompted to rate the different wines in your order. Winc will use this information to learn what your preferences are and better suggest future wines for you to choose from.

One thing that also makes Winc stand out from the competition is that they have a focus on sustainability and ethically-produced wines.

Winc supports winemakers who practice ethical and organic farming, and use fully compostable packaging. They also partner with 1% for the Planet, which donates 1% of all Pacificana wine sales towards environmental preservation.

One downside to Winc is that the order does not come with an information card about your chosen wines. This can be frustrating if you’re hoping to learn as much as possible about the bottles that you’ve received, as a beginner.

All of this information is available online, but for some, not having a physical reference card can be a bit annoying.

Overall, if you’re looking for a wine subscription service that will learn and grow with you, but also provides the flexibility to choose exactly what bottles are included in your order, Winc is definitely worth checking out.

Overall value

Price
Check on Winc

Pros

You get to choose your wines, and the quiz helps you pick the right wines.
Future orders are optimized through the bottle rating system.
Focus on sustainable wines.

Cons

Not much information included with each order.

3. Naked Wines Wine Club

Naked Wines is a unique wine club experience. They do a fantastic job of highlighting smaller winemakers all over the world, meaning you receive a well-rounded and thorough introduction to all different kinds of wine.

Naked Wines provides a less formalized ordering experience, and lets you submit your choices whenever is best for you. Instead of submitting a monthly or quarterly order, you will be agreeing to deposit money into your account monthly that will go toward your packages.

This wine club does require you to order your wines in multiples of three. Meaning you have to order three, six, nine, etc. bottles at a time.

If you decide to cancel your subscription, Naked Wines will refund the money you have in your account, so you’ll never have to worry if you skip an order or two.

Also, if there is ever a wine you don’t love, they will refund you in full, which is particularly helpful if you’re a beginner and not sure about a particular bottle.

Overall, Naked Wines is the ideal choice for those who want to receive a broad introduction to the world of wines, who also want to choose exactly which wines are added to their order.

Overall value

Price
Check on Naked Wines

Pros

Very interesting wines.
Very flexible ordering process.
Money back guarantee is very good.

Cons

Must order in multiples of three bottles.

4. Vinesse Wine Club

Vinesse’s mission statement is to make quality boutique wines accessible and affordable for everyone.

Vinesse skips the intensive questionnaire about your preferences and palate, and instead just asks you if you’d like reds, whites or both. Your first order will include eight wines for a special introductory price.

Vinesse is highly customizable and gives you plenty of flexibility in choosing your wines. One thing we have found with Vinesse is that sometimes these options can feel overwhelming.

If you’re more of an intermediate or advanced wine connoisseur, you might like the flexibility Vinesse offers.

On the other hand, if you’re more of a beginner and are craving a curated experience, you might find Vinesse to be overwhelming with the lack of guidance.

No matter what, Vinesse will always try to make sure you are satisfied with your order. They promise to refund you for any bottles you don’t like.

Vinesse also offers fantastic grab bag specials. These wines range from $10-$16 per bottle, so you can customize based on your budget.

For members wanting only the best quality, Vinesse offers their Élevant Society selections of ultra-premium red wines. These bottles are significantly higher quality, and that is reflected in the cost.

If you are a beginner, you can rest assured knowing you are receiving the highest quality of wine from Vinesse, although choosing which bottles to receive can be a bit tricky if you’re new to the world of wine.

Overall value

Price
Check on Vinesse

Pros

Simple to get started.
Lots of flexibility in picking bottles.
Grab bag specials are good value.
You’ll be refunded for wines you don’t like.

Cons

Can be a bit overwhelming for beginners.

5. WSJ Wine Club

WSJ Wine Club has a fantastic introductory offer. They will send you 14-15 bottles at a significantly discounted rate for your first order, making them a good choice if you don’t want to pay too much for each bottle of wine with your first wine club.

When you order with WSJ, you get the option of receiving all reds, all whites, or a mix of both. From there, you get to choose which bottles you would like included. WSJ doesn’t provide a quiz to help learn about your preferences, instead, you will just be shown a broad range of different options.

