Table of Contents
About Wine Access
You’ve likely been in this scenario plenty of times: it’s Friday night, your bank account is bursting at the seams with its latest paycheck, and you’re ready to kick the weekend into high gear. The only problem is that you’ve tried every wine at the liquor store and none of them appeal to you anymore.
You’re not alone. We at Honest Brand Reviews aren’t a bunch of prudes. We know how to have fun. We like to kick back, throw on a Stan Getz album, and coast the night away. However, sometimes it’s just too darn chilly outside and the last thing we want to do is trek through a snowstorm for some wine.
Wine Access is a company built to solve both types of problems. They are an online wine retailer that houses products from wineries across the globe.
And if you’re not too picky and are feeling adventurous, you can sign up for one of their many exclusive clubs and receive expertly-selected wines that you wouldn’t otherwise have access to.
The brand has amassed over 21k Instagram followers and is officially partnered with The MICHELIN Guide.
But what’s the difference between this company and your uncle who keeps begging you to try the moonshine he made in his outhouse? Read our Wine Access review and find out.
You’ll also learn about the brand’s history, their wine clubs, their discounts, what customers say about them, and more.
Overview of Wine Access
Wine Access originally began in 1996 as a way to document the world’s best wines and where they came from. They started out as a hosting website for wineries. Picture them as the Smithsonian Museum of International Wine History.
Times changed, and Wine Access changed with them. They sought to personalize the connection between person and bottle, body and blood, and wine drinker and winemaker. Thus, they published “The Wine Access Buyer’s Guide” in 2006. Stephen Tanzer penned the book.
From there, the company began looking into distributing the wines themselves. That way they could do more than just tell customers about wines. They could allow their club members to taste them for themselves.
That idea would deepen customers’ appreciation for the wines. It also allowed Wine Access to more accurately tell the tales of the hard-working people responsible for each wine.
As much as Wine Access is about their namesake, wine, and making it easier for people to access it, they’re also keen on storytelling.
They want consumers to know the backstories behind every drop of wine. They want them to learn how the wine is made and why growers make the decisions they do.
They’ve also partnered with New Orlean Pelicans baller Josh Hart and the Napa Valley Wine Academy to create the Diversity in Wine Scholarship. The scholarship is available for all BIPOC who are seeking WSET certifications.
With the company’s history and vision covered, we’ll go deeper into what makes them special in the next part of our Wine Access review:
Highlights
- Offers an esteemed collection of wines from around the world
- Wines are all selected by sommeliers, wine masters, and world-credited wine judges
- Partners with MICHELIN Guide
- Promote wines from smaller, independent winemakers
- Available wines aren’t readily available in most liquor stores
- Free shipping on orders over $120 or more than 6 bottles
We were overwhelmed when looking at all the available products. Wine Access allows you to search for wines based on specific regions, varieties, countries, and food pairings. Here are the types of wines they have for sale:
- Red
- White
- Sparking
- Rose
- Sake
- Dessert and Fortified
With all of that in mind, let’s take a closer look at the brand’s services and what they have to offer.
Wine Access Wine Club Review
Before this Wine Access review goes into each individual plan, let’s outline some basic tenants of their program.
All Wine Access wine clubs products are shipped in climate-controlled packaging. That means your wines won’t go rancid during their trips to your doorstep.
Additionally, every wine they select to include in one of their wine clubs has to pass testing from a crack group of wine experts so gifted in their wine knowledge that they could probably identify flavors we didn’t even know existed.
That’s how you know you’ll be getting some of the best wine possible with each of Wine Access’ subscriptions.
Wine Access Connoisseurs and Discovery Clubs Review
The Wine Access Connoisseurs and Discovery Clubs send bottles of divine wines to you every quarter. The wines are selected by a panel of master sommeliers and wine progenitors.
This collection can send you wines you would’ve never thought to try for yourself, freeing you from the shackles of boredom. Why limit yourself to the basic red wine that you’ve been drinking for the past decade when you can try something new?
