Vinesse Wines Review and Unboxing
Vinesse Wines is an online wine shop and curated wine club that offers over twenty-five varietals from all over the world.
2024 VWE Bankruptcy Update
Please note as of August 2024 I no longer recommend Vinesse Wines.
In July of 2024 the parent company of Vinesse, Vintage Wine Estates, declared bankruptcy.
Vinesse even has the same link as the one above at the top of their sales page.
While the reported intent of VWE is to maintain business as usual, recommending a Wine Club who’s parent company is in bankruptcy is not a good idea, in my opinion.
So, what follows is my original review of this club prior to the Chapter 11 declaration. Hopefully VWE and Vinesse will one day be back to normal and I can again recommend this club.
Original Review of Vinesse Wines
Vinesse has been around for over twenty-five years and offers hand crafted wines that are produced by lesser-known, boutique style wineries at a low introductory price.
I purchased a selection of Vinesse Wines myself in order to provide you this review and give my honest opinion about Vinesse.
In this review, I’ll also be covering how Vinesse Wines works and give you plenty of information about their pricing, pros and cons and more.
You’ll also get a full unboxing (with pictures) of exactly what I received with my first home delivery.
And finally, I’ll share my personal review of each of the six wines I received.
After giving this club a try and tasting the wines, I’m pleased with it and happy to share my review.
How Vinesse Wines Works
Vinesse Wines offers three different ways to buy wine.
They include wine samplers (collections), gifts, a wine club and individual wines.
Think of the wine samplers as themed collections of wines in various quantities at various prices.
For example, they have samplers based around international reds, Cabernet, sweet wines, California wines and more.
The main gift that Vinesse offers is a 6, 12, 24 or 36 bottle mystery case that you can send to someone.
While you don’t get to see the wines you are buying ahead of time, you can choose all reds, all whites or a mixed case.
If you were to price out the individual wines in the mystery cases, they range from about $10 to $13 per bottle and shipping is included.
When you purchase a gift for someone from Vinesse, you each get a $25 gift card that’s good for a future order on $100 or more. Vinesse doesn’t offer individual gift cards for purchase on their site.
Aside from the gifts and wine club, you can also purchase individual wines from Vinesse. Their wine prices range from about $14.99 up to $85.00, with prices subject to change. You can choose wines from over 20 different varietals offered.
Facts About Vinesse Wines
- The Vinesse wine company has been in business since 1993.
- They work directly with award-winning winemakers, growers and vintners around the world to obtain wines of high quality and value based on customer feedback.
- They generally offer free shipping on orders of 12 or more bottles. This is subject to change, so double check at time of purchase.
Pros
- High quality wines at value oriented prices.
- The price for their wine club is only $49.99 for 8 bottles of wine.
- Satisfaction Guarantee on every bottle. Will replace a bad wine if requested within 45 days.
- Online account for managing your membership and information. They call it their Member Service Center and it’s well organized (in my opinion).
- Tasting notes included with wine deliveries.
- Can skip or pause deliveries if you need to.
- Can cancel your membership at any time.
- Fast shipping of 4 business days or less in the continental United States.
Speaking of shipping, something I like to look for is whether a wine club is prepared to make adjustments to shipping during extreme weather.
Vinesse does this, and here’s what they say:
To preserve the quality of the wine, depending on the time of year, shipments to certain destinations are shipped in temperature-controlled trucks and released for the “last mile” of delivery to carriers.
Vinesse Wines
Cons
- Limited gift selections.
- No gift cards available for purchase.
- Introductory offers limited to one per household.
How to Cancel
To cancel your Vinesse Wines membership or wine club, you can contact them directly at their support email which is listed on their website. You can also call them via their toll free customer phone support number, which is also listed on their website.
The Vinesse Wine Club
As mentioned above, their wine club has been around for 25 years and gives you wines that are produced by lesser-known, boutique style wineries that are hand-crafted.
Many times the wines you get are in limited quantities, as well.
Cost
The introductory cost for the wine club is $49.99 plus tax for 8 bottles of wine. Shipping is free on your first order.
After the initial delivery, the cost ranges from $12 to $17 per bottle plus tax and shipping, based on what wines they currently are offering as part of the club.
The club is a monthly 6-bottle club, however you can pause deliveries if you choose and also cancel if you decide the club is not for you.
Another feature they have in the Member Service Center is the ability to discontinue automatic shipments. This was nice to see as some other clubs I’ve belonged to don’t give you that option.
The Ordering Process
The ordering process was simple and straightforward with just a couple of screens to get through.
You can use a credit card or PayPal to make your purchase.
After you place your order you are given a confirmation number and sent an email welcoming you to Vinesse.
Once your wine gets shipped you’ll get a tracking number so that you know when it will arrive.
My wine was delivered via FedEx (as most clubs are) and it arrived just a few days after placing my order.
Important to note, by law someone has to be present for delivery and must be 21 years of age or over. I’ve also noticed recently that the carriers have been asking to see your ID or driver’s license more so than they did in the past. So, they seem to be taking the rules pretty seriously these days.
Vinesse Wines Unboxing
Below you’ll find a complete unboxing of my first delivery from Vinesse.
This is what you can expect to show up at your door after you make your purchase.
