Pairing the perfect glass of wine with a cheese board or a delicious dinner is a slice of heaven. In this Wine Access review, we’ll explore how this online wine shop makes it easy to find the best wines by curating boxes of rare and limited selections, delivered straight to your doorstep.
But, here’s the real question: How can you always know you’re finding the best wines?
Blind taste tests have consistently shown that more expensive wine doesn’t always mean it’s better tasting. And fancy labels and witty wine names are eye-catching, but won’t always make your taste buds happy.
Even if you’re not a budding sommelier, it doesn’t mean you can’t drink like one. Wine Access is an online wine shop with that curates boxes of rare and limited wines. And they ship them straight to your doorstep.
What Sets Wine Access Apart
Wine Access isn’t just another online wine shop—they’re experts. Their team tastes and researches over 20,000 wines every year, and only 1 out of 18 bottles makes the cut. This rigorous selection process ensures that every bottle you receive has passed the ultimate taste test.
They Know Wine: Wines are selected from their team of Master Sommeliers, a Master of Wine, and an International Wine Judge
Why Trust Their Picks?
- Expert Curation: Wines are hand-selected by Master Sommeliers, a Master of Wine, and an International Wine Judge.
- Unmatched Standards: Every wine is chosen based on taste and value, not just name recognition.
- Global Discoveries: You’ll find rare wines you’d never spot in your local shop.
Verdict: The wines shipped to you from Wine Access shipped have survived the Hunger Games of wine tastings based on taste and value. It’s also just a great way to discover new wines from around the world.
With Wine Access you get:
- Access to rare wines (you won’t find these in your local shops)
- 100-point recommendations (the highest wine rating you can get)
- Wine at incredible value
- Amazing customer service
Join the Wine Access Club and they’ll send you 4 curated boxes of wine per year with 6 bottles in each shipment. But the benefits of Wine Access transcend saving money and barrels of time walking down aisles of wine you know nothing about.
And what’s better than wine sent straight to your doorstep?
What’s Included With Each Wine Access Box?
When you get a shipment from Wine Access it’s a special thing. From the outside, the box looks like any other. But the collection of 6 wines packed inside the box has beat out thousands of others in terms of exceptional taste and value. That’s pretty remarkable.
Each Wine Access shipment covers a variety of regions and styles but is centered around a theme to help you learn just a little more about the world of wine. But only if you want to. 
Collectible wine tasting guides are paired up with each bottle to help you make the most of your tasting experience. They include details like wine characteristics, best food pairings, where they’re from, and the interesting stories behind the wines and how they’re created from vine to grape to glass.
On the back of each card is a spot to rate your wine and take some tasting notes including the look, smell, and feel of the wine taste.
They even encourage you to add some details of your own story like who you shared your wine with and for what occasion so you can look back on how the story of the bottle intertwines with your own.
At the very least it’s a great way to track which bottles you like best and maybe look back on your tasting notes over time to see how your palate develops or the wine changes from one year to the next.
For an even more immersive experience, they have videos on their website where one of their wine experts will guide you through a tasting, highlighting the wine and the story behind its journey into the bottle. And if you’re still nervous about venturing out to a winery during a pandemic, Wine Access is a great way to bring the tasting room into your own home.
Here’s are some of the delicious Wine Access wines we tried in our sample box:
2017 Martin Ray Vineyards & Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Santa Cruz Mountains
TYPE OF WINE: Red
REGION: Santa Cruz
WINERY: Martin Ray
GRAPES: Cabernet Sauvignon
SWEETNESS: Semi-Dry
BODY: Full-bodied
FOOD PAIRINGS: Red Meat, Hard Cheeses
This deep dark California mountain-grown Cabernet is aged in French oak for 16 months and has notes of deep cherry, bright red fruits, and herbs on the nose.
Famous wine critic James Suckling gave this one a whopping 94-point rating and described it as having, “Fascinating aromas of crushed berries and bark with black-tea undertones. Full body, firm and velvety tannins and a flavorful finish.”
2018 Adegas Galegas D. Pedro Soutomaior Albarino Rias Baixas IGT
TYPE OF WINE: Red
COUNTRY: ITALY
REGION: Umbria
WINERY: Bussoletti Leonardo
GRAPE: Ciliegiolo
SWEETNESS: Semi-Dry
BODY: Full-bodied
FOOD PAIRINGS: Cured Meats, Red Meat, Hard Cheeses, Soft-Cheeses, Pizza
With Ciliegiolo meaning “cherry” and dating back to 1600, this ancient grape was revived about a decade ago by Leonardo Bussolettie at his vineyard in Narni, Umbria where the zip code just happens to be 05035. Italian wine expert James Suckling wrote this hard to find medium-bodied wine has “Lots of soaked, compote-like fruit here, such as red-plum essence and raspberry” in his not-too-shabby 90-point review. You’ll also taste hints of wild herbs and spices. This one is perfect for pizza.
2018 Adegas Galegas D. Pedro Soutomaior Albarino Rias Baixas
TYPE OF WINE: White
REGION: Rías Baixas (SPAIN)
WINERY: Adegas Galegas
GRAPES: 100% Albariño
SWEETNESS: Bone Dry
BODY: Full-bodied
FOOD PAIRINGS: Exotic, Spicy, Soft-Cheeses, Fish, Shellfish, Poultry, Veggies
ABOUT THE WINE:
Made in the northwest region of Spain, and aged in stainless steel barrels this wine is bright, ripe, floral, mineral-rich, and crisp with notes of apples, lime, and peaches. Albariño is a wine that’s meant to be drunk young so there’s no need to store this gem. It goes well with a variety of foods, but it would pair perfectly with sushi, ceviche, grilled lobster, creamy seafood, or spicy Thai and Indian dishes.
How Much Does a Subscription to Wine Access Cost?
A quarterly subscription to Wine Access is $150 + tax with shipping included. But the value of your box will be worth $200 plus depending on the selection.
Not counting the wine expertise, access to hard to get bottles + the pure joy of finding a box full of wine at your door, Wine Access is a great value. And if you discover a wine you love, as a club member you’ll also get 10% off all additional bottles on the website. You can also find the best wine for gift giving.
I think I’m more than ready for a glass.
Visit WineAccess.com for more info, to discover and shop for new wines, or to sign up for a wine club subscription.
