Developer docs
API playgroundTry for free, no card

Search company profiles

Wines and Wings

Full company profile

uuid003p1qe

Namestring
Wines and Wings
Legal namestring
Wines and Wings
Websiteurl
winesandwings.com
Company typeenum
Private
Founded yearint
2019
Descriptiontext

Wines and Wings is a privately held, founder-owned wine merchant headquartered in Malawi that sells curated South African artisanal wines to Malawian consumers. The company, led by Founder & CEO Mike Varndell and Founding Partner Lotte Varndell – van Rooij, operates a direct-to-consumer e-commerce storefront on winesandwings.com supplemented by home delivery to Lilongwe and Blantyre with scheduled delivery dates, and it serves an estimated horizontal segment of quality-conscious individual wine consumers (no SMB or enterprise tier was disclosed).

The core product surface consists of a WordPress-based online shop with shopping cart and checkout, a curated catalog of 223+ wines from South African estates across red, white, rosé, sparkling, and dessert categories (with Vivino ratings of 3.0+), companion wine-education content under the Wine Club (Know Your Wines, Grape Types), a pricelist and special-offers page, and an adjacent 'Gins' category. Distribution is single-channel and domestic: orders are taken online and fulfilled via internal delivery, with no third-party marketplace, retail, or wholesale channel disclosed.

The business model is fundamentally one-time direct retail of imported alcoholic beverages priced per bottle in Malawian Kwacha (MK35,000 to MK370,000+ per bottle), with no stated subscription fee or membership charge and no institutional or venture funding. Revenue is therefore constrained to gross merchandise value minus cost of imported inventory and last-mile logistics, gated by Malawi's relatively small addressable consumer base in two cities and a ~10-person operating team.

Short descriptiontext

Wines and Wings is a Malawi-based, founder-owned direct-to-consumer wine merchant selling curated South African artisanal wines through an online shop with home delivery in Lilongwe and Blantyre, serving quality-conscious individual wine consumers.

Operating statusenum
Operating
Ownership categoryenum
Headcount rangeband
51–100
akta.pro rankint
HeadquartersLilongwe, Malawi
HQ citystring
Lilongwe
HQ countrystring
Malawi
HQ regionstring
Africa
Markets served

Serves global market

Offices1 record

Each record includes

City, Country, Type, Description, Source

Keyword5 values
online wine retail, South African wines, home delivery service, wine club membership, artisanal wine merchant
Industry2 codes
1Wine Retail (Bottle Shops & Wine Merchants)
CodeCRANABABPrimaryYes
2Alcohol Subscription & Wine Clubs (Retail)
CodeCRANABAFPrimaryNo
NAICS code2 codes
  • Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers445320
  • Wine and Distilled Alcoholic Beverage Merchant Wholesalers42482
Product category
Online Wine Retail
Social media profiles1 record
GTM motion1 record

Each record includes

Type, Description, Source

Revenue model1 record
1Wine and Alcohol Product Sales
TypeOne Time License
Description

Direct retail sales of curated South African wines, gins, and other alcoholic beverages through e-commerce platform with home delivery in Malawi. One-time transaction model per purchase with repeat customer potential.

winesandwings.com
Marketing channels3 records

Each record includes

Title, Type, Stage, Description, Source

Distribution channels1 record

Each record includes

Title, Type, Scope, Target buyer, Description, Source

Cost components5 values
Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Pricing details1 tier
1Per-bottle unit pricing across wine categories
ModelUnit PricingBilling cadencePay-as-you-go
Notes

Wine prices range from approximately MK35,000 to MK370,000+ per bottle. Examples include Scavi & Ray Prosecco at MK90,000, various South African reds from MK42,000 to MK180,000, and premium selections exceeding MK200,000.

winesandwings.com
GTM typeB2C
B2C
Offering typeServices
Services
Core offering1 text field

Wines and Wings is a Malawian direct-to-consumer wine merchant that imports and retails a curated portfolio of South African artisanal wines through an e-commerce storefront with home delivery service across Lilongwe and Blantyre. The business operates a Wine Club membership program, wine education content, and serves customers with scheduled delivery dates and per-bottle unit pricing in Malawian Kwacha.

