I’m not sure what would be better than alcohol that is delivered to your door. And why didn’t I think of this? Vinebox is a new way to get your hands on wine. Although you don’t have to leave your house, you will need to open the door.
Vinebox Review: What is the VineBox Wine Subscription?
Vinebox is a subscription service for “glasses” of wine. The idea is that you’re getting “Exclusive AF” (their words) selections of wine by the glass that are handpicked by their team of sommeliers and industry experts. These wines come from all over the world. While they admit you may not love every glass you receive, they do claim that your happiness is guaranteed. That’s code for customer satisfaction and the kind of thing a quality company will offer. At this point I haven’t had to test that component of their service.
When signing up for the service you’ll be asked some questions regarding your “wine-drinking style”. This will guide your experience and the types of wines you will receive. It appears that you don’t have to strictly be a novice, nor an expert, to get something out of this service.
Who Should Buy The Vinebox Subscription
You pride yourself on finding unique and interesting gifts. Perhaps you don’t have wads of cash to throw down at restaurants or wine bars. Maybe you don’t have the time to travel the world in search of wine. You’ve aged twenty-one years (at least), it’s time you learn about wine. Or maybe you’re too damn lazy to leave the perfect indentation you’ve made on the couch. Vinebox might solve ALL (well some) of your problems.
What I Received With My Vinebox Subscription
Delivered to my door was a smallish box via FedEx. Know that someone of legal drinking age will be required to sign for the delivery.
The packaging is good looking and sturdy. It’s hard to imagine that the glasses could get damaged in transit. They have obviously put effort into the presentation, branding, and safe delivery of the product.
My package of three wine “glasses” (think sexy test tubes with screw tops) contained two reds and a white. Each sexy test tube comes with information about its wine, suggested food pairings, and a little insight into the vineyard. Along with the cards the website has additional information if you’re interested in diving a further into your glass.
The Wine
Let it be said that I’m no connoisseur, but I do have taste buds, so here I go.
Red #1: Domaine Habrard 2014 Syrah from Cotes du Rhone, France
Red #2: Demarie Barbera 2014 Barbera from Piedmont, Italy
White: Cuvee Laurine 2015 Viognier, bourbelanc from Cotes du Rhone, France
First off, I enjoyed tasting the wine before reading the details card. I was curious to see if I’d smell and taste what I was supposed to. Honestly, I’ve never been good at that and this time around was no different. What I found out though was that I enjoyed trying. I’ve done the wine tasting thing, but this process was different. I was pleasantly surprised that this experience would make me more curious about wine. Perhaps it had to do with being in the comfort of my own home and going at my own pace.
While I wasn’t blown away by all the wines, I did fall for one in particular, the Viognier (the white, pronounced “Vee-own-yay!” thanks to the detail card). It is right up my alley in terms of body and flavor. It is a type of wine that I have very little familiarity with and probably wouldn’t have discovered on my own. So now I’ve got a new avenue of wine to explore.
Pros
- Wine delivered to your door!
- Like it and you can buy more (based on availability). Again, delivered to your door.
- Some amount of choice: all red, all white, or mix.
- Each “glass” is guaranteed for up to three years to be preserved as if it were from the bottle. They utilize a patented rebottling technology to ensure preservation of taste and quality.
- A variety of options to the membership. As with many things, the more you buy the better the deal.
- The Ultimate Rosé Collection
- Get $10 Off and have a chance to win a free 12 month subscription.
Cons
- The website claims you’re getting a standard restaurant pour of 10 cl (100 ml). A simple internet search generated feedback that 5 oz. is more likely a typical restaurant pour. While this is not a standard, it could be more or less. Each 100 ml glass in the box equates to about 3 1/3 oz.
- The tree hugger in me feels wasteful tossing out the packaging (the sturdy box as well as the pretty glass tubes). Could the packaging be reduced or reused in some way? I’m trying to come up with something because I can’t bring myself to toss them.
- The price per glass seems high relative to what I could find for price per bottle online. However, these may not be wines that you’d be able to find locally, so it’s not a cut and dry comparison if you have to pay for shipping and minimum orders.
Vinebox Review Details
- Each month = 3 glasses (Or double the glasses for double the cost)
- Membership: 1 month ($29), 3 months ($81), or 1 year ($300)
- Gift: 3 months ($81), 6 months ($156), or 1 year ($300) – the gifted gets to choose their experience.
- If you prefer skip the membership process and pick your own glasses from their wine selection you’ve got that option too.
Vinebox Review Summary
Overall Rating 9.4
Everything from the box to the glasses to the detail cards to the website is nicely designed and well thought out. It’s a fairly simple concept that’s nicely executed. It lends itself well to being a unique gift or a splurge for yourself. Initially I thought I’d be more likely to buy it for someone else. However, now that I’ve had a taste it has me wanting more.
