Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Food & Drink

The Manual may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

The Best Wine Subscription Box Services

Mark Stock
By

When it comes to wine, sometimes it’s best to play the role of passenger. Allowing a sommelier or wine merchant or insider of any kind to take the wheel can expose you to some genuinely interesting stuff and perhaps even to your next favorite producer.

There are wine clubs galore, typically built around a single specific winery. There are also wine subscriptions which draw from a host of producers, regions, and varietals, exposing you to an eclectic array of wines from all over. Often times, they’re hard-to-find wines or bottles you’ve never heard of and quickly learn to love.

Recommended Videos

Despite all of the oddness in the world right now, it does appear to be the golden era of imbibing. We are blessed with an incredible enology scene teeming with some of the best wines ever. We can revel in subscription services for both alcohol subscription boxes and just about everything else (see, our best men’s subscription boxes). In short, it’s a great time to be filling your glass.

Related

If wine is your thing, these are the best subscription box services for fermented grapes.

Winc

Image used with permission by copyright holder

If you’re looking for a neat balance between price, quality, and selection, Winc is for you. The labels are catchy, the wines are agreeable, and you’re more thank likely to come up with a new favorite blend or stumble upon a varietal you’ve never encountered.

Wine Access

Wine Access Wine Club Spread
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The name says it all. Wine access unlocks all kinds of doors and barriers and invites you to enjoy some very special offerings. From hard-to-get French sparkling to cult Italian white wines, Wine Access gives you a rare and valuable foot in the door. Better still, it breaks down what you’re drinking with well-written literature and handy guides on wine styles, regions, and more.

Astor Wines and Spirits

Astor Wine Shop Logo
Image used with permission by copyright holder

One of the oldest wine shops in all the land ought to know a thing or two about carefully curated wine selections from all over. And they do, offering a splendid mixed case from some of their best imports monthly. Putting your palate in their hands is easy and worthwhile given the brand’s experience and access to the age-old shop authorities.

Orange Glou

Orange Glou Wine Club Spread
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Highlighting orange wines on a monthly basis, Orange Glou is your unexpected wine club of choice. In case you didn’t know, the style involves skin-fermented whites, or white wine grapes subjected to extended maceration and made in the style of red wines. You’ll love the personality of these curious, delightful wines.

SommSelect

SommSelect Wine Club Wine Spread
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Yep, you’re living in a sommelier world if you love wine. Allow them — the experts — to find some exceptionally fun wines full of character and discovery. Better still, you’ll get the full context of the selections via background stories. Which means you’ll have talking points when you’re showing off your new favorite wines to friends.

Plonk

Plonk Wine Club Bottle Spread
Image used with permission by copyright holder

This wine club trots the globe and plucks unique wines along the way. It feels personal and tailored to just you, as a good subscription service should. You’ll love not only the immense flavors but the armchair travel involved along the way.

Cellar 503

Cellar 503 Wine Club Spread
Image used with permission by copyright holder

If you don’t like Oregon wine, you should. And if you need to be persuaded, this club will do just that. Explore the best the wine-centric Beaver State has to offer with Cellar 503. You’ll run into classic Pinot Noir as well as unexpected varietals from appellations well beyond the Willamette Valley.

Belle & Bottle

Belle and Bottle Wine Club Spread
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The theme of this wine subscription outlet is Washington, a state home to a revered scene with a diverse range of appellations and wine types. Buckle up and enjoy the ride as you bounce from one boutique label to the next with each shipment, exploring emerging winemaking talent as well as old standbys and even gaining access to tastings and events.

Raj Parr Wine Club

Raj Parr Wine Club Selection Bottles
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Sommelier star Rajat Parr has earned a huge following thanks to tremendous work on restaurant floors and through his own west coast wine projects, among other things. His subscription program reflects his incredible taste and knack for getting to limited-edition finds. It’s just two shipments per year but the contents will amaze; a mix of some of his own esteemed labels like Evening Land and those he greatly admires from elsewhere on planet wine.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Mark Stock
Mark Stock
Contributor
Mark Stock is a writer from Portland, Oregon. He fell into wine during the Recession and has been fixated on the stuff since…
The fantastic fall wine trends to know before the season sets in, according to the experts
Want to know what's next for the world of wine? Read on
White wine

Like fashion or the roster of your fantasy football team, wine changes fast. One minute Red Mountain Merlot is having a minute and the next it's all about skin-fermented Pinot Gris. With so many places on the wine map to choose from -- not to mention the influx of somm culture and wine tastemakers appearing from just about everywhere -- it can be hard to keep up.