This selection process can be frustrating for beginners who have no idea what their wine preferences are. However, being able to order such a large quantity at once, and for a reasonable price, does allow you to taste a broad selection of bottles side-by-side.

Regardless, just like the other options on this list, if you find yourself with bottles that you don’t love, you will be refunded for the full amount as part of the WSJ Wine satisfaction guarantee.

One downside to WSJ Wine Club is that their quality of wines are overall lower than some of their competitors. This means that although the cost per bottle is low, especially with the introductory offer, part of the reason for this is the quality of wine included.

Overall, WSJ Wine Club is a decent choice if you’re looking to expand your understanding of wines without paying a hefty price.

However, for some beginners, it may be frustrating to only receive new shipments quarterly instead of monthly, which is one of the unique things about how a WSJ subscription works.

Overall value

Price
Check on WSJ Wine Club

Pros

Great value, especially for the first order.
Plenty of wines included, giving you plenty to choose from.
Comes with a refund guarantee for wines you don’t like.

Cons

Not the best quality of wines.
Can be a bit tricky for beginners to choose wines at the beginning.

How to choose a wine club as a beginner

When choosing a wine club, there are a lot of factors to take into consideration. To begin with, it’s important to figure out what your specific goals are with your wine subscription.

Do you just want to casually try new wines, or do you want to dive head first into a full educational experience? Do you want to branch out and try as many new wines as possible, or just pinpoint your preferred bottles?

No matter what, here are the top things to consider when you’re shopping for a wine subscription.

Budget

Wine can quickly become very expensive. If you’re a beginner wine connoisseur dipping your toes into the wonderful world of wines, you may not be ready to spend hundreds of dollars every month.

It is important to figure out how much you are willing to spend. Sometimes that will mean changing the quantity of wines you receive.

Most wine clubs will offer different packages based on how many bottles you want to buy. So if you’re finding that you’d like to increase the amount of wine you receive in future shipments, or add additional bottles, you can almost always do that too.

Quality

Once you have your budget established, it’s time to look into different wine clubs that would work for you. Just because you’re willing to spend $15 per bottle, does not mean you’re going to always receive the same quality of wine for that price.

Some wine clubs will significantly discount their bottles with their subscriptions, and others offer almost retail prices.

Have a good look at the exact types of wines you’re going to be receiving, and compare this to the price per bottle. If you’re not sure how good a given wine actually is, you can look up some customer reviews, and also look at how much it would cost in terms of retail pricing.

Education

Wine is complex! If you’re just diving into the world of wines, you’ll quickly learn that there is a lot of information to learn, and that information is always expanding.

If you want to learn as you go and soak up as much knowledge as possible, try finding a wine club that is also educational.

Maybe you’re not that interested in learning about complex flavor profiles, growing regions, and how climate affects your wine. That is okay too. Don’t feel obligated to choose a wine club that overwhelms you with information (too many emails and info cards can get annoying!).

Availability

The shipping laws for different states vary widely, and not every wine club can deliver to every state. It’s important to double check that a given wine club ships to your state to avoid disappointment.

Sustainability

If you’re going to be ordering wines regularly, you may consider finding wine clubs that are ethically sourced.

This means looking for wineries that ensure their grapes are grown using ethical, sustainable and environmentally-friendly farming methods.

There are plenty of grape varieties throughout history that are no longer around due to drought, poor farming practices and negligence. For instance, we will never get to drink the wines that Jesus loved. Although, apparently that isn’t such a bad thing.

Regardless, it’s never a bad idea to minimize your carbon footprint and support sustainability, especially since it doesn’t normally cost anything more to choose sustainable wines.

Conclusion

Wine clubs can offer an affordable and educational wine experience no matter where you may be on your wine journey.

Finding a great deal on an incredible wine subscription doesn’t need to be difficult.

Do you still have questions about beginner-friendly wine clubs? Leave us a comment, and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

About the author

Lindsay Aman

I’m Lindsay, and I’m a full-time traveler, foodie, and artist from Salt Lake City, Utah. I graduated from the University of Utah with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2016, and have since pursued full-time professional photography and creative writing. I have had the privilege of trying wines from over a dozen different wine regions all over the world and can’t wait to explore even more. You’ll find me in the cities with the best local cuisine, culture, and outdoor activities.

