There are many different reasons that people choose to sign up for wine subscription services, and they are great ways to try a variety of new wine styles without breaking the bank.
Wine Insiders is one of the companies that pioneered the idea of a nationwide wine club, and their roots can be traced back to Chicago in 1982. Since then, Wine Insiders has grown into one of the largest and most trusted wine delivery services in the entire industry.
With the long-running history of the service, many people are looking for a Wine Insiders review. Don’t worry, we got you covered:
Things To Consider When Comparing Wine Clubs
Joining a wine club can be one of the best ways to learn about new styles of wine from all over the world while filling out your wine cooler on a fixed budget. There are many different types of wine clubs on the market today, each with a slightly different focus.
Some wine clubs focus only on high-end bottles of wine, or award-winning selections. There are also services that focus on bottles from one specific region or part of the world, and showcase different producers within the region with each shipment.
Other services place more of an emphasis on exploration and deliver bottles of wine from all over the world to help broaden the horizons of customers. There are also educational services that are designed to help develop the palates of customers.
There are other wine clubs that place a major emphasis on value and work to deliver high-quality cases of wine at the lowest prices possible. There are also services that focus on a specific theme like sparkling wines or Rosés.
Wine subscription services like the Wine Insiders wine club offer a balance between wines at different price points, ensuring that a handful of everyday selections are included in each shipment alongside more high-end bottles from world-renowned wine regions.
Online-based remote wine club subscription services may not be the best option for casual wine enthusiasts who do not go through very much wine. Many casual drinkers tend to cancel these types of services after a few months, as they end up receiving much more wine than they drink.
Introducing Wine Insiders
Wine Insiders is one of the most established businesses in the online-based wine subscription service industry, and they have been perfecting the remote wine club model since founding their original wine club in 1982.
This moderately priced wine subscription includes wines from all over the world, and each shipment includes 12 bottles. New shipments arrive every three months for subscribers, which averages out to around one bottle per week.
Wine Insiders strives to provide their customers with interesting wine shipments that include a variety of different wine styles from producers all over the world. Each shipment includes different wines from all over the price spectrum that complement each other well.
While other similarly priced wine subscription boxes feature 12 bottles of wine that are all relatively similar in both quality and price point, Wine Insiders is sure to include everyday selections as well as more premium labels to build a well-balanced wine box.
The Wine Insiders subscription service is a great fit for casual to serious wine enthusiasts who are both open-minded when it comes to bottle selections and has plenty of room at home to store up to 12 bottles at a time.
Wine Insiders Pros:
- One of the most established names in the wine subscription business
- Large shipments including 12 bottles each
- Includes a variety of different wine styles from all over the world
- Great track record of customer service from the company
- Includes wines at different price points to allow for premium selections
Wine Insiders Cons:
- 12 bottles per shipment are too much for those who are short on space
- Not all wine enthusiasts enjoy certain more obscure wine styles
- A limited selection of more famous and recognizable wine labels
Wine Insiders Features & Benefits
There are many different options today when it comes to choosing an online-based wine delivery subscription service, and each takes a slightly different approach in terms of business model.
There are five key features that many customers report make Wine Insiders one of the best.
Wide Selection of Wines
One of the most important features in any wine subscription box is the actual bottles of wine that are featured in shipments. While other wine subscriptions tend to focus on one particular region or style of wine, Wine Insiders sources a variety of different wine styles from around the world.
One of the most popular ways that users order wine from Wine Insiders is by taking advantage of their individually curated “wine sets.” There are dozens of different wine sets to choose from, each with a slightly different theme.
Certain themed wine sets include selections of bold red wines that are meant to be enjoyed with grilled meats, while others focus on a certain part of the world like Italy and France. There are also smaller “half cases” that include only six bottles and are significantly more affordable.
Members of the Wine Insiders subscription club are able to choose from a 12-bottle pack of red wines, white wines, or a mixture of both. New wines are released each month to be selected online, allowing customers to customize each case of wine.
This customization aspect is a great feature that is not available with many of the other wine subscription services on the market. It allows users to hand-select certain bottles that they would like to try while also including more recognizable favorites.
Members can also elect not to specifically choose certain wines for each shipment, and instead allow Wine Insiders to surprise them with 12 different bottle selections each quarter. The company is sure to include a variety of different selections to build balanced wine cases.
Any given case of wine from Wine Insiders can include bottles from all over the world, and it is not uncommon for a case of white wine to contain bottles from five or more countries. This variety and selection are what make Wine Insiders one of the most popular options today.
Price and Value
Wine Insiders is one of the most well-regarded wine subscription services in terms of value, and it is also one of the more affordable services on the market. It is important to determine the value of a given service rather than only looking at the overall subscription price.
While there are a handful of wine subscription services on the market that are a bit more affordable when compared to Wine Insiders, customers will be hard-pressed to find a wine delivery service that offers a better value.
Wine Insiders is able to offer savings for customers that are usually only available by purchasing in bulk. They also strategically compose wine boxes to make sure that each contains a variety of wines that fall all over the price spectrum.
While some other value-based wine subscription services elect to include 12 bottles of moderately priced wines, Wine Insiders will often balance out the cost of one or two premium selections with affordable bottles that are still of high quality.
This is also one of the few companies in business today that offers a flat rate shipping cost no matter where customers are located in the country. At just under $20 per case, Wine Insiders makes shipping both simple and affordable regardless of location.
