The Best Wine Clubs

Wednesday, March 22nd

2023 Wine Club Reviews

Cellars Wine Club

• Cost: From $39 to $130 per month

Cellars Wine Club provides members a complete wine tasting experience. In addition to a variety of wonderful wine you'll enjoy free shipping and membership flexibility that caters to anyone's needs.

Cellars Wine Club is not a one-size-fits-all wine membership program. Instead, they offer a impressive array of wine clubs to meet anyone's needs. At Cellars Wine Club, you can choose from 13 different wine programs, including:

• Single Bottle Wine Club
• High End Single Bottle Wine Club
• Premium Wine Club
• Red Trio Wine Club
• Platinum Wine Club
• Sweet Wine Club
• Champagne Club
• Cellars Wine Club
• International Wine Club
• West Coast Wine Club
• 90+ Point Wine Club
• Quarterly Case Club
• Half Case Wine Club

Each of these wine clubs feature a different selection or quantity of wines. This way you can tailor your wine club membership exactly the way you want.

For the duration you select, your wine club recipient will receive one or more wines grown and bottled from vineyards either domestically or around the world. Cellars Wine Club allows membership plans for 1 to 12 months. Within the period selected, the wine club member will receive wines monthly, every other month, or quarterly, as you see best. Along with the wine, the recipient receives a monthly newsletter that describes the wines in the shipment, the regions they come from, and other wine related information.

Membership Overview:

• Wine Origination: 13 different wine clubs featuring both domestic and international wines
• Duration: From 1 - 12 months
• Frequency: Monthly, Every Other Month, or Quarterly
• Wine Choices: Reds, Whites, or a Mix
• Membership Minimums: None
• Shipping: Free Shipping

Wine club memberships also include a custom gift announcement notifying the recipient of their membership plus any personal message you would like to add. There are no monthly minimums, and memberships to any of the wine clubs can be cancelled at any time. If you fall in love with any particular wine you can re-order it at any time and at a reduced price.

We found numerous reviews and comments from satisfied Cellars Wine Club members. We also appreciated the level of customer service and quality of the delivery each month. With free shipping, fair prices, an impressive number of wine clubs, and wonderful wine, Cellars Wine Club earns our highest rating.

Gold Medal Wine Club

• Cost: From $37 to $179 per month

In the wine club business since 1992, Gold Medal Wine Club has experience in choosing the best wines that people are looking for. In addition to offering a wide selection of club options, this California based company also allows you to cater your specific wine preferences to your needs. Whether the wine is for yourself or as a gift, you'll be satisfied with the level of professionalism and customer service at Gold Medal Wine Club.

Gold Medal Wine Club stands out from the crowd by offering wines that have received top medals from wine competitions or have been highly rated by national experts. At Gold Medal Wine Club you can choose from 5 different wine club series including:

• Gold Series. Two or four wines delivered each month. Typically a combination of red and white from small California wineries.
• Pinot Noir Series. Two or four wines delivered every other month. The pinot noir selections are chosen from top California and international wineries.
• Platinum Series. Includes two or four rare collectable wines delivered monthly. Selections are from California's top winemakers and include only those wines with 90+ ratings.
• International Series. Three bottles of hard to find international wines delivered quarterly. Each delivery includes two red and one white.
• Diamond Series. Provides 2 or 3 premium, top of the line wines delivered quarterly.

The wine club series selected will determine the options that are available. Those clubs listed with a monthly option allow members to select the frequency to monthly, every other month, or quarterly.

Membership Overview:

• Wine Origination: 5 different wine clubs featuring red, white, domestic and international wines
• Duration: Ongoing until cancelled
• Frequency: Monthly, every other month, or quarterly but based on the series selected
• Wine Choices: Reds, Whites, or a Mix
• Membership Minimums: None
• Shipping: Starts at $10 per 2 bottle shipment

Gold Medal Wine Club membership also includes a copy of the Wine Press with each delivery. This provides details about each wine delivery and the featured wine makers. Members may purchase additional bottles of their favorite selections at a 35% discount. Wine is charged to a credit card on file when each delivery occurs. Memberships to any of the wine clubs may be cancelled at any time.

