Winc is a wine subscription box that re-imagines the traditional wine club. Winc offers a regularly changing selection of unique, small production wines that are sourced directly from vineyards and winemakers.
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.)
About Winc
The Subscription Box: Winc
The Cost: Bottles start at $13 each. (Shipping is free on orders of 4 or more bottles.)
The Products: Small-lot wines sourced directly from vineyards and wine makers.
Ships to: All US states EXCEPT AK, AL, AR, DE, HI, KY, MS, OK, PA, RI, DS, and UT
Winc September 2018 Review
When you sign up to join Winc, you take a short, fun “palate profile” quiz that helps determine your taste in wine. Based on your answers, Winc makes bottle recommendations for you every month. You can go along with their recommendations or choose your own bottles from their regularly changing selection (or skip the month completely).
The bottles are shipped in an upright cardboard box that has moulded pieces to hold them in place. This also helps prevent the bottles from bashing into one another during transport. The box is rather sturdy and has a super handy handle that makes it easy to carry! This box is a quite the transportable beauty.
Looks like everyone arrived safely!
The info card gives some cool stats on a winemaker’s not so average day. Interesting, but count me out for the two average tarantula sightings. Eek.
On the back, you’ll find some lighthearted tips for making the most of your Winc experience.
The box also came with an info card for Unpakt, a platform that lets you book vetted movers online at guaranteed prices. Including this card seemed a like a non sequitur at first, until I remembered how necessary a bottle of wine is during (and after) the moving process.
2017 Loves Me Not Rosé — Retail Value $17.99 (or $14.00 through subscription)
Central Coast, California
Body: Medium
Sweetness: Sweet
Alcohol: 12.5%
Not too sweet and not too fruity, this rosé hit right in the middle for me, with notes of guava, mandarin orange, and pineapple. Oh, and peach ring, too! Yes, like the candy. Also, can we talk about the label? It’s gorgeous, so modern, and the mint green is stunning against the white lettering and pink wine. This is a bottle I’d be happy to bring chilled to an outdoor gathering during these last stretches of warm weather before fall really sets in.
2017 Wall of Sound Red Blend — Retail Value $16.99 (or $13 through subscription)
California
Body: Medium
Sweetness: Sweet
Alcohol: 15%
Winemaking: Vegan
Now, I’m not usually a red wine kinda gal, but this red blend was really nice. Easy to drink and heavy on the dark fruits (namely blackberries, cherries, and plums), Wall of Sound beckons for pasta in red sauce, or a fancy pizza. The flavor wants to be tart, and almost is, but it’s not quite there, and I appreciate that. The blend is predominately zinfandel with supporting hints of petite Sirah and merlot. Really warmed me from the inside out. Looks like I have a reason to whip up some veggie bolognese!
2017 Ruza Zinfandel Rosé — Retail Value $16.99 (or $13 through subscription)
Lodi, California
Body: Medium
Sweetness: Dry
Alcohol: 12.5%
I wasn’t expecting to like this one much as I’m not crazy about dry wines, but man, this was excellent. Developed by two longtime friends—one a former snowboarder, the other a former dog musher—this rosé is bright, crisp, and surprisingly fruity at the end. The suggested pairings for this wine are burgers, fish, and fries, which only solidifies my excitement. That’s my kind of beverage. Can’t wait to snag some takeout to really get the full experience for this one.
2017 Restless Earth Grenache — Retail Value $24.99 (or $19 through subscription)
Santa Barbara County, California
Body: Light
Sweetness: Dry
Alcohol: 14.2%
Winemaking: Vegan
The booziest and most expensive of the bunch, this grenache was light, smooth, and easily my favorite of the month. Ah, I can’t get over the lightness! The grapes for this wine were grown at 2800-3200 feet above sea level, in a high-elevation location that provides a great deal of UV intensity. A daily temperature swing between 30-40 degrees protects the grapes from the harshness of the sun. Speaking of the grapes, they’re picked at night and fermented in a whole cluster. I’ve never had a red like this before, and I’ll make it a point to have more reds like this in the future. Did this grenache just make a red wine believer out of me? I think so.
Verdict: This month’s selections were a treat and a great mix of end-of-summer rosés and autumnal reds for this season of transition. The Restless Earth Grenache is at the top of my list for wines to try again, and I was most surprised by the Ruza Zinfandel Rosé. Can’t wait to pair the latter with a burger and fries! Winc was a really fun tasting experience for a newbie like me. Truth be told, I’m more of a cheap beer kinda gal, so this was a great way to get my feet wet in the wine world without totally taking me out of my comfort zone. Thoughtfully packaged, easily accessible, and a lot of fun, Winc is totally worth it.
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? Since Winc allows you to choose your wine, you can get any combination you'd like any month. Sign up today and you're welcome to curate your own or let them choose.
Coupon – Save $20 off your first order! No coupon is required, just use this link.
Value Breakdown: This box cost $59.00 for four full bottles of wine but had a retail value of $76.96, so I saved $17.96 by having the subscription!
Check out all of our Winc reviews or visit the Drink Subscription Box List for more boozy boxes!
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