Trusted Reputation
There are many different online-based wine subscription companies on the market today, and with internet scams being more prevalent than ever many customers are hesitant when it comes to trusting a new company with their credit card information.
Fortunately, Wine Insiders is one of the most trusted names in the wine delivery industry and is the longest-running remote-based wine club that is still in operation today. They have been in business for over 40 years, and in that time have developed a very good reputation.
Wine Insiders is well known for being one of the industry leaders when it comes to reliability and customer service, and they have also established a great reputation for quickly solving any issues or disputes.
Wine Insiders has received an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau, and is regarded by many in the wine industry to be one of the best in the business. Choosing a trusted company with a good reputation is always a safe way to go when choosing between services.
Another great feature of the Wine Insiders service that is indicative of high quality is the fact that they stand by each bottle of wine with a 100 percent money-back guarantee. While there are other companies in the industry that offer guarantees, Wine Insiders is one of the best.
While some other wine delivery companies only accept refund requests for bottles of wine that are damaged or contain some sort of obvious wine flaw, Wine Insiders offers a 100 percent money-back guarantee that applies for any reason.
This is one of the most underrated features of Wine Insiders in the opinion of many wine enthusiasts, as they accept returns and award full refunds even if the reason for return is simply that the customer did not enjoy the taste of the wine.
The Wine Insiders website includes a live chat feature that allows customers to reach out to a customer service representative at any time. They can also be reached by email and phone during normal business hours to help resolve any issues.
Extra Features for Members
There are many smaller features within the Wine Insiders service that many members and customers have been taking advantage of for years. These include educational resources, as well as the option to search for specialty wines that are hard to come by.
There are many niche categories of wine that are tough to find for those who are not users of the Wine Insiders site. Their simple navigation makes it easy to lactate and purchase specialty wines such as vegan wines, canned wines, and even ready-to-drink pre-mixed cocktails.
They also feature in-depth profiles that allow customers to better understand different winemakers. These profiles include the philosophies and techniques of the winemakers, and customers are able to shop for bottles from each estate.
There are also a number of educational resources that are included on the Wine Insiders website, including a “Wine 101” section that covers everything from serving tips and wine guides to an informative and entertaining podcast called “Sniff Sip Repeat.”
Introductory and Referral Offers
Wine Insiders offers one of the best introductory offers in the entire industry for new customers, and this very offer is what introduced many loyal customers to the service many years ago. It allows curious wine enthusiasts to see what they have to offer at a steep discount.
For just under $90, new customers receive an introductory wine box that includes 12 different bottles of wine. Customers can choose between white wines, red wines, or a mixture of both when it comes to included wine styles.
The shipping cost is included in this introductory offer, which saves customers another $20 for a total cost of just under $8 per bottle. While this discounted 12-bottle case that includes shipping already represents an incredible value, there are added extras that put this offer over the top.
Three additional bottles of red wine are included from the world-famous Bordeaux region of France. These wines are aged in French oak, and contain the signature Bordeaux blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, with Cabernet Franc occasionally used for mixing.
These three bottles of Bordeaux are valued at just under $60 and make for great “steakhouse wines” that are perfect for serving heavy red meat-based dishes. They also make for great gifts, as many wine enthusiasts will recognize and appreciate the name “Bordeaux.”
For customers that decide to stick with the service for a second shipment, Wine Insiders rewards their loyalty with an upscale seven-piece lever-style corkscrew set that is encased in a lavish cherry wood gift box. This thoughtful accessory also makes for a great gift for others.
Alternatives to the Wine Insiders Subscription
While the Wine Insiders wine club is the most established service of its kind on the market today, it is certainly not the only one. There are many different online-based wine clubs that offer customers the option to try wines from all over the world.
Martha Stewart Wine Co. is a similar service to Wine Insiders that is run by the same company and uses the same resources and infrastructure to deliver top-quality reliability and customer service. It is a very popular service in part because of its association with the Martha Stewart name.
The wines that are included in each Martha Stewart wine club box are specifically selected to be “crowd pleasers” that can be enjoyed by a variety of different pallets. This makes it one of the best options for those who love to entertain and often throw parties or wine tastings.
SommSelect is a unique wine delivery service that places an emphasis on both education and high-quality wines. They employ many different qualified sommeliers and wine experts who search the globe to bring members high-quality selections at a great value.
The majority of wines included in SommSelect shipments are dry and “serious” when compared to many of the value-driven subscription services on the market. This makes it one of the best options for wine enthusiasts who prefer old-world wines from France and Italy.
Winc Wine Club is an online wine club that places an emphasis on personalization and matching customers with the best wines for their taste preferences. Customers take a simple five-question quiz when signing up that helps Winc choose which wines to include.
Another feature of the Winc Wine Club that makes it different from other similar options is the fact that the company sources grapes to create its own wines. They use grapes from all over the world to make dozens of different wine styles and pass the savings along to their customers.
Wine Insiders Review – Conclusion
While there are dozens of different services on the market today that specialize in putting together and delivering custom wine boxes, none of them predate the Wine Insiders wine club. As the longest-standing remote-based wine club in the industry today, Wine Insiders remains a leader and continue to innovate as the years go on.
Click here to take a look at their current introductory offer for new customers, and take a look at some of the many wines that they currently have in stock!