If you have any questions or problems Gold Medal is there to assist. They have a responsive customer service team and Live Help when needed. In our research of Gold Medal we were excited to see so many positive comments about the company and the products they provide. If you are looking for delicious, highly-rated wines, Gold Medal Wine Club is a great option.

The California Wine Club

• Cost: From $39.95 to $219 per month

The California Wine Club provides members a complete wine tasting experience. In addition to wonderful wine, you can enjoy membership flexibility that caters to anyone's needs. Whether the wine is for yourself, or as a gift, you will be satisfied with the level of professionalism and customer service at The California Wine Club.

The California Wine Club actually features a variety of wine clubs you can choose from. These include:

• Premier Series. Their original and most popular wine club. They deliver handcrafted wine from some of California's best small family wineries.
• Signature Series. Features the most coveted of California's wines. Selections are predominantly red, with an occasional white.
• International Series. Features wines from all over the world. Selections are mostly red, with an occasional white.
• Aged Cabernet Series. Prestigious Napa Valley Cabernets aged 8-12 years. Recommended by the Robb Report.
• Pacific Northwest Series. Hand selected, award-winning wines from some of Oregon and Washington state's best small family wineries.

For the duration you select, your wine club recipient will receive unique, hand-selected wines. The California Wine Club allows membership for 1, 3, 6, 9 or 12 months. Within the period selected, the wine club member will receive wines monthly or quarterly, as you see best. Along with the wine, the recipient receives an education in California wines, a full-color wine magazine, and food pairing suggestions for the delivered wines.

Membership Overview:

• Wine Origination: California Wineries
• Duration: Monthly, 3, 6, 9 or 12 months
• Frequency: Monthly or Quarterly
• Wine Choices: 2 reds, 2 whites, or 1 red and 1 white
• Membership Minimums: none
• Shipping: Free Shipping for some wine clubs

The California Wine Club allows you to access new and hard-to-find top quality red and white wines. With most of their clubs you can select either 2 reds, 2 whites or 1 red and 1 white wine for each delivery. If you fall in love with any particular wine, you can re-order it at any time and at a reduced price.

We found numerous reviews and comments from satisfied members of The California Wine Club. We also appreciated the level of customer service and quality of each month's delivery. With fair prices, easy to read education, and wonderful wine, The California Wine Club earns excellent marks.

Winc

• Cost: Starting from $13.00/bottle

Something is immediately obvious when visiting the Winc homepage: Winc isn't your typical wine club. In fact, Winc is more than a wine club. First of all, before showing you (their potential customer) any information about the wines they offer or membership perks, they focus on you and what you like. With a short series of 6 easy questions (about coffee, citrus, berries, etc.) they build your flavor profile. With that, four bottles of wine are specifically matched to you. Two other unique features of a Winc membership are: 1) you get to see what wines will be sent to you, and 2) if you aren't into one of the selections you can easily substitute another in its place. Some shoppers will love this option!

As stated above, Winc isn't just another wine club. They're also a California based wine maker (sourcing grapes from the top regions around the globe) and national distributor to select retailers and restaurants. They call themselves a "direct distribution wine company with an online wine membership experience". As the founders state in a short video on the website, they started the company with the customer in mind. It's no wonder their wine club is both unique and popular.

Membership Overview:

• Wine Origination: Wines made by Winc with grapes from around the world
• Duration: Ongoing
• Frequency: Monthly
• Wine Choices: All red, all white, or a red/white mix
• Membership Minimums: None, cancel anytime
• Shipping: Free

Winc offers a single wine club that delivers 4 bottles of Winc wine to you each month. Remember, these bottles are picked based on flavors you enjoy. Here are the details:

• 4 bottles each month based on your preferences
• Wines made, packaged, and distributed by Winc
• Choose 4 red, 4 white, or any combination (3 red and 1 white, 2 red and 2 white, 1 red and 3 white)
• Ability to see which wines will be coming to your door
• Option to replace individual bottles

At the time of our review Winc offered a $20.00 discount for new members. We also found many solid reviews from satisfied Winc club members.

Winc is a unique wine club providing high quality wine. Doing everything from making to distributing all the wines in their club allows Winc to financially compete with other wine clubs. We think Winc is a great option for your next wine club membership.

