Skip to main content

The Manual may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

Get Naked with Independent Winemakers with NakedWines Delivery Kit

Just as there are craft breweries and distilleries that produce smaller amounts of spirits, there are also small-production wineries that, unless you are living in the immediate area of the vineyard, you will most likely never hear about.

NakedWines.com,

a wine delivery service, is on a mission to change that by working with independent winemakers to showcase their wines to a global audience. To do this, they work with “Angels,” investors who make a $40 contribution each month to help support the winemakers. Since launching in the United Kingdom in 2008, NakedWines.com (thanks to the Angels) has invested in 159 independent winemakers in 14 countries.

Through the site, NakedWines.com allows users to purchase wines from these independent winemakers based on previous user rankings or by choosing a pre-selected box that is made by the company. This is not a subscription service, as there are no monthly or quarterly deliveries. Instead, it functions as a normal marketplace, but with a very specific focus.

Naked Wines
NakedWines.com

The Basics

Price: Varies according to the wines you pick. Some six-bottle cases are as low as $70 while other cases are as much as $360 or more.

Recommended Videos

Shipping: Mainland U.S. orders under $100 are $10. Delivery is included in purchases over $100, except in New Jersey ($20 flat), Hawaii ($130), and Alaska ($70).

Frequency: As often as you want.

Options: Red, white, or mixed cases (which can include rosé and sparkling).

Exclusive Bonus Offer: Receive $50 off a $100 box with the code

AWIN50

or receive $100 off a $160 box with the code

AWIN100.

Review

Upon visiting NakedWines.com for the first time, you’re given an offer for 12 bottles of wine (“to get you hooked”) and a $100 coupon code, plus an Angel discount. This brings your first box down to around $90 (or $7.50 per bottle). For 12 bottles of what is essentially harder-to-find wine, this is not a bad deal and it is certainly a good way to pull you in. From there, you need to select what you want — reds, whites, or a mix — and simply head to check out.

This is most likely the last time you’ll get this sort of deal, but as an introduction to the service, again, it’s a hell of a steal. You can preview the wines in the cases before you buy, so if you’re unsure if the whites in your case are what you’re looking for, you can go for the all-red box instead, for example.

NakedWines.com

Once the introductory box is out of the way, you’re able to start experimenting a little more. There are a couple different filters on the NakedWines.com site which help narrow down your future selections. First, you can do it without thinking at all by selecting one of the boxes curated by the site. Or, if you want more of an active role in your wine choice, you can filter by user rating or by grape type. If you rate the wines you’ve been sent, NakedWines.com also can use that to suggest future selections. If none of those methods seem to be working, you can call them and they will help you choose.

The prices of some of the cases may seem steep, but if you are one of the site’s Angels, those prices are reduced to a significant extent. To be an Angel, you invest $40 a month; in turn, you gain access to exclusive wines at prices that are 40% to 60% off retail. Unfortunately, there is currently a waitlist to be an Angel. You can put your name on that

list here.

An interesting detail about the wines: the labels on each bottle feature snippets of stories from the winemakers themselves. Whether they’re explaining their history or simply thanking the Angels, it adds a nice personal touch to the bottle.

Overall, NakedWines.com is a good way to try out-of-reach wines. Too often, even in the best of wine stores, you won’t necessarily find small, independent growers. This service circumvents that and opens up new wine avenues to explore. The most beneficial way to use NakedWines.com is to be an Angel, thanks to the deep discounts, but it is still worthwhile trying a box or two waiting for the list to open up.

Remember to receive $50 off a $100 box with the code

AWIN50

or receive $100 off a $160 box with the code

AWIN100.

Sam Slaughter
Sam Slaughter was the Food and Drink Editor for The Manual. Born and raised in New Jersey, he’s called the South home for…
Gather (most of) a pour-over coffee system for $116 at Amazon
The Hario V60 Ceramic Coffee Dripper on a white background.

Have you been looking for coffee maker deals and thinking you’d prefer to create your own full pour-over system? Right now, Amazon has the deals for you, with great discounts on a coffee dripper and an electric gooseneck kettle. We’ll take a look at how each works separately, but you can combine them to make most of a full pour-over system. All you need to do is add some filters and you can start making some great blends, like the Cafe Grumpy festive coffee that’s available right now. If you still need to learn what pour-over coffee is, we can help you with that too. Here’s a look at the deals involved.
Hario V60 Ceramic Coffee Dripper -- $27 $30 12% off

If you’re learning all about how to make pour over coffee, you know how vital a coffee dripper is. The Hario V60 Ceramic Coffee Dripper is specially designed to produce an evenly brewed cup of coffee. It’s made from durable Japanese ceramic so it retains heat to ensure a balanced temperature throughout the brewing cycle. It has a minimalist look with a single large hole, which improves pour flow and provides you plenty of choice: Pour quickly for a light flavor or more slowly for a rich and deep taste. If you’ve been studying the differences between pour over and drip coffee, you’ll soon see what a world of difference a good coffee dripper makes.

Read more
Can you make great coffee in a single serve? Klatch Coffee’s answer
Is there a better option than K-Cups?
Crazy Goat coffee

While K-Cups can be appealing to coffee drinkers who value convenience at home or in the office, they're not the right choice for everyone. Although it's a fast and easy way to prepare a single cup of coffee, there are a few downsides to the system — namely that K-cup pods can be difficult to recycle (and while refillable pods exist, that depends on the user choosing that option, which isn't always a given considering quick and convenient are two of the main appeals of the system). We interviewed Klatch Coffee's expert roaster, Heather Perry, to learn more about the specialty roaster's approach to single-serve coffee.
Klatch Coffee's single-serve coffee alternatives

Klatch Coffee's single-serving Bruvi pods make it easy to enjoy high-quality, specialty coffee wherever you are. The brand has partnered with a few select providers who share their vision, one of which is Bruvi.
"Bruvi is an improved pod coffee system with a couple of unique features," Perry said. "First is taste and quality; the proprietary brewing system brews to the same high standards as specialty coffee roasters like Klatch Coffee, including adjusting the brewing parameters to match our brewing recipe. That’s why premium coffee from roasters like Klatch is offered on the Bruvi platform. Second, Bruvi’s B-Pods are enzyme-infused and designed to be tossed in the trash, making them guilt-free. B-Pods degrade faster in the landfill without leaving microplastics behind."
It’s also worth noting that for coffee drinkers who only want a single cup at a time, single-serve brewing can be more efficient on resources like water, coffee, and energy. Pre-portioned coffee doesn’t spill, and machines only heat the water needed for a single cup. There’s no waste from discarding leftover coffee from a large pot.

Read more
Canadian whisky deserves a spot in your home bar (and these are our favorites)
Canada is home to countless, memorable whiskies
A bottle of whiskey with two glasses of whiskey

If you're a fan of whiskey and you haven't branched out into Canadian whisky (unlike the US, Ireland, and Mexico, Canada omits the 'e' in whiskey), you're missing out on some special expressions. Whether you enjoy blended whisky, spicy rye, or other types of whisky, Canada has something for every palate.

Sure, Crown Royal and Canadian Club might be the most well-known names, but many more noteworthy whiskies from our friendly neighbors to the north are absolutely worth adding to your home bar cart.
Our favorite Canadian whiskies

Read more