Bright Cellars has a focused, yet simple goal in mind: the complete democratization of the centuries-old wine world. This wine subscription box club service wants to break down the barriers between casual wine enthusiasts and the wines they’d really like.
After a quick assessment test to identify a member’s particular wine palette, Bright Cellars follows up with six curated wine selections delivered right to the subscriber’s door.
The package includes extras like wine education cards, featuring information to help decode the mystery of each wine, better inform drinkers so they’re smarter about their next purchase, and generally open up the insular world of oenophilia to the masses.
BACKGROUND: WINE DONE YOUR WAY
Bright Cellars curates wines from around the world, unearthing hidden gems from all corners of the world. From tiny vineyards to some of the world’s most popular vintners, Bright Cellars’ selections include creations from Italy, Spain, Portugal, South America, as well as the U.S.
After being sampled by their expert team of in-house sommeliers, only 1 in 12 wines tasted earns the Bright Cellar’s seal of approval and joins their elite monthly collections.
For members, it all begins with a 30-second, 7-question wine quiz. Crafted to inspire and educate a new generation of wine lovers, that taste profile matches members with wines based on their food and lifestyle preferences.
Based on those results, members are offered a collection of wines suited to those desires. And membership certainly has its privileges — as drinkers rate wines they receive, the algorithm learns and pairs members with better and better selections each time.
Of course, while Bright Cellars learns about its members, they’re also hoping members are learning from Bright Cellars. That education features the cards inserted into each shipment, including detailed information about the included wine, describing the growing region, tasting notes, serving temperatures, food pairings and more.
ANALYSIS: THE SCIENCE OF THE WINE TAKES OVER
While preferences and interpretations of each wine are obviously subjective, the work of Bright Cellars isn’t completely based on opinion or even the expertise of its sommelier superstars.
The company’s Bright Points algorithm was created by a pair of MIT grads who also happened to be wine lovers, charting and comparing 18 different wine attributes to best match a particular bottle to their most receptive audience.
Of course, not everything is left up to the computer. In fact, members can offer plenty of their own direction in settling on the future selections. That can include changing the number of reds or whites each member receives if they happen to be a seasonal drinker.
It can also be shifted on the fly if a matched bottle doesn’t turn out to be a winner for the member. A quick connection with the Bright Cellars concierge can not only help avoid that situation from happening again, but they’ll also send out a replacement bottle in the next month’s shipment. Speaking of which, each shipment is sent on its side rather than vertically, which keeps the cork moist and your wines fresh.
The Concierge Service isn’t just a complaint desk, however. Members can also connect with those trained experts to place custom orders, answer wine questions, and adjust accounts. Concierges even sit for wine education classes with Bright Cellar’s sommeliers, so they definitely know their stuff.
Members also get access to exclusive premium wines from select private labels to further broaden the elite wine experience.
OUTLOOK: TRY IT
Trying out Bright Cellars for the first time is as simple as it sounds. Just take the quiz, become a member and users will immediately earn 50 percent off their first six-bottle Bright Cellars box. That’s a $45 value.
Prices subject to change.
This is a sponsored post written by an affiliate partner, and not necessarily the views of The Debrief’s editorial team.