Wine Insiders vs Case Club

Not sure which curated wine subscription you want to join? This page compares Wine Insiders and Case Club 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, Wine Insiders or Case Club?

The important difference between Case Club and Wine Insiders is the quality and sourcing of the wine. The Case Club offers higher-quality wine from small family producers, while Wine Insiders relies on good-quality large-production wineries. When it comes down to it, if you prefer California wine, sign up for The Case Club (by The California Wine Club) but if you want to discover wine from everywhere else, too, try Wine Insiders (or the 90+ Wine Club from Wired For Wine). See why.

What are the key differences between Wine Insiders and Case Club?

The biggest differences between Wine Insiders and Case Club are: Cost per shipment, Satisfaction guarantee, Price of wine, Educational materials, Convenience features, Giftworthiness, Delivery frequency

What are the key similarities between Wine Insiders and Case Club?

Wine Insiders and Case Club are quite similar in these areas: Number of bottles per shipment, Quality of wine

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.

Wine Insiders

Wine Insiders

Case Club

Case Club
Do they ship to you?
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NC, ND, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, VT, WA, WV, WI, WY AK, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DE, DC, FL, GA, HI, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MN, MO, MT, 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 curated wine clubs.
Wine Insiders Case Club
4.4 stars 4.9 stars
Wine styles
Choose: Red, white, or mixed Choose: Red, white, or mixed
Wine regions
A mix of USA & International Mostly California with an occasional wine from Oregon or Washington
What to know
Wine Insiders is an approachable and affordable 12-bottle case club. The wines are generally of good quality for the price, which makes it an easy choice for laid-back wine drinking.

They’re really big on deals. They have a great introductory offer price of just $5.93 a bottle, and they offer their subscribers additional incredible deals all year round.

It would be great if they’d offer a premium wine club that leverages their impressive buying power and insider knowledge.
The California Wine Club’s excellent reputation is based on its Premier Series wine club, which offers two bottles of discounted California wine from a small family winery each month. It’s not uncommon for them to have bottles left in inventory after their shipments go out (a perk of membership is reordering your favorites at a discount). After a short period, these wines then get shipped out as part of their Case Club at even lower prices.

I personally asked them to create this club after seeing so many people signing up for 12-bottle case clubs and feeling those wine drinkers were missing out on what The California Wine Club had to offer. They did it, and they did it with a bang! I didn’t expect the prices they offer but I’m so glad they do.

I wanted to see a case with 12 different bottles in it. It was explained to me how hard it is to source small-production California wine at prices low enough to meet the pricing for this club. Three of each was the best way to make these prices happen. I can live with that.
Best wine clubs
The editorial lists where I include this wine club and its ranking on that list.
Wine Insiders Case Club

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A Curated Wine Subscription

Curation Rating
This rating reflects the caliber of curation — both the people who select the wine and the selection philosophy. This rating is subjective and based on my opinion.
Wine Insiders Case Club
4 stars 5 stars
Each shipment contains 12 different wines.

The curation point of view, as I assess it, is this: send decent quality wines made from an interesting assortment of grapes from around the world at super-affordable prices.

The selection of wine from Wine Insiders is broad. They are expert at finding mid-size producers, across Europe especially, who craft good quality (if not exciting) wine. When compared with other wine clubs in this price range, the wines are very palate-friendly and represent a wide swath of regions and grape varieties.
Each shipment contains three each of four different wines.

The curation point of view, as I assess it, is this: send good quality artisanal/boutique California wine at heavily-discounted prices.

So much effort goes into finding worthwhile wines from small family wineries in California, with only 12 2-bottle shipments per year, they can be picky about what they ship to their very loyal customers. Also, they prioritize little-known wineries.

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At Signup

Wine Insiders Case Club
Number of Bottles
12 12
Delivery Frequency
Quarterly + two additional seasonal shipments Monthly, Every other month, or Quarterly
Introductory Offer
No deals at this time No deals at this time

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Subscription Cost

Wine Insiders Case Club
Wine Insiders (12 bottles) Case Club (12 bottles)
Total Price per Shipment
$159.90 $182.00
Price per Bottle Including Shipping
$13.32 $15.17
Price per Shipment
$139.95 $168.00
Shipping Cost
$19.95 $14.00
Price per Bottle Before Shipping
$11.66 $14.00

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Wine Ratings

Wine Insiders Wine Review Case Club 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
Given the inexpensive nature of this wine club, I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of the wine we received. It is worth noting we did not get a "regular" wine club shipment, our selection was handpicked by the team at Wine Insiders knowing it was going to be reviewed. That said, it was good. These are always wines of excellent quality. They’re not 95-point wines from renowned winemakers, but they represent the best of California’s family wineries.
Price of Wine
Wine Insiders Case Club
4 stars 5 stars
I’m very impressed with the price of this wine. It is better than the wine available from similarly-priced WSJwine and personalized wine clubs. If you visit their website from a link on this page, you’ll find a quote from me: "At the price-point, the quality is incomparable." When these wines go out to the Premier Series customers, they pay a little over $20 per bottle (already below winery retail price), but when you get them in this club, you pay just $14 a bottle.

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Additional Ratings

Satisfaction Guarantee
This rating reflects the quality of the club’s satisfaction guarantee, not my guarantee of your satisfaction.
Wine Insiders Case Club
2.5 stars 5 stars
If you don’t like a wine you receive, you can contact customer service to arrange a solution.

"We stand behind our 100% customer satisfaction guarantee. If the rare occasion occurs where you don’t like the wines you received, please contact us immediately. Restrictions apply. Please ask a Wine Insiders Customer Service Representative for more details."
Industry-leading satisfaction guarantee, they call it the "Love It" Guarantee.

"If you don’t enjoy a bottle you receive from us, we will immediately send a replacement or refund your money. You don’t even have to send the bottle back – really."
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.
Wine Insiders Case Club
5 stars 5 stars
Wine Insiders has an impressive online customer service record and I have not had any issues with my orders. The California Wine Club uses the hash tag #mostlovedwineclub in their social media efforts. Members really do love them because, among other reasons, they offer personalized service to every customer who calls or emails.
Educational Materials
This rating reflects how much information you get about the wine you receive.
Wine Insiders Case Club
3 stars 1 stars
Wine education is an area Wine Insiders is lacking. All of their tasting notes are online (not a problem) but they’re limited. That said, if you just want to drink wine and not get a dissertation on how and where it was made, there is adequate info to keep you interested. Pairing suggestions could be better. While The California Wine Club goes to great pains to produce a beautiful, full-color magazine highlighting each month’s wineries and wines, this extra benefit isn’t available for Case Club members. It’s no frills to keep it super cheap. That said, their website has plenty of info available about each wine they ship, so you can go online and learn more on your own.
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.
Wine Insiders Case Club
5 stars 2.5 stars
Choose a delivery date?
No No
Skip a shipment any time?
Yes, skip shipments whenever you want No
Fully manage account online
Yes No
Cancel online
Yes No
Choose alternate delivery location
Yes No
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

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Good for Gifts?

Wine Insiders Case Club
Giftworthiness
2.5 stars 1 stars
Gift options?
Yes No
Gift format
Wine subscription n/a
Gift wrap
No n/a
Gift notification
Yes, an email is sent at time of purchase n/a

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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.

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