Nakedwines.com vs Bright Cellars
Not sure which personalized wine subscription you want to join? This page compares Nakedwines.com and Bright Cellars 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, Nakedwines.com or Bright Cellars?
On practically every level Nakedwines.com is far superior to Bright Cellars. At Nakedwines.com the personalization includes the ability to choose your own bottles and how many; their program is 100% refundable, not just as credits and the focus is on the winemaker and their story, not branding. Bright Cellars may be better for an absolute wine beginner, though I’d send a newbie somewhere else where the wine quality is better. See why.
What are the key differences between Nakedwines.com and Bright Cellars?
The biggest differences between Nakedwines.com and Bright Cellars 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 Nakedwines.com and Bright Cellars?
Nakedwines.com and Bright Cellars 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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Nakedwines.com |
Bright Cellars |
| Do they ship to you? | |
|---|---|
| AL, AK, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, HI, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, LA, MA, MD, ME, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NY, NJ, NM, NC, ND, OK, OR, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WI, WV, WY | AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV, WY |
| Overall rating This rating reflects all of the wine club elements below and is weighted for personalized wine clubs. | |
| Nakedwines.com | Bright Cellars |
| 5 stars | 2.7 stars |
| Wine styles | |
| Choose any: Red, white, rosé, and sparkling | Choose any: Red, white, or mixed |
| Wine regions | |
| Choose wine from around the world | A selection from around the world, you don’t pick |
| What to know | |
| Nakedwines.com is not a typical wine subscription in that they do not auto-ship your wines. Each month you deposit $40 and when you’re ready, you order as much wine as you want (at least 6 bottles). Nakedwines.com’s relationship with independent winemakers makes it unique. I also love that they give you so much information to help you decide which wines to try. Unlike their competitors, any unspent funds are fully refundable (and they’ll also credit bottles you didn’t like). It should be easier to sign up for a membership without getting the introductory six-pack deal. |
Bright Cellars is an algorithm-based personalized wine club where you have limited ability to intervene in the selection. Their point system is designed to say how good of a match a wine is for your palate. Their customer service has always been excellent and friendly. You can work with them to apply some limits to your matches (for example, "never send me Merlot."). I wasn’t impressed with any of the wines I received and compared to other personalized wine clubs, the wine is too expensive for what you get. The membership seems overly focused on beginning wine drinkers and doesn’t accommodate more experienced wine lovers very well. |
| Best wine clubs The editorial lists where I include this wine club and its ranking on that list. | |
| Nakedwines.com | Bright Cellars |
| 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. | |
| Nakedwines.com | Bright Cellars |
| 5 stars | 3 stars |
| Unlike other personalized wine clubs, Nakedwines.com does NOT start with a quiz. Quite the opposite... you start with a bundle of six bottles they choose. Their personalization comes in two forms: 1) you pick every wine you orders and 2) As you rate wines, the store reflects your preferences. I have never used Nakedwines.com recommendations to choose wine — I like to personalize my wine shipments by picking my own wine. Given the amount of data they have about customers and what they like (or don’t), I would bet they are good at guessing which wines you might like based on how you’ve rated previous wines you purchased from them. And if they’re not, they’ll give you all of your money back... so there’s nothing to lose. |
Starting with a quiz during signup, Bright Cellars uses an algorithm to match your personal tastes. Their ability to match gets better over time, when you rate the wines you receive. You’ll need to contact customer service to swap out recommended bottles you don’t want to try. The quiz does not ask you about your wine preferences, it asks about your chocolate, coffee, tea, juice, and non-wine preferences. I found their automated systems did a terrible job recommending wine for me. After a chat with customer support, they made some tweaks to my profile and my matches improved. |
| |
| Nakedwines.com | Bright Cellars |
| Number of Bottles | |
| 6 (minimum bottles per order) | 4 |
| Delivery Frequency | |
| Monthly | Monthly |
| Introductory Offer | |
Deal Save $100 on 6+ bottles |
