The Best Wine Subscription to Give as a Gift: My Top 6 Picks 

If you’ve ever panic-bought a random bottle of red on the way to a birthday party, this one’s for you. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve done it… But when I found wine subscriptions, there was no going back. A couple of clicks and you send the best gift ever? Yes, please.

I’m a firm believer that wine subscriptions make some of the best gifts. You don’t have to know exactly what your friend likes to drink, they think of you every time a new box arrives, and they get a broad selection (plus tasting notes and cute packaging) that makes it feel like so much more than if you just grabbed a bottle and stuck it in a gift bag.

Of course, when every wine club on the internet claims they’re the best around, it’s hard to know which one will actually show up on time, taste good, and not be a nightmare to gift.

Today, I’m going to fix that with a list of the best wine subscriptions to give as a gift — focusing primarily on the gifting experience (packaging, personalization, and delivery reliability):

• Reliable delivery with tracking and clear communication
• Some level of personalization (from simple red/white/mixed choices to full-blown palate quizzes)
• Flexible options, like one-time gift packs, prepaid subscriptions, or ongoing memberships that the recipient can take over

At a Glance

• Best Overall: Wine Insiders — You get generous curated cases, major value per bottle, and easy giftability. Great intro offers and a reputation for stellar service.
• Best Budget Pick: Firstleaf — Data-driven personalization, strong introductory pricing, and a rare 100% satisfaction guarantee: if they don’t like a bottle, they’ll replace it in the next order.
• Best for Beginners: Winc — An approachable, cool wine club. You take a quick palate quiz, there’s fun branding, and you get flexible digital gift cards so your recipient can choose when to start.
• Best Organic: Plonk Wine Club — 100% organic/biodynamic or sustainably farmed wines from small producers, with prepaid gift subscriptions that don’t auto-renew (sooo perfect for gifting).
• Best Value: Splash Wines — High-bottle-count cases (like, 15 bottles) at aggressively low per-bottle prices, with gift subscriptions and frequent promos plus free or low-cost shipping. Quality is hit or miss, though.
• Best for Wine Enthusiasts: SommSelect — Fancy wines for fancy people who know a lot about them.

What to Look For in the Best Giftable Wine Subscriptions

Target Audience

Different wine clubs will cater to different people. So don’t start with “Which club is best?” Start with “Who am I buying for?”

Ask yourself:

• Are they new to wine or a borderline sommelier?
• Do they drink once a week or once a night?
• Are they adventurous, or do they want cabernet and nothing else?
• Do they care about organic/sustainable wine?

Reliability

Nothing ruins a thoughtful gift faster than a missed delivery and a “your package is delayed again” email.

Things to look for:

• Clear shipping timelines and tracking emails
• Age verification and signature policies (important if they live in an apartment or work weird hours)
• Options for prepaid gift subscriptions, digital gift notes, and gift cards

Flexibility

A few of the better clubs on this list will let your recipient skip shipments, change frequency, and cancel without a 20-step obstacle course.

This matters big-time for gifting because you don’t want them stuck with monthly boxes if they only drink on rare occasions.

Bottle Count

Speaking of the occasional drinker… does your recipient really need 15 bottles a month? Or would they prefer something nicer more infrequently? 

Some “fancy” clubs send 3–4 special bottles that someone can really take their time to enjoy; others send 12–15 more everyday bottles at a lower per-bottle price.

The Best Wine Subscriptions to Give as a Gift

There are plenty of great wine subscriptions out there, but I feel that these five are the best options for you to choose from.

1. Wine Insiders

Best Overall Wine Subscription Gift

Wine Insiders is my overall top pick for lots of wine, minimal fuss, and really solid value. Their introductory offer is a 15-bottle case (reds, whites, or a mix), with bonus bottles thrown in for your first shipment.

The bottles are curated from a bunch of different regions, which means you get a pretty good mix. They also run regular promos, so you can often get a big case at a price that makes you feel like you cheated the system.

It’s a slam dunk because you’re not gifting just “one cute bottle” — you’re sending an entire wine rack reset. 

How the Subscription/Gifting Works

Wine Insiders typically runs a subscription offer where you:

1. Pick your introductory 15-bottle case (reds, whites, or mixed)
2. Get bonus bottles in your first shipment
3. Receive future shipments at a set frequency (which you can pause or cancel at any time)

Packaging, Presentation & Experience

The bottles come in sturdy shipping cartons, so it’s more like a serious case of wine than a boutique gift box — but the experience is still impressive here because of the sheer volume. You can also expect some inserts with wine info thrown in there too.

This is a “Wow, you really went all out” gift, in my books.

Pros

• Big cases = huge impact
• Lots of value per bottle, with frequent promos
• Pay as you go, with easy cancellation

Cons

• Packaging is more practical than boutique or luxury
• Less personalization than quiz-based clubs

2. Firstleaf

Best Budget Pick

Firstleaf is a personalized wine club built around a quick palate quiz and instant feedback loop. Your recipient gets six bottles for about $8 each, and after some quick feedback on each wine, each subsequent box will get more and more customized to their preferences.

