Formation February 2012 Website winc.com | Founded at Denver, Colorado | |
Founder Xander Oxman, Mark Lynn, and Geoff McFarlane Key people Brian Smith (Chief Wine Officer) | ||
Winc (renamed from Club W on May 4, 2016) is a personalized, subscription-based wine club headquartered in Los Angeles. It is a direct-to-consumer winery. The club uses its custom Palate Profile system and individual wine ratings to make monthly wine recommendations to members. They then deliver shipments directly to their customers. Each bottle comes with a tasting video, food pairing suggestions, and a wine card with a recipe pairing and information on the varietal, winemaker, and region.
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History
Club W was founded by Xander Oxman (current CEO), Mark Lynn, and Geoff McFarlane in Denver in February 2012. The company later relocated to Los Angeles and shifted their business development operations to startup accelerator Amplify.LA's Venice Beach campus, where Brian Smith joined the team as the company’s Chief Wine Officer and fourth co-founder.
Early in 2013, Club W netted over $3 million in financing from Los Angeles-based Crosscut Ventures.
In May 2014, Club W received $9.5 million in financing from Bessemer Venture Partners. Club W has been featured in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, InStyle, and Business Insider, among others.
On May 4, 2016, Oxman announced that Club W was rebranding to Winc.
Site algorithm
The site uses an algorithm to provide customers with personalized wine recommendations based on their taste preferences and purchasing histories. Each wine comes with a tasting video, food pairing suggestions, and a wine card with a recipe pairing and information on the varietal, winemaker, and region. Club W identifies as a global direct-to-consumer winery. The wines are curated and sourced from WINC, a direct-distribution wine company. Their portfolio of wines includes “grape-to-glass” wine made by their own vineyards or in partnership with a range of small-lot producers. Their current Chief Wine Officer is Brian Smith, a sommelier and winemaker.
Costs
As a direct-to-consumer winery, Winc works directly with vineyards and winemakers across the world. The wines are curated and sourced from WINC. a direct-distribution wine company. The cost for a Winc Monthly Experience starts at three bottles for $39 per month + $6 flat-rate shipping. Winc also allows users to cancel or skip a shipment at any time, as well as to return any wines disliked. Bottles are typically priced between $13 and $20. In order to "handle your request promptly" and because they are "passionate about improving every aspect of the customer experience," it is only possible to cancel a membership by speaking with one of their representatives in person during their PST weekday hours.
Charity
In 2015, Club W partnered with nonprofit organization charity: water to fund clean water projects for global populations in need. As part of the partnership, the club agreed to donate five dollars to the organization for the purchase of each bottle of the charity: water x Club W Red Blend.