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.
This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (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 February 2018 Review
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!
It makes me feel at ease that all of my wine made it safely through shipping!
Sometimes there are some reading materials with the wine. This month came with an envelope containing two cards.
The first one highlights their "Be Mine" collection of wines for Valentine's Day.
The reverse side features Instagram pics that members uploaded and tagged @winc in.
The second card is a coupon code for 25% off at fromyouflowers.com.
I always feel the need to share my wine with friends, so this month I brought these four over to my friend Marissa's house where she and our friend Nicole were gonna watch some RuPaul's Drag Race. Let's dig in!
2017 Outer Sounds Sauvignon Blanc, 750 ml - Retail Value $17.99 (or $14.00 through the subscription)
From: Marlborough, New Zealand
Body: Light
Sweetness: Dry
Alcohol: 12.1%
I like that the photos here make it look slightly pink, but don't be fooled. It's not IRL, just your regular pale white wine color. Right off the bat, this one seems super duper sweet to me. My friend Nicole used the word "syrupy" to describe it and thought it had a more heavy flavor. There is definitely a lot of fruitiness here and is described on the label as having citrus notes which I'm not totally convinced my lame palette can pick up on quite yet.
2017 Cape Route Chenin Blanc, 750 ml - Retail Value $16.99 (or $13.00 through the subscription)
From: Western Cape, South Africa
Body: Light
Sweetness: Dry
Alcohol: 13.5%
Winemaking: Vegan
Next up is a Chenin Blanc from Ernst Storm, a native of Hermanus, a town near Cape Town. I hadn't heard of a Chenin Blanc before, so this is new to me. Compared to the previous Sauvignon Blanc, this one seems less sweet to me and overall lighter, perhaps. My friend Marissa immediately spoke of "peach vibes" coming out of this one and was dead on when I checked out the tasting notes online- in the form of peach rings though! I can also slightly taste some pineapple as well, but only since it was pointed out to me. Nicole, on the other hand, picked up a floral finish which also hits on the "white flowers" tasting note they mention. My girls know their wine! Since this one is on the lighter side, I did notice when I drank some with a salmon dinner that it kind of got bulldozed over even though fish is suggested.
2016 Chop Shop Cabernet Sauvignon, 750 ml - Retail Value $17.99 (or $14.00 through the subscription)
From: California
Body: Full
Sweetness: Dry
Alcohol: 14.3%
It's obvious when looking at this wine that it's meant to be eaten with some beef or a hearty burger with cheese. Even the label says it's for "prime cuts". I went ahead and chose this one to drink with a beef medallion meal and thought it went along nicely. When Nicole tried it, she wasn't super impressed and called it more of a table wine. To be honest, that is usually how I roll anyhow, so no complaints here, especially when just having a glass of something with a full meal. I also found the meat cleaver detail on the cork to be pretty cute.
2016 Folly of the Beast Pinot Noir, 750 ml - Retail Value $22.99 (or $18.00 through the subscription)
From: Central Coast, California
Body: Medium
Sweetness: Dry
Alcohol: 13.9%
Winemaking: Vegan
While this one has an oaky flavor (from the "aging process in 33% new French oak for 12 months to enhance notes of sweet spice") it also has a really sweet cherry smell that is immediately apparent upon opening. The site tells me that it pairs well with pork, poultry, and cheeses, but I do happen to have a ton of chocolate around the house from this love-y dove-y month, so I couldn't resist just having some of this with some of that. I thought this was especially complimentary to a 58% Guatemalan chocolate that is just so rich without being bitter. Overall, I rather liked this one.
Verdict: Winc sent me four wines that they recommended for me and I went along with in the name of discovery. It's nice to have a little bit of both red and white on hand and as always, I find it really fun to try these with my friends (or sometimes alone at dinner). Next month, I think I might cruise around their website to find some wines on my own that go off the beaten path and see how I do.
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 $59.00 for four full bottles of wine, but had a retail value of $75.96.
Check out all of our Winc (Club W) reviews or visit the Drink Subscription Box Directory for more boozy boxes!
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Do you have a favorite Winc wine this month?
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