Wine Insiders Review

Overview

Founded back in 1982, Wine Insiders is one of the longest running subscription services available online. Known for their high-quality offerings and larger delivery sizes, Wine Insiders easily stands out from their competitors and customers who use their services typically are extremely impressed by what they receive. Working in a similar fashion to a traditional monthly subscription service, customers are able to enjoy delicious, unique wines shipped directly to their doorstep every 3 months. Each bottle is carefully selected by a team of experts who personally taste every wine in order to guarantee its quality.

Not only do they work with wine experts for curating each collection, but Martha Stewart, Queen of all things home related, has partnered up with Wine Insiders to produce special collections of her favorite wines. Convenient, easy to use, and superb in taste, Wine Insiders is easily one of the top wine based subscription services available and this Wine Insiders review will touch on the key points you will want to know about before placing your first order.

How DOes it Work?

Bringing together a virtual wine shop and a subscription based service, Wine Insiders truly is the best of both worlds. What makes this company stand out from their competitors is that there is far more freedom and selection available, allowing you to customize your experience to suit your schedule, needs, and drinking habits perfectly. Ordering through Wine Insiders doesn’t require any membership unless you want it to, and everything is organized well and easy to find when you hop on the website.

For those just looking to shop, Wine Insiders sells their wine either by the bottle or as a part of a case/collection. Cases and collections can run from 3 bottles up to 15, but most fall in the 6 or 12 bottle range. So long as you order 6 or more wines, shipping will always be included for free and with so many great selections on hand, this isn’t hard to achieve.

If picking out your own wine isn’t really for you and you want the experts to help you find some exciting new wines then you may want to look into their insiders club. A quarterly subscription service, this club will send out 12 bottles of hand-picked wines every 12 weeks and deliver it directly to your doorstep. Not only is this an amazing and easy way to discover wines you’ve likely never heard of before, but it can also save you a ton of money as you pay a flat fee instead of the per bottle cost.

Shipping out better wine at a more affordable price point, Wine Insiders stands behind every bottle and features a 100% satisfaction guarantee on every wine you purchase. The ultimate goal is to connect you with wines you love, so if you aren’t satisfied with your bottle then you are encouraged to reach out to a support agent who can assist you with fixing that. This is truly a company that understands good wine and is on a mission to show customers global selections that have the wow factor.

Types of Wine Available

Wine Insiders collection is massive, and no matter what type of wine you typically drink it is almost guaranteed that you will find numerous options located within their menu. Not only are they home to an already giant collection, but Wine Insiders does employ experts who are constantly on the lookout for new wines across the world. These experts taste test every single wine personally and then select the absolute best of the best to be sold through the site. Out of all the wines sampled each year, only approximately 3% of them are actually chosen to be part of Wine Insiders, showcasing how seriously they take their search for quality wines.

Organized by type as well as collection, the main wine categories available on the website are:

• Red
• White
• Rose
• Sparkling
• Dessert/Sweet
• Vegan
• Organic Grapes

If you happen to be someone who knows a thing or two about wine, you can also narrow your search down further by selecting a specific red or white varietal, as well as by limiting your search based on region. The main areas of origin that Wine Insiders caters to include:

• Bordeaux
• California
• Chile
• France
• Italy
• Portugal
• Spain
• South Africa

Each wine listed is also equipped with a star rating which is provided by actual customers who have purchased that specific bottle. There are also customer reviews on each bottle’s page so you can see what real people thought in order to make the best decision when you order. If you aren’t familiar with wines and tasting notes you can click on a bottle to learn more as well as utilize the websites virtual tasting notes page to get a deeper knowledge of a certain bottle you have bought. Combining drinking with education, Wine Insiders is a great way to learn more about the world of wine from the comfort of your own home.

Wine Insiders Club

Purchasing individual bottles or collections from Wine Insiders is one way to utilize their service, but for those who want a more personalized experience the Wine Insiders Club is the way to go. Similar to a traditional monthly wine subscription box, the Insiders Club is a quarterly box of 12 wines that is sent to your doorstep every 12 weeks. 

Non-members get to enjoy discounts on pricing when they purchase online, but they don’t receive the same level of discounts that members get. Since you pay a flat fee of $139.95 plus shipping every month you aren’t being charged extra for more premium bottles, so you get better variety without breaking the bank. Not only that, but if you do decide to purchase extra bottles separately, you will get greater savings and bigger discounts each time.