Differentiator
Functional benefit
Problem solved
Product overview1 text field

Wines & Wings is a Malawian wine merchant offering an e-commerce platform for South African artisanal wines with home delivery service in Malawi (Lilongwe and Blantyre). The core offering includes an online shop with shopping cart and checkout functionality, complemented by a Wine Club membership program featuring curated selections and wine education content. Their product portfolio spans red wines (Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinotage, Sangiovese, Zinfandel, Red Blends), white wines (Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Semillon, Pinot Grigio), rosé wines, sparkling wines (Prosecco, MCC), and dessert wines. Featured South African wine brands include Oldenburg Vineyards, Paul Wallace, Bosman, IDIOM, Cederberg, Ken Forrester, Benguela Cove, Springfontein, Thelema, and Vondeling. The company emphasizes unique artisanal wines from small wineries, with products carrying Vivino ratings.

Product and service13 records
1Wines & Wings Online Shop
CategoryE-commerce Retail Platform
2Wine Club
CategoryMembership Program
3Wine Home Delivery Service
CategoryDelivery Service
4OLDENBURG VINEYARDS Syrah
CategoryRed Wine
5PAUL WALLACE OFF THE RECORD Syrah
CategoryRed Wine
6JEAN ROI CAP PROVINCIAL Rosé
CategoryRosé Wine
7BOSMAN NERO Rosé
CategoryRosé Wine
8IDIOM Zinfandel (Primitivo)
CategoryRed Wine
9CEDERBERG Cabernet Sauvignon
CategoryRed Wine
10KEN FORRESTER Petit Chardonnay
CategoryWhite Wine
11VONDELING Sauvignon Blanc
CategoryWhite Wine
12THELEMA MUSCAT LATE HARVEST Vin De Hel
CategoryDessert Wine
13WHALEHAVEN Cabernet Franc
CategoryRed Wine
Scale indicator2 records

Each record includes

Type, Value, Description, Source

Partnership1 partner
1South African Wineries (Various)
Strategic tierCoreTypeOthers
Description

Supplier partnerships with numerous South African wineries including Scavi & Ray, Benguela Cove, Brookdale, Bosman, Jean Roi, Paul Wallace, Oldenburg Vineyards, Cederberg, Vondeling, Idiom, Ken Forrester, Mitre's Edge, Warwick, and many others representing South African wine terroir.

winesandwings.com
Recent move5 records

Each record includes

Date, Type, Title, Description, Source

Expansion highlight4 records

Each record includes

Type, Description

Peers10 records
1Drizly
TypeBroad incumbent
Description

US alcohol e-commerce and delivery platform owned by Uber. Comparable DTC alcohol-delivery mechanics but covers all alcohol categories and operates far more broadly than Wines & Wings' wine-focused niche.

2Naked Wines
TypeDirect peer
Description

Online wine retailer built around independent/artisanal producers and a subscription-style funding model. Strongly comparable to Wines & Wings' emphasis on small, artisanal South African estates rather than mass-market labels.

3Vivino
TypeOthers
Description

Global wine-rating and discovery app that Wines & Wings uses as a trust signal (3.0+ Vivino filter on every SKU). Not a direct competitor but an ecosystem dependency and an adjacent DTC wine commerce play.

4ReserveBar
TypeDirect peer
Description

Online premium-spirits and wine retailer with gifting and home delivery. Comparable premium-positioned alcohol e-commerce model and curated-assortment merchandising approach.

5CyberCellar
TypeRegional player
Description

Prominent South African online wine retailer. Highly comparable curated-assortment and home-delivery model, and is also a key supplier-adjacent reference point for Wines & Wings' South African-sourcing strategy.

6Winc
TypeDirect peer
Description

Online wine subscription club that curates wines for members. Mirrors Wines & Wings' Wine Club and curated-selection positioning, making it the closest analog for the membership-driven half of the business.

7Yuppiechef
TypeRegional player
Description

South African premium online retailer of food, wine, and lifestyle products with home delivery. Comparable curated premium e-commerce model and home-delivery operations in Southern Africa.

8Wine.com
TypeDirect peer
Description

Largest online wine retailer in the US. Directly comparable DTC e-commerce model with shopping cart, broad curated portfolio, and home delivery — same core operating model as Wines & Wings, just at much larger scale.

