Want Wine? Send a Text.

It Marks the Rise of the Effortless Insider.

WineText certainly sounds like a direct result of the COVID pandemic—we’re getting everything from groceries to house plants delivered these days—but it’s been in the works way before our world turned upside-down. And it reflects a larger movement toward effortless living: It’s not just avoiding lines in brick-and-mortar stores, it’s bypassing the hassles of fixing your credit card info when auto-fill messes it up. Or a webpage reloading, just as you’re about to click “submit.” It’s one less thing in a universe that’s always asking more of you.

WineText started two years ago, when WineLibraryTV star and famed entrepreneur (full disclosure: He’s a PureWow investor) Gary Vaynerchuk asked the company’s vice president of operations, Brandon Warnke, to invite a small group of people to join a group text—a WineText trial, if you will. If a wine sparked their interest—whether it was a cool $40 pinot noir from Oregon or a $1,000 1996 Chateau Margaux—they would send a text to see if anyone in the group wanted to try it. It was like you Gatsby’ed your way into the wine world.

Slowly but surely, the method started to gain traction, so Vaynerchuk decided to scale up. Fast forward one year, and WineText began using the same concept (only automated), and the following began to grow. The discounts were part of the draw, but the quality of the wines is what’s kept the service from feeling spammy (and the fact that it’s a single text message per day).

“Many times, I’m talking to people who question what we’re doing because we’re being compared to other sites who sell low-quality wine at incredibly low prices,” says WineText buyer and sommelier Sam Doyle. “But we’re bringing you real wines, from individual wineries, that are all backed by a review and rating from a well-known publication.”

With detailed descriptions of each wine, the daily text-message helps subscribers make informed decisions before buying; far more so than your typical “uh, which label looks the coolest?” search down the aisle of a liquor store. And, by including tidbits from third-party reviews (like how Wine Enthusiast gave Battle Family Vineyards’ 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon 93 points for its “explosive and rich” taste), your research is done for you. You’re in the know, even if you don’t know your merlot from your elbow.

Like using Havenly or Modsy to chic up your bedroom, or turning to Stitch Fix to look more pulled-together without having to, well, pull together outfits, WineText taps into our desire to be in the know—without having to do the legwork to become an expert.

Quarantine Has Accelerated This New Way of Life.

OK, so shopping via text has been gaining momentum over the past few years, but the first half of 2020 catapulted the concept from nice-to-have to must-have. And for a reason beyond the obvious convenience: “Many people, I think, look forward to that once-a-day text while quarantined, as a little break from the stress of worrying about everything,” Doyle says.

It’s also nice to receive a text that feels social in nature (there’s always an accompanying video from Doyle), but doesn’t require anything in response. In fact, in era of Zoom fatigue and constant check-ins (yes, Mom, I’m still being careful), it’s kind of refreshing to receive a text whose only aim is to give you a delicious bottle of wine.

The one side effect of all this easy ordering? You may go from effortless insider to accidental expert. “I talk to people every day telling me about a new wine they tried that they never would have thought to try before,” Doyle says. “Nothing excites me more than a client sending me a picture of their new wine storage filled with all different wines.”

Good news, friend: You’re just a text away from living that life.