With thousands of bottles of wine to choose from, both in-store and online, deciding which one to enjoy with your favourite dishes can feel like a daunting task. To help take the guesswork out of it, The Good Housekeeping Institute has tested the UK's leading one-off wine boxes and delivery services, ensuring you can fill your wine rack (or picnic cooler) with ease.
Best wine delivery services and subscriptions for 2024
1
Joint best wine delivery service
Abel & Cole Cheese & Red Wine Club
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2
Joint best wine delivery service
The Whisky Exchange Organic Wine Case
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3
Runner-up wine delivery service
Laithwaites Subscription
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4
Best rosé wine case
Selfridges All Things Pink Mixed Wine Case
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5
Best wine gift
Harvey Nichols Signature Mix Trio
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6
Are wine clubs and subscriptions good value?
Although buying wine in bulk can feel like an investment, often it works out cheaper than if you were to buy the bottles individually. Many brands also offer additional incentives, such as free fizz or glassware, to help sweeten the deal.
Whether you’re looking for a one-off box ahead of a big summer party, a special gift, or a regular delivery to work your way through, we’ve found the perfect solution. Prices start from just £11 for one bottle, through to larger drops of 12 wines from across the globe. You may find you discover new favourite grapes and regions along the way, helping you branch out from the tried and tested bottles you buy on repeat.
How we test wine delivery services
The Good Housekeeping Institute tested a total of 43 bottles of red, white, rosé and sparkling wines, across nine wine delivery boxes and subscriptions. They were looking for cases containing well-balanced food-friendly wines, displaying the classic characteristic of the grape style, that would work for various occasions.
Each bottle was awarded an individual score, which were then combined to find an average rating for each service.
Read on for the Good Housekeeping Institute’s recommendations...
Score: 87/100
Wine subscriptions needn't be expensive or excessive, as perfectly illustrated by Abel & Cole’s organic one-bottle wonder. They deliver the same juicy Sicilian red each week (if it ain’t broke, why fix it?), alongside a rotating guest cheese to accompany it. Buy as a one-off gift, or on repeat for a regular weekend treat to look forward to.
Key specifications
| Includes | 1 bottle, plus cheese |
|---|---|
| Delivery cost | £3.50 |
Score: 87/100
Like Abel & Cole (above), this box is completely organic, for those that prefer to keep their wine rack free of unnecessary pesticides. Covering red and whites from across Europe, this Bourdeaux went down best with our panel, scoring 91/100 for its leathery maturity (try pairing with roast beef).
Elsewhere this fruity riesling was deemed perfect with seafood, with a slight spritz and lashings of minerality.
Key specifications
| Includes | 6 bottles |
|---|---|
| Delivery cost | £4.95 |
Score: 86/100
Laithwaites’ cost-saving subscription delivers 12 bottles of wine every three months, giving us just enough time to deplete the stash between shipments. The choice is excellent, particularly if you’re not sure where to start, with a focus on seasonality — we enjoyed this BBQ-friendly oak-aged rioja, however you’ll be rewarded with a new line-up each time.
You’ll also save over £100 compared to buying the individual bottles, with free delivery and free wine rack (worth £25), which is reason enough to sign up in our books.
Key specifications
| Includes | 12 bottles |
|---|---|
| Delivery cost | Free |
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Score: 83/100
For those that drink pink exclusively, Selfridges' wine case is the perfect investment. It covers a mix of still and sparkling wines, making it versatile enough for all occasions. And while there’s a perception that rosé is just for summer, its food-friendly attributes mean it’s worth stocking up on year-round.
In terms of highlights, New Zealand’s Cloudy Bay is usually a brand you would associate with Marlborough sauvignon blanc, but this fizzy pink (a blend of chardonnay and pinot noir) impressed with its complexity — picking up 89 points with testers.
Key specifications
| Includes | 6 bottles |
|---|---|
| Delivery cost | £5 |
Score: 82/100
This well-priced line up from Harvey Nichols’ own range includes one bottle of French white, red and rosé. Cheaper than most hampers, but just as well presented in its black and white gift box, we think it would make the perfect present for the oenophile in your life.
The lucky recipient will enjoy an environmentally friendly merlot from Bordeaux (89/100), a citrus-rich Chablis (78/100) and an aromatic, blossom-flecked rosé (78/100). Lucky them!
Key specifications
| Includes | 3 bottles |
|---|---|
| Delivery cost | £5 |
Score: 79/100
While this one-off case may feel like an investment, you’ll be paying just £8.58 a bottle — and all without having to traipse up and down the wine aisle making decisions. It includes some of the brand’s most popular white and red wines, including a bold, spicy red from Italy (81/100) that would work a treat with spag bol, and an organic, beautifully textured chenin blanc (78/100) from South Africa.
Key specifications
| Includes | 12 bottles |
|---|---|
| Delivery cost | £5.95 |
Tested byCallum Black
Food and Drink Testing Manager
Callum is our Food and Drink Testing Manager and has been part of the world of professional catering for 10 years, from cheffing to food manufacturing. While working in manufacturing he specialised in bespoke product and menu development for several start-ups and well-known brands such as Wrap It Up! and HOP Vietnamese. He holds the WSET Level 2 in wine, a Level 3 in spirits and has a particular interest in agave spirits.
