Winc is a wine subscription box that re-imagines the traditional wine club by offering 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 this Wine Subscription
The Subscription Box: Winc
The Cost: Bottles start at $12.99 each with a membership. (Shipping is free on orders of 4 or more bottles.)
The Products: Small-lot wines, ciders, and sparkling options sourced directly from vineyards and winemakers.
Ships to: Check your zip code through this link for shipping eligibility.
Winc August 2019 Review
When you sign up to join Winc, you take a six-question palate profile quiz (so quick!) to help 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 I can make quick work of toting multiple bottles to a friend's house or elsewhere (when I feel like sharing, anyway).
Winc included this card that describes their latest offering: Keep It Chill, a cabernet designed to be enjoyed after some time in the fridge. Cool! (heh, heh.)
There was also this tri-fold announcement about Winc shares, in case you'd like to invest in the company. I've previously raved about how much I adore Winc's graphic design and copy, which I still largely appreciate. Anna pointed out the missed opportunity of aligning the image of the pouring bottle with the woman's open mouth and I can't help but agree.
So, how about those wines?
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2018 Pacificana Cabernet Sauvignon — $14.99 (or $12.99 through the subscription)
California
Body: Full
Sweetness: Dry
Alcohol: 13.7%
Winemaking: Eco-friendly
Back in June, I updated my preferences so that I'd receive one red and three whites, rather than a 50/50 split as I'd been doing since I began this subscription. I may adjust again as the weather (finally) begins to chill a bit. This is my only red of the month, and it's from the same vineyard as the chardonnay I also received in this box. Winc teamed up with 1% for the Planet to donate a percentage of their Pacificana sales toward environmental causes, which I'm really happy about. As for the wine itself, it's an easily sippable red with prevalent black cherry notes at the finish, which I tend to miss in wines that promise it. It's nice and oaky as well. The site claims it'll be a great pair for burgers, pizza, ribs, and chocolate cake—my preferred food pyramid.
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2018 Pacificana Chardonnay — $15.99 (or $13.99 through the subscription)
California
Body: Medium
Sweetness: Dry
Alcohol: 13.3%
Winemaking: Vegan
Here's the match to the wine I just told you about! Described as striking "the perfect balance between oaky, buttery richness and fruity elegance," this one immediately had my attention. The promised notes of apple, honeysuckle, oak, and *buttered popcorn* only added to the allure. I thought stone notes in wine were wild, but popcorn? I can get down with that. The butteriness was prevalent but welcome, which certainly explains where the popcorn note comes from. I'm a fan! I also appreciated the medium body and the general smoothness of this one.
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2018 Field Theory Albariño — $25.99 (or $21.99 through the subscription)
Lodi, California
Body: Light
Sweetness: Dry
Alcohol: 13%
Winemaking: Eco-friendly, vegan
This is easily one of the most expensive bottles I've ever received from Winc, and I'm pretty jazzed about it. The bottle design is modern and interesting, and Albariño is a new wine for me. According to Winc, it's very fruit-forward thanks to tasting notes of apricot, lime zest, wet stone, and white flowers. The grapes with which it's made are rare to California, which I believe partially justifies the pricepoint. I didn't really pick up on the apricot, but the lime zest and white flower notes were definitely there for me. Everyone's palates are different, so for others, this bottle could really deliver on those other flavors! If you like light, dry whites (which I do) then you'll likely be a fan of this as well. I've had white wines with a similar flavor profile for a few dollars less, but I still think this bottle is great to bring to a gathering, if not just for the aesthetic value and the grape-rarity talking point.
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2017 Finke's Sparkling Chardonnay — $19.99 (or $17.99 through the subscription)
California
Body: Light
Sweetness: Dry
Alcohol: 12.5%
Winemaking: Eco-friendly, vegan
Ah, I knew this was coming and forgot to change this selection from Winc with one of my own choosing. Currently, one-third of the space in my refrigerator is occupied by champagne (so many things to celebrate in life, so little time), so the arrival of this bottle prompts a very important question: is there such a thing as having too much sparkling wine? Given how much I liked the taste of this one, my answer is no, there is indeed no such thing. Crisp, fizzy, and just a little fruity with its notes of apricot, lemon, white peach, and honeysuckle, this bottle of bubbly is more than welcome amongst all the others filling my fridge.
Verdict: I was pretty pleased with my delivery this month! It was cool to see a slightly ritzier option included, as well as some simpler, more laidback options. Nothing really swept me off my feet, but that's all right. I've mentioned this in previous reviews, but it still rings true: Winc's convenience and ease of use add to the value of this subscription for me in a major way. Also, I'm really delighted with Winc's customer service. I recently reached out about moving my monthly ship date to earlier in the month, and they could not have been more accommodating. Once again, Winc gets my sparkling seal of approval.
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 feel so inclined! Sign up today and curate your own selection, or let them choose a few bottles for you.
Value Breakdown: This box cost $66.96 for four full bottles of wine but had a retail value of $76.96, so that's a savings of $10.00 by having the subscription.
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