International Wine Club

• Cost: From $39.95 to $72.95 per month

The International Wine of the Month Club has been delivering high quality wine from around the world since 1994. The monthly newsletter arrives with each shipment and includes wine profiles, detailed vineyard histories, tasting notes, and food pairings.

These wines come exclusively from boutique vineyards and are estate bottled. Estate bottling uses only grapes from vineyards the winery controls. This allows the winemaker an extra level of discretion in the development and harvesting of their grapes. Many mass produced wines of lower quality, which may be made from grapes not as thoroughly controlled, do not have the same consistency and varietal character as these boutique wines.

With all shipments from the International Wine of the Month Club you receive either 2 red wines, 1 red and 1 white, or 2 white wines As with any good wine club, there are multiple options to accommodate any palate.

International Wine of the Month Club options:

• Premier Series - The original option that started in 1994 delivers premium wines from around the world. Because of their reputation and more than 20 year relationship with wineries around the world the International Wine of the Month Club is able to deliver these wines at the very best prices.
• The Bold Reds Wine Club - This option features 2 robust red wines with deep color and complex flavor profiles. You should expect pronounced ripe tannins and integrated oak tones from barrel aging. Examples include Cabernets, Zinfandels, Priorats and Malbec blends from California, Spain, South America, and the Rhone Valley..
• Collectors Series - This series includes exceptional wines which are borne of the finest vintage grapes on the oldest vines and live longer in a barrel before bottling. This production style yields wines suitable to drink soon after delivery or you can age them in your wine cellar. Perfect wines to save for those special occasions.
• Masters Series - The Masters Series merges the other club options into one unbeatable package. You get a bottle from each; the quality and value inherent in their Premier Series along with extremely limited production wines from the Collectors Series. Many customers who order this series drink one and save the other.

Perhaps the nicest feature from the International Wine of the Month Club is the Design Your Own Club option. Here you are able to customize your order by mixing and matching any Series with another. Also, you can include their beer club or even gourmet cheese or chocolate, premium cigars, or fresh flowers. You even have the choice of which clubs and on which months you want delivered (with no minimum), a perfect gift for that difficult-to-shop-for person on your Christmas list.

Membership Overview:

• Wine Origination: International, from top wine producing regions worldwide
• Duration: Anywhere from 2-12 months, or open-ended which is ongoing until you choose to cancel
• Frequency: Monthly or any combination of months with the Design Your Own Club option
• Wine Choices: 2 reds, 2 whites, or 1 red and 1 white
• Membership Minimums: none
• Shipping: $13 per month

The International Wine of the Month Club is an established company with an A+ BBB rating. They also have a 100% Satisfaction Guarantee; their goal is to provide only the highest quality products and if you disagree, they will replace or refund your purchase.

High quality, limited production wines from the best wine regions in the world delivered to your door; for wine lovers it is hard to beat. The International Wine of the Month Club has competitive pricing and customizable delivery options. Those benefits, along with their experience and international reputation earn them a spot near the top of our rankings.

Amazing Clubs

• Cost: From $31.95 to $34.95 per month, for 2 bottles of wine

Amazing Clubs provides monthly memberships to a variety of food and beverage clubs such as wine, chocolate, lobster, cheese and much more. With their wine club, recipients can anticipate two bottles of red, two bottles of white or a combination of wines sent monthly or bi-monthly. This company has serviced over 1 million customers and has a strong history of delivering on time and as promised.

Amazing Clubs samples hundreds of different wines each year to find the best selection for their wine club. Selections come from independent, boutique wineries located across the world. Wine recipients can also anticipate a newsletter with each delivery that explains the wine selections and provides information on the respective wineries.

As with any Amazing Club membership, the wine club options are extensive and flexible. You can choose from a variety of membership durations including 3, 6, or 12 months. Additionally, membership shoppers may choose between monthly, every other month or quarterly deliveries. Wine club membership costs are priced affordably at Amazing Clubs with lower pricing for longer.

