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 (or skip the month completely).
The bottles come shipped in an upright cardboard box supported by cardboard contraptions that keep the bottles from bumping into one another. The best part is that the box itself has a sturdy plastic handle, which makes carrying it into the kitchen (or to a party) easy as pie!
My Subscription Addiction paid for this box. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
About Winc
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
Winc December 2017 Review
Instead of a small book like other months, this month simply came with a holiday greeting and thank you from Winc.
They also sent a coupon code to get 30% off of your first Carnivore Club box. (Check out our reviews for that box here!)
2016 Wonderful Wine Co. White Blend (California), 750 ml - Retail Value $21.99 (Found here for $17.00)
Body: Medium
Sweetness: Slightly sweet
Alcohol: 13.1%
Winemaking: Vegan
I ended up bringing this bottle as well as the next to a friends house for game night so we could both enjoy some while we played The Labyrinth Board Game (what can I say, I live a wild life). We started with this one and I immediately thought it tasted quite crisp without being too sweet, which is what my novice brain thinks all whites are (too sweet). She picked up the bottle to read the back and mentioned it noted having a honeysuckle aroma which I immediately agreed with. Even though Winc suggests enjoying this with Thai, Chinese, cheeses, or Indian food, I drank this with a Pittsburgh Steak hoagie. Is that bad? Honestly, though, I really did like this and it's already making me change my mind about whites.
2016 Funk Zone Rosé (Santa Barbara County, California), 750 ml - Retail Value $16.99 (Found here for $13.00)
Body: Light
Sweetness: Dry
Alcohol: 11.8%
Winemaking: Vegan
Once we polished off the white blend, we moved to this rosé. My friend Elysia right away remarked that this one was more complex, she thought, because of the mix of grapes used which I'd have to agree with. This one also went down easy, which surprised me since I am not usually a rosé drinker. I have to say that the label for this wine, although a bit "hipster" is also really kinda fun and eye-catching. I certainly like a dry wine and appreciate the cranberry notes in here as well!
2017 Alma Libre Pinot Noir (Casablanca, Chile), 750 ml - Retail Value $16.99 (Found here for $13.00)
Body: Light
Sweetness: Dry
Alcohol: 13.1%
This wine hails from Chile, and I recall the label since I enjoyed some white wine from them a handful of months back. I remember thinking I should buy it again but never did. Well, here is my chance to try their Pinot! The first glass of this I had, I actually enjoyed with a Korean pork noodle bowl and thought it was pretty darned good. This one was nice 'n fruity and I can pick up on the cherry notes clearly. The profile says it pairs well with poultry, pasta with cream sauce, and veggies, so the pork noodle bowl wasn't far off (it had green beans, Fresno chile, green onions, and cilantro). I'm glad I like this one as much as I liked their white!
2016 Chommie Pinotage (Western Cape, South Africa), 750 ml - Retail Value $16.99 (Found here for $13.00)
Body: light
Sweetness: dry
Alcohol: 14.1%
First, I had no idea what a Pinotage was, so I had to look it up. It's apparently a red wine grape that is South Africa's signature variety, and a cross between Pinot noir and Cinsaut. Now I know! The description of this one sounds amazing with notes of smoke, raspberry, and strawberry jam! I've been eating a lot of chocolate lately so even though BBQ and meats are suggested with this woody red, I drank this while watching some Amazon Prime Video on the couch and stuffing myself with deliciousness from Boxwalla. Like the previous Alma Libre, this one is dry and light, but has much more of a smoky flavor to it (plus a bit more alcohol content), which I really enjoy!
Verdict: I feel like I am already learning more about wine via Winc. When I'm at the liquor store (where we have to buy most of our wine here in PA) I usually end up standing there forever, reading the back of labels and weighing how much I should spend. They only have it organized by region, usually, so I can't just filter things like I can on Winc's site. I look forward to getting more wine this way so I can start keeping track of what I do and don't like and in the event, I do wind up at Wine & Spirits, I have a little more knowledge under my hat. It's also a goal of mine to have more wine on hand for when I have guests over.
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? Since Winc allows you to choose your wine, you can get any combination you'd like any month. Sign up today and you're welcome to curate your own or let them choose.
Coupon – Save $20 off your first order! No coupon is required, just use this link.
Value Breakdown: This box cost $56.00 for four full bottles of wine, but had a retail value of $72.96.
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!
Do you subscribe to Winc? What wine would you like to try next?
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