That's where we come in. When it comes to wine, we have friends in knowledgeable places, from sommelier shop owners to experts running restaurant floors. With fall coming (and another wine harvest with it), we decided to reach out to a few experts and get the skinny on upcoming wine trends to look out for. Here's what they offered.

Read more
The 6 best Marsala wine cocktail recipes to make
With good Marsala wine, you can make some quality cocktails
Florio Marsala barrels.

Marsala is a fortified wine from Italy that we in the U.S. pretty much use only for cooking. But the Sicilian liquid can be great as both a sipper and a cocktail base. After all, the Portuguese love a good port and tonic, and the Spanish mix with sherry all the time. Why should we treat Marsala any differently?

The answer, of course, is that we shouldn't. Marsala is a dynamic animal, sometimes rich and hearty, other times lighter and more savory. It's practically as old as time in its native land -- conveniently called Marsala (located in western Sicily in southern Italy). But it wasn't until English importers caught wind of the stuff in the 18th century that Marsala wine was significantly exported. It remains a lesser-known fortified wine, less popular here than, say, port, vermouth, or even sherry, but it should really carry more appeal.

Read more
Argentiera’s newest wine vintage promises ‘balance and intensity’ from short-season harvest
If ever there was a silver lining to the global warming cloud, this is it
Villa Donoratico

Italy. Land of ridiculously gorgeous people, always perfect pasta, a rich, complex history, and heavenly lush vineyards boasting a superabundance of the world's finest wine. It's no secret that Italy is the mecca of impeccably crafted wine. When overcome by almost any Italian fantasy, there is, undoubtedly, wine present. Lunching at a small corner cafe overlooking the Trevi Fountain? Incomplete without a light and effervescent Moscato d’Asti. Dining on beautiful, freshly crafted Tagliatelle just outside the Uffizi Gallery? Of course, the Chianti is just as important as the pasta. And no Italian countryside picnic is complete without a few bottles of savory Sangiovese.
With over 540 officially recognized native Italian wine grape varieties growing throughout the country, Italy's wine grape biodiversity is absolutely unparalleled. These varieties grow peppered throughout Italy's impressive 20 wine regions, each beautifully unique and distinct, characteristic of their varied climates and weather patterns. But with climate change now an ever-present threat, those weather patterns are becoming more frantic and unpredictable, forcing wineries to consider potential change after years of tradition.
One such winery is Argentiera, which is located at the southern tip of Castagneto Carducci along the gorgeous Tuscan coast. Argentiera's prestigious offerings include an impressive array of bottles, from a fresh and floral Rosato to a cabernet-rich Poggio ai Ginepri, prized for its distinctive Mediterranean character. But it's the newest vintage, the Villa Donoratico Bolgheri DOC Rosso 2021, that has them the most excited. This new red wine is a blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc, and Petit Verdot, and its intriguingly rich and sophisticated notes can be attributed to ... climate change?

2021's unusually dry weather conditions apparently gifted the Bolgheri DOC Rosso with a fresh and pleasant character unlike any other vintage yet created. "It was a short harvest that began on September 2 and ended on October 1, bringing in excellent results and proving the continuous productivity of Argentiera vineyards. All varieties have performed well despite the lack of rainfall throughout the maturation period, an unusual phenomenon for the Bolgheri coast. Nevertheless, the scarce rain has allowed the harvest of healthy and perfectly ripe grapes," said Nicolò Carrara, a winemaker at Argentiera.
Argentiera’s general manager, Leonardo Raspini, added, "In 2021, we increasingly focused on agronomic practices. In particular, we implemented soil management techniques aimed at preserving the organic component. These interventions were directed at strengthening the vines’ resilience to the ever more complex climatic conditions."
The Villa Donoratico 2021, particularly, has benefitted from this drier turn of events. Its balanced intensity and complexity pair elegantly on the palate. It starts strong with aromas of red fruit that blend perfectly with the following spicier notes. The touch of Mediterranean mint that has merely kissed previous bottles is much more present and integrated into this particular vintage.
So while climate change is very much a real and present danger, especially for those in the increasingly panicked agricultural communities spread all over the world, it's beautiful to see a company set on letting nothing stand in its way.

Read more