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Let’s be real for a second. You have no idea what you are doing in the wine aisle.
You stand there staring at the shelf for ten minutes. You pretend to read the back of a bottle. You look for words like “oak” or “notes of cherry” to seem sophisticated. Eventually you just grab the bottle with the coolest font or the one with a picture of a dog on it. You take it home. You drink it. It tastes like grape juice mixed with rubbing alcohol.
You deserve better than accidental bad wine.
Enter www.winc.com. It is the wine club that is finally dragging the industry into the 21st century.
If you want a Winc wine review that skips the snobbery and tells you the truth then keep reading. We tested it to see if it is actually worth the hype or just another subscription trap.
What is Winc?
Think of Winc as the Netflix of wine.
Old school wine clubs are boring. They send you whatever random bottles they cannot sell elsewhere. www.winc.com is different. They are a direct to consumer winery. That is just fancy marketing speak meaning they make the wine themselves and send it straight to your door.
This cuts out the grocery store markup. It keeps the price low. It keeps the quality high. Most importantly it means you never have to put on pants to go to the liquor store again.
The real magic is not just the delivery. It is the customization.
The Magic: The Palate Profile Quiz
Usually buying wine requires a degree in agriculture. Winc just requires you to answer questions about food.
The Palate Profile Quiz is actually fun. When you sign up at www.winc.com they do not ask you what year was the best for Merlot. They ask you things you actually know.
- How do you take your coffee?
- Do you love salt?
- Do you hate mushrooms?
- Do you like citrus?
It takes 30 seconds. The algorithm uses your answers to map your taste buds. Then it recommends four bottles that you are mathematically guaranteed to like. Okay maybe not mathematically guaranteed but it is pretty close.
The Wines: Are They Actually Good?
This is the big question for this Winc wine review. Does the wine taste like a $50 bottle or a box of Franzia?
The answer is that it is surprisingly good.
Winc creates their own brands. This means unique labels you cannot find at Trader Joe’s. They have everything from bold California Reds to crisp French Whites. They even have fun stuff like sparkling reds and orange wines if you are feeling hipster.
The “I Don’t Like It” Guarantee
Here is the best part. www.winc.com has an incredible guarantee.
If you open a bottle and hate it then you do not pay for it. Seriously. You do not have to ship it back. You just tell them you didn’t like it. They give you credits for a new bottle. It is completely risk free.
The Cost: Is Winc Worth It?
Let’s talk money. We know you are looking for an “affordable wine club” that doesn’t bankrupt you.
- The Price: Bottles usually run between $13 and $20.
- The Membership: You pay a monthly fee (usually around $60). That money sits in your account as credits to buy wine.
- The Shipping: Order 4 bottles and shipping is free.
If you are used to spending $15 on mediocre grocery store wine then www.winc.com is a no brainer. You get better wine delivered to your door for the same price.
Pros and Cons
We promised an honest Winc wine review so here is the good and the bad.
Pros
- No Snobs Allowed: This is wine for normal people. The descriptions are easy to understand.
- The Aesthetic: The labels are beautiful. They look great on your counter.
- The Flexibility: Going out of town? You can skip a month with one click.
- The Education: You actually learn what you like so you can sound smart at dinner parties.
Cons
- The Breakup: Skipping a month is easy. Fully canceling your account usually requires chatting with customer service. It is a minor annoyance but still annoying.
- No Vintage Collecting: If you are looking for a 1996 Bordeaux to keep in your cellar for twenty years then look elsewhere. Winc wines are meant to be drunk now.
Who is Winc For?
www.winc.com is perfect for:
- The Hostess: You want wine that looks cool and tastes good for girls’ night.
- The Beginner: You want to learn about wine without being intimidated.
- The Lazy Genius: You want good wine to appear at your house automatically.
Final Verdict
Does Winc change your life? Well it removes the stress of bad wine. It saves you money. It brings alcohol to your door. That sounds like a life improvement to us.
Winc is fun. It is affordable. It is incredibly easy.
Stop drinking bad wine because the bottle has a pretty bird on it. Let the experts handle it.
Click the link below to take the quiz. We even snagged a discount for you.
Yes, skipping a month is very easy and can be done in your account settings with one click. Fully canceling your account usually requires a quick chat or phone call with their customer service team, but there are no cancellation fees.
Winc bottles generally range from $13 to $20. The monthly membership fee is typically around $60, which turns into credits you can use to buy wine. Shipping is free if you order 4 or more bottles.
Yes, Winc has an “I Don’t Like It” guarantee. If you receive a bottle you don’t enjoy, they will replace it or give you credits for another bottle—you don’t even have to ship the empty bottle back.
The Palate Profile is a short quiz that asks about your preferences for salt, citrus, coffee, and food. Winc’s algorithm uses these answers to map your unique palate and recommend wines you are statistically likely to enjoy.
