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! The last few months of this subscription have been reviewed by Anna, and she said last month that so far, this subscription has been a really fun way for her to expand on her amateur knowledge of wine. I'm in the same boat: I really enjoy wine, but I don't have much knowledge about it, so I was really excited to sip and learn with this box!
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. (This is 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: US (including states most other alcohol subscriptions don’t ship to, like PA and OK) for free!
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. Most months, each wine is paired with a food or recipe, and the latter is featured this month. While I, of course, understand the concept of food and wine pairings, I haven't done much exploring into that world, so other than the general notion that white wine tends to go with chicken and fish, and red wine goes more with heavier dishes, I'm a blank slate. I spend a ton of time in the kitchen, though, and I get great thrill out of trying new recipes, so I had a great time exploring these recipes. Another great detail is that they include a vibe (such as "Raking autumn leaves on the front lawn" and "Catching the first snow on your tongue, bundled head to toe") and a song pairing with each wine and recipe. Talk about a complete experience!
2016 Chateau Allegret - Retail Value $18.00
The first wine I tried was this Chateau Allegret wine from Bordeaux. It's a red mix: 40% Merlot and 60% Cabernet Sauvignon. As I tasted it, I enjoyed comparing my impressions to the acid, body, tannin, and fruit scale shown in the booklet. Wine Awesomeness also gives notes on the scent, palette, and pairing, so I truly felt equipped with lots of good info. My own thoughts are that the smell is mild, and the flavor is vaguely fruity without being sweet. The more I sipped, the more I started to think the taste was actually a bit bland compared to other reds I've enjoyed, and after reading the zine's comment that "You need a meal that won't fold under the weight of this wine," I realized maybe "heavy" is more appropriate of an assessment than "bland."
Okay, guys, there was my first-ever wine review. Thanks for bearing with me while I learn the ropes!
2016 Canteperdrix Rouge - Retail Value $6.00?
I couldn't find this wine on the Wine Awesomeness site, and I had to hunt pretty hard to find it at all—the one I did find is from 2015, which aligns with what's listed in the booklet. Meanwhile, the bottle included in my box is from 2016. So specialized! This is another red; a mix of Carignan, Grenache, and Syrah. It's one notch higher than the previous bottle in fruitiness, and while I don't strictly enjoy fruity wines, I found that it gave this one a bit more jump-out-at-you flavor. The smell is grape-y and the taste is soft and fresh with subtle dry tones. So far this is my favorite wine in the box. Wine-searcher.com has a similar wine from this winery listed as about $6.00. That seems insanely low to me, but it's all I have to go off of!
2016 Chateau Allegret - Retail Value $9.99?
While I usually gravitate toward red wines, I love the occasional glass of white to keep things interesting. This white blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon is lovely! The scent is bright and rich. The flavor is light and sweet on the front end, and acidic as you swallow it. The pairing for this bottle is profiteroles, which I've never even considered making (I just assumed this was a dessert best left to pastry chefs!), but I might just have to give it a go tonight. Yum!
I noticed the last few months' boxes have included little popcorn snack bags, but I had no such luck this time around. Just vino. So, to the kitchen I go to make some pairing dishes!
The Verdict: I'm really into this box! As someone who hasn't yet taken the time to learn about wines, I appreciate that this subscription offers the full experience (flavor profiles, vineyard/winery history, recipe pairings) for wines that aren't crazy expensive, and with an anything-but-pretentious presentation. It makes this sub feel like a safe space to study up and start building that knowledge. I look forward to enjoying these bottles with friends and being able to teach them what I've learned—gotta spread the love, right?
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? Every Wine Awesomeness box is curated specifically to the recipient's tastes. What's in the box depends on your responses to their easy questionnaire and also what's available at the time. It's likely you won't end up with the exact same wines that I did, but you might get something even better suited to your palate!
Coupon - Get one bottle free when you subscribe! No coupon required, just use this link
Value Breakdown: This box of three wines cost $45.00 (shipping is free), but using the values I found above, I received about $34.00—but that's keeping in mind that one of the wines was estimated as being $6.00 which is probably too low. To me, though, the price gap is made up for by the fact that these are such hard-to-find, specialized wines!
Have you tried Wine Awesomeness? What do you think?
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