As a gifter, Firstleaf hits that sweet spot where:

• The per-bottle cost stays relatively low (especially on intro offers).
• Your recipient gets the fun of a personalized experience.
• There’s a 100% satisfaction guarantee, so if they hate a bottle, Firstleaf will replace it in their next order.

That guarantee alone makes it more gift-safe, because you’re not gambling on their taste. 

How the Subscription/Gifting Works

This one’s pretty simple. Instead of you picking the wines yourself, you’ll typically gift the recipient credit or a gift card to redeem online.

Packaging & Personalization

The boxes are straightforward but well-branded, with special details on each wine. The real magic is the customized experience, where the club learns their taste over time. Almost like an algorithmic sommelier.

Pros

• Excellent intro pricing and ongoing value
• Super personalized
• 100% satisfaction guarantee makes it very gift-safe

Cons

• Not great for collectors who want very specific regions or rare bottles

3. Winc

Best for Beginners

Winc is very casual, very lowkey. You start with a short palate quiz about your taste in things like coffee, citrus, and chocolate, and Winc recommends wines that fit your profile.

Gifting Winc feels like giving a fun experience rather than just a product:

• The quiz is low-stress and not snobby
• Their branding is playful and modern
• The recipient can redeem a digital gift card, take the quiz, and pick their wines whenever they’re ready

This low barrier to entry makes it great for people who want to get into wine but don’t know where to start.

How the Subscription/Gifting Works

You just buy a Winc gift card, choose the amount, and write a personalized digital note. 

Simple as that.

Packaging & Presentation

Winc’s unboxing is modern and influencer-ready, with neat branding, a curated feel, and tasting info included.

Pros

• Very beginner-friendly
• Fun branding
• Short quiz that helps them find wines without overthinking
• Can use flexible gift cards without committing to a full membership

Cons

• Less educational depth than some boutique or geeky clubs
• Selection leans toward popular, easy-drinking styles
• Not ideal for someone who already collects wine or obsesses over specific regions

4. Plonk Wine Club

Best Organic Choice

Plonk proudly focuses on organic, biodynamic, and sustainably farmed wines from small and usually low-intervention producers.

Does your recipient care deeply about how their food and drink are produced? Because every bottle from Plonk is vetted for farming practices and minimal additives. Plus, they feature interesting grape varieties and lesser-known regions, so it feels like an adventure. The whole thing has a very boutique vibe.

How the Subscription/Gifting Works

With Plonk, you get:

• Four, six, and 12-bottle options with consistent pricing per tier
• Ongoing subscriptions or prepaid gift subscriptions (three, six, or 12 months) that you pay for upfront and don’t auto-renew

Pros

• 100% organic/biodynamic or sustainably farmed wines
• Boutique, small-production bottles
• Great tasting notes
• Prepaid gift subscriptions that don’t auto-renew

Cons

• More expensive than similar options

5. Splash Wines

Best Value

Splash Wines is all about volume and value. You get big cases, low per-bottle prices, and aggressive promotions like 15 bottles for heavily discounted rates — all with free or low-cost shipping. Perfect for big holiday dinners or friends who just like having a fully stocked wine shelf

If you want your recipient to open the door to a giant case of wine and immediately text you in all caps, this is it. 

How the Subscription/Gifting Works

Splash Wines offers two easy options: 

• Grab a prepaid gift subscription, choosing the case style (reds, whites, mixed) and number of shipments
• Choose a value-heavy subscription with recurring shipments that they can manage

There’s also strong messaging on price transparency here, as well as consistently low margins so that the pricing stays sharp.

Packaging & Presentation

There’s nothing fancy here. It’s just like a warehouse box of wine at your door.

Pros

• Outstanding bottle count for the price
• Tons of promos and free/low-cost shipping
• Prepaid gift subscriptions
• Flexible subscription controls

Cons

• Nothing fancy
• Quality varies

6. SommSelect

Best for Wine Enthusiasts and Special Occasions

SommSelect is a sommelier-led service that focuses on curated packs and tasting kits rather than huge bulk cases. 

This isn’t a daily drinking club or a party. It’s more of a one-on-one experience. The Blind Tasting Party Kit, for example, sends three bottles wrapped in black tissue paper, with tasting instructions so your recipient can host a mini wine class at home — which I think is SO cool…

It’s the kind of gift that makes a wine lover actually excited because it feels like something they’d pick for themselves.

Pros

• Expert curation and themed packs
• Very fun, educational gifting experience (especially the blind kits)
• Great for special occasions or milestone gifts

Cons

• Pricier than mass-market clubs
• Less about ongoing subscription value, more about single high-impact gifts
• Might be overkill for casual wine drinkers

Choosing a Wine Subscription Gift They’ll Actually Use

If you want the safest all-rounder for most people on your list, I’d go with Wine Insiders because it checks so many boxes. Your recipient will get impressive cases, solid quality, and fantastic value per bottle — especially for beginners and anyone who loves a well-stocked wine rack.

Whatever you choose, you’re not just gifting wine… you’re gifting discovery, date nights, quiet Tuesday-evening glasses, and dinners with friends and family. 

And that’s a gift that lasts way longer than a quick bottle from the corner store.