Vinebox vs First Leaf Comparison 2022

About Vinebox

Vinebox believes its members should be fully satisfied with the that labels grace their wine racks.

To this end, this one-off club ships a box set of glass-sized tasting vials of classic European reds and whites and, when you find one you enjoy, you get to order a full bottle.

About First Leaf

Wine aficionado Philip James launched Firstleaf with one aim: to put his members center stage with bespoke palate tasting technology that homes in on individual likes.

This cutting-edge technology matches what you like in a bottle with the club’s first-class inventory of labels. Firstleaf has 100,000 members across the US.

Vinebox Main Benefits Overall 

The selling point for Vinebox is how it puts members in control over what’s on their glasses.This is a relief for people who already know a little about their reds and whites and want to pick and choose what they’re sipping.

It’s also a good way in for those who are new to the world of wine as, from the off, there’s the chance to develop tasting skills and learn in a hands-on way about different grapes and styles in general, and individual tastes in particular. The club is quarterly, and members gain credits for full bottles with every shipment.

First Leaf Main Benefits Overall 

Firstleaf’s highlight is its advanced tasting technology which ensures every case will be customized and filled with the labels you fully enjoy. After you take part in a short but delving quiz about your wine tastes, your replies are “crunched up” and transformed into a personal profile that is matched to the club’s vast inventory for perfect cases.

Firstleaf is super-finicky about what it approves for its range and ultimately, your shipments. Its savvy tasting team samples about 10,000 labels each year and only 2% are deemed good enough to make it into your glass. 

Wine Selection Winner: 

First leaf

Vinebox Wine Selection

Vinebox is a valuable white wine club because it works with dedicated, family producers hidden away in classic European regions where there’s plenty of fine Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and White Rioja to name but a few.

It has an equally eminent selection of red wines touching on the historic wine regions and appellations across Europe. Needless to say, its portfolio of reds is just as jaw-dropping.

Most of the range consists of reds and whites but Vinebox will send a rosé from time to time to tickle your taste buds. To date, the club has tasted more than 11,000 wines and only picked a handful, so you know you’re enjoying top quality. 

First Leaf Wine Selection

Firstleaf is out of this world as a red wine club showcasing different expressions of all the grapes we know and love like Merlot, Pinot Noir, and Malbec. It’s equally well versed on sourcing quality whites, rosés, and bubbles so has all bases covered.

Its intrepid tasting team discovers labels from every corner of the globe, so you enjoy a huge variety. On top of this, its range features a high number of award winners – the figure is 92%.

Last but not least, a tranche of the Firstleaf portfolio boasts organic reds and whites as well as a few biodynamic labels too so it certainly has its finger on the pulse of what wine lovers are seeking.

Wine Selection Winner: 

First leaf

Vinebox Subscription Plans

When you join Vinebox, you get nine glass-sized servings of the season’s freshest European wines on a quarterly basis. Each vial contains 100ml which is an ample portion for a good tasting session to assess each wine and decide if you’d like to buy a full bottle.

What’s very noteworthy is that the wines come as fresh as if you’d just cracked open a bottle. Vinebox uses state-of-the-art fractioning technology to seal in aromas and flavors of each taster so that what makes it special is preserved for your palate.

You can pay an advance quarterly or annual payment with the latter working out a tad cheaper. Note you may have to join a waiting list for Vinebox.

First Leaf Subscription Plans 

The standard Firstleaf membership plan brings you six bottles every month for $90. If you ever find you need to stock up like over holidays for example, you can simply double up on your half dozen.

There’s a choice of shipping frequencies covering monthly, bi-monthly, or quarterly timings and you can change to a new schedule without any fuss whenever you want.

If you need a few extra bottles from time to time on top of what you get in your cases, you can hit the Firstleaf store and, as a subscriber, take advantage of a 10% discount.

Subscription Plans Winner:

First Leaf

Vinebbox Pricing and Shipping

You have the option of paying for Vinebox membership every three months which is $79 or in advance for the entire year which costs $288.