You’ll be able to select whether you want to enroll in the discovery club, which sends you either 6 red wines or a 6-bottle mix of reds and whites, or the connoisseurs club. The latter delivers two bespoke bottles of red wine from across the world.
By joining the Wine Access Connoisseurs and Discovery Clubs you’ll save 10% on all of the brand’s offerings, gain access to videos of wine experts explaining the best flavor pairings for each bottle, and can purchase wines that you wouldn’t otherwise be able to buy through Wine Access.
You can join this exclusive club for $150.
The Michelin Subscription Review
There’s a reason that people consult with Rotten Tomatoes before they go see a movie. They want an expert’s opinion on whether the movie they’re about to watch is worth their time.
Similarly, the Michelin-star rating system can tell you whether you’ll like a dish or a drink before it ever touches your lips.
That’s what The Michelin Subscription provides. This subscription sends some of the world’s highest-rated wines from Michelin-star winning vintners.
To emulate the feel of the highest-rated Michelin star restaurants, there’s only so much free space in this wine club. You have to reserve your spot in The Michelin Subscription club.
However, once you’re in you’ll receive five shipments (one for every season plus a special holiday package), a detailed list of which wines pair best with which foods, and access to members-only privileges like events, content, and a Wine Access coupon that’ll save you 10% on all purchases.
You can receive four bottles five times a year for $160 to $200.
Wine Folly Wine Club Review
Madeline Puckette will be your guide should you choose to join the Wine Folly Wine Club club. This subscription not only sends you exclusive wines courtesy of Wine Folly but it provides you with each bottle’s backstory.
Puckette will take you through the process of improving your wine tasting abilities. That’s a strange skill, you might be thinking. However, our Wine Access review writers know that wine tasting is about more than just identifying which flavors you enjoy.
This program will deepen your ability to identify where wines come from, how to describe them with industry lingo, how the aging process affects a wine, the differences between single varieties and blends, and more.
Here are some of the Wine Folly Wine Club’s shipment themes:
- Bold Red Wines
- Aging Vessels
- Tasting Terms
- Old World vs. New World
So if you’re ready to earn a bachelor’s degree in wine (unaccredited, sadly), then join the Wine Folly Wine Club club for $120. Each shipment delivers 4 bottles 6 times a year.
Wine Access Sunset Wine Club Review
Sunset and wine, is there a more serene combination? It’s the dream of every 50-year-old housewife, Italian mobster, and Ivy-league graduate to retire in a place where the sun is perpetually setting and the wine is neverending.
Sunset Magazine and Wine Access have teamed up to bring you the closest you can come to living that dream by joining the Wine Access Sunset Wine Club. This program will send six wines careening your way every three months. Each wine comes from the best vineyards in California, Oregon, and Washington.
Therefore, this subscription packages some of the best wines from the most pleasant state in America along with stalwart drinks from two other reputable states! Huzzah!
In addition, each bottle included in a Wine Access Sunset Wine Club shipment features a recipe that works best with the wines and invitations to prestigious wine tasting Zoom events.
Head for the sunny pastures with this subscription for $120.
Who Is Wine Access For?
Wine Access is for those who want to sip life’s rarer luxuries. They’re a company intent on delivering wines both rare and esteemed from all over the globe.
However, that doesn’t mean you, dear reader, need to be the Gordon Ramsay of wine to enjoy their offerings. Some of their plans are great for people who are trying to deepen their understanding of wine, like the Wine Access Wine Folly Education Wine Access Curation club.
How Does Wine Access Work?
There are a few commonalities in every Wine Access wine club. While every package delivers different wines at different intervals in different quantities, here are all the overlapping characteristics our Wine Access review writers found.
Firstly, you’ll pay for each shipment plus its included taxes. That means you’ll be getting anywhere from 2 to 6 bottles of wine for anywhere between $120 to $200.
Included in each Wine Access wine club are a small set of perks that include the following:
- Discounts on other Wine Access products
- Exclusive offers
- Event invitations
- A wider selection of wines that aren’t available through the main site
You can cancel most Wine Access subscriptions without much of a hassle.