9Total Wine & More
TypeBroad incumbent
Description

Largest US specialty retailer of wine, beer, and spirits. Comparable retail format and breadth of assortment but operates as a large omnichannel incumbent rather than a focused DTC wine niche player.

10Cellars Wine Club
TypeDirect peer
Description

Subscription wine club delivering curated, educational selections to members. Mirrors Wines & Wings' Wine Club concept with comparable monthly-curation, education-content, and direct-delivery mechanics.

Market position
Strengths5 records

Each record includes

Headline, Details, Source

Weaknesses5 records

Each record includes

Headline, Details, Source

Competitive moat2 records

Each record includes

Type, Details

Key risks7 records

Each record includes

Headline, Details, Source

Key highlights7 records

Each record includes

Headline, Details, Source

Customer concentration

Classification, Details

Segment1 record

Each record includes

Title, Type, Primary, Description, Pain point addressed, Use case, Source

Ideal customer profile1 record

Each record includes

Profile, Firmographic size, Sales motion, Sales cycle length, Buying structure, Purchase trigger, Buyer persona, Geography, Industry vertical, Primary use case, Description, Pain points, Evidence proof points, Target buyer

Technology focused
No
API detail
Has APIbool
No

Docs URL, Description

AI maturity
App detail

Has app

Core technology
Revenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Number of profiles
Profiles7 records

Each record includes

Name, Designation, Designation category, Overview, Profile commentary, Source

No data
No data
Funding overview

Funding stage, Last funding date, Total funding USD

Funding rounds

Each record includes

Round, Amount USD, Date, Pre money valuation, Total investors, Investors, News

Investors

Each record includes

Name, Type, Date of entry, Rounds participated, Website

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Each record includes

Name, Acquisition type, Announced date, Completed date, Status, Website, News

Investment

Each record includes

Name, Round, Announced date, Lead investor, Website, News

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Wines and Wings

Online Wine Retailwinesandwings.com

Wines and Wings is a Malawi-based, founder-owned direct-to-consumer wine merchant selling curated South African artisanal wines through an online shop with home delivery in Lilongwe and Blantyre, serving quality-conscious individual wine consumers.

What Wines and Wings does

Wines and Wings is a privately held, founder-owned wine merchant headquartered in Malawi that sells curated South African artisanal wines to Malawian consumers. The company, led by Founder & CEO Mike Varndell and Founding Partner Lotte Varndell – van Rooij, operates a direct-to-consumer e-commerce storefront on winesandwings.com supplemented by home delivery to Lilongwe and Blantyre with scheduled delivery dates, and it serves an estimated horizontal segment of quality-conscious individual wine consumers (no SMB or enterprise tier was disclosed).

The core product surface consists of a WordPress-based online shop with shopping cart and checkout, a curated catalog of 223+ wines from South African estates across red, white, rosé, sparkling, and dessert categories (with Vivino ratings of 3.0+), companion wine-education content under the Wine Club (Know Your Wines, Grape Types), a pricelist and special-offers page, and an adjacent 'Gins' category. Distribution is single-channel and domestic: orders are taken online and fulfilled via internal delivery, with no third-party marketplace, retail, or wholesale channel disclosed.

The business model is fundamentally one-time direct retail of imported alcoholic beverages priced per bottle in Malawian Kwacha (MK35,000 to MK370,000+ per bottle), with no stated subscription fee or membership charge and no institutional or venture funding. Revenue is therefore constrained to gross merchandise value minus cost of imported inventory and last-mile logistics, gated by Malawi's relatively small addressable consumer base in two cities and a ~10-person operating team.

Wines and Wings firmographics

Firmographics
Name
Wines and Wings
Legal name
Wines and Wings
Website
https://winesandwings.com
Company type
Private
Founded year
2019
Operating status
Operating
Headcount range
51–100 employees
Short description
Wines and Wings is a Malawi-based, founder-owned direct-to-consumer wine merchant selling curated South African artisanal wines through an online shop with home delivery in Lilongwe and Blantyre, serving quality-conscious individual wine consumers.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

Wines and Wings industry classification

Industry
Product category
Online Wine Retail
NAICS
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers (445320), Wine and Distilled Alcoholic Beverage Merchant Wholesalers (42482)
akta.pro primary industry
Wine Retail (Bottle Shops & Wine Merchants) (CRANABAB)
akta.pro secondary industry
Alcohol Subscription & Wine Clubs (Retail) (CRANABAF)

