As an early Mother’s Day treat for myself (coupled with a little bit of quarantine boredom), I decided to finally try a wine club subscription. I’ve been tempted by them in the past, but didn’t see a reason to subscribe if I can pick up a bottle every week on my grocery run. But now with food and other essentials taking priority in my shopping cart, I’ve been buying less alcohol over all (which is great!). But sometimes I just need a glass of wine.

So that’s what I decided to treat myself with Vinebox because their wine comes in single-pour glass vials. As a single drinker in my household, committing to a whole bottle of wine solo means drinking for a couple days in a row or risk the wine going bad. Yes I’ve tried other methods like the Coravin (which is pricey, but worth it if you can swing it), as well as the good ‘old wine saver pump (which works well if you plan to finish the bottle the next day). But sometimes you just want one glass with a meal and that’s it. So that’s why Vinebox is so great. Each quarterly shipment comes with 9 single glass pours in nitrogen sealed glass vials (which should last 3 years unopened). And each tasting is specially curated from mostly international wines (something I don’t usually try out when I buy a whole bottle—I usually stick with my favorite California wines). There’s a fun booklet with tasting notes and fun pairing suggestions.

Each pour is about a half glass which is more than a traditional tasting but less than a full glass. Out of the 9 wines, I really liked 3 of them but didn’t dislike any (some were just more memorable than others). Surprisingly one of the ones I ended up liking was a white wine, which I normally don’t buy because I usually always prefer a red. I very much enjoyed the experience of the whole box and was sad when I drank my last one. But I treated myself to a year subscription so I can luckily look forward to the next box that comes in the June, featuring wines perfect for the summer.

I think this makes a great gift for a solo drinker or someone who wants to start training their palate without committing to becoming an alcoholic lol. You can buy a one time box or a subscription as a gift for someone or for yourself.