MOST READ STYLE
Instead of heading to the liquor store to comb through the endless options of pinots and chardonnays, California whites or French reds, to find a bottle that may or may not be what you're looking for, why not leave it to the professionals. With these wine clubs, experts with select the perfect bottles to send right to your doorstep. Just choose the type of wine you usually like and the expert teams behind these wine clubs will choose the perfect bottles for you.
Related: The Best White Wines to Drink Now
Wine Access Wine Club
Court of Master Sommeliers Krug Cup winner Sur Lucero and Morimoto Group’s former global beverage director Eduardo Dingler is among the Avengers-like crew of wine superheroes that curates Wine Access’s club selections. Their specialty is highly allocated small-batch wines from their home region of Napa, but they mix it up with quarterly shipment themes like “Soils of the World.” Each season, they’ll send your pal a half case of finds and give them access to snappy tasting videos and discounts on their larger inventory.
To buy: $150/quarter; wineaccess.com
Vinley Market Wine Box Subscription
Millennial entrepreneur Erin Vaughen rounds up wines for her generation: earth-friendly micro-productions from start-up hipster labels and emerging appellations: an organic Andalusian palomino; a natural wine from the Loire; reds made for chilling. Send quirky monthly cheer with the Bubbles & Rosé Box, including an obscure cremant, cava, or other sparkler paired with a blushing bottle of unusual origin, like Say When’s mourvèdre-based rosé from California’s Central Coast.
To buy: $59–79/month; vinleymarket.com
Orange Glou Wine Club
Sommelier Doreen Winkler thinks here’s nothing sexier than skin contact—in wine. A veteran of restaurants including Aska to Aldea, Winkler specializes in new, rare, and highly allocated orange wines from natural, organic, and biodynamic producers the world over. Now she’s launched a club to bring a mix of three or six bottles from hot-shot wineries like Friuli’s Radikon and the Bay Area’s Donkey & Goat to the doorstep of your choice on a monthly basis.
To buy: $105–195; orangeglou.com
SommSelect DRINK LIKE A SOMM “Six Blind Wines” Club
If you watched his star turn in the “Somm” film series, you know what a learned obsessive master sommelier Ian Cauble is. Each month, he puts members through the paces, sending a half-dozen black-wrapped bottles from classic regions covered on the master sommelier exam, along with instructions for setting up a blind tasting, detailed tasting notes, and pairing suggestions. Help a friend exercise their senses and learn to drink like a somm.
To buy: $199/month; sommselect.com
Chambers Street Wines Grand Cru Club
The geeks at New York’s lauded downtown wine shop remap the world of fine wine, elevating remarkable and, in their opinion, under-designated vineyards. For enophiles who will only drink the top tier, this club delivers established grand crus while introducing a range of worthy “shoulda-been” contenders: cabernet franc from Chinon’s Les Picasses; pinot noir from Gevrey Chambertin’s prestigious premiere cru vineyard, Clos St. Jacques. Sign someone up and start a friendly argument about the meaning of terroir.
To buy: $434.99/3 months; $869.99/6 months; chamberstreetwines.com
Sotheby’s Instant Cellars
Jumpstart an oenophile's collection with one of four Instant Cellars from the wine experts at the New York auction house. Train a newbie with the 50-bottle Introductory Cellar, ranging from the Loire’s Andre Dezat Sancerre Rosé, with its strawberry lilt, to a spice-and-minerals premier cru from Burgundy’s Domaine Fourrier. Or build your beloved’s portfolio with the Investment Cellar, 15 half-cases of blockbusters like Saint Emilion’s Angelus. Each collection comes with a Sotheby’s consultation.
To buy: $5,000–$25,000; sothebys.com
