Tasting Room is Giving Liquor Stores a Run for Their Money

We all love wine. In fact, most nights of the week our editors sip a glass or two to wind down after work. The liquor store nearest us doesn’t always have the best prices, or the best selection. They have limited shelf space, and store employees don’t always recommend bottles we’ll enjoy. Liquor stores are focused on volume and margin (it’s not their fault rent is expensive) leaving many people reaching for the yellow-labeled bottle with the kangaroo they stick in the front of the store. Tasting Room seeks to change that.

Tasting Room, the fastest growing wine club in the nation, is changing how wine is sold. Think of it like the movie industry: where do you go to rent a movie, and who gives you your movie recommendations? If you’re anything like me, you look forward to Netflix and food after work. We don’t hit the video store to browse new releases or recommended movies anymore. Likewise, new technology has penetrated the wine industry. Tasting Room’s wine recommendation technology makes informed wine selections for you (based on your preferences, the way Netflix does), and ships tailored bottles to your door—bottles that come with a guarantee that you’ll enjoy them.

Here’s how it works. When you sign up for Tasting Room, you’ll receive a six-bottle tasting kit, which is where the fun begins. Log on to the site and you’re guided through an engaging, interactive tasting where you pit the wines against one another. You simply click on the wines you prefer in the head-to-head match-ups, and based on your ratings, Tasting Room makes informed wine selections for you in the form of Wine Profile. It’s a simple, straightforward guide that points out which types of wine you tend to gravitate towards (in both red and white categories), as well as the regions they come from, and even the foods they pair well with.

Soon thereafter, you’ll receive a 12-bottle case of different wines tailored to match your preferences. The club ships you a case of wine as often as you’d like for about $12/bottle. You can easily customize your shipment date(s), size, and contents on the site. I just keep rating subsequent shipments, and they automatically send me a mix of light dry whites and fruity reds because that’s what I like according to my Wine Profile (and my taste buds). I have yet to receive a bottle I did not enjoy.

Every bottle comes with a satisfaction guarantee, so if you ever receive a wine that doesn’t match your taste preferences, Tasting Room will replace it or issue you a wine credit to purchase another bottle from the extensive – and delicious – collection on the site. It’s well worth it at less than $10 to join (that gets you your tasting kit), and you can cancel at anytime.

Update: The folks at Tasting Room are extending a special offer to our readers! Follow this link to get your wine tasting kit for just $9.95 (originally $39.95)!