Getting a shipment of Chardonnay, Malbec or Sancerre via a wine subscription box is amazing on any day, but it’s especially appreciated during the holidays. Here are the 19 most palatable wine subscriptions to buy for someone (or hello, yourself) that ensure that no one is ever without a glass of the good stuff. Many of them can be tailored to the drinker’s specific flavor preferences, so you won’t have to stress about your friends uncorking a vino they don’t want to drink.
Looking for the Best Wine Subscription Box? Here Are 19, So You Never Need to Leave Home for a New Bottle
Published Dec 9, 2021
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How does a wine subscription box work?
Imagine you're in a sophisticated wine shop when the personable and knowledgeable counter staffer strikes up a conversation with you, and then steers you toward some reasonably priced bottles that go perfectly with what you're cooking (and match the flavor profile of some of your current favorite wines). That's what a good wine subscription service does for you, first by having you answer a few questions like Winc does, or by rating a mini-flight of wines sent ahead, like Tasting Room asks, all the better to tailor your future orders.
And some boxes, like the curated bundles at Thrive Market, don't require any commitment at all. Below, find the 19 most palatable wine subscriptions to buy for someone (or, hello, yourself) that ensure that no one is ever without a glass of the good stuff.
Winc/Facebook
1. Winc
Most Personalized
Cost: from $13/bottle
What you get: A monthly subscription of expert-picked domestic and international bottles
Why we love it: Before you start sipping, Winc will have you fill out a six-question questionnaire that will determine your palate profile. Based on the results, their resident experts recommend four vinos that you’re sure to love. From there, you can make swaps or additions based on the assortment. Plus, new wines are added to the site daily, so you can try something fresh from the vineyard every month. And, best of all, you can rate your wines after trying them to make sure your next shipment of wine is an even better fit for your tastes.
Cratejoy
2. The International Wine Of The Month Club
Best for the Globalist
Cost: from $40 every three months
What you get: Two estate-bottled wines, each from a different international winery
Why we love it: Not only do you get two wines from award-winning vineyards, but you also receive tasting notes, a rundown on the winemakers, pairing suggestions and the chance to order more of any bottle you like at a deep discount.
Thrive Market
3. Thrive Market Curated Bundles
Best for Eco Wine Lovers
Cost: from $89 per half case
What you get: Six full-size bottles, delivered each time you shop
Why we love it: For people who have hectic travel schedules and/or can't be troubled to remember to pause subscriptions, this half-case situation, delivered in single orders is a blessing. Another bonus is the search bar that lets you screen wines for sulfites, added sugars, pesticides and preservatives.
Usual Wines
4. Usual Wines
Best for Instagrammers
Cost: from $80 per month
What you get: 12 bottles, each holding roughly a large glass of wine
Why we love it: Like a glass of wine after work or with dinner but don't want to open a whole bottle? Then you're the target market for Usual Wines, a wine company we've seen all over social media. Usual makes 6.3-ounce bottles of wine labeled by color and style rather than terroir. The Red, Rosé, Brut or other wines are made in small batches in California, and much is made of the sustainable farming styles and production means. And yay, there's only a two-month minimum sign-up, so we appreciate the nod to the commitment-phobes among us.
Boxt
5. Boxt
Best for Reverse Wine Snobs
Cost: $74 per box
What you get: One box per month, which equals four bottles of wine
Why we love it: These boxes stay fresh for up to six weeks after opening, so they're nice to have on hand in case you're not sure who'll be having wine with dinner all week—or if friends drop by unexpectedly. You choose between wine profiles (one box tends toward more oaky, another skews fruity) and the wine is shipped straight from the makers in Napa. Oh, and the little wooden boxes look cute nestled in the fridge.
Bright Cellars/Instagram
6. Bright Cellars
Most Scientific Pairing Method
Cost: $100/month
What you get: Four vinos from around the world, tailored to your taste
Why we love it: All that’s standing between you and six tasty new bottles? An interactive, seven-question survey about your food and beverage preferences. Based on your answers, the team at Bright Cellars will match you with six top wines from around the world using Bright Points, an 18-attribute scoring system that creates customized wine ratings based on how compatible they are with your preferences. Then, six new wines you’re bound to love will be delivered to your door each month. It’s basically a personal matchmaker for your palate.
Wine Awesomeness/Facebook
7. Wine Awesomeness
Best for Travelers
Cost: $49/month for three bottles or $79/month for six bottles
What you get: Your choice of red, white or a mix of both, shipped each month
Why we love it: The curators and sommeliers at Wine Awesomeness will handpick a selection of wines from all over the world and ship it to you each month. In addition to tasting them, you’ll also actually learn about each variety, thanks to a handy insert that tells the stories of each winemaker, teaches you how to describe the wines like a true professional and suggests food pairings for each. No quizzes or gimmicks necessary, just really good vino.
Firstleaf Wine Club/Facebook
8. Firstleaf Wine Club
Most Educational
Cost: $90/month
What you get: Six wines from around the world, based on your flavor preferences
Why we love it: First of all, 92 percent of Firstleaf’s wines are award-winning. Secondly, they cut out the middleman by working directly with some of the world’s top vintners, so you know you’re getting the most bang for your buck. And with over 500,000 customer ratings on the site, their system can predict what wines you’ll want to sip without you even having to think about it. But the best part is the Wine School, a free online resource with lessons in everything from food pairings to tannins.