The Vinesse Box
This is the box I was sent:
I liked the fact that the box was quite non-descript and didn’t have the Vinesse logo on it.
Many companies label their boxes with their logos and that increases the chance your wine could be stolen on the way to you. Admittedly, this hasn’t happened to me yet, but I do prefer the plain box.
Also, it was good to see that the box was in great shape, with no damage.
Opening Up the Box from Vinesse
This is what it looked like when I first opened the box.
You can see they used good quality packing material and that they stored the wines on their sides.
Overall, that’s better for keeping the cork moist during shipping.
In the pictures above and below, you can see the six wines I received and their layout in the box.
Next up, I took all the wines out and found the tasting notes and packing slip.
All in all, pretty simple packing and the wines arrived with no damage.
Vinesse Wines Tasting Notes
I took the tasting notes brochure out and took pictures of it on my dining room table.
Here’s the top page of the brochure:
Here’s the inside of the brochure with a welcome letter and a couple recipes with their wine pairings:
And lastly, here’s the back:
Good to see plenty of information about the wines.
The Wines from Vinesse
And finally, here’s the six wines I was sent, neatly lined up for a photo:
All six wines were in good shape, with no damage to the bottles or their labels.
Something to note, they gave me an equal number of whites and reds. Plus, a good assortment of varietals.
Overall, a simple unboxing experience with no issues. Very good!
Reviews of Each Wine Received
Now, we all know that at the end of the day it comes down to how good the wines are.
So, over the course of a couple weeks I tried each wine I was sent.
Below you’ll find my review of each wine, starting with the Zinfandel.
El Tiburon Zinfandel
Garnet in color, this Zinfandel from Lodi had a nose of bramble, mint and even some vegetable notes.
On the palate, I noted rich flavors of raspberry, allspice and hint of tomato leaf.
The finish was long with just a touch of tannins noted.
Overall, I enjoyed this flavorful Zinfandel and its complex nose and palate.
The vegetable notes were an interesting surprise and didn’t at all detract from the rich flavors.
I noted that the wine became more fruit forward after having a chance to breathe, with the tomato leaf hint taking a significant back seat.
Sign me up for this wine and a perfectly cooked rib roast to pair it with!
Sparrow Crest Sauvignon Blanc
This wine displays quite pale straw in color.
The aroma had notes of light citrus and daisy florals.
Taste wise, I noted muted lime primarily, with also a bit of lemon zest.
With its “barely there” tannins and short to medium finish, I decided this wine would be best as an easy sipper on its own.
Think beaches and pool patios at sunset. I think this Sparrow Crest wine would make a great accompaniment!
Bridge Trail Riesling
This Columbia Valley, Washington Riesling is pale straw in color and provided an initial burst of sweet violet on the nose. It was quite leggy, though had an alcohol content of 12.7%, per the bottle label.
A few more sniffs revealed notes of steely minerality that also carried through to the flavor. I suspect that the soil these grapes were grown in had a significant and positive impact on this wine.
That, combined with gentle citrus notes and a long finish made for a clean tasting Riesling with just enough acidity to cut through a shellfish dish.
Overall, I really enjoyed it and it reminded me how much I enjoy good non-sweet Riesling.
Given its nose and palate, I would give this unique wine the name “Violet and Steel.”
More please!
Les Charmes Du Marquis Bordeaux
This Bordeaux was quite dark in color, similar to a Merlot.
While I sometimes find Bordeaux to be a bit washed out for my tastes, this one was definitely an exception.
Its aroma was rich with black cherry and cassis and those notes carried through to the wine’s flavor.
It was expectedly dry, with a bit of tobacco in the wine’s flavor as well. The bottle label mentioned licorice, but I didn’t pick that up.
Tannins were present, but very fine grained and they balanced nicely with the wine’s long finish.
Overall, I found this wine to be very good and could easily serve it with prime rib. A great steak wine!
Viaggiatore Pinot Grigio
Born from vineyards in Sicily, this wine is pale straw in color in the glass.
A good sniff revealed a pear aroma along with some sweet floral notes.
On the palate, I was treated to light pear flavors and also a bit of ripe lime.
Overall, a tasty, clean tasting and long finishing wine with the crisp lime flavors carrying the finish.
An easy sipper on its own, but could also pair well with a light, white fish dish. There’s not a lot of acidity so I’d leave the heavy butter based sauces out when pairing this one.
Scoperta Toscano Rosso
This 2019 Rosso from Scoperta is a traditional Tuscan blend based on the noble Sangiovese grape.
Cherry and pipe tobacco aromas on the nose were prominent, along with a lesser note of blackberry jam. I think this wine was my favorite in terms of aroma.
The palate consisted of smooth flavors of cherry, plum and blackberry. Plenty of complexity to be had!
Tannins were refined with a soft mouthfeel, leading to a long finish that was equally balanced between the wine’s flavors and tannins.
Overall, a great Tuscan that would pair well with pasta Bolognese or even a mushroom topped steak.
Vinesse Wines Conclusion
Overall, I’m really pleased with my Vinesse wine club experience.
My choice turned out to be a good one, with all the wines being high quality and enjoyable.
Shipping was quick with no issues and I’m looking forward to my next delivery!
Having gone through their process and tasted all the wines sent, I’m confident in recommending Vinesse to my readers.
