I’m likely WAY behind the trend here, but once the longer shelter-in-place orders are, the more stuff I’m having delivered to my home to avoid going to the store.

So, I joined Winc Wine Club, which is a subscription-based way to get affordable wine delivered right to your door.

Over the last few years, I’ve been “sober curious” as the kids call it, because I was seeing a relation between drinking alcohol and a dip in my mental health. It’s a weird place to be, because enjoying drinks was such a huge part of my social life for many years.

But, I also very much missed having a glass of wine! Several years ago, I was able to tour Temecula wine country with a friend, where we learned so much about how wine is made and how to identify its flavors. After that, I started taking “wine classes” where we learned more about regions around the globe and were able to taste and purchase all kinds of wine. I learned so much and still have my binders of tasting notes!

So, in joining Winc Wine Club, I felt like I could get back to trying new wines at my leisure and while in the safety of my own home. Because you don’t have to drink the wine right away, I enjoyed just having a glass or two on the weekends and it felt so nice!

How does Winc work?

Every month, you pay a fee to get credits that apply to bottles of wine. You can skip a month or let your credits stack up and use them whenever you want. The wine offerings are more affordable than if you were to buy them at the grocery store, plus you can get additional deals on specific bottles. If you order $60 worth of wine, you get free shipping.

When I signed up, I took a quiz to get my first round of wine recommendations. You get new recs every month and you can order those wines, or pick whatever ones you want. For my first box, I ordered three of the bottles they recommended for me, but replaced the 4th bottle with something else.

I received my order in about a week, even though Winc warned it might take longer because of COVID-19. I did have to answer the door and prove I was of-age, which I appreciated because I live in an apartment complex and it’s a very obvious box of wine and I can’t have anyone being tempted to steal this stuff!

What kind of wine does Winc have?

This part of Winc is probably the most-impressive so far. They have a ton of wine — red, white, cider, rose, sparkling and vegan — and they are updating the options all of the time.

Winc encourages subscribers to rate the wines they get, so seeing the reviews on all of the bottles helped me choose the wines in my second box (yep, I’ve already ordered my second box).

Another cool thing I noticed is that there’s several types of wine I’d never heard of, such as a sparkling chardonnay, a chillable red, and a white blend. What?! I love this!

Here are the wines I got in my first box and a little bit of info about each one:

2019 Summer Water Rose | Central Coast, California

I have had this one before, but it was one of the recommended ones and it is delicious. I rated it 4/5 stars because I’ve got to save that 5-star rating for something that honestly changes my LIFE.

This one isn’t too sweet (which I appreciate) and is a refreshing option for summer. It’s very drinkable and it’s vegan! It’s overall a very light texture and you can taste summery fruits. Good for drinking on its own or pairing with seafood.

2018 Mercana Malbec | Mendoza, Argentina

I usually love malbec, but this one wasn’t my favorite. I gave it 3/5 stars, because it was more earthy and dry than I’d prefer. Still very drinkable and I’d likely enjoy it more in the fall and winter months.

2019 Alma Libre Pinot Noir | Anconcagua, Chile

I’m not usually a huge pinot fan, but I really enjoyed this one! I also loved the label and it was $13 — you can’t be that! I gave it a 4/5 stars; I am a sucker for red wines with cherry flavors and this one definitely had that. I served it a bit chilled and really enjoyed it. Will likely add this to another box in the future!

2019 Brethren of the Road Gewurztraminer | Monterey, California

This is the bottle I picked for myself because Winc recommended a riesling and I cannot. I have always enjoyed Gewurztraminer and this one did not disappoint — 4/5 stars from me. This one is also vegan and it was light and crisp, which is exactly what I want in a white wine. Perfect for summer!

Overall, I really enjoyed having this box of wine. This review is not sponsored, but if you want to try Winc, I have a referral code that will give you $22 off your first box (which means you get four bottles of wine for $38). Try it!