There are many wine subscription boxes to consider, each with a unique offering and price points. Some offer local wines, while others offer an international wine-tasting experience. Some provide a personalized shipment, while others simply assemble a fixed package of interesting wine bottles to try.
This review will focus on the Bright Cellars wine club membership, including the pros and cons, the unique user personalization process, available discounts, and more. Before you order, make sure to read this review to determine if this wine membership can fit your needs.
Continue reading for our updated and revised review of the Bright Cellars Wine Club for 2024 to learn about the subscription options, wine quality and brands, club pricing, and special perks for registered members.
In a Glance – Intro to the Bright Cellars Service
Bright Cellars is a monthly subscription wine club that has been operating since 2015. It promises to personally match you with four high-quality domestic and international wines based on a quick palate quiz you take as part of the subscribing process.
The two MIT grads who founded Bright Cellars developed a unique pairing algorithm that matches Bright Cellars customers with wines they are sure to love using the Bright Cellars quiz. You then taste and rate the wines you receive to get even more personalized matches.
The company is passionate about interesting, quality wines, and its primary goal is to help its members discover the fantastic world of wine.
Pros:
- Personalized wine selections based on a unique pairing questionnaire
- Huge selection of wines from local and global hidden gem wineries.
- Satisfaction guarantee with free replacements on wines you don’t like
- Member rewards program for points towards bonus bottles and gifts
Cons:
- Subscriptions are only offered for 6 or 12-bottle shipments
- Wine ratings are not visible on the website
Who is Bright Cellars For?
In our Bright Cellars Review, we noticed that whether you are an experienced wine drinker or a novice who would like to venture into the world of wines, Bright Cellars is the wine club for you.
Bright Cellars can help you with trying wines that you otherwise would never have found on the shelves of local stores. The company is focused on finding unique small-vineyard wines from all over the world.
Wine Club Subscription Plans
Bright Cellars Wine Club has a very straightforward model: It sends six or twelve personally matched wines straight to your home every month.
Based on your quiz results, this wine club can identify your taste preferences and match you with fabulous bottles of wine. You can also get a mystery bottle of wine when you redeem your reward points.
Customers can specify their preferences in terms of red, white, or a mixed box of both. They can also change the frequency of their shipments, skip a month, or delay their shipments when needed.
The Ordering Process – How to Get Started?
Ordering your first wine box is simple and fun! Sign up on their website or the new easy-to-use app to get started. Next, you will take a short quiz designed to create a custom taste profile based on your preferences to match you with custom wines specifically for your palate:
How to Subscribe – The Bright Cellars Ordering Process
The Bright Cellars website is straightforward to navigate, and the subscription and ordering process is user-friendly. To make your first order, you start by creating a personalized palate profile by answering a short quiz. Next, you create an account by entering an email address and a password, and you can then explore and edit your recommended wines.
You will need to finish creating your account by providing your address, phone, payment details and make an order. Be aware that someone 21+ must sign for the order at delivery.
Once you have an active account, you can log in at any time and edit it – rank your wines, reorder wines you loved, change personal details, and more.
We noticed that Bright Cellars understands that drinking wine is supposed to be fun and stress-free. This is why the club offers a ‘Skip a Month’ policy that you can use anytime you need to delay an order.
You can also cancel your account at any time via email or by calling Bright Cellars customer support.
Based on the answers you supply during the quiz, you will receive six or twelve personally matched wines from around the world that you will most likely enjoy. The wine club scores each wine bottle by comparing many attributes, matching them to your personal preferences, and matching you with different wines every month.
Variety of Bright Cellars Wines
Bright Cellar is passionate about good-quality wines. The company declares that only 1 in 50 wines they try out make it into their monthly wine collections. The club focuses on finding unique, hidden gems from small vineyards worldwide, including Italy, Spain, Portugal, and South America.
The list of wines offered by Bright Cellars is vast and includes wines of all varieties and origins:
Red wines – Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, red blends and more
White wines – Riesling, Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, fascinating white blends, and more
Sourcing & Sustainability of the Wines
The team at Bright Cellars is passionate about making wine accessible to everyone and breaking down the typical stereotypes of the wine industry to make trying new wines fun. They teamed up as engineers, sommeliers, and wine enthusiasts to create an algorithm to match personalized palettes to great-tasting wines from around the world.
Bright Cellars focuses on finding small wineries, unique flavors, and new styles in popular and lesser-known wine-making regions. They carry a huge selection of red, white, and sparkling wines that are curated for their great taste and quality. One in every 50 wines tasted makes it on the club list, so you know you are getting hand-picked wines you will love.
Our Experience with Bright Cellars – Is It Good?