Between years of wine club subscriptions and dozens of wine tastings, I can say that I’m a true wine lover. I believe that the best way to explore a culture is through the local food, wine, and beer. You’ll often find me enjoying all of the best Sangiovese, Merlots, and the occasional Rosé.

5 Best Organic Wine Clubs | Top Boxes & Subscriptions | 2024

Jessica Fleming-Montoya — Fri, 09 Sep 2022 10:19:35 +0000

The popularity of organic wines is on the rise, with an increase of about 15% in organic wine consumption in the last seven years.

If you’re an organic wine drinker, you might want to consider joining an organic wine club. These types of subscriptions are a great way to discover new natural wines with no additives to add to your repertoire.

In this guide, we’ll go over the best organic wine clubs in the United States at the moment. We’ll also take a look at how to choose which organic wine club is best for your preferences.

Quick comparison table

BEST FLEXIBILITY

Nakes Wines

Organic Wine Subscription

Value rating

Price

BEST PERSONALIZATION

Vinesse

Organic Wine Subscription

Value rating

Price

BEST ORGANIC WINES

Plonk

Organic Wine Subscription

Value rating

Price

BEST FLEXIBILITY

Nakes Wines

Organic Wine Subscription

Value rating

Price

BEST PERSONALIZATION

Vinesse

Organic Wine Subscription

Value rating

Price

BEST ORGANIC WINES

Plonk

Organic Wine Subscription

Value rating

Price

Best organic wine clubs
How to choose a good organic wine club
Conclusion

Best organic wine clubs

While there are plenty of wine clubs that offer organic wines, only a few specialize in these types of wines specifically.

Here are some of the top organic wine clubs to be aware of if you love drinking sustainable blends.

1. Nakes Wines Organic Wine Subscription

While you can buy retail wine from Naked Wines, their Angel membership is what most people choose to get a regular shipment of great organic wines.

The Angel membership gives you access to a discount of up to 30% on retail prices. It works by billing you a fee each month, which can go towards a monthly shipment or be saved for future purchases.

This means that Naked Wines’ memberships are super flexible, making them great for those who don’t necessarily want a regular shipment every single month. If you don’t want to buy a case of wine, just hang onto your cash until next month.

In terms of the wines themselves, Naked Wines has a large selection of organic wines available. They’re a great choice if you’re already familiar with organic blends and want a way to try things you wouldn’t find in the grocery store.

Another perk of Naked Wines is that their per bottle price tends to be fairly low. Combine that with their special introductory discounts that are often available, and you’ve got a good membership for those on a budget.

The one downside to this subscription is that popular wines get purchased quickly and don’t always come back in stock very quickly. If you have a favorite organic Naked Wines blend, it can be tough to get on a regular basis.

Overall value

Price
Check on Naked Wines

Pros

Good value.

Flexible membership options.

Great choice of organic wines.

Easy to pause your subscription and use the credit for future purchases.

Cons

Popular wines can sometimes go out of stock.

2. Vinesse Organic Wine Subscription

Vinesse is a global wine club that offers a huge selection from different wineries around the world. They especially like to support and promote small, local vineyards, so you can try some pretty unique organic wines from this company.

Vinesse has an introductory offer which is typically about 50% off their regular membership price. This offer includes eight bottles of wine, which works out to be around $15 each.

Although Vinesse features wines from around the world, the majority of its blends come from California. Since these are mostly small wineries, a lot of them will still be unfamiliar, even if you regularly drink California wine.

Even though the US only produces about 2% of the world’s organic wine, a good chunk of them come from California. So, you don’t have to worry about not being able to find natural blends from Vinesse.

One of the best things about Vinesse is that you get to rate your wines once they arrive. By rating your wines, the company is better able to tailor your next subscription so that you keep getting wines that you enjoy.

This is especially helpful for organic wine drinkers, because the flavors tend to be a bit more nuanced. With the rating system, you can really hone in on the specific tasting notes you enjoy.

