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, MI, MS, OK, RI, SD, and UT
Winc October 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 molded 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! It’s quite the transportable beauty. A real party in a box, if you will.
Looks like everyone arrived safely!
There were quite a few surprises in this month’s envelope.
The standard info card with a helpful comparison of pinot noir and cabernet sauvignon, which was an interesting read for the wine newbie that I am. On the flip side, there was an advertisement for Winc’s “Select” program, which offers premium bottles based on your tastes.
Then, there was a promo card for Scentbird. Check out our Scentbird reviews to learn more!
An offer for Graze. Check out our Graze reviews to learn more and get your first two boxes 50% off!
A code for Amora Coffee. Check out our Amora Coffee reviews to learn more!
And this unexpected gem. At first, I was a little rattled to see such a mysterious envelope tucked in with all the promo codes and conventional advertising. Upon closer inspection, the first note inside of the envelope had me pretty rattled. It was urgent yet sincere, until I read on to discover it was an invitation to join Hunt a Killer, a murder mystery subscription service. Pretty wild! They even included a second note from the “killer”, which was spooky, but still very engaging. Well played, especially given the time of year! Check out our Hunt A Killer reviews to learn more!
Let’s get into the wines, shall we?
2017 Brethen of the Road Riesling — Retail Value $20.99 (or $13.00 through subscription)
Monterey, California
Body: Light
Sweetness: Dry
Alcohol: 12.5%
Winemaking: Eco-friendly
This bottle was nice! Light as described, and definitely on the dry side. I got some of the peach notes right away. However, I was a little confounded by what it means for a wine to have tasting notes of “stone.” If you happen to know, do educate me in the comments below. After several sips, I still couldn’t figure it out. Picking up on the pink grapefruit and white floral flavors was easy, but the stone? Still scratching my head. Anyway, this wine pairs best with fish and fruit, which I look forward to having with this bottle, once it’s nice and chilled. It’s certainly a nice wine to share with friends! Not too fancy, not too low-brow. A nice balance overall.
2016 Funk Zone Red Blend—Retail value $24.99 (or $19 through subscription)
Santa Barbara County, California
Body: Medium
Sweetness: Dry
Alcohol: 13.9%
When I went to research this bottle on Winc's site, it was totally sold out! Apparently, it’s one of their most popular wines. You know how reds can have a certain buttery quality to them? This one had it, for sure. It was nice and mild, not too dry. To get the full effect, I had a few sips with a couple nibbles of bleu cheese and it was so good. I tend to have hesitation with reds, especially dry ones, but this one was rather nice. Not as much of a favorite as last month’s Grenache, but still a solid pick for a $19 bottle of wine. The description on Winc advised to drink this with a disregard for the rules, so this bottle will be what I pull out come Friday night. Watch out.
2017 #TBT White Wine Blend — Retail Value $16.99 (or $13 through subscription)
California
Body: Medium
Sweetness: Slightly sweet
Alcohol: 13.1%
At first, the name of this wine made me shudder pretty hard. #TBT—why, why? That aside, I was excited to test a slightly sweet wine, as most of this month’s offerings were on the dry side. The label design for this bottle was really nice! It’s comprised of moments submitted by the Winc community, which wound up playing into the originally-questionable name in a nice way. As for the wine itself, it wins the award for my favorite of the month! So smooth, and just sweet enough for it to go down nice and easy. Apologies for my original critique on the name. This wine will certainly influence some memorable moments. Really looking forward to pairing it with Thai takeout, as suggested.
2017 Pacificana Pinot Noir—Retail Value $16.99 (or $13 through subscription)
California
Body: Medium
Sweetness: Dry
Alcohol: 12.9%
Winemaking: Eco-friendly
I loved the gorgeous purple label of this bottle! Though, the first taste had me shaking my head a bit. It was a tiny bit sour, which I wasn’t expecting, but I also don’t have a ton of experience with pinot noirs, so go easy on me. Another nibble of bleu cheese rounded out the sourness of the flavor profile a bit, making for an easier sip. What can’t bleu cheese fix? I wouldn’t reach for this wine again, perhaps because I’m not a pinot noir person. If you are, I’d love to hear what you love about them, especially if you’ve had this Pacificana.
Verdict: This month’s Winc's selections were an interesting toss up of hearty reds and unique whites. The #TBT White Wine Blend is at the top of my list for wines to try again, while the Pacificana pinot noir was at the bottom. To be fair, I do believe the Pacificana is worth a try, should pinot noirs be your thing! Can’t wait to pair these picks with more than just my massive hunk of bleu cheese to get the full experience. Winc continues to entertain me and educate me, both of which are elements I appreciate in a subscription box experience. I’m learning more with every month, so to me, Winc is definitely 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 $79.96, so I saved $20.96 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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