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 $12.99 each. (Shipping is free on orders of 4 or more bottles.)
The Products: Small-lot wines sourced directly from vineyards and winemakers.
Ships to: Check your zip code through this link for shipping eligibility.
Winc July 2019 Review
When you sign up to join Winc, you take a quick little 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, choose your own bottles from their regularly changing selection, or skip the month completely. You can also take the palate profile test as often as you’d like.
The bottles are shipped in an upright cardboard box that has molded pieces to hold them in place. This helps prevent the bottles from bashing into one another during transport. The box is rather sturdy and has a super convenient handle that makes it easy to carry. I get a lot of use out of the box's clever design, and always make sure to keep at least one on-hand so they're simple to tote to a friend's house or elsewhere (when I feel like sharing, anyway).
Everyone's here in tip-top shape!
Winc included this card that highlights their Chop Shop cabernet sauvignon, which I tried a few months ago. I'm always delighted by their copy and graphic design.
So, how about those wines?
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2017 Rosa Obscura Red Blend — $14.99 (or $12.99 through the subscription)
California
Body: Full
Sweetness: Slightly sweet
Alcohol: 14.3%
Winemaking: Eco-friendly
I updated my preferences back in June so that I'd receive one red and three whites, rather than a 50/50 split as I'd been doing since I started this subscription. As you may have noticed, it's freaking hot out there, so the more chilled options in my home, the better. This is my only red of the month, and after seeing a commenter proclaim their passion for this bottle in last month's review (they purchased 10 of the previous year's vintage!), I couldn't wait to bust into this one. A mix of zinfandel, cab sav, and merlot, this wine had great body and a pleasant smoothness that I really appreciated. I could definitely pick up on the cranberry notes, but not so much the cocoa or jasmine. The webpage for this bottle claimed it pairs well with chocolate, so that's probably where the cocoa notes really shine. I'll be reaching for this with a bar of Lindt the next time my feelings need it.
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2018 Loves Me Not White Blend — $15.99 (or $13.99 through the subscription)
California
Body: Medium
Sweetness: Sweet
Alcohol: 13%
Winc kindly sent a Loves Me Not Rosé last month and I barreled through it. It felt like peak adulthood: coming home after a day at the office, kicking off my loafers, pulling up my hair, slipping into a silk robe, and pouring a big ol' glass of chilled rosé before sprawling out on the couch and getting deep into the newest season of Stranger Things. I was sad when I finished the bottle, but lo and behold, this one arrived not long after! At first sip, it was pretty floral and reminded me of a dryer sheet. I didn't get much of the apricot, lychee, or peach, but I did appreciate the sweetness. Between this one and the rosé, the latter is my preferred choice. I didn't mind having this in the fridge, though!
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2017 Diviner Sauvignon Blanc — $18.99 (or $16.99 through the subscription)
Santa Barbara County, California
Body: Light
Sweetness: Dry
Alcohol: 12.1%
Winemaking: Eco-friendly, vegan
Oh, would you look at that label design! In the past year, I've accumulated quite a few pieces of spooky paraphernalia with eerie eyeballs and creepy hands (namely an Every Time I Die beach towel and a Los Campesinos! pullover snagged after their show in London last fall), so this bottle felt like a winner before I even opened it. It's very much my preferred aesthetic. Unfortunately, it was not my favorite of the month, but with that realization came a very valuable lesson—I finally know what tasting notes of "rock" are like! At first sip, I got an uncomfortably earthy flavor, which turned out to be the very forward crushed rock notes. It just tasted like smashed pebbles, followed by white wine. At least I know now! My boyfriend picked up on the green apple and lime zest notes a lot more than I did. If you're not much of a rock-flavor fan like myself, this bottle certainly got a lot better for me when enjoyed alongside a bag of jalapeño parmesan crisps from Aldi. Those pretty much made the stone taste disappear. What magic!
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2018 Cocomero Rosé — $16.99 (or $14.99 through the subscription)
California
Body: Medium
Sweetness: Dry
Alcohol: 13%
Winemaking: Vegan
Hold onto your socks—this bottle has a scratch and sniff label (!!) that smells like candied watermelon. Sound the alarm! This is not a drill! Wow. What business does this rosé have being so charming? In addition to an unbelievably delightful exterior experience, it delivers a light and lovely palette of fruity flavors (raspberry, rhubarb, rose petal, and watermelon, to be precise), plus a dry finish. It also touts a grenache base, and I do love a grenache. This was my favorite this month, hands down, and it's easy to see why this one is truly beloved by the Winc community.
Verdict: This month’s selections were a bit of a mixed bag. Although I didn't care for all that rock flavor the sauvignon blanc handed out, I did appreciate finally being able to identify what wines mean when they claim tasting notes of rock. The Cocomero more than made up for the other bottles not really taking my breath away. I mentioned this last month, but it still rings true—I've been doing a lot of impromptu entertaining recently, and having four bottles shipped to my house every month without any real thought has been a large part of the value of this subscription for me. I'm also a big fan of the copy, graphic design, and user interface, and if you're into simplistic style with streamlined info and a touch of personality, you'll likely be a fan as well. Winc has been one of my favorite monthly subscriptions for a long time, and even though this was far from my favorite shipment, I still stand by its excellent service and experience.
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. As of publication, all the bottles I received are available, so you could duplicate this box if you so desire! Sign up today and curate your own selection, or let them choose a few bottles for you.
Value Breakdown: This box cost $58.96 for four full bottles of wine but had a retail value of $66.96, so that's a savings of $8.00 by having the subscription.
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