I Signed Up For a Wine Subscription Box & This is What I Thought

Wine delivery services, apparently they’re all the rage these days. Actually, delivery services in general are becoming more and more popular. I’ll be the first to admit that I hardly ever shop in-store anymore; when Amazon can get you what you need in two days or less for half the price, why would you?

Buuuut wine might be one thing I stick to buying in the stores. I’ll get to why.

First of all, know that there are quite a few wine delivery companies these days. Thanks to a great discount code (50% off!!!) from Jared & Ashley I, I ended up going with Bright Cellars. Probably would have never paid full price for this- the monthly cost is $68 for four bottles, which really is not bad but we’re ballin’ on a budget here. The company asks you to make an account and take a quiz ranking your wine preferences, asking what types of foods you like, and whether you want red, whites or a mix of both in your box. This was fun to take and made the experience more personalized, but didn’t make up for the lack of customer service when it came to cancelling. It wasn’t until after about 5 emails and a very persistent phone call from my end that the company finally relented and cancelled my subscription- a word of caution, make sure you read the fine print and know what you signed up but make sure to stand up for yourself- these smaller companies can be ruthless!

Now let’s GET TO THE GOODS.

When you first open your box o’ booze, you’ll find 4 individually wrapped bottles- double the unwrapping double the fun is what I always say! …nope, never actually said those words before in my life, but it was fun digging in! Who doesn’t love mail, and when it involves vino, well, even better.

The box also included this cute little pairing guide, explaining which of each of the four wines would go best with what kind of foods. A nice added touch- my fav was the Moscato/chocolate chip cookie combo- just add a Nicholas Sparks movie and sounds like my kinda night in 😎.

For my preferences, I marked down that I wanted mainly reds, and liked a dry/semi-dry red best, so my box mainly included these. My final four came down to:

1. Indulul Pinotage

2. Circa 33 Montepulciano

3. Lost City Torrontés (the only white)

4. Obscura Petit Sirah

….in other words, a far cry from my typical Barefoot/ Franzia in a box. We’re taking small steps towards adulthood, people, slow and steady.

So here’s why I’ll continue buying my wine in the stores. Sure, it’s great to try new wines, I’m all about it. But I genuinely did not enjoy any of the three reds I got. The white Lost City Torrontés was incredible- I shared it with a friend and we both agreed it was the perfect summer wine- not too sweet, but very light and refreshing. But that’s a 1 out of 4 ratio, and if I had paid the full price, $68 essentially for one bottle of wine, I would have been so bummed. If you want to taste test wines, I recommend vineyard jumping, hopping on a tour and trying samples, or- I know, I can’t believe I’m even saying it- going into an actual brick and mortar liquor store. At least at the store you have trained employees who can recommend certain brands and flavors, and at the end of the day, there’s way less commitment.

While a wine subscription box was a fun one-time deal, and I’m glad I checked it out for myself, I don’t think I would ever recommend it. You’ll have more luck doing a little research exploring wines on your own. Plus, if you’re worried about trying more regionally based wines, it gives you yet another excuse to travel (if you need more, I have plenty!) But at the end of the day we had fun, perfect for a little deck lounging w my mom.

What are some of your favorite summer wines? I’m always looking for a new white/rosé to try out. Shoot me a message or drop suggestions in the comments below 🙂

#winesubscription #subscriptionbox #brightcellarwine