I've been seeing a lot of advertisements for Club W lately, so when they offered to send me a shipment to try it out, I jumped at the chance. I didn't know what to expect at all except that they consider themselves a “personalized” wine club. I love the idea of a wine club that sends wine according to my own tastes, but I was skeptical how they could do it without having me taste any wine first.
Ordering Club W
When I first visited the site, I was taken through a series of questions about things like coffee and lemon and dirt. This established my Palate Profile. After my Palate Profile was established, they suggested specific wines for me for my first shipment. I could go along with their suggestions or choose other wines if I wanted them instead.
The wines that they suggested were a Chardonnay, a Pinot Noir, and an Albarino. I was pleasantly surprised because I never mentioned the actual varietals of wines that I liked, but Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are actually two of my favorites. I know from looking at the other wines on the site that they could have suggested a lot of things that I do not particularly like (hello, Cabernet Sauvignon).
The Club W Experience
I received my first shipment, in which I went with their recommendations. The total cost for the 3 bottles was $39 plus $6 shipping. You get “credits” in your account to pay with, but they essentially are $1 each. At $45 for 3 bottles, that is right in the price range of most of our most popular wine club.
I was surprised at how little came in the box. It was essentially just a big box of wine plus a little promotional deck. The more I explored, the more I understood. Club W isn't a traditional wine club where you get wine and tasting notes and recipes in the mail. Instead, it is an interactive experience. You can download their app for your phone and find tasting notes for the wines plus rate them on the spot. You can visit their website and not only read about the wines but see a video about each wine that describes it and tells you how to pair it.
In addition, their site is full of information about wine in general. They pronounce and describe various wine terms plus keep you up to date on wine news. It is genuinely a wine club for those who appreciate technology and how it can be used to enhance your experience.
I experienced a few glitches with the app (like the ability to scan in the bar code of the wine bottle to get information about it), but I do appreciate that the information is at my finger tips. I tend to lose a lot of the tasting notes by the time I get around to drinking a wine, so having them electronically through the app is really nice. Hopefully they keep them on there a long time after you receive the wine because it can take me months to drink one.
Once you drink the wines, you go into the app or the website and rate them so that Club W can further refine your Palate Profile. Over time, you should receive only wines that are a perfect fit for your palate.
Club W Quality
You might be wondering about the quality of $13 wines. One of the things that Club W does well is cut out the middle distribution network that can really increase the cost of the wine. By buying directly from the wineries, they are saving money…which saves YOU money. I enjoyed every one of the bottles that I received and would consider them a nice medium quality wine that can be enjoyed any night with dinner or when entertaining.
Club W Gift Certificates
Wine clubs are great gifts, so how does Club W stack up? Because the club is so personalized, they only offer gift certificates. You can have them sent for however much you want. You can have them emailed (great last minute gift) or sent via regular mail on nice embossed paper. Club W would make a great gift for someone who is starting out drinking wine and learning what they like.
I'm enjoying my Club W wines and the experience overall so far. I look forward to seeing how the wine recommendations change as I rate the wines that I receive. Watch my full Club W unboxing video below and visit Club W to take the free Palate Profile Quiz yourself.
