8 clubs reviewed · Updated May 2026
By Nicki Wilson — wine drinker, not a sommelier.
Affiliate disclosure: When you click a buy link, we may earn a commission. Rankings are based on testing — not who pays us. Read the full disclosure.
Why trust us
No club paid for placement. We review based on what actually shows up, what gets billed, and how hard it is to cancel.
How we picked
Taste · value · flexibility · shipping coverage · cancel-friction · transparency. Each club scored against the same rubric.
How we tested
Order. Taste. Document the box. Try to cancel. Track recurring charges. Reviews are dated and re-tested annually.
At a glance
| Club | Best for | From | Bottles | Cancel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California Wine Club | Best for Gifts | $49.00 | 2 | Anytime |
| Naked Wines | Best for New Drinkers | $60.00 | 6 | Anytime |
| Cellars Wine Club | Best Value | $49.00 | 2 | Anytime |
| Gold Medal Wine Club | Best for Boutique CA Wines | $49.00 | 2 | Anytime |
| Plonk | Best for Natural Wine | $100.00 | 4 | Anytime |
| Splash Wines | Best One-Time Deal | $59.00 | 15 | No subscription |
| Dry Farm Wines | Best for Low-Sugar / Natural | $159.00 | 6 | Anytime |
| Bruno Wines | Best Splurge | $100.00 | 1 | Anytime |
One card per club. Same shape every time so you can scan.
Best for Gifts
Family-run since 1990. Boring website, great wine.
From
$49.00
Bottles
2
Cadence
monthly
Network
Awin
Excludes
1 states
Long-running family operation. Premier Series ships small CA wineries you've never heard of, vetted by people who actually visit the vineyard. Best pick if you're sending wine as a gift.
Deal: Save $25 on first month (varies)
Best for New Drinkers
Skip-and-stack model. Funds independent winemakers directly.
From
$60.00
Bottles
6
Cadence
flexible
Network
Impact
Excludes
4 states
Members ('Angels') deposit $40/month into a wallet you spend whenever. Up to $100 off first order. Watch the auto-deposit — it's easy to miss.
Deal: $100 off first order
Best Value
Free shipping, no-bad-bottle guarantee, recurring commissions.
From
$49.00
Bottles
2
Cadence
monthly
Network
ShareASale
Excludes
7 states
Premium club at $49/mo for 2 bottles. Doesn't ship to 7 states (we'll filter for you). Solid value pick if you want predictable monthly cadence.
Deal: Free shipping always
Best for Boutique CA Wines
Boutique California wineries you can't find at retail.
From
$49.00
Bottles
2
Cadence
monthly
Network
Awin
Excludes
1 states
Gold Series at $49/shipment focuses on small California producers. 4.7-star Trustpilot. Skip if you want European stuff.
Deal: Varies by series
Best for Natural Wine
Small-producer, low-intervention, off-the-beaten-path.
From
$100.00
Bottles
4
Cadence
monthly
Network
ShareASale
Excludes
1 states
Premium small-producer focus. Curates organic, biodynamic, and natural wines from indie winemakers. Not the cheapest. Worth it if discovery is the point.
Deal: Pause/skip anytime
Best One-Time Deal
Bulk deals, no subscription required.
From
$59.00
Bottles
15
Cadence
one-time
Network
CJ
Excludes
6 states
15-bottle deal boxes around $60. WINO membership ($29.95/yr) gets free shipping + 2% cash back. Best if you hate auto-renew. Wine is fine, not life-changing.
Deal: Often $59 for 15 bottles
Best for Low-Sugar / Natural
Sugar-free, low-intervention, lab-tested.
From
$159.00
Bottles
6
Cadence
monthly
Network
Refersion
Excludes
9 states
Every bottle lab-tested for sugar (<1g/L), additives, and mycotoxins. Premium price tag for premium niche. Best if natural / clean wine is non-negotiable.
Deal: Bottle-for-a-penny offer
Best Splurge
'Hundred Buck Chuck' — every bottle retails over $100, you pay $100.
From
$100.00
Bottles
1
Cadence
monthly
Network
direct
Excludes
1 states
Founder-led model: Bruno Golombek selects bottles that retail above $100 and ships them at a flat $100. No public affiliate program — direct partnership only. Pure splurge play.
Deal: Founder-led model
Not into subscriptions?
Skip the club model entirely. Buy bottles one at a time from retailers that ship cleanly.
Biggest Catalog
Largest US online wine retailer. ~16K+ SKUs.
Biggest catalog with sommelier ratings + 2-day shipping in most states. StewardShip subscription saves on shipping. Stick to curated lists — homepage is a firehose.
Visit Wine.com →Best Curated Retailer
Tasted-and-curated daily releases + winery-direct allocations.
Best EPC in the curated-retailer bucket. Daily new releases vetted by their team. Founder Joe Fattorini's brand pull is real.
Visit Wine Access →Best Editorial-Backed Retailer
The official store of Wine Enthusiast magazine.
30-day cookie (best of group) + Wine Enthusiast editorial halo + ratings overlay on every bottle. Under-promoted = less competition for clicks.
Visit WineExpress →Best for Ratings Lookup
50M+ user ratings. The de facto wine search engine.
Use it to LOOK UP a bottle before you buy, not as a shipping vendor — marketplace fulfillment is patchy. Read reviews, then buy elsewhere.
Visit Vivino →Best for In-Store Pickup
Big-box price-leader with broad nationwide retail footprint.
Best price + in-store pickup combo. 1-day cookie limits affiliate value but the price-and-pickup use case is unmatched if you have a store nearby.
Visit Total Wine & More →Best Discount Retailer
Discount pricing. Ships to most US states.
Direct affiliate program (no network middleman) at 5% commission. Useful 'best deal' option for price-sensitive readers.
Visit Saratoga Wine Exchange →Best for NYC + Natural / Euro
Iconic NYC indie. Deep European + natural selection.
5,000+ wines & spirits, free intra-NY shipping over $199. No public affiliate program — listed for credibility on natural / Euro queries; revenue is earn-it-later.
Visit Astor Wines & Spirits →Best for Collectors
California-based. Direct-import + en primeur Bordeaux.
Three CA stores + online + auction. Direct-import relationships and collector focus. No public affiliate program — listed for editorial credibility.
Visit K&L Wine Merchants →Naked Wines for cheapest entry + biggest catalog. California Wine Club for hand-vetted boutique CA wines that are easy to like. Skip the snob-coded ones until you know what you want.
If you'd buy 6+ bottles a month anyway, yes — the club price beats retail with the curation thrown in free. If you drink less than that, just use a retailer.
$49–$160/shipment depending on tier. Cheapest entry is $49 (California Wine Club, Cellars, Gold Medal). Premium tiers (Plonk, Dry Farm, Bruno) run $100–$160.
Most clubs say yes. Real-world: Naked Wines makes the auto-deposit easy to forget, Bright Cellars (not on this list) was infamous for cancel-friction. Splash Wines is a one-time deal-box with no recurring at all.
