WINE IS IN SERIOUS NEED OF A RESET
- Subscriptions that prioritise margin, not magic.
- Bottles that taste manufactured, not made.
- Wine bores who exclude instead of invite.
We felt this. Because wine should feel like a passport, not an exam.
So we built Ourglass for curious types like us – people who want their Tuesday night glass to take them somewhere new. A window to a winemaker’s world. A story worth sharing.
New adventures in taste. Not 'the fear'.
We invite, not exclude.
Hundreds of curious tasters trust Ourglass to turn intimidation into exploration – no second guessing, no gatekeeping.
Just like that wine mate who always delivers the goods.
We turn confusion into confidence
1. We scout – hidden gems, expertly found
2. You taste – stories prime your senses
3. You become – now you're a 'wine person'
TASTE WHAT YOU'VE BEEN MISSING
Wine’s complicated so most drinkers play it safe. Ourglass helps curious tasters skip straight to the good stuff that the wine lovers enjoy.
Hear from our founder Ben ☞
Rated by industry. Loved by tasters.
'I thoroughly approve of your wine choices.'
Kate Hawkings
Critic for The Guardian, Olive, Telegraph, Independent
It feels like Christmas every time the box turns up, so that's pretty cool. Our friends and neighbours now think of us as 'wine people' which is hilarious given our actual knowledge, but we go along with it. Someone even said the other day: 'is this an Ourglass wine?'
Tom S.
Ourglass member
'Best Subscription Wine Club of the Year. Judges were impressed by the user-friendly and comprehensive nature of the subscription offering, complete with assigned wine professional, videos and various thematic levels.'
Best Subscription Wine Club
Decanter Retailer Awards 🏆🏆🏆
Fantastic subscription, quality better than the wine society I love my Ourglass subscription! We get a sample of high quality wines that are great value for money. The quality is always better than what I would have chosen for myself. I thought I had a good sense of what I like, but Ourglass has introduced me to bottles I wouldn't have chosen and really enjoyed. I cancelled our wine society subscription after a few months of Ourglass boxes and increased the number of bottles we get from Ourglass. It's miles better!
Kelly GS
😍😍😍 Ourglass member 😍😍😍
Beautifully selected exquisite wine for a good price I love how carefully selected the wines are, delivered with information on its taste, origins and food they can be combined with. The wines are always delicious. We are quite picky drinkers yet we’re always amazed, you get so much for your money!
AM
Ourglass member
Very good especially if you want to learn and try interesting wines. The tasting notes are excellent.
Pierre Koffmann
3 Michelin Star Chef
This is a present that goes above and beyond standard alcohol delivery services, and a subscription service so good you might as well put yourself down for a subscription while you're at it.
Daphne Bugler
British GQ
'I thoroughly approve of your wine choices.'
Kate Hawkings
Critic for The Guardian, Olive, Telegraph, Independent
It feels like Christmas every time the box turns up, so that's pretty cool. Our friends and neighbours now think of us as 'wine people' which is hilarious given our actual knowledge, but we go along with it. Someone even said the other day: 'is this an Ourglass wine?'
Tom S.
Ourglass member
What the experts think
"Wine is living. It's food. Someone put a lot of effort into it. We're just lucky to drink it before it turns to vinegar." – Michael Sager, Sager + Wilde |
Watch wine without dogma interview:
Wine Communicator Meets Real-World Curation
Former The Wine Show host Amelia Singer brings her perspective on subscription curation, but her standards are uncompromising. "There are so many wine clubs out there, but I only mention wines I like – I want to sleep at night," she explains in our conversation.
What drew her to Ourglass? "How you link wine to music, art, the zeitgeist. It's fresh, relatable, not patronising. I thought – these are the kind of people I'd actually want to drink with."
How Wine Culture Is Changing
Financial Times food writer Tim Hayward understands how wine learning is evolving. In our conversation at Noble Rot, he explores what happens when we taste together, noting how "the next generation are gonna be drinking wine" differently – fewer magnums, more by-the-glass experimentation. Less prestige, more permission.
Where Good Taste Actually Comes From
For Michael Sager, understanding wine means understanding its foundation. As he notes in our conversation about natural wine and classical training, "The best natural wine people I know all have a classic background. It all came from a classically trained palate. And maybe that's what lets you taste differently. Not better. Just with perspective."
Curious about our approach? Read the Ourglass founder Ben's journey and discover why we believe wine subscriptions should entertain and educate, not just ship.
While wine clubs deliver bottles, we develop palates
Traditional Wine Subscriptions:
- Product-focused delivery
- Generic tasting notes
- Limited producer context
- Algorithm-driven selections
Wine Education Subscriptions:
- Expert-supported curation
- Structured palate development
- Regional discovery journeys spanning regions – Argentina, Austria, Australia, France, Germany, Italy, South Africa, Spain, plus the USA – and varieties.
- Expert pairing guidance
How Wine Learning Actually Works
Think wine education where taste comes first. Each monthly selection includes producer stories, regional context, and practical guidance – from understanding wine styles to matching with your favourite cuisines. It's wine club meets masterclass, minus the pretension.
Why Education Changes Everything
Once you understand what wine labels actually mean and can identify your own palate preferences, wine shopping becomes discovery, not guesswork. That's the philosophy behind Ourglass – pleasure and learning go hand in hand.
How we turn wine beginners into wine experts – taste-first
Whether you're starting with wine fundamentals minus the bollocks or advancing toward genuine expertise, Ourglass maps your discovery journey:
Level 1: Foundation Territory: Master understanding wine styles, varieties and unlock discovering your palate systematically. Essential skills before venturing further.
Level 2: Regional Exploration: Venture into Italian terroir exploration, discover Beaujolais beyond the basics, Spanish hidden gems and beyond. Each region unlocks new frontiers in flavour.
Level 3: Expert Application: Professional matching techniques and label reading mastery. Advanced skills for true wine mastery.
Members who engage with our expert videos and structured learning resources build wine knowledge that lasts beyond the bottle.
Ready to start your adventure? Read why we started this journey and whether wine education subscriptions deliver real value.
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