There’s plenty to pick and choose from but we’re giving the winner’s cup to Winc. This wine club offers a monthly subscription for a great choice of labels from California and beyond at a good rate. You also have the option of skipping shipments to make cost and supply work out perfectly for your needs.
There are three points to consider when choosing an affordable wine club. From the off, make a selection of appealing clubs for their range of styles, grapes, and regions covered. Then, check that the delivery options suit you. Finally, make a final pick of the club that gives you the best bang for your buck.
Every time you mention your favorite wine, be it Cabernet Sauvignon, Chenin Blanc, or Riesling, you’re really just naming the type of grape that it’s made from. The grapes used to make wine play an enormous role in each distinctive flavor, alcohol content and tannin level. Sometimes, the best cheap red wine can taste almost identical to expensive wines of the same grape.
Wine labels contain a huge amount of information, from the type of grapes used to produce the wine to its harvest year, how long you should wait before drinking it, and even what foods it may pair well with.
Earlier we mentioned the role that grape varieties play in the flavor and body of a good inexpensive wine, but the growing region is also important. Wines grown in temperate European climates like France and Germany are going to be more delicate in flavor than those grown in Spain and the New World countries. By tasting wines from different regions and deciding which you prefer, you’ll be able to narrow down your choices even more.
Wine regions like the Loire Valley or Bordeaux are famous for their wines and their high prices too. If you’re a fan of easy-drinking cheap wines, skip the fancy regions and choose a winery from elsewhere. As we mentioned above, it’s best to let the grape variety guide you in your search for the best cheap wine bottles.
There’s an exception to the rule about wine regions: sometimes a famous producer in a prestigious region will have several labels in their wine offering. As with many brands, you’ll often find that there’s a premium label alongside one that offers good cheap champagne and other wines. It’s also worth looking out for sales and special prices on premium wine. A little bargain hunting can really pay off.
This elegant French red is crafted from a blend of Syrah, Grenache and Carignan. The palate is bursting with berry and black cherry flavors while the sugar levels are not too high. This is some of the best cheap red wine on the market today.
If you’re a fan of California reds, this is a fantastic value wine to consider. Allspice, dark chocolate and decadent fruit await your palate. Paired with a robust meaty meal, this Sirah makes an excellent addition to the dinner table.
The Pinot Project is committed to providing customers with the best cheap Pinot Noir, and their 2014 Pinot Noir doesn’t disappoint. It’s easy drinking with plenty of fruit on the nose and palate and with limited tannins, you may need to order more than one bottle.
Next up on our list of great Californian wines is the Cline Lodi Zinfandel, a delicious velvety wine bursting with deep fruit and spiced vanilla. The fruity palate and nose may deceive you into thinking you’re drinking a semi-sweet wine, but the sugar content is moderate and refreshing. This wine pairs extremely well with spicy food.
Sangiovese isn’t always considered to be a wine with great depth, but this offering from Bibi Graetz is an exception. The rich flavor, with hints of mineral and black cherry can be enjoyed to the fullest thanks to low tannins. Excellent pairing choices include roasted meats, grilled mushrooms and chicken salad.
This easy-drinking Riesling from the Columbia Valley in Washington State is light, crisp and full of peachy aroma. Enjoy this wine with seafood, light pasta dishes and delicate herby flavors.
Here we have the first Argentinian wine on our list, and it’s definitely a winner aside from easily being one of the best affordable white wines. The light citrusy flavors of this wine are like sunshine on the palate. You’ll want to enjoy this easy drinker with South and East Asian food, especially spicier dishes.
Green flavors and aromas dominate this wine from Rueda in the north of Spain. Grassy, peppery undertones and a drier finish make it ideal to enjoy with salads, even those with rich dressings.
Crisp, almost tart acidity defines this Portuguese wine in the best possible way. You can enjoy this cheap dry white wine with fish, garlic-rich dishes and seafood, making it the perfect partner for Portuguese dining.
The final white wine on our list hails from Galicia, Spain and is bursting with tropical flavors like mango and apricot. This wine is ideal for salads, seafood, summer pasta, and other outdoor dining favorites.
The delicate pink color of this Spanish Rosé is echoed by its subtle flavors of strawberry and white peach. This is an ideal wine to enjoy with creamy cheeses, light salads and almost any food with delicate flavors.