There are four different subscriptions that you can pick from, including monthly, bimonthly, and quarterly. The flexibility is great for those who want to mix up how often they receive their subscription box.

While there aren’t many downsides to Vinesse, one thing to note is that this membership cannot be gifted. If you want to surprise a friend or family member with a wine membership through Vinesse, the best you’ll be able to do is give them a gift card.

Overall value

Price
Check on Vinesse

Pros

Flexible.

Great price per bottle.

Very good for discovering new organic wines.

You get to rate your wines, helping to fine-tune your subscription.

Cons

Can’t gift a membership easily.

3. Plonk Organic Wine Subscription

Plonk is an organic wine club that’s a bit on the pricier end. You have to pay sales tax in your state, and since the wine comes out to higher than average grocery store prices ($15-$20), this isn’t necessarily the best club for those on a budget.

What’s great about Plonk, however, is that they offer exclusively organic and sustainably-grown wines. You won’t have to pick through their catalog to make sure you’re coming up with organic blends.

In addition to this, Plonk offers a bit of flexibility with their shipments. You can choose between monthly, bimonthly, and quarterly plans. And, you can choose between receiving shipments of four bottles and twelve bottles.

Whether you drink a ton of wine or don’t get through much in a month, Plonk has got plans for you. Plus, you can always adjust your shipment options if anything changes. This flexibility is definitely a perk, especially if you’re not used to purchasing wine through a wine club.

Another great thing about Plonk is that their wines tend to be high-quality, so they’re a good pick if you’ve got a relatively refined palette.

While there are plenty of good things to say about Plonk, they do have one major downside: their cancellation policy.

Plonk offers pay-per-shipment plans and prepaid plans (offered at a discount). If you go for a prepaid plan, you won’t be able to cancel anytime. You’ll be locked into the plan until your membership ends.

So, for example, if you paid for a plan for a full year, you won’t be able to cancel until the year is up.

Still, you can get around this by just choosing to pay for your plan with each shipment. It’ll just end up being a bit pricier for an already slightly costly wine club.

Overall value

Price
Check on Plonk

Pros

Specializes in organic wines.

Flexible shipment options.

High-quality wines.

Cons

Relatively expensive.

Can’t cancel a prepaid plan ahead of time.

4. Cellars Wine Club Organic Wine Subscription

Cellars Wine Club is a wine club subscription service that’s highly customized. They’ve got tons of subscription options with varied shipment frequency and bottle numbers.

Unlike many other wine subscriptions on the market, Cellars Wine Club has different subscriptions based on your wine preferences.

For example, you can choose organic, red, sparkling, or rosé subscriptions that focus only on these types of organic wine.

The one downside to this system is that they don’t have a white wine subscription option. While you can get white wines in one of their other subscriptions, there’s no membership dedicated to whites only. So, if you’re a white-wine drinker, this probably isn’t the wine club for you.

Still, even though it might not be great for white wine lovers, Cellars Wine Club has an exhaustive list of wines. There are blends from tons of different regions, so organic wine drinkers will get the chance to try a huge variety of different flavors.

The wine club isn’t cheap, however, with their most expensive package costing upwards of $300 and their per bottle price set at around $25-$30. If you’re on a budget, these prices can make this wine a bit inaccessible.

Despite the high price, the quality of the wine is fantastic. You’ll get some pretty unique flavor profiles, and also get to experience tasting notes you’re not likely to find with other subscriptions.

Overall value

Price
Check on Cellars Wine Club

Pros

Good choice of subscription options for reds, sparkling, and more.

Large selection of wines available.

Great quality wines.

Cons

A bit expensive.

Not the best for white wine lovers.

5. Winc Organic Wine Subscription

Winc focuses on natural, organic, and indie wines that you won’t find in your average grocery store.

This is a personalized wine club that uses a short quiz to determine what your wine preferences are. There’s even a part of the quiz where you can select if you only want wines with no additives or not. If you check this option, you’ll only be shown organic wines, saving you time having to hunt through the site’s offerings on your own.

Winc has an introductory offer that’s about 25% off the normal price of your wine subscription. This offer gets you six bottles of wine, making it a great way to get used to the brand without committing to a membership that costs a ton of money.

