Which Wine Store is the Best? It's 5 o'clock somewhere, and wherever you're located, shopping for the right wine can be a wonderful way to relax at the end of a long day. Whether you're looking for a perfect pairing to go with dinner or searching for a gift to surprise your in-laws, there's always an occasion for wine. And, it's no wonder wine is a favorite. It's been around for thousands of years.
Average
Splash Wines is a family-owned business that stands out as one of the best-rated wine stores on Trustpilot. The company was founded by Rob Imeson and his dad Bud Imeson. They created Splash to work on their passion: finding and helping winemakers spread their unique wines around the world. Splash Wines promises that it treats its customers like family. While the site states you can order wines with no commitment, Splash Wines is known for its subscription model: a monthly, bi-monthly, or quarterly membership that starts at $59 per month.
Choose from 65 wines to build a case
Splash Wines offers plenty of ways to try some new reds, whites, and bubblies. The company currently offers 15 curated cases of wine samplers. From unique collections like the "Supreme Sampler" or the "Super Sippers White & rosé" you can find plenty of ways to break up your normal wine routine with some of Splash Wines' bottles. If you'd rather build your case, browse the bottles offered on Splash to create a 15-bottle (the minimum) case of new and familiar flavors. The site offers popular varieties like Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay, Merlot, Pinot Grigio, and Pinot Noir. There are currently 65 wines to choose from, which isn't the largest variety we've seen. The earliest vintage was a red wine from 2013.
Some orders qualify for free shipping
Ordering is simple; either select one of Splash Wines' pre-curated cases or build your 15-bottle case. If you build your own, there is a counter on the right that will remind you how many bottles you have left to choose. The filters can help you narrow the options to your preferred wines with categories like style of wine, variety, and country of origin. When you finish building your case, check out easily through the Shop Pay app. In our case, shipping was free through FedEx and UPS if we chose to become a member of Splash Wines, though whether or not we were being automatically enrolled was unclear.
Prices from $6.99 to $50 plus subscriptions
Scoring the best prices on Splash Wines is a little difficult since there's no way to filter the wine bottles by price. However, the wines are generally affordable. We did the same comparison as with other wine stores, looking at the price ranges for red, white, and rosé as well as the most expensive vintage overall. Here's what we found at Splash Wines:
Now, if you want to join the subscription plan, you can choose from three tiers: Standard, Vineyard, and Cellar. The Standard subscription includes 6 bottles for $59 or 15 bottles for $89 of your choice of red, white, or mixed wines. The Vineyard subscription is $10 more for either 6 or 15 bottles, and the wines are selected from the top vineyards in the world. The Cellar subscription is an additional $39 for the 6-pack and an additional $70 for the 15-pack. Cellar only comes in red wines and they can be kept safely in a cellar for years to mature.
Returns offered within 180 days
On top of the confusion on enrollment, we also found that Splash Wines has some high shipping costs for returns. While you can ask for a refund within 180 days of your purchase, you'll be paying a $22 return fee. If you want different wine shipped out as part of your return, there is also a reship fee that depends on the number of bottles you're getting:
Something fishy going on with shipping
Shipping for members is free, but we ran into a little snag when looking for non-member shipping costs. Even though we added a pre-curated wine crate to our bag for purchase (with no attempt to join a subscription), Splash Wines applied the membership-only free shipping when we went to complete our purchase. We reached out to the customer service team to clarify if making a purchase will automatically enroll you in a membership. The responses we got were somewhat confusing. Instead of directly answering our question, the rep talked about the difference between the membership and email offers (which we hadn't mentioned). Further, he said "Feel free to place an order. You can reach out once done so we can confirm that you are not enrolled." So, we were expected to purchase without clarification on the membership enrollment (or non-member shipping fees) and confirm our membership status after the fact. When we asked for further clarification, the rep told us to "freely place the order and we'll check it after if you are enrolled," repeating the same instructions. The conversation did not make us feel secure about not getting "accidentally" enrolled in its subscription plan.
