Weekly Tasting: You’ll Want to Join This New Wine Club Launching Today
Last week was pretty exciting wine-wise. A box arrived on my doorstep with “Wine to Go With Takeout Food.” Inside were 4 bottles, each with take out pairing recommendations and suggested recipes. A 10 minute online video with a master somme walked me through each of the wines — where they were from, why I should know them, and what smells and flavors I should be looking for.
Wines Til Sold Out’s new Weekly Tasting wine box accomplishes every thing that I had hoped for but didn’t get with VineBox:
- Trying interesting new wines I won’t find at local shops
- A fun, social way to learn more about wine
- Affordable
Yep, that last point is a big one. Where Vinebox charges $41 for three small pours, for $69.99 Weekly Tasting sends 4 full bottles as well as wine “lessons” from a wine expert.
But I’m jumping ahead of myself. I was already planning to sign up to check it out, but (full disclosure) WTSO sent me a free Weekly Tasting box early so I could see what I thought. Here were my impressions:
How it Works
It’s opt in! Hard pressed to drink 4 bottles in a week? You choose which boxes you want, there’s no ongoing subscription you have to remember to cancel. They notify you when the next box is available and you decide whether to buy.
Initial Reactions
No question about it, Vinebox had gorgeous packaging that made you feel like a wine connoisseur just opening the box. Weekly Tasting has a slightly more practical, but well produced look. I love their logo and their shiny tasting note cards with suggested pairings and recipes on the back are a win.
The online video is fun. You can tell the somme is great at wine and new to video, which actually makes the whole experience more accessible and engaging.
Quality of Wines & Instruction
Like all of WTSO’s offerings, the wines are good, though not necessarily expensive. That in itself is a plus, I’d rather discover a new obsession with a $20 rather than a $50 bottle. 
The first shipment contained:
- Torrontes from Mendoza
- Pinot Gris from Oregon
- Bordeaux from France
- Morellino (Sangiovese) from Italy
The video was surprisingly good. In 10 minutes master somme Laura Maniec covers a lot of useful information without losing your interest. In two minutes a wine, you’ll get insight into the region, possible pairings, smells and tastes to look for, and interesting facts to expand your wine knowledge. Did you know? Sangiovese goes by many different names in Tuscany based on the region/city that makes it.
This is not a box for a wine snob, but great for the rest of us who enjoy learning new things or at least being reminded of what we already know.
Why Weekly Tasting Is A Winner
Easy way to learn. There’s a lot of online/at-home wine courses out there, but almost all require you to procure the wine separately — I love that Weekly Tasting is shipped directly to you, eliminating the time and hassle of tracking down uncommon varietals.
Social Aspect. The serving sizes (a bottle of each wine) are perfect. One of the things I hoped for with Vinebox was to be able to share with friends, but 175ml is barely enough for two people to get more than a sip. With full bottles you can invite people over to learn/explore wines with you. In fact, with the themes, you can ask everyone to bring one of the suggested pairings and make a mini-dinner party out of it.
The Price. $70 isn’t cheap, but for 4 good bottles, it’s a good deal, less than $18 a bottle including shipping.
I don’t like the fact The Weekly Wine Tasting asks for your credit card number when you have a GIFT CARD CODE.
Over the year I have ordered 7 different packs. If your looking for a fun way to try 4 wines you might not be familiar with without going to the store it’s convenient. However of the 4 wines you typically find 1 great bottle, 1 ok, and the other 2 are from low quality producers and taste like your garden variety $10 bottle. It’s only worth it if your interretsted in say trying wines from a new region that your not familiar with. However if your a Burgundy lover and buy a Burgundy pack you will be disappointed to not get 4 great wines.