Naked Wines
9. Naked Wines
Best member perks
Cost: $40/month
What you get: One bottle of wine, plus $40 in credit and access to Angel Executive bottles, pre-released wines and more
Why we love it: Rather than delivering a shipment of mass-produced red or white every month, Naked Wines lets you support independent vintners. When you join as an “Angel” (which is what they call members), you’ll contribute $40 to your wine account and receive a free bottle—plus access to Angel Executive bottles, pre-released wines and more, which are up to 60 percent off traditional retail prices. Dip into your wine account to buy the bottles you want, when you want them.
Cellars Wine Club/Facebook
10. Cellars Wine Club
Best for Indecisive Drinkers
Cost: from $29/shipment
What you get: A shipment of one to seven bottles of wine from across the globe
Why we love it: The customization options are endless with Cellars Wine Club: Choose from single bottles, varieties from specific regions or flavor profiles and highly rated bottles. If you’re not sure you’re into the whole commitment thing, you can even select how many months you want to try it for (even if that’s just one).
Vine Oh!/Facebook
11. Vine Oh!
Best Complete Self-Care Package
Cost: $60 every three months
What you get: A box of fun, wellness- and wine-related products, plus two bottles of vino
Why we love it: More than just a wine delivery, Vine Oh! is like a self-care subscription box based around your favorite reds, whites or rosés. You’ll get everything from wine glasses to candles to eye masks (and of course, wine)—that’s more than $183 worth of goodies for just $60.
Tasting Room
12. Tasting Room
Best for picky drinkers
Cost: $15 for mini bottle tasting kit, then $13/bottle afterwards
What you get: A tasting kit of six white and red wines to try, followed by full bottles based on your flavor preferences
Why we love it: If you live by the motto “try it before you buy it,” then this is the subscription for you. To start, you’ll receive a tasting kit with both red and white varieties. Once you taste and rate them all, Tasting Room will craft a profile based on your likes and dislikes, which helps tailor future wine shipments to your specific preferences.
Blue Apron
13. Blue Apron Wine
Best for Foodies and Home Cooks
Cost: $70/month
What you get: Six 500-milliliter bottles of wine meant for pairing with a Blue Apron dinner
Why we love it: Blue Apron’s weekly meal subscription is one of our go-tos for easy weeknight dinners. And now we can get expert-recommended wine from their trusted culinary team, too. Every shipment contains six 500-milliliter bottles of wine (which are two-thirds the size of a typical bottle) to encourage sharing and pairing with a specific Blue Apron meal for two. Plus, true to the brand’s ethos, you’ll receive tasting notes, pairing tips and a story behind each wine.
Wall Street Journal Wines/Facebook
14. Wall Street Journal Wines
Best for Budding Collectors
Cost: from $70 every three months, plus $20 shipping
What you get: 12 wines tailored to your personal tastes, delivered every three months
Why we love it: If you like to stock up any chance you get, this is the subscription for you. Every three months, you’ll receive a case (FYI, that’s 12 bottles) of top-rated wines from around the globe, tailored to your taste and based on feedback from previous deliveries. Wall Street Journal Wines also often runs promotions for free additional bottles (yes, please) and allows you to select from white, red or a mix.
Martha Stewart Wine Co.
15. Martha Stewart Wine Co.
Best Celebrity Endorsement
Cost: from $7/bottle
What you get: 12 bottles hand-picked by Martha Stewart (!!!) and shipped to you every 12 weeks.
Why we love it: In addition to hand-selecting all the bottles, Martha Stewart Wine Co. also includes tasteful serving, pairing and entertaining suggestions for each variety. Plus, you can choose your preference of receiving a case of red, white or a mix of both in each shipment. Find that you don’t love this round’s selection? Don’t worry, they’ll replace it for free.
Ninety Plus Cellars
16. Ninety+ Cellars Wine Club
Best for Budding Aficionados
Cost: from $50 every three months
What you get: Three, six or 12 of the newest wines and top seasonal selections shipped to your door every quarter
Why we love it: We appreciate a good bottle of wine, but don't always love the high price that comes along with it. Ninety+ Cellars searches the globe—from Italy to New Zealand to California and beyond—for the best of the best vino from top-rated vineyards, and then works directly with them to bring us world-class wines for as little as $50 every three months. Oh, and the shipping is always free.
Vinebox
17. Vinebox
Most Unique Selection
Cost: from $79 every three months
What you get: Nine hard-to-find European wines by the glass, shipped in convenient single-use vials
Why we love it: If you like to try different wines but don’t want to commit to a whole bottle, Vinebox's quarterly subscription service is here for you. Every three months, nine vials of wine will be shipped to your door, each containing one glass of new or rare European wine. You’ll also get credits to use toward full bottles when you find a variety you especially like.
Empathy Wines
18. Empathy Wines
Most Local and Sustainable
Cost: from $54 for three bottles
What you get: A seasonal wine shipment of three, six or 12 bottles of red, white and rosé varieties
Why we love it: No up-charge, no choice overload—just really great, reasonably priced vino. Empathy Wines is a direct-to-consumer winery that partners with small, sustainability-focused farmers from lesser-known wine regions of Northern California to bring you quality bottles without the markup. It’s the ideal subscription option for the person whose taste shifts with the seasons, as shipments every four months rotate between blends of rosé, white and red. Sign us up.
Plonk Wine Club/Facebook
19. Plonk Wine Club
Best Splurge
Cost: from $110/month
What you get: Four or 12 bottles of carefully curated natural, organic wines that are produced without pesticides or additives
Why we love it: Options, options, options. Not only can you choose how many bottles you’ll receive from Plonk Wine Club, but you can choose how often you receive them and the varieties you get. Receive shipments of rare, natural and organic bottles every three, six or 12 months that hail from Argentina, Australia and yes, even Italy.