The Cellars Wine Club is arguably one of the best feature-packed wine clubs with no membership fees or customer obligations. Not only that, Cellars offer free shipping with all their packages regardless of their prices. As if that wasn’t enough, you can also opt for 15% of your buying price to go to any of their approved NGOs. All of this is at no extra charge to you.
Joining a wine club may be one of the most exciting things you could ever do. However, the process can be a bit tedious due to the expenses and limited wine selections. The Cellars wine club thrives at providing a wide range of wine selections at reasonable prices.
You will notice that the club prices its wines a little bit higher than the budget-friendly clubs. However, this is not a bad thing considering their enriched packages that offer you all the benefits you would expect from a top-notch club.
We are going to take a look at where Cellars Wine Club originated, a little bit about its history, but most importantly; if it is worth a try. We will scrutinize their membership benefits and club plans to help you make a more informed choice when you decide to sign up.
Contents
What is the Cellar Wine Club and How Did it Start?
Cellars Wine Club, also known as CWC in short, was founded by a couple; Mark Ihrig and his wife, Holly Ihrig in 1999. The club started as and still is a family-owned business that originated in Washington’s Woodville wine country.
Mark Ihrig owned a brick-and-mortar wine shop in Washington when the two met. They both had a love for wine and this started up their entire company that boomed when the internet age fully kicked in. With his prior business knowledge, Mark was able to break through to the digital space by creating CWC as an online retail company.
Cellars have been able to immerse major connections with prominent winemakers and distributors since 1999. This has enabled the company to be a beam of hope to wine lovers by providing a good selection of wines from Washington State and other parts of the world.
Their partnerships together with a brilliant team of wine tasters have been able to curate the best bottles. This has enabled the company to brand itself with a ‘no bad bottle’ guarantee, a statement that has been held according to customers.
The CWC team is made up of Mark Ihrig as the founder and co-owner, Holly as a co-owner, Tom Bauer as the vice president, and Stasia Brewczynski as the company’s marketing and philanthropic manager.
The company has positioned itself as an online wine club from which you can subscribe to receive curated wines monthly. You may choose to make the subscription bi-monthly or quarterly depending on your preference. Cellars provide 12 different club options for you to choose from. The options are plenty since they include a Single Bottle Club to a 90+ point case Club.
Cellars Wine Club’s Wine Collections and Regions of Production
Our Cellars Wine Club Wine Rating:
- Quality of wine: 4.6
- Price of wine: 4.2
- Wine Curation: 4.5
Cellars have arguably one of the richest wine collections of any wine club. The wine options and clubs are curated in-house by the company’s wine experts. That includes selecting the wines, packing the wines for shipment, and the actual shipment process from their facilities in Woodinville.
The in-house team tries new wines to gauge their quality and taste. After that, they proceed to pick the high-quality wines only to ensure none of their selections result in a ‘bad bottle’ disaster. Their selections usually entail fresh tastes and timeless classics. They blend a mixture of what is familiar and a little bit of what is new to give their customers the best care for their buds.
The company’s wine selection comes from several wineries across the globe. Their focus hugely lies on their partners and wineries in Washington State. However, despite their local-centric business plan, Cellars have made a name for themselves by providing their customers with a huge variety of the latest and finest wines from all over the world.
Their collection entails several wines such as rose, red, white, and sparkling. You will notice that the ingredient grapes in most of their options are the likes of merlot, malbec, pinot noir, chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Shiraz, and Riesling just to mention a few. The notable international regions from which they sauce their wines include Australia, France, Spain, Germany, South Africa, Argentina, and New Zealand.
The efficiency and prowess of the CWC team have earned the company an A+ rating from Better Business Bureau, a status the company has enjoyed since 2005. Furthermore, the company’s club plans have gained it several appearances in huge magazines such as Bon Appetit, Gourmet, Oprah, Food & Wine, Cooking Light, and CBS’ top daytime show The Talk.
Cellars Wine Club’s most outspoken brands include:
- Paxton Wines – from McClaren Vale in Australia.
- Robert Weil – from top producers in Germany.
