Winc launched in 2011 as Club W, founded by Brian Smith, Geoff McFarlane, Mark Thomas Lynn and Xander Oxman around a simple idea: have new customers answer a short quiz about what flavors they like, build a taste profile from the answers, and ship bottles matched to it each month. It rebranded as Winc in 2016 and shifted over time from curating other producers' wines toward developing its own labels with partner winemakers. The company went public in November 2021 and filed for Chapter 11 a year later, with its assets subsequently sold; the club itself never stopped shipping and continues to operate. Memberships run in six- and twelve-bottle formats, and wine packs can also be bought without joining.