Membership Overview:

• Wine Origination: Small domestic and international boutique wineries
• Duration: Monthly, 3, 6, or 12 months
• Frequency: Monthly, every other month or quarterly
• Wine Choices: 2 reds, 2 whites, or 1 red and 1 white
• Membership Minimums: None
• Shipping: Included in price

Wine club gift memberships include a custom gift announcement notifying the recipient of their membership plus any personal message you would like to add. If at any time you or a gift recipient is not satisfied with the order, Amazing Clubs will work through the problem and even cancel the membership if so desired. If you're looking for a straightforward, tasty and affordable wine club, Amazing Clubs is one worth consideration. This company has membership clubs down to a science.

Martha Stewart

• Cost: Starting from $7.49/bottle

As the author of books, editor of magazines, and star of television shows, Martha Stewart has been a trusted cooking, entertaining, and lifestyle expert since the 1980's. The Martha Stewart Wine Co. Wine Club is yet another way she is able to help her fans (and in this case, fans of wine) live better.

Like many available wine clubs, club members of the Martha Stewart Wine Co. receive quality wines sourced from every great wine producing region in the world. But unlike all other wine clubs, this is the only one in which Martha Stewart hand-picks each and every wine shipped to members. Along with her selections you also get Martha's serving, pairing, and entertaining suggestions and tips included for free. And free shipping. And the Martha Stewart Wine Co. Wine Club offers their selection of wines from around the world at a low cost.

You can choose from two distinct clubs:

• Half-Case Wine Club - receive 6 bottles every six weeks, only $8.33/bottle
• Case Wine Club - receive 12 bottles every 8 weeks, only $7.49/bottle

Both the Half-Case and Case clubs are available in all red selections, all white selections, or a mix of the two.

Membership Overview:

• Wine Origination: Sourced from around the world, selected by Martha Stewart
• Duration: Ongoing
• Frequency: Every 6 or 8 weeks
• Wine Choices: Red, white, mix of both
• Membership Minimums: None, cancel anytime
• Shipping: Free

With many wine clubs offering one and two bottle monthly memberships, we like that the Martha Stewart Wine Co. Wine club offers full case and half-case club options. We also like the Martha Stewart "seal of approval" that is inherent with wines hand-picked by her. If you are looking for a low cost per bottle wine club which allows you to taste several wines with each shipment, the Martha Stewart Wine Co. Wine club may be a good option for you.

Wine

• Cost: From $29.99 to $69.99 per month, plus shipping and handling

Wine creates a convenient wine experience with quick shipping and three different club offerings to meet your needs. The club choices are Discovery Tour, Wines of the World, and 90 Point Rated wine.

In the event that you decide to give a wine club gift, the wine ships the first order in 1 to 5 days so that it will show up by the celebrating event in time. Subsequent monthly club shipments usually ship during the 2nd or 3rd week of each month but no later than the 25th.

Membership Overview:

• Wine Origination: 3 different clubs (domestic and international)
• Duration: Monthly, 3, 6, 9, or 12 months
• Frequency: Monthly or Quarterly
• Wine Choices: 2 reds, red and white mix
• Membership Minimums: None
• Shipping: Included in price

Wine allows you to learn the story behind your wine. From where the grapes were grown to the critics opinions, providing an abundance of information. Ongoing memberships are shipped monthly until cancelled, you may cancel at any time prior to the shipment going out.

While Wine lacks some of the glitz and glamour of the higher ranked providers, but we liked the nuts and bolts of the company along with the terms of the membership. Offering two white wines as an option would have created more flexibility for wine drinkers that prefer white wines, but we still liked the different club offerings for variety.

Wine is not for the safe wine drinker - anticipate variety and some new tastes. The pricing at Wine makes this an affordable gift option for those hard to buy on your list.

Plonk Wine Club

• Cost: 2 bottles: $64.99 per month (3 months - $194.97, 6 Months - $389.94, 12 Months $779.88)
• 4 bottles: $89.99 per month (3 Months - $269.97, 6 Months -$539.94, 12 Months - $1079.88)

For all of Plonk's Wine Clubs, including the Mixed Wine Club, Red Wine Club and White Wine Club, you can choose to receive 2, 4 or 12 bottles of wine in your monthly shipment. All of Plonk's Grape Variety Wine Clubs, including the Cabernet Wine Club, Pinot Noir Wine Club, and Sauvignon Blanc Wine Club, include 2 bottles in each monthly shipment. The costs vary, of course, based on how many bottles per month and how long the membership.