In terms of the range of bottles available, Winc isn’t as varied as some other organic wine clubs out there. This is especially true for their specialty (ie vegan, organic, or sugar-free) wines.

Still, there are enough different wines that you should be able to try at least a few new bottles without repeating. And, since they’re always adding new partners, their list of available wines is constantly growing.

Besides the limited selection, the only other issue with Winc is that it’s not available in all states. Currently, these states cannot receive Winc subscriptions:

Alabama
Delaware
Arkansas
Mississippi
Hawaii
Michigan
Kentucky
South Dakota
New Jersey
Utah

That’s only 10/50 states, however, so it’s not likely to be a dealbreaker for most wine club members.

Overall value

Price
Check on Winc

Pros

Easy to provide your tastes and organic wine preferences with the initial quiz.

Constantly adding new bottles.

Can try out Winc without committing for a really long time.

Cons

Not available in all states.

Organic wine selection could be larger.

How to choose a good organic wine club

Now that you’re aware of some of the best organic wine clubs available at the moment, let’s talk about how to pick which one is right for you.

Here are a couple of things to keep in mind when picking an organic wine club.

Quantity

There are two things to think about in terms of quantity when choosing an organic wine subscription:

The number of organic wines available
The number of bottles in a shipment

Because organic wine is a bit harder to come by, not all wine clubs have a huge selection of these types of wine to choose from. This can mean you wind up repeating wines rather than exploring new varieties.

On the other hand, if you know where to look, there are some clubs that have huge selections of organic wines. These clubs also generally get new wines in frequently, so their selection of organic wines is constantly growing.

Another thing to think about in terms of quantity is how many bottles come in a shipment. Most wine clubs will send you a minimum of four bottles per shipment. At the same time, there are those that will send out shipments of up to twelve bottles.

If you live in a big household, regularly entertain, or drink a lot of wine, a four bottle shipment just might not cut it. Those four bottles can go in just a couple of nights, leaving you without anything for the rest of the month.

On the other hand, if you’re more of an occasional drinker, you probably don’t need to receive twelve bottles in a shipment.

Think about how many people will be drinking the wine and how often you partake. This can help you choose an organic wine shipment that makes sense in terms of quantity.

Quality

Finding high-quality organic wine is important. Because organic wine doesn’t have flavor additives, the taste tends to be a bit more nuanced. When an organic wine is poorly made, you can wind up with a drink that tastes more like grape juice than anything else.

Some wine clubs offer higher quality blends than others. For example, Naked Wines tends to have a higher selection of wines, but the wines are of lower quality.

On the other hand, Winc’s selection is on the smaller side, but the wine tends to be a bit higher quality.

If you don’t mind mid-range wines, you could settle for a more affordable club with a broader range. But, if you’ve been in the wine-tasting game for a while, you may find a slightly more select club like Plonk works better for you.

Think about what type of quality you’re looking for in order to choose a wine club that fits your needs and tastes.

Location

Location is a big factor in choosing a wine club, for two reasons:

Some wine clubs give perks to members who live in the same state or country
Not all wine clubs ship to every state

Going off the first point, clubs like California Wine Club offer special benefits to those who live in California. Members get access to VIP tours and tastings at any of the wineries associated with the club.

However, if you live in Pennsylvania for example and are part of this wine club, it might not make sense to fly to California just to take advantage of these perks.

Another thing to consider in terms of location is liquor laws. Liquor laws in the United States can get pretty strict, which means depending on where the wine club is located, they may have restrictions on what states they can ship to.

Some clubs will only ship domestically within their own state or to a limited list of surrounding states. Other clubs will ship just about anywhere in the US.

Make sure to look into the wine club you’re considering and double-check that they offer shipping to your state.

Frequency

Some wine clubs ship more frequently than others. If you’ve read our guide on the best red wine clubs, you know that some clubs ship every three months and others ship every month.

If you’re not a big wine drinker, you probably don’t need to receive multiple bottles of wine every month. In that case, a more infrequent shipment plan could work for you.

