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 selection, or the best prices for that matter. 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. But 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 your Netflix and snacks every night. You no longer run out to the video store to ask the store employee for movie picks. Likewise, new technology has penetrated the wine industry. Tasting Room’s wine recommendation technology makes informed wine selections for you (based on your preferences), and ships tailored bottles right 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, the company sends you 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 in which you pit the wines against one another. You simply click on the wines you prefer in the head-to-head matchups, 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 red and white wines you tend to enjoy, what regions they come from and even the foods with which they pair well.

Soon thereafter, you receive a 12-bottle case packed with a variety of different wines – each one selected because it matches your personal taste preferences. The club ships a case of wine to your door every three months for about $12 per bottle. I need a little more than 1.5 bottles/week, so I opted to customize my shipment size, which any customer can do on the Tasting Room site. You can also customize the contents of your shipments (all white, all red, mix of both), or order more of your favorite bottles. Most importantly, you can go back on the site and rate each bottle you receive. The more you do this, the more Tasting Room can refine your selections in future shipments.

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 yummy – collection on the site. With Tasting Room, you’ll never again pay for a bottle you don’t enjoy. (I doubt any liquor store would provide you with another bottle if you didn’t end up liking the one they recommended.) It’s well worth it at just under $10 to join (that gets you the tasting kit), and you can cancel at anytime.

Update: The awesome folks at Tasting Room are extending a special offer for our readers. Follow this link to get your wine tasting kit for only $6.95 (originally $9.95)!