Naked Wines Review

  Last updated October 11, 2024

Advertising Disclosure | How We Rate

"Unique wines, transparent pricing, and a wealth of community wine reviews"
  Winemaker direct wines up to 60% off retail
  Flexible delivery frequency options
  Unique 'Angels' crowdfunding program
  Award-winning customer service
  Free delivery with orders of $100

Our Rating


Price 9.9 / 10
Selection 9.5 / 10
Matching 8.0 / 10
Flexibility 9.9 / 10
Customer Service 9.0 / 10
Tasting Notes 8.5 / 10

Overview


Founded in the UK in 2008, Naked Wines has since made its way to Australia and the US. What makes Naked Wines unique is how they operate. Rather than buying wine from "super producers" to offer to their clients, Naked Wines focuses instead on independent wineries, giving them the funding they need to focus on great winemaking, as well as the distribution and regular income they need to thrive.

While the site itself might look simple, behind the scenes there's a lot going on. As you buy and rate your wines, you're teaching the site to remember your choices and narrow down recommendations, so you get more of what you want and less of what you don't. You can purchase with their app on your phone, just as you can on the website, and with the pandemic, Naked Wines has innovated to offer virtual wine tasting via Zoom. Wine Genie will help you select the right wine for you, and they are investing in tech, such as chatbots, to improve customer service.

The company has done particularly well in the pandemic with home delivery of delicious wines guaranteed to be a hit when we couldn't leave home for our entertainment. But with good quality wines and great prices, we think they'll stick around for a long time to come.

At a Glance


Price Range $11.99 to $59.99 per bottle
Ideal For People who love wine and want to broaden their exposure to smaller, unique wineries
Delivery Frequency As often as you want to order
Bottles Per Shipment 6 - 12 bottles per shipment

Review Highlights


Looking at Trustpilot as an example, Naked Wines has almost 2,500 reviews, with a satisfaction rating of 73% (Excellent) and only 12 % finding the company to be Poor or Bad.

Most people who are unhappy tend to complain about being signed up for a monthly subscription that they didn't know about. However, both happy customers and Naked Wines staff are keen to point out that the information on the subscription is on the original offer and on a leaflet in the first box of wine, so this one does seem to be a case of not reading what they were getting.

The other popular complaint is about delivery, which, given that delivery is provided by a separate company who are nothing to do with Naked Wines, seems unfair. Especially, as Naked Wines' staff are quick to offer either a refund or redelivery to suit the customer, if there's a problem.

The positive reviews are flowing on Trustpilot with most people commenting about the quality and taste of the wines and the excellent customer service. All in all, Naked Wines' customers seem to be wild about their wines and the company.

Pricing


Prices start at a very reasonable $11.99 per bottle with nearly 30 wines available, at the time of writing, for less than $15.00. If price isn't a problem, you can pay $59.99 per bottle for a Ken Deis Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2019, described on the site as, "one luxuriously rich layer of dark fruit flavor after another".

If you're one of their Angels, you pay $40.00 a month into your account to spend on wine whenever you choose. This money is used to support independent winemakers, allowing for new and exciting wine experiments that might not otherwise see the light of day.

For that, you get discounts on most wines on the site and invites to private wine tastings, where you can meet the winemakers. You'll also have access to Angel-only wines and receive a gift bottle of wine worth a minimum of $19.99 every month that you order a case. And there are even more wine-related goodies included to keep your cellar full and your heart content, knowing you're helping develop and protect new and experienced winemakers who might not make it without your help.

In comparison with other wine companies, such as Winc, Firstleaf, and Bright Cellars, Naked Wines offers a good range of prices with most wines between the ten dollars and thirty dollars mark, coming in at the lower end of the market for most of their wines, but still offering quality picks.

Brand Reputation


Naked Wines has now been around for over thirteen years, so they can't be described as the new kid on the block anymore. But they are bringing something new and fresh to the wine scene by working directly with winemakers across the world to bring customers wines they often can't get anywhere else. Cutting out the middleman and bringing wine straight to the customer, without going through sales managers, regional distributors and retail outlets, ensures more choice, good prices, and wines that might not have been made at all without Naked Wines and its Angels.

Described as "The #1 wine club in America" by USA Today and with 150 wines awarded gold medals, Naked Wines has great reviews and a reputation for providing quality wines.

Shipping


You can have your order shipped for $9.99, and if you spend over a hundred dollars, delivery is included. The only states where that doesn't apply are Alaska and Hawaii, where delivery costs $130 for Alaska and $70 for Hawaii.

You don't need to worry about returns. If there's a problem, or if you don't like a wine, just let Naked wines know and they'll give you your money back. There are no expedited shipping options available, but delivery in the mainland US takes just 1-4 days.

Customer Service


The Naked Wines site has a very clear and helpful FAQ that seems to cover pretty much everything you'd want to know. You can also hop into a range of different groups and chat with current customers to find out what they think and ask any questions.

The Help page gives you clear assistance with updating or altering anything on your account, and they also provide a ‘Customer Happiness' email where you can contact them and get a reply within 24 hours, Monday to Friday. It's easy to find how to contact them if you need to. The company is also very responsive on review sites, answering both positive and negative reviews with good comments and helpful options.

Why Choose Naked Wines?


Naked Wines supports small wineries by letting them focus on what they do best - making top-quality wine. With this company, you're not getting a wine subscription with wines you'll find in every grocery store, you're getting interesting and different wines from small makers and the chance to broaden your tastebuds' horizons.

There's a good range of wines, with many award winners available, and different buying options available:

    If you just want to buy wine, when you like, you can visit the shop and do that.
    You can join their wine club and have a selection sent each month (our staff pick!)
    Or you can become an Angel and pay a wine subscription to help growing winemakers build their businesses while receiving a host of perks.

Finally, if you love going to bat for the little guy, Naked Wines is the wine club to choose. Not only do they support small winemakers to get started and to experiment with new flavors and blends to bring fresh choices to the market, but they currently have a program to support the smaller winemakers who have been affected by the pandemic. With so many bars and restaurants closed for lockdown, winemakers have struggled, and Naked Wines has put aside five million pounds to help, buying the entire stock of wines that would have been bought by restaurants so wineries could keep going. They also have a charitable trust that works in local communities. They've fed children, supported wine-making areas affected by fires, and more, giving you the ‘tastes good and feels good' factor missing from some competitors.

Final Thoughts


Naked Wines offers a great range of quality wines at a good price for wine fans who like to try something different. Add in the feel-good story of supporting wine makers to grow and try new blends, and there's more to this company than just a wine club.

Pros & Cons


Pros
  Great selection of wines from small makers that you won't find in big stores

  A reasonable price range, from around $12 a bottle up to $60 a bottle

  Angel-only selections and the chance to meet winemakers at private tastings (among other perks)

  Adjustable bottle # and delivery frequency

  Excellent Customer Happiness team is quick to provide refunds or redeliveries

Cons
  To use your $100 off voucher, you will still need to pay for $60 of wine

  Support is only available Monday to Friday

MORE INFO
$100 off any case of 6 wines
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