On the other hand, if you get through a good amount of wine each month, you might want to opt for a company that offers more regular shipments.

Think about your lifestyle and how often you drink wine. This will help you figure out how frequently you need shipments

Reputation

You have to be particularly careful about finding an organic wine club because even though some clubs claim to be organic, not all are.

For the average buyer, this can make it a bit tough to figure out which wine clubs are worth trying and which are not.

Before signing up for any organic wine club, make sure to do some research. Check sites like Better Business Bureau and Trustpilot to see what past customers have to say about these clubs.

These types of websites can usually give you a pretty good clue as to whether the wine club is as good as it claims to be, and whether it really is organic or not.

Conclusion

Just because organic wine tends to be a bit niche doesn’t mean you can’t find subscription clubs that offer it. In fact, wine clubs like Winc and Vinesse make organic wine much more accessible to the average drinker. Just remember to remember our tips on choosing a good organic wine club to make sure you pick the right one.

Are you still not sure how to get started with an organic wine club? Leave us a comment and we’ll help you out!

About the author

Jessica Fleming-Montoya

My name’s Jessica, and I’m a full-time writer and part-time wine lover. I love being able to share expertise through the power of words.

5 Best Red Wine Clubs | Monthly Memberships | 2026

Jessica Fleming-Montoya — Fri, 09 Sep 2022 10:17:57 +0000

Although many people enjoy drinking white wine or rosé, 69% of wine drinkers prefer a red to one of the lighter bottles of wine.

If you like red wine, one of the easiest ways to try different reds and refine your palette is by subscribing to a red wine club.

In this guide, we’ll take a look at the best red wine clubs on the market for lovers of rich Syrahs and deep Burgundies. Plus, we’ll take a look at how to choose the right wine club for your individual preferences.

Quick comparison table

BEST VALUE

Firstleaf

Red Wine
Subscription

Value rating

Price

BEST OVERALL

Winc

Red Wine
Subscription

Value rating

Price

BEST CHOICE OF INDIE RED WINES

Naked Wines

Red Wine
Subscription

Value rating

Price

BEST VALUE

Firstleaf

Red Wine Subscription

Value rating

Price

BEST OVERALL

Winc

Red Wine Subscription

Value rating

Price

BEST CHOICE OF INDIE RED WINES

Naked Wines

Red Wine Subscription

Value rating

Price

Best red wine clubs
How to choose a red wine club
Final thoughts

Best red wine clubs

There are tons of different wine clubs on the market, and if you want to drink red wines over whites and rosés, plenty of these clubs allow you to just choose red wines.

Whether you’re looking for a budget option or something with a greater selection of niche wines, there’s something for everyone on this list.

1. Firstleaf Red Wine Subscription

FirstLeaf is one of the most popular red wine clubs on the market, largely due to its affordable introductory offer, which gives you six bottles of wine for a very reasonable price.

After the introductory offer (which is good for your first month as a member), the cost of the subscription goes up. However, even though the price increases after the first month, you’ll still only pay around $15 per bottle.

That’s pretty affordable, especially considering that most three to four-star bottles of wine range from about $15 – $35 per bottle. If you’re looking for a cheap red wine club, FirstLeaf is a great pick.

Another thing that’s good about FirstLeaf is that they don’t send out random bottles of red wine. Your wine subscription is curated to your taste.

When you sign up for a membership, you’ll be invited to take a short wine quiz. The quiz helps FirstLeaf figure out your preferences and hand-pick wines that you’re more likely to enjoy.

Once you get your first box, you can record the wines you loved and those you weren’t as fond of. This helps FirstLeaf to continually improve the selection of wines that they send you.

Thanks to their introductory quiz, FirstLeaf is one of the better red wine clubs for beginners who are still discovering what types of red wine they like, and which ones they don’t.

Essentially, with FirstLeaf, you don’t have to worry about spending hundreds of dollars just to figure out your wine preferences. And once you’ve got your preferences dialed in, you’ll receive a great selection of wines each month at a very low cost per bottle.

Overall value

Price
Check on Firstleaf

Pros

Low cost per bottle.

Your preferences are recorded before your first bottle is sent.