The wines that are sent out each month really showcase the high-quality offerings and strict standards that Wine Insiders is known for. Unlike many other subscription services, Wine Insiders doesn’t rely on bulk wines and instead works closely with family farmers and producers to acquire top-notch bottles. Whereas bulk wine is generic and re-branded to suit the company, individual producers spend more time and effort on their bottles and their own name and brand are being displayed proudly. 

Although the subscription service is only a quarterly offering, you will actually end up getting a total of 6 shipments each year. Wine Insiders creates a special shipment in the summer as well as in the winter which is sent separately from your usual case of 12. So long as you remain a member you will automatically be sent the deliveries, but you can skip or cancel at any time without penalty. This makes Wine Insiders a risk-free, enjoyable experience that is worthwhile for anyone who enjoys a good glass of wine.

Sets & Collections

Another area in which Wine Insiders truly stands out is with their selection of sets and collections that are specially picked by both experts as well as Martha Stewart. Ranging from 3 bottles all the way up to 15 bottles, each collection is well thought out and includes popular wines that are sure to be loved by those who order them. Collections are organized by various category types, including:

• Wine Sets Under $100
• Wine Sets Under $50
• 12-Bottle Wine Sets
• 6-Bottle Wine Sets
• Martha Stewart Wine Sets
• Best-Selling Wine Regions
• Wedding Gift Sets
• Magnum Wine Gift Sets

Sets and collections strike that perfect balance between ordering individual bottles and having a recurring monthly subscription as you can enjoy a large shipment of wine at an affordable cost but there is no commitment or need to sign up. You can also save yourself extra month on your order with the 6-bottle cases, as they do have the option of doubling it and saving yourself around $1 per bottle. Fans of Martha Stewart will love her hand-picked collections that include some of her favorite wines and her 6 or 12 bottle curated cases include:

• Martha’s Entertaining Must-Haves
• Martha’s Romantic Reds
• Martha’s Summertime Sips

Pricing for the collections can range dramatically depending on how many bottles you are getting as well as the types of wine included. Small collections of 3 bottles will run under the $50 mark, whereas cases of 12 will likely fall between $137 and $180. Right in the middle is the most popular option of 6-bottle cases and the prices here fall between $77 and $112.

Shipping & Delivery

Ordering through Wine Insiders is extremely easy, but receiving your delivery may be a bit more complicated if you don’t check your local laws before making a purchase. Because Wine Insiders is shipping alcohol to your home, you absolutely must be 21 years of age or older to place an order and your valid ID will be checked before the package is released to you. Those who work full-time outside of the house may want to consider having their order shipped to their place of work since you will need to sign for it and it won’t simply be left at your doorstep. 

With that said, Wine Insiders does ship using FedEx so if you do accidentally miss your delivery then they will re-attempt within 3 business days. You may also be able to call FedEx directly and schedule a pick-up at one of their locations, which can save you the hassle of trying to be home for the next attempt.

As for where Wine Insiders ships to, there are some restrictions based on state laws. For the most part, most people across the USA who are of legal age won’t have any problems, but if you live in certain states then Wine Insiders cannot send you anything you order. The states that are excluded from placing an order include:

• Alaska
• Alabama
• Arkansas
• Delaware
• Hawaii
• Kentucky
• Mississippi
• Rhode Island
• South Dakota
• Utah

An additional point to make note of is that Wine Insiders does not ship to P.O. Boxes, nor do they ship to anywhere outside of the USA.

Bottom Line

Wine subscription clubs may be a dime a dozen nowadays, but Wine Insiders truly does offer something that none of the competitor companies are able to. Focusing on high-quality wines instead of bulk buys, and engaging with family farms and producers, each bottle is hand-selected to ensure that customers love every sip they take. Global offerings mean you get to travel the world of wine from your own home and every shipment will surprise and delight you with the unique bottles contained within.

Stop paying full price for the same old bottles at your local shop and instead explore Wine Insiders collection to see what you’ve been missing out on. Affordably priced, this is the perfect way to try something new without spending a fortune and you can even select from a number of specially curated collections to help make your decision easier. Feel like being surprised every 12 weeks, their membership program really does a great job of impressing customers and you can take advantage of their intro promo offer today to get even greater savings on your first shipment.