Deal Save $40 |
| |
| Nakedwines.com | Bright Cellars |
| Nakedwines.com (6 bottles) | Bright Cellars (4 bottles) |
| Total Price per Shipment | |
| You deposit $40 each month and spend it when you want to. Your price per shipment will vary depending on the wines you put in the box. | $88.00 |
| Price per Bottle Including Shipping | |
| Variable (You choose your wine and how many bottles) | $22.00 |
| Price per Shipment | |
| Variable (You choose your wine and how many bottles) | $80.00 |
| Shipping Cost | |
| Shipping is $9.99 for orders less than $100. Shipping is free for orders over $100 except in Hawaii ($70 per box) and Alaska ($130 per box). | $8.00 |
| Price per Bottle Before Shipping | |
| $8.99 - $39.99 (You choose your wine) | $20.00 |
| |
| Nakedwines.com Wine Review | Bright Cellars 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. | |
| 4.25 stars | 1 stars |
| Nakedwines.com wines are often mistaken for private label, but since Nakedwines.com is a winery, that is not accurate. They offer wine at a variety of prices and the quality varies with price. In general, their $15 wines are better than those of similarly-priced wine clubs. | Bright Cellars’ wines are "private label" of generally poorer quality to less-expensive wine clubs. They offer a broad range of styles and wine regions, and the quality from each area varies slightly. |
| Price of Wine | |
| Nakedwines.com | Bright Cellars |
| 5 stars | 1 stars |
| Nakedwines.com wines are exclusive so prices can’t be verified, however you are able to buy wine from them without a subscription, those prices seem fair, and members get a substantial discount. The wine seems very fairly priced based on my experience with similar wines from other sources. | As Bright Cellars wines are private label or exclusive, prices can’t be verified. The wine seems overpriced, based on my experience with less-expensive wine clubs. |
| |
| Satisfaction Guarantee This rating reflects the quality of the club’s satisfaction guarantee, not my guarantee of your satisfaction. | |
| Nakedwines.com | Bright Cellars |
| 5 stars | 2 stars |
| If you don’t like a wine you receive, you can contact customer service to get a credit applied to your account. "You get your money back. We only charge you for the wine you love, guaranteed. Just email us at chat@nakedwines.com or call us at 1-800-813-4882." |
The messaging here is mixed. Their Terms & Conditions says damaged or defective bottles may be refunded. "While most items are not refundable, if you received a damaged or defective product, we may refund at our discretion if we are notified within 30 days of the order date. Please be aware that gift card purchases are non-refundable." Their marketing page says otherwise: "Your delight is guaranteed. If you don’t love a bottle, we’ll send you a replacement." |
| 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. | |
| Nakedwines.com | Bright Cellars |
| 5 stars | 5 stars |
| Nakedwines.com has an impressive customer service record as recorded online. I have not personally needed their customer service team’s assistance yet. | Bright Cellars has an impressive customer service record as recorded online and my own experiences with their customer service team were excellent. |
| Educational Materials This rating reflects how much information you get about the wine you receive. | |
| Nakedwines.com | Bright Cellars |
| 4.5 stars | 2 stars |
| The wine information for Nakedwines.com wines is all online. They offer excellent information about each wine, including info that is useful both before you buy it and when you are ready to drink it. In addition to details about the winemaker and the wine itself, they also provide storage information, service information, and food pairing suggestions. | Bright Cellars includes a tasting card for each wine in your shipment. These cards have very basic information on them. Plenty of info for a beginner, but not helpful for anyone who wants to learn more about where the wine came from or how it was made. |
| 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. | |
| Nakedwines.com | Bright Cellars |
| 5 stars | 4 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 |
| |
| Nakedwines.com | Bright Cellars |
| Switch delivery frequency | |
| n/a | Switch to deliveries every other month or quarterly |
Good for Gifts? | |
| Nakedwines.com | Bright Cellars |
| Giftworthiness | |
| 2.5 stars | 5 stars |
| Gift options? | |
| No | Yes |
| Gift format | |
| n/a | Electronic gift card |
| Gift wrap | |
| No | No |
| Gift notification | |
| n/a | Yes. You can choose to send a gift box with a corkscrew to announce your gift ahead of time ($10), or you can send an email to notify your recipient on any day you choose. |
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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