Wine Down Box is a monthly subscription box featuring gourmet wine, cheese, and charcuterie pairings. Each box is expertly curated to bring you some of the best small-batch California wines.
The pairings arrive in a beautiful black box with an ice pack to ensure freshness upon delivery.
This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes).
The Subscription Box: Wine Down Box
The Cost: $70 for 1 month, $204 for 3 months, $390 for 6 months, or $756 for 12 months.
ACTIVE DEAL: Save 10% off your first box!
CODE: FACEBOOK
The Products: One bottle of wine, 8 oz. artisanal cheese pairing, 2 oz. charcuterie pairing, and 2 oz. handmade crackers
Ships to: US for free, except for the following states: AK, AL, AR, DE, HI, KY, MS, OK, RI, SD, UT
Check out all of our Wine of the Month Club reviews!
Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!
Each month you will receive an information card that goes over the curated pairing. If you are looking to learn more about wine and cheese, this is extremely helpful because it goes into great detail about how each product works together. You also receive this larger card that goes over how Wine Down works and how you can follow them on their social media. Super helpful!
I wanted to show this awesome ice pack because it was made of cloth! I have never received such a high-quality ice pack in a box before which really elevated the whole experience for me. Plus, now I can keep this to use and then recycle it when I am done using it.
2011 Merlot from Cardella Winery - Retail Value $18.00
Our wine for the month is a merlot from the Cardella Winery. I am normally not a fan of merlot, but this wine was silky smooth, unlike most merlots I have tried. The flavors are fruity with a light oak flavor that makes this a wonderful wine to enjoy on a cold evening. The card notes that this is a medium body wine which is most likely why I didn't feel as though I was drinking a merlot. A really wonderful bottle of wine that was a pleasant surprise! Dare I say I like merlot now?
Garlic Peppercorn Cheddar from Plymouth Artisan Cheese, 8 oz. - Retail Value $10.00
This cheese was bursting with flavors and textures that paired so nicely with the merlot! Made in Vermont, this lovely cheese is made with garlic, onion, red peppers, and green peppercorns. You really get so much of that wonderful garlic flavor and then actual chunks of peppercorn. The texture of the peppers mixed with the rich creaminess of the cheese is so unique! The information card notes that this cheese was paired with the wine to ensure that they both compliment each other instead of overpowering all of the bold flavors.
Nita Crisp - Wheat, 2 oz. - (Buy 48 2 oz. bags for $48)
The key to a great cracker to eat with meats and cheeses, for me, is the size. These crackers are perfect to hold those larger slices of cheese and the delicious meat! They provide the perfect crunch and have a light layer of salt that you can really only taste if you taste it on its own.
Alle-Pia Barolo Salami, 2 oz - Value $12.00
This handcrafted salami comes from Piemonte in Northern Italy. The flavors were bold with that light pepper that adds a bit of crunch. This paired so nicely with the ingredients in the cheese, they both brought out so many different flavors that you don't notice eating each on their own. I love that this came thinly sliced which made building my board super easy! I really thought that the oak flavors in the merlot came out in a big way when paired with this salami.
The final product is a beautiful glass of wine and charcuterie board that is picture perfect! There is an array of meat and cheeses at all of my family dinners so I was very excited to bring this beautiful pairing to our last Sunday dinner. The pairings worked so nicely together they all thought I had just stepped up my wine game. Nope, Wine Down Box helped!
The Verdict: This was my first time receiving the Wine Down Box and I was so impressed with the overall look of the box! You really feel as though you are getting a beautifully curated set of wine, meats, and cheeses. My wine and charcuterie knowledge is minimal, only picking up things here and there from my parents, but I thought that Wine Down Box really helped me to understand why these items paired so well together. I thought that this was truly an overall experience from start to finish about learning and taste testing each item in the box on their own and then together!
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? No, as of publication, your order will be for the November box.
Value Breakdown: This box of one bottle of wine, cheese, salami, and crackers cost $70 (shipping is free) for one month, but calculating the values that I found above, I received $41 in products. The overall value is a $29 difference, which was very surprising. Curation adds to the overall value, but I think an extra bottle of wine or more pieces for the charcuterie would be a great way to bring the overall value up to meet that $70 monthly cost.
What did you think of the October Wine Down Box? Which wine clubs and boxes have you tried and liked?
Please do not enter your email address in the Name field or in the comment content. Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *. Remember to post with kindness and respect. Comments with offensive language, cruelness to others, etc will not be approved. See our full comment policy here.