Firstleaf vs Winc Comparison 2022

About Firstleaf

Firstleaf was started by wine lover Philip James with the aim of creating the most customer-centric wine club out there. It’s palate technology is first rate and takes away any headache for you from picking wine. Firstleaf has over 100,000 members and 92% of its portfolio is made up of award-winning wines.

About Winc

Winc was started by three oenophiles in 2012 who wanted to put boutique Californian wineries in the spotlight and share their labels with fellow fans of the Golden State. While it offers bottles from other world regions, their portfolio is full of limited-edition and customized wines from California.

Firstleaf Main Benefits Overall

Firstleaf is super focused on customization and achieves this with its own cutting edge tasting technology (currently awaiting a patent no less) that matches its inventory with your tastes. It’s also very picky with its portfolio, only passing 2% of the 10,000 plus labels its tasting team tries each year.

There’s a range of subscription packages with a choice of delivery frequencies so you can stock up at a pace that suits you, if you’re not satisfied with a bottle, Firstleaf will take care of it and, finally, you can cancel your membership anytime it suits you.

Winc Main Benefits Overall 

Winc is one of the leading clubs when it comes to artisanal Californian wines. There are so many superb producers in the Golden State and chances are Winc works with them all. What’s more, it features labels from other iconic regions working with producers in the same close way it does with its local wineries.

It adds new bottles to its range every month, so things are always fresh and exciting plus it likes to personalize your cases to your tastes which it does through a short and sweet tasting quiz. 

Overall Winner

Firstleaf

Firstleaf Wine Selection

This is a great red wine club but it also has an excellent share of whites, rosés, and bubbles from all the main Old and New World wine regions so you can expect all your favorite grape varieties and styles.As already mentioned, the majority of labels have received accolades in global competitions and they each undergo a rigorous tasting procedure before being given the go ahead for members.

Firstleaf’s network includes grass-roots vignerons and winemakers so there are no mega-companies churning out budget wine – just handcrafted bottles that offer something unique and exciting for subscribers’ taste buds.

Winc Wine Selection 

Most of Winc’s range comes from a network of top artisanal California wineries making it an excellent white wine club if that’s your thing. That being said, it also offers the best reds from the state as well so you can look forward to getting local iconic varieties like Zinfandel and Chardonnay, but also other international grapes made with a local take.

There’s also a fair share of rosé and fizz to keep fans of these styles happy. A standout feature is Winc’s range of body and nature-friendly wines. It has an impressive selection of vegan, organic, low-alcohol/ sugar labels plus others made through sustainable methods.

Wine Selection Winner:

Winc

Firstleaf Subscription Plans

With a standard Firstleaf subscription, you get half a dozen bottles each month and you can also add the odd one or two from the club store for a little extra. As detailed, you can go up to 12 bottles if you want to fill your rack. 

Shipments arrive at a frequency of monthly, bi-monthly, or quarterly so there’s a fair bit of flexibility you can take advantage of depending on how much wine you expect to need. You can change over to a different frequency when it suits – around holiday times for example.

Winc Subscription Plans 

With this club you get your shipments on a monthly basis and, as already detailed, usually get three to four bottles in each. With four bottles or more, shipping is included.

One of the great things about Winc is, with 48 hours’ notice, you can skip a delivery without any penalty or charge and can do so for as long as you need to. This offers a lot of flexibility if you find you have to bail out every so often if you have pans to be away or unexpectedly are stuck elsewhere (like under lockdown!).

Subscription Plans Winner:

Firstleaf

Firstleaf Pricing and Shipping

Firstleaf charges $90 for six bottles working out at an amazing $15 each. You have the option of doubling up your order for $159.95 plus tax which entitles you to free shipping.

Firstleaf is flexible and careful when it comes to delivery. If you want your shipment sent to a holding location for up to a week if you’re not going to be at home and don’t want it sent to your office, it can help out. It also offers this service for winter and summer, so the elements don’t damage your wine. You can also postpone shipments.

Winc Pricing and Shipping 

Membership is $59.95 each month which you can cash in for different wines. You’ll get three to four bottles from this. You enjoy a $20 discount off your fist delivery and if you order up to 12 bottles, the club will give you an automatic 10% off.

Shipping is free for any orders over $50 so you might as well stock up! Winc also offers extra shipping choices such as overnight if you have to get your wines fast or a 2-day option if you can hang on a little.

Pricing and Shipping Winner:

Firstleaf

Firstleaf Customer Service and Guarantee

You can get in touch with First Leaf’s customer service by phone in office hours seven days a week plus you can email it at any time. This club also has a satisfaction guarantee ensuring you’re 100% happy with each of your bottles.

If you’re not satisfied with one or a label is missing or damaged, Firstleaf will give you club credit where possible (in very rare cases there may be legal restrictions) . You just need to let the club know within 30 days of delivery to get your credits rolling.

Winc Customer Service and Guarantee

Options for getting in touch include chat and phone in office hours plus email. Your satisfaction is Winc’s satisfaction so if you’re not completely happy with anything in your case for any reason, reach out to the club, and it’ll fix it.

How it does this is it’ll credit you the full value of the bottle to go towards another label that suits your tastes more. Not only that, but its concierge team will also chat to you about what might tick your boxes and guide you to a bottle that you’ll enjoy 100%.

Customer Service and Guarantee Winner:

Winc

Firstleaf Cancellation Terms  

You can cancel your subscription anytime with Firstleaf by calling a designated number where it’ll take you through your options. What this means is you may not find you want to cancel at all but simply change your delivery frequencies, tweak your preferences, or bottle quantities.

If you still want to cancel in the end it’s free and absolutely no problem – the customer service team just likes to give you a few options first as you might not really want to take such drastic action. Sometimes just by using this club’s rating system, your whole experience is changed.

Winc Cancellation Terms  

Cancelling your Winc membership is straightforward. You do so by getting in touch via the club’s different contact options. The customer service team will point you to a few choices that could offer an alternative to cancelling outright.

There’s the aforementioned month skipping that you can do for as long as you want at no charge plus there are a number of other money-saving perks for members if the problem is cash flow. If you want to cancel not your membership but a particular order that’s already on its way to you, Winc will do its best to find a solution. 

Cancellation Terms Winner:

Firstleaf

Firstleaf Gifts 

When you have a good experience with a wine club you naturally want to share the joy. Firstleaf offers the option of a gift membership and you can even input the preferences of your recipient into its famous algorithm so they get a tailored case. There’s also the option of buying a certificate for your lucky friend or loved one so they can do all the deeds themselves. 

If you’re not sure about giving a full membership but know a bottle of wine wouldn’t amiss, there are gift cards available that are conveniently sent electronically.

Winc Gifts 

If you think someone else will enjoy a taste of California, Winc has a couple of ways you can spread the love. This club offers a gift card option, and you get to choose the sum. It can be used for a range of purchases including Winc membership. 

What’s nice about gifting from Winc is you can send your gift card via email for convenience if it needs to arrive in a hurry or via mail for that personal touch (these days it’s exciting to get an actual card in your mailbox!).

Buy as a Gift Winner:

Winc