Naked Wines vs. Winc 2024: It’s a Clear Choice

If you’re trying to decide on a wine delivery service, Naked Wines and Winc are both strong contenders. Each has carved its niche in the online wine delivery market. Naked Wines directly connects winemakers with consumers, while Winc uses a subscription model with a personalized wine buying approach.

I thoroughly investigated Naked Wines and Winc, analyzing their offerings, pricing, customer service, and overall user experience. My goal was to determine which wine delivery service truly offers the best value for you, the wine lover. And after careful consideration, I can declare a clear winner in this contest.

Naked Wines is my top choice. In addition to its much larger selection of wines, its Angel program lets you invest in independent winemakers for discounted prices. Winc is good, but Naked WInes is overall a better choice for wine lovers. 

At a Glance: Who Won Each Category?

Wine List Variety

Winner: Naked Wines

With over 400 wines to Winc’s 50+, Naked Wines takes this round easily. Naked Wines has among the largest bottle selections in the wine delivery business. You’ll never want for choices with Naked Wines. Naked Wines has more bottles, more varietals, and a much wider selection of wines at all price points.

To help you choose, Naked Wines provides customer ratings for all its wines. You can choose between reds, whites, rosés, sparkling, sweet, dessert and fortified, and organic wines. You can pick your own bottles or choose from bundles like the Famously French 6-pack or the Best Reds 11-pack. 

The Mauricio Lorca Reserve Uco Valley Malbec 21 pictured above is a smooth Argentine red wine with rich, fruity flavors of black plum and blackberry with a vanilla and sweet tobacco finish. It will go well with barbecued meat or steak. 

Originating in Bordeaux, the Malbec grape has become Argentina’s signature varietal. The Uco Valley is to Argentina what the Napa Valley is to California. Naked Wines Angels help fund Mauricio Lorca’s vineyards and get great deals on his wines in return for their support.

Winc offers a smaller but impressively diverse range of wines. The company sources wines from around the globe, from classic wine regions like Bordeaux in France to Australian and South African wines. Winc also produces many of its own wines through their in-house winemakers. It offers a selection of table wines that will make dinnertime special, but has no higher-end bottles available. 

Winc’s 2020 Cape Route Chenin Blanc (pictured) comes from South Africa’s western Cape. Its schist and limestone-heavy terroir gives it a wet stone finish that complements the lemon, lime, and melon flavors. It’s a light, drinkable wine with more complexity than you might expect, and pairs beautifully with fish and shellfish. 

Ordering, Delivery, Unboxing

Winner: Naked Wines

Naked Wines wins this round, too. Its Angel program gives you the flexibility to choose exactly the wines you want. Its user-friendly website makes ordering a breeze. Delivery is prompt and reliable, ensuring your wines arrive in excellent condition. Each bottle is securely packed with informative details. Winc does a good job in all these areas, but Naked Wines just happens to be a little bit better.

Your Angel membership also comes with other benefits, like a 40% to 60% discount on wines, access to special Angels Only bottles, and online tasting events. 

Winc starts you out with a brief quiz to figure out your tastes in wine. When you sign up, you are charged a $60 monthly fee for 60 Winc credits. Those credits accumulate until you make a purchase. You must confirm each monthly shipment of around $60 worth of wine. If you do not, you will not receive your box and your credits will roll over to the following period. 

You are free to replace any bottle recommended by Winc with another bottle or to add additional bottles to your order. 

Naked Wines also offers iOS and Android phone apps to help you make and edit orders. Winc only offers an iOS app, though its website is easy to navigate on a smartphone or tablet. And Naked Wines delivers to Alaska and Hawaii, while Winc only ships to legal states within the continental US. 

Your Naked Wines order arrives in a recyclable cardboard box. The padding may seem minimal at first glance, but it keeps your bottles in place and avoids damage without wasting resources. Winc also uses recyclable packaging and sustainable protection for its bottles. You will need someone over 21 to sign for the package, but you can have it delivered to your office.

Customer Support

Winner: Naked Wines

Both companies score high on customer service, but Naked Wines offers more than Winc does. Winc and Naked Wines both offer a 100% Customer Satisfaction guarantee and will refund or replace any bottle you don’t like. But Naked Wines goes above and beyond when it comes to providing ways for Angels to communicate. 

With Naked Wines, you get access to the Naked Wines message board. You can chat with fellow Angels, Naked Wines employees, and even winemakers about food pairings, favorite wines, or other subjects. It’s a nice community for wine lovers and a really great perk. 

If you have a problem with your order, you can reach Naked Wines support by phone or Live Chat. The phone team hours are 6 am to 6 pm Pacific on weekdays and 8 am to 5 pm on weekends. Live Chat is available from 9 am to 5 pm weekdays and 8 to 5 on weekends. You can also send an email to chat@nakedwines.com, and somebody will get back to you shortly. 

Winc’s FAQ will answer most of your questions about billing, shipping, and other issues. Customer service is available by phone (855-282-5829) or live chat every day between 7 am and 4 pm Pacific. You can also use Winc’s Submit a Request link on the support page, or email support@winc.com, and Winc will try to get back to you within 24 hours. 

Pricing

Winner: Naked Wines

Naked Wines has several excellent wines at lower prices than Winc. Because Naked Wines also offers wines at higher price points, you could also wind up spending a good bit more if you ordered from its selection of $50-$75 premium wines. But you could also order a box of quality wines at under $10 a bottle. Naked Wines has bottles for frugal drinkers and wine snobs alike.

Your $40 monthly Angel membership accumulates in your account. When you are ready to order, you can use those credits for your wine. Shipping costs are $9.99 in most of the continental US and free on orders over $200. Shipping costs $29.99 to Indiana or Michigan, $70 for Hawaii, and $130 for Alaska.

Winc’s inventory starts at around $13 and tops out at a bit over $25. Each month, Winc recommends a number of wines. You can check out and have that box sent to you. If you don’t check out, your Winc Credits roll over to the next month and can be used in the future. Winc charges $9 for orders under $50, with larger orders shipping free.

Naked Wines vs. Winc — Quick Overview

And The Winner Is: Naked Wines

Naked Wines offers a wider selection of wines, including varietals you won’t find at Winc. It also has superior customer support and gives you more flexibility in ordering wines. 

Winc might be good for a wine novice looking for interesting new wines at a modest price. But if you’re serious about wine, you’ll get more joy out of your Naked Wines subscription. Naked Wines always scores highly on our list of the best wine delivery services. If you want to help independent vineyards and drink great wine, you won’t go wrong with Naked Wines. 

FAQ

Can I choose my own wines with Naked Wines and Winc?

Both Winc and Naked Wines allow you to choose your wines. Winc makes recommendations based on your quiz results, but you are free to make changes to your order if you like. Naked Wines gives you Angel credits that you can use to order any wine in its inventory wherever you want.

What wine services ship to Hawaii or Alaska?

Naked Wines delivers to Alaska and Hawaii. You will pay an extra shipping fee for these orders, but you will receive domestic and international wines that you would never find in Anchorage or Honolulu retail stores.  

How does the Naked Wines Angel program work?

Angels deposit $40 into their Naked Wines account each month as a prepayment and can use it to order any bottle on the Naked Wines list when they are ready. Angels also get 40-60% off on wines and access to a board where they can chat with other members, employees, and winemakers.