Wine Awesomeness Box Review + Coupon – September 2017

Wine Awesomeness is a monthly wine subscription that specializes in rare and unusual wines. They seek out "the coolest, craveworthiest wines" with plenty of crowd-pleasing appeal. The curatorial team includes a Food & Wine Sommelier of the Year! So far, this subscription has been a really fun way for me to expand on my amateur knowledge of wine. I'm excited to see what the team picked to send along this month!

Each Wine Awesomeness box comes with three wines. You choose whether you'd like the "All Red", "All White" (with a chance of rosé or bubbly), or the "Variety" (with a chance of rosé or bubbly) plan—they're all $45.00 per month. (I chose the "Variety" plan.) If you're a more frequent wine drinker, or if you just want to grow your collection a little faster, Wine Awesomeness does offer all of their monthly selections for $75.00 per shipment in a plan called "The Six Pack." 

Want to change your Wine Awesomeness preferences, skip a shipment, or cancel altogether? You can do all of the above via your online account at any time.

The wines arrive in a giant, nondescript cardboard box. Inside, the bottles were safely sitting in specially made cardboard trays, which keep 'em still and crack-free.

My Subscription Addiction pays for this subscription. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes).

This review is for the Variety plan, which is $45.00 per monthly box.

The Subscription Box: Wine Awesomeness

The Cost: $45 a month for 3 bottles of all red, all white, or a variety of red and white wines. $75.00 per month to receive all 6 monthly selections (of reds and whites).

ACTIVE DEAL: get 20% off
CODE: MSA20

The Products: Three bottles of wine “curated for adventurous souls.”

Ships to: U.S. (Including states most other alcohol subscriptions don’t ship to, like PA and OK!)

Check out all of our Wine Awesomeness Reviews and all Wine of the Month Club reviews!

Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wish list!

Wine Awesomeness has its own mini magazine in lieu of a traditional information card or booklet. (This month's theme is "Burgers"!) It's one of my favorite parts of this subscription! In addition to listing all of the possible wine selections you could've received this month, they also take time to articulate the flavors of each wine, give a recipe to pair with each bottle, and even note fun details like the perfect song to listen to while you're sipping!

2016 Blue Quail Sauvignon Blanc - Value $16.00

Thanks to wine subscriptions like this one, I've really started appreciating the world of white wines. This Sauvignon Blanc is so refreshingly fruity and delicious (especially when it's served chilled). I love the descriptions that the booklet gives for each wine, and this bottle's didn't disappoint: "Crisp, clean, and to the point. Tastes like taking a bite out of the Chiquita Banana girl's hat or the fruit cocktails your mother gave you out of the can when you were young." Ha! I can definitely pick up on the fun, upbeat sweetness they describe and the peachy fruitiness. But there's an edge to this wine, too—it's got the slightest bit of acidity to keep it tasting bright and crisp. It almost twinkles across the tongue as you drink it.

2012 Fondo Antico Versi Rosso - Value $12.35

I love red wines, especially when the weather starts to turn cold. Where the previous wine felt perfect for a warm, late-summer Sunday afternoon, this wine tastes perfect for cozy fall nights in. The booklet calls it "hearty", which I think is the perfect way to put it. It's not overbearing—it's just kind of... cuddly. I felt like there was a bit of earthy spice to it that I didn't expect. The booklet calls these undertones "salty brine" and "wet chewing tobacco, an old cedar chest, and raisins." Long story short, it's yummy, guys. And very very September.

2015 Simply Syrah - Value $11.99

Emoji wine! Welcome to 2017, folks. I'm not complaining though. I'm not too proud to say that this quirky label gave me a giggle—did you see that the back label is all emoji, too?! If you're having trouble translating, the booklet is here to help. This is an awesome South African wine with a tasty jammy fruitiness. ("Jammy" is one of those wine words I can throw around now,  since I've seen it in so many Wine Awesomeness descriptions...) I like to call these kinds of wines "friendly" wines. This guy is a crowdpleaser—it's fruity, but it tastes sophisticated, too. It's almost like a sangria that's all grown up. The booklet says its like "fresh summer berries, tan, sandy skin, and dried ocean water on sunburned shoulders." Okay... sure. I didn't feel like it was quite so beachy as the booklet did, but I did agree later, when they said it tastes like, "spice and lavender and cold-pressed pomegranate juice." That pom comment is the perfect descriptor. It's fruity and rich, but bright, too. 👍😎💖

Wise White Cheddar Popcorn, 0.625 oz - Value $0.81 (Buy 3 6.5 oz bags for $24.99 at Walmart)

Wise 30% Reduced Fat Sea Salt Popcorn, 0.5 oz - Value $0.54 (Buy a 5.5 oz bag for $5.99 on ShopFoodEx.com)

There's always a special treat in each box, but usually, it's something a little snazzier than snack bags of popcorn. I mean, I'm biased, because previously, I got fancy chocolate, and I'm wild about chocolate, haha! I've got nothing against popcorn, though. Especially the cheesy stuff. I liked the white cheddar bag the best, though I will say both bags made a nice healthier snack. The booklet also includes a recipe for how to use the sea salt popcorn in a blueberry crumble!

Verdict: I was really happy with what I got in this month's box! For $45.00, I got three bottles. Based on prices I found online, the total value of the bottles and the snacks was about $42.00. I'm not worried about that few dollars' difference—I'll attribute that to curation and the great information in the booklet. Plus, if I think about it, I'd probably spend around that same amount (at least) on mid-range wines at my local shop. But I'm always so overwhelmed walking into the wine store, so I'm digging the convenience of having someone else do the shopping for me. (And do such a good job with it!)

Have you tried Wine Awesomeness? What do you think?