Picked by Wine.com vs Winc
Not sure which personalized wine subscription you want to join? This page compares Picked by Wine.com and Winc 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 Winc?
I prefer Picked by Wine.com to Winc, mostly because there is a much larger inventory for the sommeliers to choose from at Wine.com than I can choose from at Winc. The reality is that these are very different personalized wine experiences and I can’t say which is better for you. Please review this head-to-head comparison of Winc and Picked by Wine.com to evaluate which wine subscription is more suitable for your preferences. See why.
What are the key differences between Picked by Wine.com and Winc?
The biggest differences between Picked by Wine.com and Winc 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 Winc?
Picked by Wine.com and Winc are quite similar in these areas:
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 |
Winc |
| 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 | AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, 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 | Winc |
| 5 stars | 4.6 stars |
| Wine styles | |
| Choose any: Red, white, or a mix | Choose any: red, white, rosé, sparkling, sweet, and cider |
| Wine regions | |
| Choose wine from around the world | Choose either or both: USA and 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. |
Winc is an algorithm-based personalized wine club, but they let you pick your own wine, too. By delivering a range of wine grapes, regions, and styles, Winc is always a top contender for a personalized wine subscription. One of Winc’s strong suits is their winemaking team. Headquartered on California’s Central Coast, many of their wines are made with grapes from the area, where high-quality vineyards and less-common grape varieties are de rigeur. Some of the changes to their business model seem a little unfriendly to their customers, particularly that there is a minimum monthly charge but that unspent credits are non-refundable. |
| Best wine clubs The editorial lists where I include this wine club and its ranking on that list. | |
| Picked by Wine.com | Winc |
| This wine club is not on any lists | |
| |
| 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 | Winc |
| 5 stars | 5 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. |
Winc memberships begin with a personalization quiz. While you can rely on their algorithm to choose your wine according to the preferences stated in your quiz, you can also choose every bottle in every box. Order as much or as little as you want each month (above the minimum 4 bottles). The matching power of the Winc algorithm is more limited than some others because they have a smaller inventory of wine to choose from, but your ability to choose your own wine is a big plus on personalization. I like that I can choose my own wines from Winc depending on what looks interesting (the ultimate in personalization). I do not find their recommended wines match my actual preferences. |
| |
| Picked by Wine.com | Winc |
| Number of Bottles | |
| 6 | 3 (minimum bottles per order) |
| Delivery Frequency | |
| Monthly | Monthly |
| Introductory Offer | |
Deal Save $50 on membership |
Deal Four for $29.95 |
| |
| Picked by Wine.com | Winc |
| Picked by Wine.com (6 bottles) | Winc (3 bottles) |
| Total Price per Shipment | |
| $120-240, variable based on which settings you choose | You deposit $59.95 each month and spend as much of that (or more) as you wish. If you don’t use all of your credits in a given month, they roll over to the next month. |
| Price per Bottle Including Shipping | |
| $20-40, variable based on which settings you choose | Variable (You choose your wine and how many bottles) |
| Price per Shipment | |
| $120-240, variable based on which settings you choose | Variable (You choose your wine and how many bottles) |
| Shipping Cost | |
| Shipping is included | Shipping is $9.99 for orders of 3 bottles. Shipping is free for orders of 4 or more bottles. |
| Price per Bottle Before Shipping | |
| $20-40, variable based on which settings you choose | $12.99 - $29.99 (You choose your wine) |
| |
| Picked by Wine.com Wine Review | Winc 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 | Winc wines are "private label" of generally equal quality to similarly-priced wine clubs. Winc offers wine at a variety of prices and the quality varies by price. Their cheapest white wines and rosés are 4-star wines. Their cheapest red wines are 3 star wines. The more expensive wines are generally of better quality and their international selection is generally a better value than their California selection. |
| Price of Wine | |
| Picked by Wine.com | Winc |
| 4.5 stars | 4 stars |
| Wine.com generally charges below retail and you are paying Wine.com’s listed prices for the wine in your shipment. | Winc sells their wine at retail locations (like Whole Foods), hotels, restaurants, and on their website without a membership. Members pay discounted prices as compared to these retail locations. The discount varies depending on the wine, but you never pay "full price." |
| |
| Satisfaction Guarantee This rating reflects the quality of the club’s satisfaction guarantee, not my guarantee of your satisfaction. | |
| Picked by Wine.com | Winc |
| 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 you are not completely satisfied for any reason, please let us know immediately. We will gladly credit Winc Members the full value of your bottle towards another wine of your choosing in your next shipment." |
| 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 | Winc |
| 4 stars | 3 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. | Over the years, Winc has had some unfriendly-to-the-customer policies regarding cancelling and credits, as well as shipping problems. These problems seem to persist, most notably with service not actually being cancelled when the customer thought it was. |
| Educational Materials This rating reflects how much information you get about the wine you receive. | |
| Picked by Wine.com | Winc |
| 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. | Winc’s attitude about wine education is that they want to be your nerdy wine friend who doesn’t overhwelm you with nerdy information. The information you get about each wine is only available online. Their wine profile includes body, sweetness, alcohol, winemaking (vegan, low sulfur, low sugar, sustainable, etc.), fruit, earth, and wood (oakiness). I wish they didn’t hold back so much of that nerdy information about the actual grapes/vineyards from where the wine originates. |
| 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 | Winc |
| 5 stars | 4.5 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 | No |
| Choose alternate delivery location | |
| Yes | Yes |
| Get SMS delivery updates from the club | |
| No | Yes |
| Get email delivery updates from the club | |
| Yes | Yes |
| Email reminders before card is charged | |
| Yes | Yes |
| |
| Picked by Wine.com | Winc |
| Case discount | |
| n/a | Buy 12 bottles at a time and save an extra 10% |
| Pre-pay for credits | |
| n/a | Buy your Winc credits ahead of time and save up to 20% |
| Wine upgrades | |
| n/a | Winc offers wine at a variety of prices, you can choose more expensive wines whenever you want |
Good for Gifts? | |
| Picked by Wine.com | Winc |
| 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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