Wine Insiders vs. Splash Wines: What You Get for Under $6 a Bottle

Wine Insiders and Splash Wines are two similar but distinct experiments in indulgence. One is polished, curated, and neatly wrapped in tasting notes, and the other is loose, loud, and proud of its family roots. 

Both promised great wine for less than six bucks a bottle (with their first-order offers), a deal so good that I half-expected the drinks to taste like grape juice and despair. But I’m glad that I took a chance because my experience was anything but underwhelming. 

So here’s the honest pour of what you really get from these two wine clubs.

At a Glance

Feature	Wine Insiders	Splash Wines
Who They Are	Curated wine club and online shop	Flexible online shop and a wine club subscription
Overall Vibe	Polished and curated	Relaxed and family-run
Introductory Offer	15 bottles for $89 (3 bonus bottles)	15 bottles for $89 ($69 after additional promo code upon subscribing)
Standout Perk	Bonus bottles and gifts	Transparent pricing
Shipping	Free on 6+ bottles	Free for pickup orders and deliveries to Wino/Founder members; $3.99–$4.99 signature fee for home delivery
Refunds	100% refund (“Perfect Pour Promise”)	In-store credit (“Splash Cash”)
Selection	40 varietals, 15 regions	Global mix
Best for	Beginner-friendly curation	Budget drinkers who like control

The Ordering Experience

Ordering wine online should feel like a pleasure, not a puzzle. What I didn’t want was any hidden fees or endless form-filling, and I’m happy to say that both excelled on this front.

Wine Insiders

The Wine Insiders ordering experience is clean, curated, and clearly built for people who’d rather drink wine than decode it. When you browse the site, each pack will include tasting notes, ratings, and pairing suggestions so you know exactly what you’re getting before you buy. When it comes time to purchase, the checkout process is as painless as a well-balanced Pinot.

• Curated and themed packs (reds, whites, or mixed)
• Clear tasting notes and award indicators
• Shop single bottles or join the wine club for curated sets

It’s dangerously easy to build a case without realizing it. I went in planning to browse and ended up joining the wine club with a full mixed shipment before I’d even finished my coffee.

Splash Wines

Splash Wines takes a looser, more personal approach to wine shopping, and you can see it right off the bat when perusing the site: you can feel the family-run roots in how they talk to customers. 

You can build your own case from scratch or pick a curated one without a membership — a hands-on experience for people who know what they like.

• Choose from curated and build-your-own 15–18 bottle cases
• Transparent pricing (no hidden markups)
• Wine club subscription with 6 or 15 bottles delivered monthly, bimonthly, or quarterly 

It feels like shopping at a local wine store run by someone who knows your taste. It’s less “slick app” and more “Hey, taste this one… you’ll like it.”

Delivery and Shipping

A good wine club should handle shipping with the same care they use to pick the bottles. Here’s how these two handle getting your wine from vineyard to doorstep.

Wine Insiders

Delivery with Wine Insiders is quick and fairly seamless. Shipping is free for six or more bottles, most orders ship within two to three business days, and you can send them straight to your doorstep or to one of 14,000 pickup points (including FedEx and Walgreens) at no extra charge. 

My shipment arrived in perfect condition, well-packed and easy to unpack. However, my one friend mentioned having issues in Florida, where bottles arrived a little on the warmer side — so time your orders right in the summer.

Splash Wines

Splash keeps things simple: shipping is included in the price for most orders, with only a small adult signature fee ($3.99 for FedEx; $4.99 for UPS). This fee is waived entirely for Wino and Founder members, or if you choose local pickup.

The packaging isn’t fancy, but it’s sturdy and efficient. And if something goes wrong, their customer service has a strong track record for quick refunds or “Splash Cash” credits. When I reached out to support with my one issue, they lived up to their reputation of being genuinely helpful.

Pricing and Value

Wine Insiders and Splash Wines both sell an introductory 15 bottles for $89 (though Splash offers a $20 discount if you subscribe), which works out to roughly $6 a bottle — less than you’d pay for a decent grocery-store Pinot.

After that, here’s how they both shake out.

Wine Insiders 

After your first club shipment with Wine Insider’s promotional price, you’ll get 12 bottles every 12 weeks for $155, with free shipping, tasting notes, and occasional gifts like a professional corkscrew. You even get 5% credit back on every club shipment!

It’s a good value if you drink regularly, and the bonus bottles and gifts add a touch of charm. Overall, the experience feels curated without being pretentious.

Splash Wines

Splash’s pricing promise, which is no more than 15% above cost, makes it feel like you’re in on a secret deal.