We were pleasantly surprised with how quickly the box arrived and how well everything was packaged. The wines were separated by fully recyclable cardboard inserts, and the bottles were safely protected during shipment.
Each delivery comes with quality, full-color, detailed reference cards for each wine, with information on where they are from, their taste profiles, and much more.
Between the informational cards and the beautiful wine bottles, the experience was special, especially compared to the alternative of grabbing a random bottle off a liquor store shelf. Tasting the wines was fun and felt like a classy wine-tasting experience with a professional sommelier.
Among the six bottles we received, two whites and four reds, these two award-winning wines were some of our favorites:
Obscura 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon
This dry, full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon from California was our favorite. It was full-bodied with black cherry, black pepper, and blackberry notes. While fruit forward, it also had complex notes of oak and spice. It pairs well with lamb, beef, and a fresh salad.
Keely 2023 Chardonnay
We loved this light and delicate Chardonnay from South Eastern Australia. It had a distinct lemon hue and crisp, bright, citrusy notes of lemongrass, green apple, pear, and peach. It pairs well with creamy garlic chicken penne or a simple charcuterie board with brie and Roquefort.
As part of our first box, we also tried these high-quality and delightful wines:
Unsinkable 2020 Red Blend
A Washington red blend that was distinctly complex and had a robust structure and full body. It was rich and fruity with notes of strawberry, blueberry, earth, and wood smoke.
Sabelia 2020 Touriga Nacional
From one of the best wine regions in Portugal, this bold and classic wine was rich and velvety, with notes of boysenberry, vanilla, clove, and blueberry.
Siouxsie 2021 Mourvedre
This Californian Mourvedre was reminiscent of old-world grapes and was rich and warming. The taste had delicate notes of smoke, cocoa, bay leaf, and pomegranate.
Treehaven 2022 Riesling
This fruit-forward Riesling from the Columbia Valley in Washington had wonderful peach, nectarine, and pineapple notes. It was light-bodied, fragrant, and well-balanced.
The Bright Cellars Delivery Box – Is It Well Organized and Eco-Friendly?
The Bright Cellars wine box is a mid-sized box labeled with the company’s logo. Inside the Box, there are six or twelve wine bottles, each wrapped separately in paper. The wines are protected by a specially designed carton frame that keeps them stable and safe during delivery.
You can easily track your Bright Cellars shipments. Once the shipment leaves the Bright Cellars fulfillment center, you will receive a tracking email with a link. You can then track your shipment status through this link.
What Do Customers Think of Bright Cellars?
Bright Cellars customers enjoy the variety of lesser-known varietals and the informational cards that come with the bottles, which allow customers to learn more about what they like.
One Reddit reviewer shared: “I am signed up for Bright Cellars, and I haven’t had a wine I disliked, but there have been some I didn’t like as much as others. They do include general informational cards in their boxes (increasing in detail/information level for each box so far), and most wines come with a specify information card, which is also helpful when figuring out what varietals you like.”
Another subscriber wrote: “I’ve used BrightCellars for a year. I think it’s a fine, convenient service for beginner wine enthusiasts like me. I’ve only disliked one or two bottles. I’m still on a journey to taste as many different wines as I can, so I think this is a fun way to do it.”
Some other customers find some of the wines to not be as good as others depending on your preferences, but as this subscriber commented, “Its decent wine, I don’t have to spend a fortune to enjoy a glass of something different (with some good complexity and flavor), and I don’t have to be overwhelmed by aisles in the liquor section of most shops.”
Other Wine Clubs Like Bright Cellars
There are a few notable competitors to Bright Cellars in the wine subscription market, mainly Winc and Firstleaf. These two companies are similar to Bright Cellars in that they are also customizable wine clubs that personalize your shipments to your palate. They both come in a more affordable price range than Bright Cellars.
Winc and Firstleaf allow you to choose your own wines or have them selected for you. Then, you can customize future shipments based on your ratings. They also offer similar flexible subscription terms and great gift options.
Whichever wine club you choose, these services make wine tasting, enjoying fine wines, and trying new wines a fun and exciting experience.
Pricing
Pricing varies depending on the subscription plan you choose. The average cost per bottle is around $20, with greater savings on larger orders.
The best value is the 12-bottle shipment, which has an introductory price of $110 plus free shipping. Alternatively, you can opt for the 6-bottle shipment, which has an introductory price of $55 plus free shipping.
Is Bright Cellars a Good Gift?
Yes! The Bright Cellars subscription service offers the option to give the gift of good wine to someone you love and get the nickname of the best gift-giver ever.
It’s easy—you can send a gift certificate with a personal message via email or mail, and the club will ship personalized match wines directly to your recipient at their convenience.