- Stag’s Leap Napa Valley Chardonnay – from California.
- DeMorgenzon Estate – from South Africa, made by drawing inspiration from timeless classics like Chenin Blanc.
Is Cellars Right For You?
Our Cellars Wine Club Membership Benefits Rating:
- Satisfaction Guarantee: 4.5
- Discounts: 3.8
- Customer Service: 4.3
- Wine Education: 4.5
- Degree of Personalization: 4.0
Degree of Personalization
Cellars’ options provide you with flexible plans that can fit every budget and wine experience level. This ensures that novices all the way to wine connoisseurs can be able to enjoy their selections with rich varieties.
The Cellars wine club is a strictly run ship since all the wines are picked by their expert wine pickers and not the customer. The reason for that is to ensure that you get the best experience by providing you with the best options in the market. Some customers may not like this because it takes control away from them, but customers are yet to complain. Which means that your selections are in good hands.
Moreover, the club is amazing if you are in search of a niche wine club experience since it offers sparkling wine clubs and even sweet wine clubs. These are options that are not readily available in most wine clubs.
Pricing
The pricing is also a huge factor to help you know if CWC is the club for you. It offers the cheapest option at just $29, but you may spend up to $369 on their most expensive option.
Shipping and Delivery
It is important to note that Cellars does not ship to certain regions in the United States.
These states include Alaska, Texas, Utah, North Dakota, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire.
You can change your delivery address in case you want to join CWC but live in these regions.
With that said, Cellars Wine Club is meant to appeal to wine drinkers who want high-quality, top-shelf wines but aren’t looking for perks or convenience. This is predicated on the fact that CWC has lots of expensive options but few budget-friendly wines.
Moreover, the company does not ship as fast as other companies since their delivery date is set at the 20th of every month. Which is to say, if you order as earlier as the first week of the month, then you will have to wait for more than two weeks to receive your package.
Expert wine enthusiasts won’t have a problem with their club plans since they are assured of the best wines. However, if you are looking for additional bonuses, discounts, fast shipping, or any membership perks, then you will be out of luck with CWC.
Review of Cellar Wine Club
How Does Cellar Wine Club Work?
To sign up, go to their website and click on the ‘Wine Clubs’, proceed to select from their 12 wine clubs. Go ahead and click Shop Now, this will prompt you to a page where you can select the month you want to start your membership and how many times you want to receive the package.
The frequency can be set to monthly, every other month, or quarterly. After that, all that is left is to add your payment details, shipping address, and then checkout.
Cellars’ Club Plans
CWC has a total of twelve wine clubs that you can choose from. These clubs feature red, white, sparkling, and other sorts of wine blends that range from international boutiques to limited editions. You can find a package that starts at a low $29, but you also have the option of ordering just one bottle for as low as $12.
The packages are inclusive of all shipping costs to your region of residence. There are no hidden fees or membership fees that are required for any of the wine clubs. Moreover, you won’t be charged if you chose to cancel or skip a month of shipment. However, you should remember to make any changes to your order by the 7th of every month.
The 12 clubs are listed below:
- Premium Wines Club– this is a $49 club that comes with two international wine bottles per shipment. According to CWC, this club plan has been able to gunner a rating of 4.1 stars in over 200,000 shipments.
- Import Wines Club – this is another two-bottle club that costs $54 per shipment. The package comes with two imported bottles, with each shipment focusing on a different region in the world. The plan is preferable for those drinkers who want to taste the finest wines from various countries. This plan has a rating of 4.2 stars from over 10,460 shipments.
- 90 Point Wines Club – this is a $79 two-bottle club that comes with wines ranked at 90+ points. It is rated at 4.7 stars in over 8.722 shipments.
- West Coast Wine Club – as its name suggests, this plan comes with two bottles from local California wineries. It costs $59 per shipment and is rated at 4.2 in over 7.335 shipments.
- Sparkling wines Club– this is a $69 two-bottle package that features sparkling wines and champagnes. It is one of the highest-rated packages at CWC coming in at 4.6 stars in over 6,749 shipments.