Membership Overview:

• Wine Origination: Domestic and International Wineries
• Duration: 3, 6, 12 months, or monthly ongoing
• Frequency: Monthly
• Wine Choices: Wines determined by Plonk, no customer choice
• Shipping: Free Shipping on case reorders

Though members can choose the grape variety or color of the wine they receive, there is no specific choice of wine; Plonk determines which wines will be shipped each month. Two-bottle memberships include one bottle of two different wines each month, and four-bottle memberships ship 4 different bottles. The twelve-bottle per month options ships three bottles each of four different wines, so this option offers a volume discount but the same monthly variety as the four bottle option.

Plonk Wine Club members can review past orders to see what wines are offered, but don't know what they will get each month until the orders are shipped. This surprise factor may appeal to some and not to others who may prefer to select their wines from an inventory.

The wines we see on the Plonk website are indeed uncommon offerings, many of which we had never heard of before. Certainly Plonk is a good option for anyone who would like access to wines that they don't see every day in a local wine shop. The value of the monthly memberships is the question here. We looked at a sample of a recently shipped four-bottle delivery and we found the wines on other sites for an average of $6-20 a bottle. This didn't seem like much of a discount over other sites where these same wines were available.

Laithwaites Wine Club

• Cost: $69.99 for 1st delivery, $139.99 thereafter

Laithwaites Wine is a UK based company that offers a quarterly wine club for US, UK and Australian customers. At Laithwaites you'll find fewer membership options to select from and unlike most wine clubs, Laithwaites sends customers 12 bottles of wine every 3 months instead of 2 or 4 bottles per delivery.

The Four Seasons Wine Club at Laithwaites includes the option for all reds, all whites or a mix of both. Each delivery will include wines from across the world and 12 bottles typically from 8 different wineries. A sample might contain wines from California, Chili, Washington, US, Italy, New Zealand and more.

Laithwaites has customer friendly policies such as no minimum order, prior notification of the delivery, cancellation or suspension of membership at any time, a free deluxe corkscrew, and free tasting-notes. Club members will also receive a 20% discount on all future wines purchases. Laithwaites also offers a 100% money back guarantee if you aren't satisfied with any aspect of the wine.

Membership Overview:

• Wine Origination: 1 wine club with option for red, white, or a mix of wines from domestic and international wineries
• Duration: Ongoing until cancelled
• Frequency: Quarterly with the option to skip or hold
• Wine Choices: Reds, Whites, or a Mix
• Membership Minimums: None
• Shipping: $19.99 per delivery

Laithwaites Wine caters to the quantity wine customer. We trust that Laithwaites years of experience in wine tasting will yield quality wines but at such a low cost per case pricing it's hard to be confident that quality exceeds quantity. We were also concerned that first time customers will assume each delivery of wines will cost only $69.99 - the introductory price. Each additional delivery will cost $139.99 plus shipping.

Overall we were less impressed with the lack of information and methodology of selecting wine available on the Laithwaites website. We wanted more wine club options and a choice to select a frequency that fit everyone's individual needs. For better flexibility and customization we recommend you choose a higher ranked company.

Wine of the Month

• Cost: $42.95 per month

Great Clubs offers wine, cigar, flower, beer, coffee, and chocolate clubs - you name it. However for wine shopping, the website and shopping experience are a bit flat and sterile. It's hard to get excited about buying wine from a company that focuses on clubs and not the underlying product.

With their Wine of the Month club, each month you will receive 2 different bottles of hard to find wine from both domestic and international wineries along with a club newsletter called "Wine Expeditions" and a free Wine Tote Bag. Shipments are made on the 3rd or 4th week of each month.