High scores from Trustpilot
Despite the issues we ran into regarding transparency, we can confirm the claim that Splash Wines has some of the best reviews from customers. It holds a solid 4.5-star average from Trustpilot across 40,929 individual reviews. However, it also has some review red flags. The average ratings on Sitejabber show just a 2.8-star average out of 5, and the Better Business Bureau shows a below-average "B-" rating. According to reviews left within a few months leading up to this evaluation, Splash Wines' quality has declined as it started outsourcing (though we're not sure if this is for customer service or outsourcing the wines themselves). Customers who had complaints said that they had issues receiving the correct wines in their orders, and there were multiple mentions of extremely slow shipping. However, for most shoppers who left reviews on Trustpilot, the experience at Splash Wines was perfect. Most reviewers ordered from Splash Wines multiple times and had zero problems with requesting replacements.
Good for cheap wines, but keep an eye on the subscription
While the company's reputation on Trustpilot is undoubtedly impressive, we are still left a little concerned about Splash Wines. Our experience with its customer service encouraging us to purchase without knowing if we would be enrolled in a subscription didn't create any confidence. Further, there are plenty of recent reviews that show a decline in service quality. If you're looking for very cheap wines that roll into a monthly wine subscription, this might be worth checking out; so, Splash Wines earns a middle-ground rating overall.
Continued from above...
It's 5 o'clock somewhere, and wherever you're located, shopping for the right wine can be a wonderful way to relax at the end of a long day. Whether you're looking for a perfect pairing to go with dinner or searching for a gift to surprise your in-laws, there's always an occasion for wine. And, it's no wonder wine is a favorite. It's been around for thousands of years.
The oldest known traces of grape wine production have been found in digs in Georgia (in Europe) that date back to 6000 BC. Wine has been a staple throughout Ancient Greece, the Roman Empire, and modern times. And it isn't location-specific, either. You can find wines made all over the globe, from the USA to the Middle East, to world-renowned wineries in Italy and France.
With so much history behind wine, it's not such a surprise that there are so many kinds to choose from. Whether you have a staple favorite or you're a burgeoning sommelier hoping to try them all, there are tons of choices from around the world. From Sauvignon Blanc to Merlot, or Chardonnay to Pinot Grigio, there are plenty of flavors, grapes, and vineyards to pick from.
You can even find some unique distilleries like those in Japan that offer Plum Wine or Rice Wine (better known as Sake). Whatever your pleasure, there's wine (or wines) out there just for you. You may never get tired of this longtime favorite boozy beverage. But the trick is finding the best wine store to score those sweet reds, fruity whites, or balanced rosés.
There are tons of places to find good, great, and rare wines, and it can be hard to decide where to start browsing. Whether you're looking to pick out a single bottle or stock your home wine cellar, shopping online can take a lot of the travel worries out of purchasing your favorite flavors. With access to wineries around the world, online wine stores offer a wider variety than at your local shop or a winery that just produces its own vintages. Plus, someone else can do the heavy lifting for you, so if you are buying a case (or two), getting the wine shipped through an online service can save you some sore muscles from moving the bottles from the shelf to the cart to the car.
Now, if your head is spinning from too many options, we've got your back. We get it, the internet is overflowing with wine stores and wines to choose from. How do you pick out the best wine store for your needs? To help you narrow the field (or vineyard, we should say), here are a few factors you can consider:
To help you with your home wine cellar (or maybe just a wine shelf), Top Consumer Reviews has reviewed and ranked today's top wine stores. We hope this helps you sit back, relax, and enjoy a glass or two of your favorite bubbly or fruity vintages. You deserve a little treat. And maybe, you'll be able to try some new flavors or wines you've never considered. Cheers!
Compare Any 2 Products
Top Products.
Top Reviews.
Top Consumer Reviews.
Reviews
Browse through thousands of reviews.
Social Media
Like us? Follow us! We'd love to have you join our community.
Newsletter
Stay up to date with the latest reviews. We'll keep you informed, and we'll never sell your information to anyone.
