Virgin Wines
Part of Richard Branson’s empire, Virgin Wines was established in 2000 and currently holds the title of Online Drinks Retailer of the Year. They offer three different wine club services, so you can choose which best suits you needs.
The Discovery Club provides 12 bottles of carefully chosen wine each quarter, which is perfect for wine connoisseurs who like to be introduced to new things without having to make decisions. The justREDS club features red wines exclusively, chosen by wine writer Matthew Jukes. WineBank, their most popular club, allows members to choose their own wines more freely, with flexibility on quantity and type. It offers free next-day delivery and the opportunity to earn a £1 bonus for every £5 you save into your account, as well as an attractive £40 voucher for new members. Any bottle you don’t enjoy can be returned for a full refund. The default monthly payment is £25, but you can control how much you spend and choose the wines you want.
The Wine Society
The Wine Society has a storied history that begins at the Great Exhibition in 1874, to which wine growers from many countries sent casks. The wines were sampled over a series of special lunches, and one of the architects of the Royal Albert Hall, Major-General Henry Scott, suggested setting up a company that would allow members to try new wines on a regular basis. The Society has been buying wine direct from growers and sharing them with their members ever since.
These days, the Wine Society charges a one-off fee of £40 to join, and after that there’s no obligation to buy until you want to. They offer wines for both drinking immediately and laying down, from a variety of famous and lesser-known regions, and they have a variety of pre-mixed cases available for buyers looking for a little guidance. Each wine comes with tasting notes and a recommended drinking window.
Organic Wine Club
This is a small, independent wine club dedicated to organic wines, as well as wines made following organic principles which are not officially certified as organic. The hand-picked wines on offer are vegan, free of allergens, usually low in sugar, made with no additives, and free of excessive sulphites.
There are three different subscription packages available. The Inquisitive Explorer offers three bottles a month for six months, with a choice of red, white or mixed boxes, and functions as an introduction to the world of organic wine. You can also choose a rolling subscription for delivery every 30, 60 or 90 days, with wines tailored to your tastes, customisable by type, style or body. Or if you prefer to buy wine on an ad hoc basis, a free membership gives you access to their comprehensive online store.
Wine Sulphites
This site is dedicated particularly to showcasing delicious wines with no added sulphites. Excessive sulphites can contribute to wine allergy and hangover symptoms, and there is a growing demand for interesting and high-quality low-sulphite wines. This up-and-coming wine club offers pre-selected cases of healthier red and white wines with no added sulphites, ideal for anyone with a wine intolerance or allergy, as well as asthma sufferers. To know more about these types of wine, check out our guide on sulphite free wines.
Naked Wines
Naked Wines is a customer-funded wine club, operating since 2008. Club members, known as Angels, invest £20 a month, which Naked Wines uses to support and develop independent wine makers. In return, Angels receive substantial discounts and exclusives on the resulting wines. Naked gives up-and-coming wine growers the stability needed to make high-quality wine and helps members discover new tastes.
There is a waiting list to become an Angel, but once you become a member, you can use the monthly £20 invested on any wine you choose. If you’re not yet a member, you can still take advantage of the online shop, just without the Angel discounts.
Marks and Spencer Wine Club
The long-established British retailer’s wine club offers a choice between two different plans, Club classic and Club reserva, with hand-picked, discounted white, red and mixed quarterly cases available for each. It’s straightforward to change your case preference each quarter, and you’ll be contacted when the case is being prepared in case you would like to try something different. Every wine comes with detailed tasting notes as well as other pertinent details such as the type of cork or cap, suggested food pairings and suitability for vegetarians and vegans. Each case includes free delivery, as well as discount vouchers for other wines that you might like to try. This is a simple and straightforward wine club for anyone looking to educate their palate.
Stone, Vine and Sun
The Stone, Vine and Sun Doorstep Dozen Wine Club is straightforward and customisable, allowing you to subscribe to cases of wine with free delivery at whatever frequency works best for you. Cases can be delivered monthly, every two months, or quarterly, and there are four different levels to suit a variety of budgets – Stone, Vine, Sun and Celestial. Each case contains two bottles each of three whites and three reds ready for immediate drinking, as well as tasting notes and discount vouchers for other wines you might like to try. The Doorstep Dozen specialises in Rhône, Burgundy, Languedoc-Roussillon, Loire Valley, South Africa and South American wines, but they have an extensive range of all kinds from around the world.
Berry Bros. & Rudd
Established in 1698, Berry Bros. & Rudd is Britain’s oldest retailer of wines and spirits and holds two royal warrants, having supplied to the royal family since the reign of King George III, as well as sold to customers like Lord Byron and Pitt the Younger. Every wine they sell is chosen carefully by one of their six highly experienced Masters of Wine. Their wine club offers four levels, starting from £120 per case and rising to £300. Each level includes one hand-picked 12-bottle case every alternate month, and every case includes six pairs of wines, with mixed or all-red cases available, and comes with tasting notes. Members can skip or swap cases whenever they like, and they also receive a 10% discount on the online shop, priority booking at events and invitations to exclusive tastings and dinners.
The Daily Drinker
Founded in 2002, The Daily Drinker is run by a husband-and-wife team – Caspar and Victoria Bowes – who both have extensive experience in the wine trade. Founded with the aim of helping wine lovers try less familiar wines at their dining tables with family and friends, and not just on special occasions, their club membership offers mainly mono-varietal wines for straightforward everyday appreciation.
Membership comes in Bronze, Silver and Gold levels. Bronze offers monthly or bi-monthly two-bottle deliveries, and Silver and Gold combining regular two-bottle deliveries with less frequent six-bottle deliveries. Deliveries can contain red, white or mixed wines. There’s also the option to purchase a gift membership for someone else.
Averys
One of Britain’s oldest wine merchants, Averys was founded in Bristol in 1793 and is still based there today and run by the same family. They are pioneers of the wine world – in the 1960s and 1970s, they became the first UK wine merchants to import wine from Australia and New Zealand, and they continue to import interesting wines from around the world.
Averys offers three wine plans, each selected by Mimi Avery. The Signature Collection offers red, white and mixed cases for immediate drinking, including new wines and new vintage releases. The Cellar Collection is well suited to building up a stock of wine for special occasions. The Claret Collection focuses particularly on Bordeaux wines. Each plan includes free delivery of 12 hand-picked bottles every quarter.
Adnams
Based in East Anglia, Adnams has been importing wine for over 40 years, and has an ever-evolving range. The Adnams Wine Club delivers four 12-bottle cases per year, with each wine carefully chosen by Master of Wine James Davis and his team and designed to complement the season. Members can choose between three price bands, as well as opting for all reds, all whites or a mixed selection, and membership comes with 10% off everything in their online shop. Each bottle comes with tasting notes and food pairing suggestions to help members get the most out of their wine.
In Conclusion