Wine Access Reviews: What Do Customers Think?
We took to the internet to find the most honest Wine Access reviews that customers provided. Wine club members didn’t hold back when it came to praising the company on Trustpilot. Over 665 customers gave the brand an average score of 4.1/5 stars.
One humorous reviewer pointed out the key appeal to Wine Access’ game. They wrote, “How many different types of liquor are there? A ton, apparently, and this is the place to buy them. Go here, it’s awesome.”
This was a point many customers had to make. They loved how many different wines the brand offered them and loved how they could access drinks they couldn’t find anywhere else.
Another 5/5 stars review had this to say about the brand:
“Wine Access provides the opportunity to explore different grapes, different terroir, and different wine makers, than I would otherwise have access to with my local wine merchants. Wine Access offers knowledge, a personal story of the producer’s connection the art and science of wine making, there is often a discovery narrative.”
The few negative reviews amongst the positive ones on TrustPilot lamented the brand’s difficulty with fulfilling deliveries. However, these customers didn’t provide many details so it’s hard to know exactly what caused the delivery delays.
We also looked to ResellerRatings to learn more about what buyers thought about Wine Access.
The positive reviews pointed to how helpful the Wine Access team is. Customers said that Wine Access was able to accommodate their requests even on short notice.
One pleased customer wrote this about her experiences with Wine Access:
“I’ve had great experiences with their team on all my orders! They’ve given me recommendations, helped answer questions, and are very attentive and responsive. I’ve had to adjust delivery on several of my orders and they’re always able to help in a timely manner. And I love reading their emails and stories!”
But let’s end this segment of our Wine Access review on a few positive notes. Fans adored Wine Access’ selection of wines, their narrative-based approach, and how easily the company rectified any issues with their orders.
Is Wine Access Worth It?
We believe that this brand is fighting the good fight. They’re artists at heart, evident by how much they value the story behind every bottle of wine. They care about the smaller wineries and winemakers and want to connect them with customers.
You, if you are one of said customers, would gain access to wines you’ve never heard of from places you never considered.
Wine Access Promotions & Discounts
Our Wine Access review brings good news for those searching for a bargain. Wine Access has an entire page covering which of their products are currently on sale.
Check out their Limited Time Offers section on their website to see deals that offer savings so good, they can only be offered for 72 hours. Or until they sell out.
Additionally, each Wine Access wine club grants members a 10% discount on their wine purchases. That’s a good way to save more and drink more (though we encourage you to drink responsibly and spend even more responsibly).
Where to Buy Wine Access
You can only purchase Wine Access products through the company’s website, wineaccess.com.
FAQ
Who Owns Wine Access?
As of 2015, Norwest Venture Partners owns Wine Access.
Does Wine Access Ship Internationally?
Although the company distributes wines that hail from all over the world, our Wine Access review writers were disappointed to discover that they do not ship all over the world. They only ship to locations in the United States.
What is Wine Access’s Shipping Policy?
It’s hard to give an exact estimate on Wine Access’ shipping times because of the ways liquor laws work in the United States.
Each state has different laws and regulations so Wine Access doesn’t provide clear estimates on delivery times. The best estimate they provide is that their deliveries can take between 2 to 14 business days to reach their destination.
Earlier in this article, we covered the shipping frequencies for each Wine Access wine club. Each wine club also comes with free shipping.
However, you don’t need to join a wine club to earn free shipping. All you need to do is spend over $120 on a single order or purchase more than 6 bottles of wine.
What is Wine Access’s Return Policy?
You’ll have to contact the company to learn more about their return policy (something we’ll show you how to do in the next section our this Wine Access review).
If you don’t like a particular wine then you can get in touch with Wine Access and they’ll restore your spent money via Wine Access credit.
How to Contact Wine Access
We’ll finish our Wine Access review with all the ways you can contact the company. You can either email them at [email protected] or call them at 1-866-946-3923.
Their customer service lines are open from Monday to Friday, 7:00 am to 5:00 pm PST.
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