You enjoy a slight saving with the latter choice and, as a thank you for your loyalty, when this 12-monthly subscription is up for renewal, you are given the choice of paying on a quarterly basis at a reduced rate of $72. If you ever find you need to double up on your shipments, Vinebox will arrange it and throw in a 10% discount. Shipping is free and your Vinebox goodies arrive about five days after you order.

First Leaf Pricing and Shipping 

First leaf has an unmissable introductory offer of half a dozen wines for $39.95 which, hard to believe, also includes shipping. Following on, it’s $79.98 plus shipping which rounds up to $90. The club also gives you $10 off for giving your first three wines a rating and when you get a friend on board, you’ll both get $40 in credit. If you double up on the bottle count in your shipment, delivery is free.

The club is fairly flexible about delivery, letting you have your case sent to a holding location for up to seven days. This may come in handy during the extreme weather of the summer and winter months when your bottles need to be protected from the temperatures.

Pricing and Shipping Winner:

First Leaf

Vinebox Customer Service and Guarantee

There are only two ways of getting in touch with Vinebox: email and social messaging. Since you do a home tasting before you purchase a full bottle, it’s unlikely you’ll have a query on any as you’ve hand-picked them!

In the case of a label arriving damaged or compromised, you can contact the club via email detailing the problem along with a photograph clearly displaying the defect. Vinebox will refund you or ship a replacement for the damaged bottle at no charge.

First Leaf Customer Service and Guarantee

You can call First Leaf’s customer service team during office hours seven days a week and email anytime. You’re covered with this club because it boasts a 100% satisfaction guarantee with every single bottle you receive.

If something isn’t to your liking or a bottle is damaged, Firstleaf credits you with the full value of the bottle to spend where you want in the club (remember, it has a store cram-packed with gorgeous wines!).

Customer Service and Guarantee Winner:

Both clubs do their best, so we have a draw here.

Vinebox Cancellation Terms  

If you want to terminate your subscription, you can do so at any time via email. However, there’s something of a catch. If you’ve just paid your membership fee for an upcoming delivery, Vinebox can’t refund this because of commerce regulations.

In this case, the cancellation will come into effect for the next scheduled shipment. Keep in mind this applies to both the quarterly and annual plans so, with the latter, a yearly cycle has to end before any cancellation comes into play.

If you need to skip a shipment for any reason, Vinebox is pretty understanding. Simply get in touch in a timely fashion so the club can initiate it.

First Leaf Cancellation Terms  

Cancel your Firstleaf subscription whenever you want without any penalty by calling a dedicated number where its customer service team will take you through the necessary steps.

This will involve seeing if there’s any way of keeping you on board because you may discover it's not outright cancelation you’re after but simply a tweak in your membership plan.

Perhaps you need to increase or reduce your frequencies, preferences, or bottle quantities in each case. If, after all is said and done, you decide you really want to terminate your subscription, Firstleaf will facilitate this to be as smooth as possible.

Cancellation Terms Winner:

First Leaf

Vinebox Wine Gifts 

There are two good gift options on tap from Vinebox that offer fine ways of marking a loved one’s special occasion. Option one is you can send your recipient credit of up to $158 via email which covers the cost of two boxes over six months.

The second choice is doubling the quantity for $288. Your friend or family member can take advantage of accruing credits for bottles they enjoy just like for regular members.

Your recipient also has the choice of spending credit on fabulous gift options. Send credit by email or in an actual gift box. Vinebox can also tailor corporate gift packages.

First Leaf Gifts 

If you’re a fan of Firstleaf and know someone else who’s a fan in the making, send them a gift subscription.

If you have enough insight into their tastes, you can input their likes and dislikes into this club’s famous algorithm and your recipient’s surprise shipment will arrive full of favorites.If you’d like to leave the selection to them, no problem. You have the option of purchasing a gift certificate for your friend or loved one so they can give First Leaf’s palate profile quiz a go themselves.

For anyone who’d enjoy a fine bottle from time to time rather than a full case, there’s the good old gift card.

Buy as a Gift Winner:

First Leaf