Membership Overview:

• Wine Origination: Domestic and International Wineries
• Duration: 2 - 12 months
• Frequency: Monthly, Every Other Month, Every Third Month
• Wine Choices: 2 reds, 2 white, red and white mix
• Membership Minimums: None
• Shipping: Free Shipping

Wines are selected by a screening panel and consist of award-winning wines seldom found in stores. Wine of the Month offers 6 different wine clubs if you're looking for something more specific. Club memberships vary greatly in price and cater to the cream of the crop wines, red wine lovers, and four seasons for holiday entertaining.

Expertise is not found at Wine of the Month, as Great Clubs caters to all clubs and are not wine specialists. However, Great Clubs is customer oriented and does attempt to please the customer if an issue arises.

For those looking for a wonderful wine experience, we recommend selecting a higher ranked provider that focuses on quality wine and all that entails.

Harry & David

• Cost: Starting from $37.50/month

Based in Oregon, Harry & David is a company that has specialized in gourmet gifts since the 1930's. Their gift wine club continues that long tradition by providing quality Oregon wines selected just before shipping and based on the season as well as current food and wine trends.

Membership Overview:

• Wine Origination: Oregon
• Duration: 3, 6, 12 months
• Frequency: Monthly
• Wine Choices: 1 red, 1 white
• Membership Minimums: The length of gift purchased - there is no option to cancel anytime
• Shipping: $9.99 per shipment

You can choose between the 3, 6, or 12 month club lengths for your gift recipient: each delivering one bottle of red wine and one bottle of white wine per month. Unfortunately, the Harry & David wine club has a $9.99 cost for each shipment (most other clubs have shipping included within the price). The 3 month club costs $114.99 plus shipping, the 6 month club runs $224.99 plus shipping, and the 12 month club is $449.99 plus shipping. Even with the volume discount for longer memberships, the year-long club will cost $23.74 per bottle after figuring in 12 months of shipping. For shorter club lengths, the per bottle price goes up.

The Harry & David wine club seems to have a very narrow market in mind. If your gift recipient loves Oregon wines and you don't mind paying a high price for them, this may be the club for you. Because the cost per bottle is higher than most clubs, and they do not offer a "cancel anytime" club option (all club lengths require payment in full at the time of order), you may not want to use this club for anything other than gifting. With the high cost per bottle and selections limited to such a small corner of the wine producing world, Harry & David receives a low rating in our review.

WSJ Wine Club

• Cost: $69.99 for the 1st 12 bottles and $149.99 every quarter after

Wall Street Journal Wine Club, is in partnership with The Wall Street Journal and Tony Laithwaite to provide a quarterly wine club including 12 bottles from around the world. Tony Laithwaite is a wine expert and has been in the business of selecting international wines for over 40 years.

The Wall Street Journal Wine Club is a straightforward membership with little customization options. The company does allow you to choose all red, white or a mix of both. Each delivery includes wines from across the world and 12 bottles typically includes 9 different flavors and wineries. The first case of red wines will include Saracossa Rossa di Toscana from Tuscany, Don Cayetano Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Especial from Chili, River Rock Russian Valley Pinot Noir from California, El Bombero from Spain, Pillastro Primitivo 2010 from Italy and more.

The Wall Street Journal Wine Club provides friendly customer service representatives to answer any questions you may have. We also liked that they offer 100% guarantee on their wines, that the customer may cancel or hold wine deliveries at will, the three free bottles of wines as a bonus, free tasting-notes, and a no obligation membership. Club members will also receive a 20% discount on all additional wine purchases of their favorite selections.

Membership Overview:

• Wine Origination: 1 wine club with option for red, white, or a mix of wines from domestic and international wineries
• Duration: Ongoing until cancelled
• Frequency: Quarterly with the option to skip or hold
• Wine Choices: Reds, Whites, or a Mix
• Membership Minimums: None
• Shipping: $19.99 per delivery

We realize that millions of people trust and love the Wall Street Journal but we didn't know how that transferred to great tasting wine. The presence of Tony Laithwaite wine expertise helps but the low overall cost of these wines was a bit concerning. We would have also liked to see more wine club options such as smaller quantities, more regular deliveries and region specific offerings.

The Wall Street Journal Wine club didn't wow us with details or customization options. We fear that many will receive wines they don't care for and those will build up with such a large delivery of wine each quarter. For more flexibility, customization options, and club selection consider a higher ranked company.