- Red Trio Wines Club– like the name suggests, this is a three-bottle plan that comes in at $64 per shipment. The three bottles are high-quality red wines rated at 4.3 stars by the customers in over 6,284 shipments.
- Natural Wines Club – it is a two-bottle plan priced at $69 per shipment. At 4.3 stars, the Natural Wines club consists of only organic or biodynamic wines.
- Sweet Wines Club – at $54 per shipment, this two-bottle plan is rated at 4.6 stars in over 8,357 shipments. It is not only the most reputable plan but also the perfect bang for your buck.
- Single Bottle Wine Club – at $29 per shipment, the Single Bottle club comes with just one bottle, making it the most popular option for first-timers. It has gained a 4.2-star rating in over 12,462 shipments.
- Premium Case Club – this plan is similar to the Premium Wines Club but comes in a case of 12 bottles. The 12 bottles consist of 6 different brands of wine, with each brand having 2 bottles in the case. The cost per shipment is $139 and it comes with premium wines such as La Legua, Kaleidoscope, and Chateau Diana.
- 90 Point Case Club – this is another 12-bottle case club that costs $369 per shipment.
- Import Case Club – its costs $219 per shipment with 6 different imported wines that come in pairs. The 12-bottle case includes the likes of San Gregorio Las 75 Vendimias and Marques de Caceres.
Each shipment will come with a set number of bottles depending on the subscription plan of your choice. Note that each wine bottle is sized at 750 ml. Additional packages in the shipment include a monthly newsletter from CWC, Wineries information, and CWC tasting notes to help you taste the wine as it was intended.
Cellars’ Gift Option
You can use Cellars’ checkout section to gift a friend or family member with one of the available plans. All you need to do is choose the club they would like and then proceed to checkout with their physical address.
CWC does not include receipts or any shipment information on the delivery package, thus making it convenient for sending gifts.
How to Cancel?
CWC provides its customers with a convenient schedule and pricing to fit their lifestyles. However, if you choose to cancel the subscription or delay it for any reason, then you have the option of doing that by contacting the Cellars team directly via email or call. All the details are on their site but if you need quick action then you can email them at [email protected].
You can instruct them to delay the shipment, pause the membership, or cancel the entire subscription. You may also contact them via email to change your address or payment methods in case their website experiences technical difficulties. With that said, you should remember to do all this before the 7th of the month.
Alternative Clubs
Cellars are king at providing a variety of wines with top-notch quality and taste. However, it lacks in certain departments. This includes their wine selection that is curated by their wine tasters without any significant input from the consumers.
Other clubs like Winc Wine Club give their new customers a quiz to help them assess the consumer’s tastes. Moreover, Winc allows their customers to comment on each delivery to help the company narrow down their taste in the next shipment. Other clubs that are better at gauging the consumer’s taste include Bright Cellars and Firstleaf.
Summary
Cellars Wine Club thrives at providing its customers with a comprehensive list of wines from all of the world. Their customer service and customer satisfaction is one of the finest in the industry which is evident from the A+ rating on BBB. Moreover, you can rest assured that you will never get a bad bottle in any of their deliveries.
Despite their amazing catalogue, CWC prioritizes the expert opinions of their wine tasters over their customers’ preferences. This is to say that all customers rely on the company’s selections rather than their own preference and taste. CWC is not for you if you want more control over what you drink. However, if you want an experienced personnel’s curation, then Cellars will provide you with an impeccable experience.
Cellars Wine Club FAQ
1. Is There an Option for Returning the Wine?
CWC guarantees a ‘no bad bottle’ package which ensures you never receive terrible bottles or a package that has been damaged. They use protective paddings and packages that ensure your bottles aren’t damaged amidst shipping. Moreover, each shipment is insured with a 100% delivery guarantee.
In case of any damages, Cellars is more than willing to make a full replacement of the package. All you need to do is reach out to them and explain the state of your wines.
2. Can I Make Changes to My Order?
Any changes to your subscription should be made before the 7th of that month or else the details won’t reflect till the following month. The details that you can change include the type of club and delivery frequency i.e., monthly or quarterly.