Picked by Wine.com vs Firstleaf
Not sure which personalized wine subscription you want to join? This page compares Picked by Wine.com and Firstleaf side-by-side using my detailed ratings system. The ratings are based on my experiences with each club — including tasting the wine over multiple shipments.
Which is better, Picked by Wine.com or Firstleaf?
I prefer Picked by Wine.com to Firstleaf, however they are very different experiences and I can’t say which you’d actually prefer. Please review this head-to-head comparison of Firstleaf and Picked by Wine.com to see which wine subscription is more suitable for your preferences. See why.
What are the key differences between Picked by Wine.com and Firstleaf?
The biggest differences between Picked by Wine.com and Firstleaf are: Cost per shipment, Satisfaction guarantee, Number of bottles per shipment, Quality of wine, Price of wine, Educational materials, Convenience features, Giftworthiness
What are the key similarities between Picked by Wine.com and Firstleaf?
Picked by Wine.com and Firstleaf are quite similar in these areas: Delivery frequency
FYI: I find great wine deals so you don’t have to. To keep me on the hunt, I earn a commission when you buy wine based on my recommendations.
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Picked by Wine.com |
Firstleaf |
| Do they ship to you? | |
|---|---|
| AK, AZ, AR, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, HI, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, MD, MA, MN, MO, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY | AL, AK, AZ, AR, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, HI, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, ND, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, OH, OK, OR, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY |
| Overall rating This rating reflects all of the wine club elements below and is weighted for personalized wine clubs. | |
| Picked by Wine.com | Firstleaf |
| 5 stars | 4.4 stars |
| Wine styles | |
| Choose any: Red, white, or a mix | Choose any: Red, white, or mixed with an option to add rosé & sparkling |
| Wine regions | |
| Choose wine from around the world | Choose either or both: USA, International |
| What to know | |
| Picked by Wine.com is a unique personalized wine subscription in that every bottle you receive is handpicked just for you by a human sommelier, not an algorithm. Wine.com has been sitting out the wine subscription business for almost a decade, but when they came back in, they created a thoughtful, human-led product designed for wine lovers, not just wine drinkers. I’d like to see options for bigger (and smaller) shipments, options which include rosé and sparkling wines, and options to spend more than an average of $40 per bottle. |
Firstleaf is an algorithm-based personalized wine club where you have limited ability to intervene in the selection. By delivering a range of wine grapes, regions, and styles, Firstleaf is always a top contender for a personalized wine subscription. One of Firstleaf’s strong suits is their huge breadth of inventory. There are hundreds of different wines available at any time, increasing the odds you’ll get something you like. Firstleaf relies heavily on slick marketing which says their wines all being award-winning, but this isn’t a good measure of a wine club. |
| Best wine clubs The editorial lists where I include this wine club and its ranking on that list. | |
| Picked by Wine.com | Firstleaf |
| |
| Personalization Rating This rating reflects the degree of personalization available, not how well I think they do at matching wines to my taste preferences. Why? Each service requires a number of shipments before they hone in on your tastes (usually at least 3 shipments) and the quality of the personalization is, well, personal. Some services might be really good at your tasting profile but terrible at mine (and vice versa). This is why I don’t rate the ability of wine clubs to personalize your selection, rather I share my own experiences and let you be the judge. | |
| Picked by Wine.com | Firstleaf |
| 5 stars | 4 stars |
| Like other personalized wine subscriptions, your Picked subscription starts with a quiz. This is a much smarter, wine-centric quiz than the other services. It includes detailed preferences and even a write-in section. Once you have input your selections, a professional sommelier will pick wines to suit your stated preferences. As you taste and rate wines they ship you, your sommelier will adjust his/her selections. The more info you provide, the better the service will be. I was impressed with the wines I received based on my quiz results and additional information I provided. The sommelier did not know I am an affiliate marketer, but she definitely paid close attention to my wishes. |
Starting with a quiz during signup, Firstleaf uses an algorithm to match your personal tastes. Their ability to match gets better over time, when you rate the wines you receive. If they recommend something you don’t want to try, you can swap out that bottle. You can make up to six swaps per shipment. If you aren’t sure if you’re getting the most out of your Firstleaf subscription, you can ask for free help from a certified wine professional who can make changes to your settings behind the scenes to enhance your experience. I was never super impressed with the matching of the wines I received, but I recently re-took the quiz and found their recommendations to be much more spot on than my original results. I believe this reflects what they’ve learned from their previous customers. |
| |
| Picked by Wine.com | Firstleaf |
| Number of Bottles | |
| 6 | 6 |
| Delivery Frequency | |
| Monthly | Monthly |
| Introductory Offer | |
Deal Save $50 on membership |
Deal 6 bottles for $44.95 |
| |
| Picked by Wine.com | Firstleaf |