You can order the gift card by going to the ‘gifts’ section on the website. They also carry a large selection of wine bundles, making it easy to spoil your favorite wine fan. Gift pricing ranges from $10 to $1200.
Customer Support and Members Benefits
The customer service team is there to help you adjust your account, help with your wine choices, handle the delight guarantee if you are not happy with a wine you received, and anything else regarding your subscriptions.
- FAQ Center on the website: https://www.brightcellars.com/pages/faq?hcUrl=%2Fen-US
- Online Chat: Click the chat icon at https://www.brightcellars.com/
- Phone number: 1-844-223-5527 during regular business hours
- Send a message to the wine concierge team: https://www.brightcellars.com/pages/faq?hcUrl=%2Fen-US%2Fcontact
Bright Cellars memberships come with outstanding benefits like:
- Delivery: You can control the regularity of your delivery, choosing when and how often you would like to receive your wine club box.
- Personalized selection: The wines you will receive with each delivery match your wine-tasting profile and any rankings you have provided for previous deliveries.
- Promotions: Bright Cellars offers a tempting beginner’s promotion for new customers to enjoy, plus members receive 20% off wine shop purchases.
- Do you prefer red wine, white wine, or a mix? You can easily choose or change your preferences.
- Delight guarantee: If you received a wine that you did not like, the company promises to help you select a replacement bottle for your next month’s delivery for free.
- Reward points system: As a Bright Cellars member, you can receive and redeem points earned for various activities. With those points, you can get bonus bottles for subsequent shipments.
Delivery Areas
Unfortunately, the Bright Cellars website does not provide much information regarding their delivery areas.
To find out if Bright Cellars delivers to your zip code, take the short taste quiz and input your email and zip code. You will then be advised if your zip code is included in their delivery area.
The Bottom Line – Is Bright Cellars Worth It?
If you’re a regular wine drinker who likes to try new flavors, wineries, and varietals or just want to drink a few glasses monthly with family and friends, Bright Cellars is worth your money and time.
Bright Cellars is all about quality wine paired to your taste, sourced from boutique operations around the world, and matched to you personally.
Our team tried Bright Cellars and loved the personalization process this wine club offers. The selection matched our profile perfectly. The wines we tried were tasty and enjoyable, and we thought the 6-bottle quantity was perfect for a fantastic wine-tasting experience.
Our team felt that Bright Cellars offers quality, artisanal bottles of wines at relatively affordable prices, so we highly recommend giving it a try!
Why Trust Us?
Our team is passionate about the world of wine. From our years of experience, we know that wine clubs allow you to enhance your tasting experiences in an affordable, convenient, and user-friendly way. However, knowing where to start with so many companies offering a range of wine club services can be complicated.
This is why we created the Wine Club Reviews. We wanted to make it easier for people by having all the information they need about the industry and the individual wine clubs in one place.
Our team undertakes an in-depth, hands-on review process of each company that we profile. This includes subscribing, tasting the wines, and every element of the wine club membership experience.
In addition to our company profiles, we also provide “Best for…..” reviews that include the best wine clubs for white, red, or a mix of both, the most affordable or premium wine clubs, and many more.
Everything we do is designed to help you find the best wine club service to match your personal needs and preferences.
What to Consider When Choosing a Wine Club?
There are many things to consider when choosing a wine club. This is why we recommend looking at the company profiles and articles in the Wine Club Reviews, as you will find most of the information you need in one place.
Wine Preferences
You may want to look for a wine club that matches your preferences for wines you want to try. Some clubs only offer small-batch local wines, whereas others may focus on award-winning global wines. Maybe you are looking for Californian varieties, or you would prefer organic options. Whatever your preferences, there is a wine club out there for you. We recommend making a list of what is important to you and starting from there.
Budget
If you are budget-conscious, then look at the price first. You might be after international wines or prefer a local Californian wine experience. If you are a novice, you will undoubtedly be looking for something different from someone with a seasoned palate looking to broaden their taste horizons.
Number of Bottles per Shipment
Depending on how much wine you drink or how often you want to get shipments, consider the number of bottles you want delivered. Maybe you are looking to build up a cellar or are just looking for a few bottles to have on hand per month to enjoy with family and friends.
Frequency of Delivery
Having flexibility in the delivery frequency can be important to some when choosing a wine club. Some clubs only offer monthly deliveries; others will allow you to skip deliveries or change them to each quarter (3 months) depending on your needs.
Personalized Shipment or Not
You may want to opt for a traditional wine club that selects your wines for you, or maybe you want full creative control. As illustrated in this article by Commerce 7, wine clubs are now offering more flexible terms, easier cancellation, and more personalization options to cater to modern user preferences. This means there are even more options for excellent wine subscriptions that fit busy lives and hectic schedules.
