Are you a wine lover always eager to discover new grapes or a beginner mixologist who wants to know more about spirits? This holiday season, treat yourself to one of these Bay Area-based wine and spirit subscriptions, and never have to leave your house for more booze again.
Subscripion cocktail kit Saloonbox teaches you how to prepare the perfect Bloody Marry or Old Fashioned right in your kitchen. Each month, Saloonbox delivers a box containing two recipes with step-by-step instructions and all the ingredients you need to recreate the cocktails at home. All you have to do is call over a couple of friends. // $38 per month, saloonbox.com
Based in Sonoma County, Winestyr ships the best selection of small production wines from the over 7,000 wineries in the United States right to your door. The start-up is the brainchild of Bob Wilson, a Certified Specialist of Wine (C.S.W.) with more than ten years of wine industry experience. Every month you can pick from 3 to 6 bottles of red, white, rose, or bubbles. Local options include varietals from Soberanes Vineyard, Tallulah Wine, and McFadden Vineyard in Mendocino County. // $75 per shipment, winestyr.com
For nights spent with Netflix, call Vinebox. The start-up offers a monthly subscription of wine by the glass for $35. Yup, gone are the days of drinking whole bottles. Each Vinebox box contains three tasting vials of wine (100ml each) do you can decide what you like. The wines come from world-renowned European vineyards, including ones in France, Spain and Italy. In addition to the high-selection, Vineboc has also found a way to preserve the quality of the grapes despite the open bottle: their patented rebottling technology maintains and protects the taste of the wine, allowing no oxygen to be introduced to the wine. // $35 per box, getvinebox.com
For spirits lovers who are always looking for something new to drink, Flaviar is the best choice. Every month, the start-up creates a tasting box for whiskey, scotch, vodka, or bourbon for its members. The box contains three premium flavors, which are selected by experts and professionals from a database of over 15,000 spirits. The cost of the membership for the first month is $19, the second month is $25. This December, the focus is cognac. // Starts at $19, flaviar.com
Lindsey Andrews and Lara Crystal, friends and ex-classmates with a strong passion for cocktails, wine, and beer have combined their business skills with their love for drinking into Minibar. The start up is based in New York but it has an office in San Francisco. Through the app (iOS and Android) you can order a bottle of whiskey, vodka, Zinfandel, or Heineken from local liquor stores and have it at home in less than an hour. Users and local vendors are connected based on their zip codes, so you can also know which are the most popular bottles in your neighborhood. Price is per the bottle. // minibardelivery.com