This robust South African Rosé brings a variety of berries along with a smooth finish to the palate that is ideal for pairing with a variety of foods. Light seafood dishes, barbeque, or even stews and curries pair well with this balanced wine.
As one of the best inexpensive wine offerings from Europe, this Vin de France wine is a mix of Cinsault, Grenache and Syrah. Berry and melon flavors dominate the palate, which makes it an excellent pairing wine for soft cheeses and fruit preserves.
If you’re a fan of Old-World vines, this delicate French blush may be just what you’re looking for and is easily some of the best inexpensive wine from France. The palate of strawberry and citrus produced by its Cinsault blend goes perfectly with pasta, Mediterranean platters, and whitefish.
The final wine on our list is a Spanish Grenache Rose, bursting with rich fruit flavors and low sugar content. The quality of this wine makes it ideal for pairing with meaty dishes.
Most of the names in Winc’s selection come from leading Golden State artisanal wineries, hand-crafting reds and whites in a select range of styles. The club’s portfolio has existing labels and the club commissions bespoke wines created with subscriber tastes in mind. While Winc showcases California, an ample slice of the portfolio hails from other New World regions and hands-on European wineries giving you a wide and sometimes quirky choice of varietals and expressions to enjoy.
As soon as you get the ball rolling, you do a short palate quiz that pinpoints your preferences and as you enjoy each bottle in your shipment, you give it a rating leading to further customization. As a subscriber, you have your pick of a hand selected range that’s been specially curated by Winc’s experts to your palate.
Winc refreshes its range every month to keep things interesting and also has a few organic, vegan, and low-alcohol/sugar options.
Naked Wines is an exciting club that connects off-the-grid winemaking with new and seasoned oenophiles. The club works with artisanal producers who make fine quality labels thanks to your membership fees. You get to choose from a variety of projects and sit back, as superb cases wing their ways to your doorstep. The name for each subscriber is “angel” and as such, you provide precious support to budding and experienced vintners to make extraordinary wines then get to enjoy exclusive labels when they’re ready. This model gives the middleman a wide berth working out at a 40-60% discount for you.
This club is very selective about the vintners it collaborates with. You receive off-the-beaten-track labels, but this doesn’t mean wild and wacky. Only the results of fine, skilled, and passionate winemaking end up in your wine rack.
With Naked Wines you support new winemaking from across the Old and New Worlds and get first choice on limited-edition labels.
Much-loved varietals, styles, and regions are covered, and Naked Wines also has a selection of organic labels.
You never receive less-than-inspiring bottles because you’ve done the picking and choosing.
The way it works is Vinebox sends nine 100ml-taster vials for you to try in the comfort of your home. As you swirl, nose, and sip, you decide if you’d like to taste more and, if the answer’s “yes”, you can order a full bottle with credits you build up with each shipment. Vinebox gets hold of the full bottle/ s and arranges shipping.
Vinebox only works with small, dedicated producers from classic European wine regions so you never get anything mass-produced. All of its producers are interesting, elusive wineries you’d probably never come across unless you were lucky when travelling in its region. Importantly, each taster vial is fresh and intact because flavors, body, and acidity are carefully sealed in for your palate by state-of-the-art fractioning tech.
If you’re selective about what reds and whites you have on your shelves, Vinebox is the perfect choice.
With Bright Cellars advanced tasting technology meets your palate for personalized selections of wine.
You get right down to business as soon as you join Bright Cellars, taking part in a palate quiz that probes your preferences and produces a customized taste profile that is the cornerstone of what goes into each of your cases. As you enjoy each bottle, you rate its different qualities which automatically renews your profile leading to an ongoing stream of finely-honed shipments. What’s more, every time to give feedback on a bottle, you receive club credits to splurge as you wish with Bright Cellars.
It gets through copious amounts of wine giving the green light to one in 12 for its range and, ultimately, your wine rack. If you ever want to step back from the tasting algorithm, you can discuss your tastes with a wine-trained concierge team member.
The standard of labels in Bright Cellars’ selection is reliably high owing to an intrepid tasting team that is very strict about each bottle it tries.
You’d have a hard time finding the quality labels WSJ Wine has anywhere else. The club takes advantage of its A-list network of big name and small, family-run winery producers, getting hold of the season’s latest and finest to pack your wine rack with a delicious range of varietals and styles.
