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.
I've been subscribing to Winc for years, and it's one of my favorite alcohol delivery options out there!
This box was sent at no cost for review. (Check out the editorial guidelines to learn more about how we review boxes.)
My October 2021 Wines: First Impressions
Now that there's finally a chill in the air, I bid farewell to my long summer of white wine and mixed things up this month with a couple of reds. I ordered two lighter whites (my go-to dinnertime wine) and then meandered over to the red wine section of Winc's online store to browse. Since I haven't ordered red wine from Winc for a few months, there were so many new bottles to choose from. I was like a kid in a candy store! I finally narrowed my selection down to a bottle of Zinfandel and a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon.
For those new to Winc, it's useful to know that certain flagship releases pop up year after year, and after you've been subscribing for a couple of years, you'll start to recognize certain bottlings and look forward to your favorites. That happened for me with the Cabernet Sauvignon in this shipment. I clocked the label when I was scrolling through Winc's inventory, and I remembered enjoying a previous vintage several years ago. With that, my excitement was enflamed! I couldn't wait to see if this year's Undercard Cabernet Sauvignon would live up to my memories and expectations!
The Taste Test
2020 Fog Land® Pinot Grigio- $14.99 (Member Price: $12.99)
1 of 3
Washington | Light | Dry | 12.6% alcohol
I've been on a bit of a Pinot Grigio kick since the middle of summer, and I didn't realize until after I'd placed my order for this month's wines that I've actually had this one before. I also picked it for inclusion in my August shipment, and I definitely had a bit of a "doh!" moment when I realized that it was a repeat. Not to worry, though. Luckily, I enjoyed this bottle the first time around, so it was a welcome oversight. Here's what I had to say about this wine when I reviewed it in August:
It has a mild flavor that’s very tasty. The first sip reveals a wine that’s light and dry, and the flavor reminds me of stone fruit that’s had all the sugar sucked out of it. It’s not fruity, per se, but there’s a hint of peach and pear that tastes like it’s been mixed with flinty mineral water. It’s a wine that tastes clean in the best possible way.
Funnily enough, it tasted a little different to me this time. There are a number of reasons why this could be the case. It could be due to temperature affecting the flavor of the wine (maybe it got a bit warm in transit?), issues with the cork, or my palette could be to blame. Our tastebuds are fickle and don't always report the same tastes on different days. I didn't dislike the wine this time around, but I found the flavor a bit more harsh and less nuanced. I got strong flavors of lemon and gasoline instead of the lighter fruit I picked up on the first time I tried it. Instead of clean, this time I found the flavor almost overwhelming. I ended up muting things with a splash of sparkling water which made the taste a bit more palatable for me.
2019 Undercard® Cabernet Sauvignon- $17.99 (Member Price: $15.99)
1 of 3
Mendocino County, California | Full | Dry | 14.8% alcohol
Before I had my "a-ha!" moment with this wine, I was drawn in by the rating. This bottle gets a 4.2/5 from Winc customers, which is pretty high. 49% of everyone who rated this wine gave it a full 5 stars, so I felt like I had to see what all the fuss was about. In the description of this wine, Winc teases that it's from an appellation located next-door to much more expensive vino real estate and that this bottle bats above its weight in terms of price. I am very happy to report that I wholeheartedly agree! Great Cabs can be hard to find under the $20 price point, but this one is a winner. It definitely tastes like a more expensive wine. It's rich and full-bodied, and the flavor is all berries, spice, and leather. It's a big wine that goes down easy, and the flavors are pronounced but oh so smooth. It would be a great partner to a big old steak, but I opted to sip it while cooking. While big in flavor, it certainly didn't need food to shine. Big fan of this wine. Big fan.
2020 Altre Món Verdejo- $16.99 (Member Price: $14.99)
1 of 3
Rueda, Spain | Light | Dry | 13.6% alcohol
If an evil genie popped into the room and announced I would henceforth only be able to drink white wine from a single country, I might just choose Spain. It's not a country a lot of people land on first when they think about white wine, but I'm all about the Spanish varietals. Verdejo and Albariño are two of my favorites, and-- bonus!-- they both pair wonderfully with a lot of tapas dishes, which I also love. (I'm never not in the mood for Gambas al Ajillo, Patatas Bravas, and Croquetas de Jamón!) This bottle was an absolute delight. Light and dry, Winc called out flavors of "citrus, honeysuckle, melon, and wet stone," which I found to be spot on. This wine was a total sipper, and the combination of lemon, floral, and mineral flavors melded together beautifully. I paired this bottle with lemony shrimp pasta, and it was an excellent pairing. 10/10, I would definitely recommend this wine.
2018 Likelihood of Confusion Zinfandel- $14.99 (Member Price: $12.99)
1 of 3
California | Medium | Dry | 14.5% alcohol
Zinfandel is a wine that I rarely seek out, but when I do have it, I often find it surprises me in the best possible way. It's like a friend that I always have a blast with, but I never think to call. That was the case with this bottle. I added it to my shipment for two primary reasons: I liked the label art, and it was highly rated. It was the last bottle I picked for this box, and probably the wine I was least jazzed about. But my-oh-my, it was a stunner! In the glass, it was a lovely dark purple hue, and the aroma was pure mixed berry jam. The taste was an explosion of dark fruit, rich blackberry, and cherry with a hint of peppery spice. I savored this bottle, and I would order it again in a heartbeat.
With all that said, let me take this opportunity, once and for all, to give Zinfandel the love it clearly deserves. Dear Zinfandel, please accept my humblest apology for not giving you more space on my wine rack. I promise to do better by you!
Was This Box Worth It?
The Cost: $56.96
Value Breakdown: This box has a retail value of $64.96, so that's a savings of $8 by having the subscription. The per-bottle cost breaks down to $13.24. That's less than I'd pay to buy wines of similar quality in the grocery store, and I like that Winc connects me with small-batch wines not available locally. I'd probably expect to pay around $8-$12 per glass for a few of these wines out at restaurants (maybe even more like $14-$18 for the reds), so I'm very happy with the value of this month's shipment. The icing on the cake? 3 out of 4 wines I received this month were fantastic.
Key Takeaways
After a long summer with lots of icy cold white wine, I'm ready to welcome reds back into my drinking repertoire. This was my first Winc shipment in a while that featured both reds and whites, and I couldn't be happier with the reds I received. Both the Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel were excellent, and the Verdejo was a winner, too. I didn't love the Pinot Grigio, which is a little strange since I loved it back in August, but that's the way it goes sometimes. It's important to remember that wine is a living thing that's always changing. Two bottles held for different amounts of time or under different environmental conditions don't always taste exactly the same. The disparity could also be down to me-- sometimes our mouths just taste things differently on different days. That issue aside, I greatly enjoyed this month's Winc shipment. Next month, I can't wait to explore more Winc reds!
Keep track of your subscriptions by adding this box to your subscription list or wishlist!
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 curate your own selection, or let them choose a few bottles for you.
What did you receive in your October Winc shipment? Click below to write a review!
Want to get your own Winc and join the community? Subscribe:
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.