| Picked by Wine.com (6 bottles) | Firstleaf (6 bottles) |
| Total Price per Shipment | |
| $120-240, variable based on which settings you choose | $94.93 |
| Price per Bottle Including Shipping | |
| $20-40, variable based on which settings you choose | $15.82 |
| Price per Shipment | |
| $120-240, variable based on which settings you choose | $79.98 |
| Shipping Cost | |
| Shipping is included | $14.95 |
| Price per Bottle Before Shipping | |
| $20-40, variable based on which settings you choose | $13.33 |
| |
| Picked by Wine.com Wine Review | Firstleaf Wine Review |
| Quality of Wine This rating reflects how the wine is sourced and produced, as well as how it compares to similar wine clubs. | |
| 4 stars | 3.5 stars |
| Wine quality varies widely around the world and by grape variety or blend. Because Wine.com’s sommeliers have their pick of their huge inventory, and sommeliers are specially trained to spot great wine values, you can expect good quality wine at any price setting | Firstleaf wines are "private label" of generally equal quality to similarly-priced wine clubs. They offer a broad range of styles and wine regions, and the quality from each area varies slightly. While they claim their wines are award-winning, I believe this is a misdirection as these competitions are not comprehensive. |
| Price of Wine | |
| Picked by Wine.com | Firstleaf |
| 4.5 stars | 3.5 stars |
| Wine.com generally charges below retail and you are paying Wine.com’s listed prices for the wine in your shipment. | Firstleaf wine club wines are private label or exclusive so prices can’t be verified. The wine seems appropriately priced, based on my experience with similarly-priced wine clubs. |
| |
| Satisfaction Guarantee This rating reflects the quality of the club’s satisfaction guarantee, not my guarantee of your satisfaction. | |
| Picked by Wine.com | Firstleaf |
| 5 stars | 5 stars |
| If you don’t like a wine you receive, you can contact customer service to get a credit applied to your account. "If any bottle misses the mark, we’ll give you a full credit to apply to a new bottle." |
If you don’t like a wine you receive, you can contact customer service to get a credit applied to your account. "If for any reason you’re not satisfied with a bottle, we’ll credit you for it, where legal. Just reach out to us at service@firstleaf.club within 30 days of delivery. We’ll credit you in the form of store credit for any disliked bottles! Please note - this excludes shipping charges." |
| Customer Service Record This rating is a mix of my own experiences with their customer service team and general ratings from across the web over time. | |
| Picked by Wine.com | Firstleaf |
| 4 stars | 4 stars |
| Wine.com has an impressive customer service record as recorded online. In my past dealings with Wine.com, their customer service team has been top notch. None of my customer service interactions were related to Picked. | Firstleaf has an impressive customer service record as recorded online. I subtracted two stars because I have had my own problems with not getting the wines I swapped out or getting a shipment right away when I wanted to wait for it. That said they always make it right without a fuss. |
| Educational Materials This rating reflects how much information you get about the wine you receive. | |
| Picked by Wine.com | Firstleaf |
| 3.5 stars | 3 stars |
| The wine information for Wine.com wines is all online. The amount of information they provide varies widely from detailed tasting notes and background information about the winery to basic info to describe the wine. | In addition to finding information about each of your wines on the Firstleaf website, they also send out fun wine tasting cards for each wine in your box. They provide a limited view into the wine region and the grapes in the wine, but their other wine info is helpful: Body, Acidity, Sweetness, Fruit, and Tannins. They also offer generalized food pairing ideas and a place to put your own tasting notes. |
| Convenience A subscription should be easier than shopping at the store. That means you have control over when and where deliveries occur and that it is easy to make changes to your account online. | |
| Picked by Wine.com | Firstleaf |
| 5 stars | 5 stars |
| Choose a delivery date? | |
| Yes, you only get wine when you place an order | Yes |
| Skip a shipment any time? | |
| You decide when you want wine, so no need to skip shipments. You can pause deposits if needed. | Yes, skip shipments whenever you want |
| Fully manage account online | |
| Yes | Yes |
| Cancel online | |
| Yes | Yes |
| Choose alternate delivery location | |
| Yes | Yes |
| Get SMS delivery updates from the club | |
| No | No |
| Get email delivery updates from the club | |
| Yes | Yes |
| Email reminders before card is charged | |
| Yes | Yes |
| |
| Picked by Wine.com | Firstleaf |
| Get free shipping | |
| n/a | Increase your shipment to 12 bottles and get free shipping. You’ll get two each of six different wines in each box. |
| Switch delivery frequency | |
| n/a | Switch to deliveries every other month or quarterly, in addition to delivery on demand |
Good for Gifts? | |
| Picked by Wine.com | Firstleaf |
| Giftworthiness | |
| 2.5 stars | 2.5 stars |
| Gift options? | |
| Yes | Yes |
| Gift format | |
| Electronic gift card | Electronic gift card |
| Gift wrap | |
| No | No |
| Gift notification | |
| Yes, an email is sent at time of purchase | Yes, an email is sent at time of purchase |
Review by: Jessyca Frederick |
After 15+ years trying 1000s of bottles from 100+ different wine clubs, I know what it means to be a wine club worth joining. My reviews can help you find a great wine club for you and the best wine club gifts for any budget and for any wine preference.
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