As a welcome to the club, your first case is an excellent introductory offer of a dozen superior bottles for only $69.99. Going forward, you have a selection of two clubs, each of which showcase a top standard of wines. The Discovery Club provides you with bottles that receive consistently high ratings from your fellow club members while the Premier Club takes your sipping experience up a notch with cases packed to the brim with limited-edition and award-winning labels.
When you become a member of WSJ Wine, it’s like you’ve discovered that perfect wine store you didn’t know you were looking for stacked to the rafters with fine, excellent-value bottles!
With its appealing range of low-sugar/ alcohol names, Dry Farm Wines saves oenophiles from having to cut their favorite Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, or California Red Blend out of their lives. This club offers a selection of labels with as low 7% ABV and nothing in the range exceeds 12.5% so you’re safely in low to medium territory. In spite of the full, rounded taste of each glass, sugar levels are below the norm, so sip away and enjoy every drop guilt and worry fee.
Dry Farm Wines offers a compact choice of clubs with red, white, rosé, or sparkling memberships on offer. Each one boasts the healthy, natural, and delicious wines that have made this club so successful.
Its range is also good for the environment. Dry Farm Wines’ producers don’t irrigate their vineyards meaning huge water savings and the finest-quality fruit.
Organic farming and minimal intervention during vinification is praised too. Cheers!
Wine of the Month Club boasts a choice of subscriptions that please the palates of both connoisseurs and beginners. It has a very precise range of clubs showcasing quality and variety across popular themes. There’s a choice of ten 2-bottle clubs and 6 and 12 bottle case options covering regional, varietal, and other interesting category themes. These include Bordeaux, California, and Napa, plus organic and natural labels.
Education as well as enjoyment is a tenet of Wine of the Month Club’s philosophy. Each of your labels comes with a beautiful 14-page leaflet including full background notes about its provenance, detailed tasting notes, and delicious food pairing suggestions.
Second-generation owner Paul Kalemkiarian tries hundreds of bottles from across the Old and New Worlds every month.
He’s very particular, only giving the stamp of approval to a handful so you can be sure you’re swirling quality in each glass.
First Leaf’s stand-out feature is, without a doubt, its smart tasting tech that is the template for cases filled to the rafters of bottles that suit you to a T. When you get going, you respond to 13 deep-dive questions that deduce what you like in a bottle and how open you are to taking risks (in case there’s something deliciously off-beat to try!). The results of the quiz inform what goes into each of your shipments. What’s more, to ensure a steady stream of personalized shipments, you get to rate each label as you sip along. This seamlessly updates your palate profife.
First Leaf’s savvy tasting team tries 10,000 labels annually and only passes 200 for inclusion in its range so you always know you’re sipping something exceptional.
There are no middlemen in the equation, so you get to enjoy up to 60% in savings.
Your introductory case from Wine Insiders sets the scene for what you can expect going forward. This welcome shipment comprises 15 fine hand-selected bottles including three red Bordeaux blends with the “Supérieur" categorization. Unbelievably, this all costs just $90 representing a 75% saving for you. Following this, you can expect the same high quality and good variety of reds and whites in Old and New World styles, shipment after shipment.
It’s always sending surprise gift accessories with your bottles to make opening and pouring that bit more chic so you can impress your friends and yourself. To give you an idea of what’s in store, in your second shipment is a Connoisseur's Deluxe 7-Piece Lever Pull Corkscrew Set packed up in an attractive cherry wood box.
Wine Insiders also likes to enhance your drinking experience with complimentary serving accessories.
There’s a club that highlights Californian labels, and a membership that focuses on off-the-grid labels harking back to the iconic Bordeaux Garagiste movement. If Pinot Noir is your thing, there’s a membership plan devoted to all the wonderful and wide-ranging expressions this grape has to offer and if you only want top-tier winners from international competitions, you can sign up to the Platinum Club. You’re free to change clubs mid-stream if you want variety.
The Gold Medal Wine Club sees no reason why you should ever miss out on a case of the finest so offers an away-from-home delivery service. If you’re traveling for work or play, it will ship your bottles to your temporary address.
You have a choice of six different well-thought-out subscriptions with the Gold Medal Wine Club. What they have in common is each is packed with top-rated bottles dripping in awards.