The 6-bottle case starts at $59 and moves up with the quality tiers (+$10 for Vineyard and $39 for Cellar). Want the bigger haul? The 15-bottle case starts at $89, with the same $10 Vineyard bump and a $70 upgrade for the Cellar tier.

It’s a breath of fresh air if you hate surprise fees or forced memberships. It’s like the Costco of online wine: practical, consistent, and better than you expect.

Wine Selection and Flavor Experience

Wine Insiders and Splash Wines promise international variety and crowd-pleasing flavors. But there’s a difference between “good for the price” and “actually good.” 

Wine Insiders

The curation here is global and thoughtful. You’ll find bottles from France, Italy, Spain, South Africa, and beyond (a total of 40 varietals from 15 regions), often featuring lesser-known varietals that keep things interesting. All told, there are 2,200+ award-winning wines in the collection.

Wines come with tasting notes, food pairings, and even serving temperature guides. My box had highlights like a vibrant Cala De’ Poeti Chianti and a surprisingly crisp Apopo sauvignon blanc. A few reds underperformed, including a Bordeaux that just felt tired, but the consistency was solid overall.

The whites outperformed the reds in my case, but for the price, it felt like a smart way to discover new favorites without wasting money on random bottles.

Splash Wines

Splash’s selection feels more personal, with a mix of family-sourced wines and small producers from around the world. You’ll see a bit of everything, from bright Spanish reds to California blends, all depending on what’s available that month. 

The catch? It’s a little hit or miss. Some bottles are genuinely delightful, while others taste like they belong in the “cooking wine” category. But for 15 wines for under $100, the gamble was worth it.

Membership

Both brands offer ways to save, earn rewards, and feel like part of a club, but one leans toward luxury touches, while the other focuses on practical benefits for regular drinkers. 

Wine Insiders

Wine Insiders members get more than just discounts. There’s 5% credit back on every shipment, detailed tasting notes, and surprise accessories in select boxes. Everything about the experience feels polished and giftable, and it’s easy to pause or cancel at any time. 

It feels designed for people who want the full “wine club” experience: educational, curated, and wrapped with a bow.

Splash Wines

Splash’s perks are more practical. The Wino membership ($29.95/year) includes free shipping and 2% cashback, while the Founder option is a one-time $150 payment for lifetime access, which offers perks like 5% cashback. Both include exclusive offers and early deals, and they’re both ideal for frequent buyers, but the Founder tier is a great one-and-done way to forever lock in free shipping and other perks.

This membership is less about frills and more about value — perfect for people who drink wine regularly and love a good deal.

Return Policies

No matter how carefully you shop, there’s always that one bottle that makes you question your taste buds (or theirs). When that happens, the return policy suddenly matters a lot more than the tasting notes.

Wine Insiders

Wine Insiders’ Perfect Pour Promise means that if you don’t like a bottle, you can get a full refund. I have to say, I like that it’s not store credit, and I don’t have to jump through hoops. 

I didn’t need to use it, but the peace of mind made me bolder about trying wines I wouldn’t normally pick.

Splash Wines

Splash handles it differently, offering in-store credit (“Splash Cash”) for any wine you’re unhappy with. It’s fast and straightforward, but you do have to spend the credit on future orders.

It’s fair, but a bit limiting if you’re not planning to reorder soon. Still, they handle complaints with genuine care.

The Human Element: Personality, Transparency, and Trust

This might be where the two brands differ the most.

Wine Insiders

Polished and professional, Wine Insiders feels like the friend who always shows up with a well-chosen bottle and a tidy tasting note. Their branding is confident, and the experience feels trustworthy from checkout to pour. It’s not flashy, but it’s dependable.

I trust Wine Insiders to impress guests or to send as a gift without worrying it’ll disappoint.

Splash Wines

Splash is the extroverted cousin of the same family. It’s loud, funny, and unfiltered; they wear their transparency proudly and treat customers like family. Their brand story, rooted in three generations of wine lovers, gives them an authenticity that big corporate players rarely manage.

Splash feels more like a community than a company. Less polish, more personality, and I kind of love that.

FAQs

Final Verdict: Which Wine Club Is Worth It? 

If you love a curated, dependable experience, go with Wine Insiders. You’ll get well-rounded wines, fast shipping, and the feeling that someone’s thought through every pour.

If you’re more of a free spirit, Splash Wines will make you feel like an insider. You’ll find some misses, sure, but also a few pleasant surprises that make you want to pour another glass.

At under $6 a bottle, neither brand is chasing perfection. They’re chasing possibility, the kind that starts with a cork pop, a swirl, and a quiet “huh… that’s actually pretty good.”