Possible to further refine your tastes each month, meaning you’ll keep getting even more wine that you like.

Cons

None to mention – great choice for red wine lovers, especially if you’re on a budget.

2. Winc Red Wine Subscription

Winc is a California-based wine club that was founded by a sommelier – a professional wine taster.

Thanks to this, a lot of their wines, which are made by indie winemakers, are really top-quality.

Much like with FirstLeaf, when you sign up for Winc, you’ll get to take an introductory wine preference quiz. This helps the team to send you wines you’re most likely to enjoy.

If you don’t have a lot of experience with wine (or if you’re looking to try something very specific), this quiz is great because it ensures that you won’t pay for wines you don’t want. If you’re looking for reds, you can choose to only get red wine from Winc.

Once you subscribe, Winc gives you a shipment of four wines per month. If you want to skip a shipment, you’ll still pay your monthly membership fee, which will serve as credit that you can use in the online store on individual reds.

Winc’s price tag is a bit higher than some of the other wine clubs on the market. But, since they give you access to many indie winemakers, Winc is worth it for connoisseurs who want to try blends you won’t find in the grocery store.

This red wine club has a wide variety of vegan and organic wines, too, which you can choose to get exclusively as a part of your membership. Winc is a great choice for wine drinkers with dietary restrictions.

One downside to Winc is that any and all refunds are issued in the form of credits to your account. So, if you don’t like something, you’ll be stuck swapping it for a new bottle, rather than cash.

Overall value

Price
Check on Winc

Pros

Plenty of interesting reds available that you won’t find in grocery stores.

Great choice of specialty wines.

Can skip shipments and use the credit on individual wines.

Introductory quiz helps to dial in your preferences ahead of time.

Cons

Refunds are only issued as credits.

3. Naked Wines Red Wine Subscription

Naked Wines works a little bit differently than some of the other wine clubs on this list.

For one thing, you pay a membership charge instead of a monthly fee, and get sent a select number of bottles each month.

The membership fee then goes toward whatever wine you want to order. You can also save your membership fee each month, to accumulate a bit of money for larger purchases.

This system is great for wine drinkers who are looking for a red wine membership that doesn’t lock you into getting a certain number of bottles a month. Instead, you can make an investment in wine and use it whenever you’re ready.

Another unique aspect of this wine club is that your membership fee actually goes into a pool of funds with other users. These funds are then given to winemakers as an advance to create new types of wine, helping to support their research and development process.

The result is that Naked Wines always has an exciting selection of new indie wines available. With over 150 red wines in their database currently and more coming in every month, this site is great for those who want to explore something new.

In terms of what the wine tastes like, most of the reds on this site are easy to drink. They’re not overly potent and are crowd-pleasers that even those newer to red wine will like. If you’re looking for a more vibrant selection of reds, Naked Wines isn’t the best choice.

All in all, Naked Wines is a great subscription for those who are just getting into red wine. There are plenty of wines to pick from, lots of entry-level reds, and a constant supply of new wines, thanks to the membership fund system.

Overall value

Price
Check on Naked Wines

Pros

Your membership fees go towards supporting indie winemakers.

Constant supply of new, interesting (but easy to drink) reds available.

Particularly good choice for those new to red wine.

Cons

Not the best for red wine connoisseurs.

4. California Wine Club Premier Series

California Wine Club is ideal for red wine lovers who live in California or near the state’s borders.

All the wines in this club are California-grown, and as a member, you get access to VIP winery tours and tastings at any of the distributors’ vineyards.

The subscription also gives you access to a wine consultant, so if you want very specific types of reds, it’s easy to curate your subscription.

California Wine Club is on the more expensive side compared to other wine clubs. A two-bottle monthly subscription is about the same price as Winc’s six-bottle membership, and you have to pay for shipping as well. A four-bottle subscription costs twice as much, but you get free shipping to any state.

As a result, the costs can add up fairly quickly if you drink a lot of wine or are outside the state of California.

However, if you’re in the Golden State, a lot of these factors aren’t an issue – for example, shipping is much cheaper. Plus, you can feel good knowing that your subscription helps to support local family-owned wineries.

Overall value