Wine Club Gift Guide

Firstleaf vs Picked by Wine.com

Not sure which personalized wine subscription you want to join? This page compares Firstleaf and Picked by Wine.com 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, Firstleaf or Picked by Wine.com?

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 Firstleaf and Picked by Wine.com?

The biggest differences between Firstleaf and Picked by Wine.com 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 Firstleaf and Picked by Wine.com?

Firstleaf and Picked by Wine.com 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.

Firstleaf

Firstleaf Wine Subscription

Picked by Wine.com

Picked by Wine.com
Do they ship to you?
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 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
Overall rating
This rating reflects all of the wine club elements below and is weighted for personalized wine clubs.
Firstleaf Picked by Wine.com
4.4 stars 5 stars
Wine styles
Choose any: Red, white, or mixed with an option to add rosé & sparkling Choose any: Red, white, or a mix
Wine regions
Choose either or both: USA, International Choose wine from around the world
What to know
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.
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.
Best wine clubs
The editorial lists where I include this wine club and its ranking on that list.
Firstleaf Picked by Wine.com

Join Firstleaf

Join Picked by Wine.com

A Personalized Wine Subscription

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.
Firstleaf Picked by Wine.com
4 stars 5 stars
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.
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.

Join Firstleaf

Join Picked by Wine.com

At Signup

Firstleaf Picked by Wine.com
Number of Bottles
6 6
Delivery Frequency
Monthly Monthly
Introductory Offer

Deal 6 bottles for $44.95
Save 50% — Try Firstleaf and get 6 bottles of wine selected just for you for just $44.95. Shipping is included in your first order. Click for this deal

Deal Save $30 on membership
Join today and save $30 on your first box of wine personalized by you and picked by a sommelier. Use code PICK30 at checkout.

Join Firstleaf

Join Picked by Wine.com

Subscription Cost

Firstleaf Picked by Wine.com
Firstleaf (6 bottles) Picked by Wine.com (6 bottles)
Total Price per Shipment
$94.93 $120-240, variable based on which settings you choose
Price per Bottle Including Shipping
$15.82 $20-40, variable based on which settings you choose
Price per Shipment
$79.98 $120-240, variable based on which settings you choose
Shipping Cost
$14.95 Shipping is included
Price per Bottle Before Shipping
$13.33 $20-40, variable based on which settings you choose

Join Firstleaf

Join Picked by Wine.com

Wine Ratings

Firstleaf Wine Review Picked by Wine.com 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.
3.5 stars 4 stars
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. 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
Price of Wine
Firstleaf Picked by Wine.com
3.5 stars 4.5 stars
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. Wine.com generally charges below retail and you are paying Wine.com’s listed prices for the wine in your shipment.

Join Firstleaf

Join Picked by Wine.com

Additional Ratings

Satisfaction Guarantee
This rating reflects the quality of the club’s satisfaction guarantee, not my guarantee of your satisfaction.
Firstleaf Picked by Wine.com
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 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."
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."
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.
Firstleaf Picked by Wine.com
4 stars 4 stars
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. 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.
Educational Materials
This rating reflects how much information you get about the wine you receive.
Firstleaf Picked by Wine.com
3 stars 3.5 stars
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. 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.
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.
Firstleaf Picked by Wine.com
5 stars 5 stars
Choose a delivery date?
Yes Yes, you only get wine when you place an order
Skip a shipment any time?
Yes, skip shipments whenever you want You decide when you want wine, so no need to skip shipments. You can pause deposits if needed.
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

Join Firstleaf

Join Picked by Wine.com

Available Upgrades

Firstleaf Picked by Wine.com
Get free shipping
Increase your shipment to 12 bottles and get free shipping. You’ll get two each of six different wines in each box. n/a
Switch delivery frequency
Switch to deliveries every other month or quarterly, in addition to delivery on demand n/a

Join Firstleaf

Join Picked by Wine.com

Good for Gifts?

Firstleaf Picked by Wine.com
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

Join Firstleaf

Join Picked by Wine.com

Jessyca Frederick

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.

Feel free to ask me for a personal recommendation. I won't harvest your email address for a marketing list — I don't send marketing emails.

Learn more about my review process and why you can trust me.