Do you enjoy wine? I’m a very picky about my wine. In fact, I actually thought I would prefer sweet wines more than red wines until a recent trip to California. Because I’m the type who enjoys fruity alcohols, it only made sense to me – right?! Well, I went out with some friends for a wedding and on the last night there, we went wine tasting at the Jamieson Ranch Vineyards. I explained my situation. When I wasn’t impressed with a white wine that I tried, the girl was determined to find something for me. That’s when I discovered a dessert red wine and fell in love with it. Who would have thought?! I then tried a couple of the red wines the other girls had ordered and it turns out I actually kind of liked them! So from then on, I’ve been more open to trying red and dessert wines and I have them to thank for it!

Moving forward, after my new found discovery of the type of wines I like, I discovered an online wine club called Winc.

Winc (formerly known as Club W) is a wine subscription box that re-imagines the traditional wine club. Winc offers a regularly changing selection of unique, small production wines that are sourced directly from vineyards and winemakers.

Each month, you’ll be given new wine recommendations for you based on your personalized “Palate Profile”. You can go with their suggestions or make your own selections from their ever-growing assortment. Club W works directly with wine makers, therefore there are no middlemen and you get better wine for less money. Score! To help you learn more about their offerings, they even produce a video for each one of their wines featuring tasting notes, details about the winemakers, recipe pairings, and more. You’ll also be able to skip a month as often as you like, as well as change the number of bottles per shipment.

Subscriptions start at $39 for 3 bottles (plus $6 shipping). Club W covers the shipping costs on any box of 4 or more bottles. — For a limited time, you can save $20 on your first order when you use this link!

Ships to: All US states EXCEPT AK, AL, AR, DE, HI, KY, MS, OK, PA, RI, DS, and UT

The bottles were shipped in a large, heavy box via FedEx. Since it contained alcoholic beverages, I (or someone in my household that is 21 years of age or older) was required to sign for it upon delivery. The box was a bit heavy, but well packaged. Upon opening it I noticed each bottle was carefully placed, 2 per row, in those packaging carton type trays.

Unlike other delivery services that just give you a single, boring, info card, Winc provides a “wine journal” that gave  includes information on all of the current Winc wines, and there are even wine-related articles.

For my wine selection that was suggested for me, and that I went with, are the following:

2016 One From The Quiver MALBEC
Mendoza, Argentina

One taste of this refined, fruit-forward Malbec, and you’ll understand why Mendoza is so famous for this grape. One from the Quiver is winemaker (and Winc Chief Wine Officer) Brian Smith’s love letter to Argentina. Smith’s focus on balance, sourcing the best fruit available and picking it at the optimal time have created a Malbec that brilliantly showcases the country’s most popular varietal as well as its most prolific winemaking region: Mendoza. Sweet spice and sunbaked earth on the nose combine with cherry on the palate for authentic Argentina in a bottle. Drink it with the national staple: meat. Burgers, BBQ, pork and ribs pair beautifully with this juicy red.

2014 Alma Libre RED BLEND
Valle Central, Chile

TASTING NOTES: Green bell pepper, jalapeño, raspberry, plum

The earthy, spicy Alma Libre comes from our free-spirited Winemaker Partner and reflects true Chilean flavor. Vintner Luca Hodgkinson grew up on a Spanish vineyard and has traveled the world over, but he fell in love with winemaking in Chile. He describes the practice as “writing in the pages of a blank book,” and Alma Libre represents the marks he’s making in those pages. For this 2014 vintage, Luca blended Cabernet Franc from Casablanca Valley with Carménère from Colchagua — and then he added a touch of Merlot to give the final product a more fruit-forward profile. This 2014 red blend displays noticeable influences from the distinctly different climates of these Chilean regions, joining the green, herbaceous Cabernet Francs characteristic of Colchagua with the lean, bright Carménères and softly fruity Merlots that come from Casablanca Valley’s cooler temperatures. Made with hand-picked grapes and aged in oak for four months, this Alma Libre epitomizes Luca’s “style of the palate”: smooth and easy-drinking, with peppery aromas and flavors of raspberry and plum. You’ll love this Chilean firecracker if you like hotter dishes, but stay away from spicier foods when you’ve got a glass of it in hand. Instead, go for lamb or heavier tapas!

