Cameron Hughes Wine Club Subscription Review

Wine subscription services are, on the whole, a fantastic way to treat yourself.

With most versions of a wine subscription, you’ll get scheduled deliveries of wine sent to your home. The selection usually depends on the service—some wine clubs, like Winc, will curate a selection of different brands for you, while others will send you a selection of wine bottled under a single label.

We tried out one of the latter. Cameron Hughes Wine Club is a wine delivery subscription that curates a selection of Cameron Hughes’ wines and sends it monthly or quarterly.

The company actually sources wine from other vineyards through a selection process that allows it to brand the wines as its own, with the intent of offering excellent wine at a more affordable cost.

How does Cameron Hughes Wine Club work?

Cameron Hughes Wine Club provides wine from a wide swath of regions, including Napa, Sonoma, Washington, Oregon, and abroad.

You choose six or 12 bottles per delivery. You can also choose the frequency of your deliveries, either monthly or quarterly.

The shipments include curated wine selections, meaning you won’t personally be choosing the wines that end up in your box. You do, however, get to choose between red or white (or choose “Mixed” to receive some of both). Two bottles of each wine are typically included in every delivery.

Membership in the CHW Club gets you 20% off of any regular orders you place at Cameron Hughes year-round, including your Club shipments. It also grants users early access to extra sales and discounts, promotions, and new releases.

How much does it cost?

The cost ranges from box to box. Cameron Hughes Wines estimates that for six bottles of red wine, you’ll pay $80 to $120; for twelve bottles, $170 to $240. For a mixed box, you’ll pay $80 to $120 for six bottles or $140 to $240 for 12.

For white wines you’ll pay $60 to $80 for six bottles or $120 to $160 for 12. All prices reflect the price before tax, and a 20% discount on retail prices. With every purchase you’ll pay $5 for shipping.

How we tested Cameron Hughes Wine Club

Some product testing is an unmitigated delight to carry out, and testing a wine subscription falls neatly in that category.

To test the service, I signed up for the club and received two consecutive boxes of wine. I went with the mixed box, which delivers a curated variety of red, white, and rosé wines.

The first box came with two bottles of Chardonnay (Lot 863), two bottles of Pinot Noir (Lot 892), and two bottles of Merlot (Lot 886). The second box arrived with two bottles of rosé (Lot 881), two bottles of Sauvignon Blanc (Lot 810), and two bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon (Lot 872).

The second box was delivered in February, so the addition of the rosé seemed intentional for Valentine’s Day.

Each delivery comes with a small insert that recommends you let your bottles sit for five to seven days after they arrive, in order for the wine to “recover” from its journey to you.

If you don’t want to wait, the insert recommends decanting the wine before you drink it. I appreciated this instruction, but I did only notice it after I’d popped open my first bottle—an easy mistake for eager wine drinkers. For the rest of the testing process, I followed the instructions and waited at least a week before trying out the wine.

What we like

There's a wide variety of wines offered

I was impressed with the variety of wines on offer, especially considering the spread over the two deliveries I received. Not only were the wines diverse in terms of flavor profile, they were also widely ranging in their region of origin.

Overall, I enjoyed the second box more (rosé, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon), but that’s because my tastes skew more in the direction of these wines.

The packaging is well-designed

The packaging was barebones, but well-designed and secure, featuring recyclable cardboard inserts that were designed to hold three bottles of wine each, so each bottle was nestled in its own space.

I’ve had wine deliveries in the past that came in tons of unwieldy packaging, so this is a huge perk, especially given that it's a monthly delivery and could end up accumulating a lot of packaging.

The site is easy to navigate

The site is well-organized and makes it easy to find what you’re looking for.

You can view all red wines or white wines on a single page, or quickly skip to just your desired varietal. You can also filter by Best Sellers, Top-Reviewed, Award-Winning Wines, or even Fab Finds for $15 (or less) to find inspiration while shopping for your next fete.

What we don't like

Some bottles are disappointing

My wine habits and tastes vary by season — in the winter I love reaching for a full-bodied red wine, and in the summer and fall I love crisp, natural wines, and pretty much any Russian River Valley white.

Given that, I'm not typically a big Chardonnay drinker, but I am acquainted with the typical flavor profile that skews dry and often oaky. The Cameron Hughes Chardonnay was surprisingly sweet, which didn't represent what I'd expect of a Chardonnay.

Similarly, the Cabernet Sauvignon was light-bodied — even a bit watery — compared to the rich, full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignons I typically drink. It's not to say that either was a bad wine, but they weren't representative of a typical bottle, which may throw off more experienced wine drinkers.

I do think that this is both the delight and the curse of a curated subscription — you may end up with some bottles you don’t love, but you might also find some pleasant surprises.

You can’t skip shipments

A monthly subscription — even if you opt for six bottles — adds up to a lot of wine. While, for some, this may be a perk rather than a downside, I found myself wishing there was a smaller subscription available.

I ended up with a few bottles that were just sitting around post-testing — not a problem, especially since it’s easy to share wine with friends and roommates, but if I lived alone or was just buying for myself I can see wanting something smaller in scale, or going with the quarterly delivery option.

Should you order the Cameron Hughes Wine Club?

Yes, if you’re a regular wine drinker who likes saving money

Cameron Hughes Wine Club is a well-organized and well-priced subscription service that tops others I’ve tried in the past. Barring some confusion over the flavor profiles, I think this is a great vehicle for treating yourself (or someone else) to good wine, especially if interested in expanding your palate or trying new varietals.

Knowing that the delivery process was smooth and well-packaged has actually encouraged me to look to Cameron Hughes Wines in the future if I ever need wine delivered. Join the Cameron Hughes Wine Club