Winc (formerly known as Club W) is a wine subscription box that re-imagines the traditional wine club.
Winc offers a regularly changing selection of unique, small production wines that are sourced directly from vineyards and winemakers.
When you sign up to join Winc, you take a short, fun “palate profile” quiz that helps determine your taste in wine. Based on your answers, Winc makes bottle recommendations for you every month. You can go along with their recommendations or choose your own bottles from their regularly changing selection.
If you don’t log in to make your monthly bottle selection, your recommended wines will be sent by default. You can skip a month at any time.
My Subscription Addiction paid for this box. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
The Subscription Box: Winc
The Cost: Bottles start at $13 each. (Shipping is free on orders of 4 or more bottles.)
The Products: Small-lot wines sourced directly from vineyards and wine makers.
Ships to: All US states EXCEPT AK, AL, AR, DE, HI, KY, MS, OK, PA, RI, DS, and UT
Check out all of our Winc (Club W) reviews or visit the Drink Subscription Box Directory for more boozy boxes!
Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!
Winc used to send an info card for each wine in your shipment, but it looks like they’ve replaced the cards with a mini magazine!
The magazine includes information on all of the current Winc wines, and there are even wine-related articles.
Now, on to the wine!
2015 Meraki Cabernet Sauvignon - Value $13
This fall, I think I was caught in a little bit of a white wine rut. I was reaching for white wine almost exclusively and largely ignoring reds. Then, over the holiday season, I had an incredible glass of red wine when I was out for dinner and something snapped in my brain. Now, I can’t get enough red! So, this month, I decided to go with all reds for my Winc shipment!
I really love dark, earthy reds, so my first pick was this bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon from Lodi, CA. It’s full-bodied, fruity, and a little spicy, and there’s something about the flavor that makes me think this would pair really well with Italian food. My husband and I have been talking about making a homemade pizza night sometime soon, and I think this wine will be perfect for that. It’s unpretentious, tasty, and fun.
2015 Kin & Country Red - Value $13
The second bottle I picked this month also from Lodi, but it’s a blend of Malbec and Petit Verdot. It’s dry and very smooth, and the taste reminds me of dark fruit, pepper, and dried herbs. Winc suggests pairing this wine with grilled vegetables or meat. I’ve been wanting to make Crunchy Winter-Vegetable Salad for a while, and I think this wine will be a great match for it.
2015 Chop Shop Cabernet Sauvignon - Value $13
Chop Shop is a wine that Winc releases every year, and it’s one of my favorites! It’s a full-bodied Cabernet that’s designed to pair well with all kinds of meat, and I think it’s reliably delicious. This is probably my third or fourth time trying it, and I can attest to the fact that it’s great with meat dishes. I’ve served it alongside both burgers and filet mignon, and it paired really well with both. Tasting it again this time around, it’s just as good as I remember. The flavor is layered and fairly complex, with hints of dark berry and tobacco. I also get just a little bit of a floral taste, which Winc describes as violet. Yum. I also really like that this is a wine that pairs well with food but that is also tasty enough to drink on its own. At $13, I think this wine offers great value. I’d happily pay more for it in the grocery store.
2013 Dime Red Blend - Value $19
Most of Winc’s wines are $13, but they do have a smaller selection of bottles that are a bit more expensive. I’ve been eyeing this Dime Blend on Winc’s site for awhile, and this month I decided to splurge on it. I’m so so so glad I did. I’ve been subscribing to Winc for almost two years now, and I can comfortably say that this is the best bottle of Winc red wine I’ve ever received. It’s truly wonderful. (Seriously. My husband accidentally threw out the glass I poured to photograph— my fault since I placed it near the sink— and I was legit upset about it.) Winc crafted this wine in the classic Bordeaux style (it’s a blend of five Bordeaux varieties: Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Petit Verdot, and Merlot), and it’s beautifully balanced. I get a little fruit, a little spice, and a little earth.
Verdict: I’m really blown away by this month’s Winc! I’m so glad I decided to go with an all red box. All the wines were great, and I’m so glad I decided to give the Dime Blend a try. I’m seriously tempted to buy an entire case of it! If you like trying new small-production wines that you can’t find in the grocery store (or you’re looking for a wine subscription that allows you to hand pick the bottles you receive), I definitely recommend checking out Winc!
What do you think of Winc? What bottles did you pick this month?
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