2015 Altre Món RED WINE
Spain

Altre Món was made in collaboration with the Celler de Capçanes – a co-operative winery nestled in the hills of Spain. Altre Món means “another world” in Catalan – a name inspired by the hidden gem of a locale where this red wine came to be. In a small village where the Mediterranean meets the mountains lies Celler de Capçanes – a historic winery that’s been serving its loyal villagers since the medieval ages. For this 2015 red, we used old vines and 50% whole-berry fermentation, then aged in both oak and cement. Notes of dark fruit and black pepper prevail, followed by soft tannins and a velvety mouthfeel. Pair it with cured meat, pork or veggies. It truly is otherworldly.

2015 Passarola WHITE BLEND
Portugal

Passarola’s here to introduce you to Portugal — the Old World producer making serious moves to the top of today’s heap! Portugal, one of Europe’s oldest nations and the world’s largest exporter of corks, is home to over 250 indigenous varietals. Why, then, do their wines fly under the radar? With a slew of eclectic wines crafted from a slew of unique grapes, the results were inevitably low profile. But that’s now changing, since The Huffington Post calls Portugal an up-and-coming, “small but mighty” superstar. Our 2015 Passarola Vinho Branco is proof-positive that Portuguese wines deliver unmatched bang for the buck. Named for the imaginative “balloon ship” invented in 1709 by a priest in Lisbon, Passarola combines Arinto and Fernão Pires, two native grapes that exude fresh notes of white peach, grapefruit, and lemon. Uncork this white blend with friends, then follow the tradition of the Old World locals by pairing it with seafood…especially bacalhau!

Now I have to say, I wasn’t much of a fan of the white wine. It wasn’t horrible, but it didn’t give me that wow factor. However, as I started tasting each of the red wines – wow! Of course, there was one that truly stuck out to me and that was the 2014 Alma Libre RED BLEND. I mean something about that flavoring really sat well with me. To top it off, I decided to enjoy it with a side of pepper jack cheese. Can I say O-M-G delicious!? In fact, I’m enjoying that wine with the same cheese once again as I write this and I must say that I am absolutely in heaven!

Now as a newbie wine drinker, one thing I must say that makes a difference is to sip and not gulp your wine. Regular alcohol, being from New Orleans and all, we’re used to taking shots and chugging down. So drinking the wine in this way is definitely something I had to sit back and learn to do. You have to sip and appreciate it. With wine you want to enjoy the various flavors and pairings. Once I learned that, it too, played a part in making my wine drinking experiences more enjoyable.

Once you are done trying your various wines, go into your Winc account and select the rating option. I recommend rating the wines. This will help with their recommendations to you based on your palette and what you like. When you’re in your account, I love how you can browse all their various wines available, but they tag the ones they recommend to you based off your palette profile.

Using Winc was easy. It’s easy to navigate and understand the website and receiving the wine was a breeze as well. I love how informative each wine is, both online and in the wine journal you receive. If I could make any recommendation for changes, it would be to suggest if the wine should be served cold or at room temperature. As a newbie, I would have never known it could be served at room temperature if it weren’t for my trip to the vineyard. So little tips like that for us newbies would be appreciated. Of course, this does not take away from the experience at all and I still love them.

Would I recommend them? I think the answer is quite obvious; absolutely! They are well worth it; not to mention affordable! Compare $13 per bottle to the $45 (half) bottle that I fell in love with at the Vineyard! I’ve been wanting to order some, but my budget just won’t allow for it at this time. Luckily, I can afford to splurge for $13 on a full bottle! So yes, Winc is highly recommended in my book!