Naked Wines Review

For regular wine drinkers, or those looking to fill up their wine fridges with an interesting selection, wine subscription services are a convenient way to sample a wide variety of wines on a regular basis.

Naked Wines (available at Naked Wines) launched in 2008 and has become the premier platform for independent winemakers to get their bottles into the hands of consumers. It benefits subscribers as well, thanks to its lower price tags compared to big-named competitors.

How does Naked Wines compare to other wine subscription services—and is it worth trying? We signed up for a subscription box to find out.

About Naked Wines

Naked Wines is a marketplace for independent winemakers, representing more than 90 different winemakers globally and with more than 400 wines to choose from.

Before subscribing, Naked Wines guides you through an introductory quiz about your taste preferences and wine knowledge. From there, you can sign up for Wine Genie and receive a curated introductory box with bottles based on your quiz results.

Following the introductory box of wines, you can customize your Wine Genie subscription to receive a minimum of six bottles every one, two, or three months.

You can adjust your profile to specify the price of the wine you’d like to receive, between $10.99 and $19.99 per bottle.

You can also pause your subscription at any time or opt to become a member (or Angel), where you contribute $40 monthly in prepaid credit to use in the online wine store and select individual bottles of your choice.

How we tested Naked Wines

We tested Naked Wines' online user experience, delivery, pricing, packaging, and—of course—the quality of the wine we received.

Tasting each wine alone and paired with food, we evaluated its drinkability and seasonality, whether it was ready to drink or needed a few more years of aging in the bottle, and whether we would buy it again.

What we like about Naked Wines

The pricing is flexible

With multiple options—between a Wine Genie subscription and Angel membership—it’s easy to make Naked Wines fit your budget. You can even pause your subscription without penalty, which makes this a less daunting financial commitment.

Within the subscription option, you can specify what price range you’d like the wines in your box to average between. That means you can tailor the subscription to best suit your budget and preferences—a luxury that's not always offered with competing wine subscription services.

And if you don't mind splurging, there are hundreds of higher-end bottles that cost more than $19.99 to shop as well, including Napa Valley cabernet sauvignon and Champagne.

It's an easy way to discover new wines

If you’re starting to develop your knowledge as a wine drinker, and you're open to trying new wines from different regions, Naked Wines can broaden your horizons.

The service is designed to introduce users to new bottles, varieties, and styles of wine that they might not otherwise have tried on their own.

Each bottle comes with tasting notes and pairing suggestions to help guide your experience, with an education component designed to develop your palate. As you receive wines, you can review them online so that future recommendations will be increasingly tailored to your preferences.

It supports independent winemakers

Winemaking is a complex and difficult endeavor. Even with many years of experience at nationally recognized and award-winning wineries, independent winemakers can struggle to start their own label.

Naked Wines makes it easier for talented winemakers to share their passion-project bottles with the world, creating a marketing and distribution platform for these winemakers so they can focus on what they do best: making great wine.

Naked Wines does an excellent job of sharing the stories of the winemakers, so consumers can feel a connection to the person behind the bottle.

What we don’t like

The introductory quiz is confusing

Naked Wines' introductory quiz can feel limiting at times, particularly when you are forced to pick just one response.

For example, maybe you like big, bold reds but are also interested in exploring new regions and styles. (We were only allowed to choose one of these as part of the quiz.)

The results can seem reductive as well, especially for anyone who enjoys a wide variety of wine styles. It’s not as customized and thoughtful as talking to a sommelier and explaining your preferences, but feels like more of a rote, superficial match.

It does appear that future boxes become better tailored, though, as you rate the wines you receive and the algorithm has more data about your preferences.

You can’t make changes to what’s in your box

Naked Wines will show you which bottles of wine you'll be receiving, but you can't make any substitutions. If you aren't happy with the selection presented, you can always try taking the quiz again with different responses.

The first shipment is six bottles, and once you’ve received the initial shipment, you can change your subscription to 12 bottles every three months.

Unfortunately, that means you can't pick and choose which bottles get delivered to you each month. And it's more likely that you'll receive a bottle you're not totally keen on, even with the preferences you've set with the quiz.

But you can always opt for an Angel membership (spending $40 monthly for prepaid wine store credit) if you’d prefer to select individual bottles.

With variety comes some misses

Of the initial 12 bottles of wine we received, approximately half were wines we felt were great values that we would buy again. The others were forgettable, and a couple were wines we would not drink again.

Several of the big, bold reds felt too young to drink now; we think they might taste smoother after a few more years in the bottle. But with as many wines as Naked Wines offers, they’re not all going to be winners for every palate.

Should you buy Naked Wines?

Yes, if you’re looking for an affordable option to discover new wines

At its core, this flexible subscription service is all about connecting consumers to winemakers and providing affordable wines.

Naked Wines is a good choice you if you love discovering emerging winemakers and want to support independent labels. But if you're looking for more popular brands and easier customization, check out Firstleaf wine club.