Keywords

  • Online wine retail
  • South African wines
  • Home delivery service
  • Wine club membership
  • Artisanal wine merchant

Where Wines and Wings is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city
Lilongwe
HQ country
Malawi
HQ region
Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

Wines and Wings business model

Business model
GTM type
B2C
Offering type
Services
Cost components
Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

  1. Wine and Alcohol Product Sales: Direct retail sales of curated South African wines, gins, and other alcoholic beverages through e-commerce platform with home delivery in Malawi. One-time transaction model per purchase with repeat customer potential.

Pricing tiers

ModelBillingPrice
Unit PricingPay-as-you-goPer-bottle unit pricing across wine categories

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Wines and Wings product offering

Product offering

Core offering

Wines and Wings is a Malawian direct-to-consumer wine merchant that imports and retails a curated portfolio of South African artisanal wines through an e-commerce storefront with home delivery service across Lilongwe and Blantyre. The business operates a Wine Club membership program, wine education content, and serves customers with scheduled delivery dates and per-bottle unit pricing in Malawian Kwacha.

Product overview

Wines & Wings is a Malawian wine merchant offering an e-commerce platform for South African artisanal wines with home delivery service in Malawi (Lilongwe and Blantyre). The core offering includes an online shop with shopping cart and checkout functionality, complemented by a Wine Club membership program featuring curated selections and wine education content. Their product portfolio spans red wines (Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinotage, Sangiovese, Zinfandel, Red Blends), white wines (Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Semillon, Pinot Grigio), rosé wines, sparkling wines (Prosecco, MCC), and dessert wines. Featured South African wine brands include Oldenburg Vineyards, Paul Wallace, Bosman, IDIOM, Cederberg, Ken Forrester, Benguela Cove, Springfontein, Thelema, and Vondeling. The company emphasizes unique artisanal wines from small wineries, with products carrying Vivino ratings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

  • Wines & Wings Online Shop
  • Wine Club
  • Wine Home Delivery Service
  • OLDENBURG VINEYARDS Syrah
  • PAUL WALLACE OFF THE RECORD Syrah
  • JEAN ROI CAP PROVINCIAL Rosé
  • BOSMAN NERO Rosé
  • IDIOM Zinfandel (Primitivo)
  • CEDERBERG Cabernet Sauvignon
  • KEN FORRESTER Petit Chardonnay
  • VONDELING Sauvignon Blanc
  • THELEMA MUSCAT LATE HARVEST Vin De Hel
  • WHALEHAVEN Cabernet Franc

Companies that use Wines and Wings

Customer profile

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Wines and Wings technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API
No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Wines and Wings partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

  • South African Wineries (Various)coreOthersSupplier partnerships with numerous South African wineries including Scavi & Ray, Benguela Cove, Brookdale, Bosman, Jean Roi, Paul Wallace, Oldenburg Vineyards, Cederberg, Vondeling, Idiom, Ken Forrester, Mitre's Edge, Warwick, and many others representing South African wine terroir.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Wines and Wings competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Broad incumbents

  • Drizly: US alcohol e-commerce and delivery platform owned by Uber. Comparable DTC alcohol-delivery mechanics but covers all alcohol categories and operates far more broadly than Wines & Wings' wine-focused niche.
  • Total Wine & More: Largest US specialty retailer of wine, beer, and spirits. Comparable retail format and breadth of assortment but operates as a large omnichannel incumbent rather than a focused DTC wine niche player.

Direct peers

  • Naked Wines: Online wine retailer built around independent/artisanal producers and a subscription-style funding model. Strongly comparable to Wines & Wings' emphasis on small, artisanal South African estates rather than mass-market labels.
  • ReserveBar: Online premium-spirits and wine retailer with gifting and home delivery. Comparable premium-positioned alcohol e-commerce model and curated-assortment merchandising approach.
  • Winc: Online wine subscription club that curates wines for members. Mirrors Wines & Wings' Wine Club and curated-selection positioning, making it the closest analog for the membership-driven half of the business.
  • Wine.com: Largest online wine retailer in the US. Directly comparable DTC e-commerce model with shopping cart, broad curated portfolio, and home delivery — same core operating model as Wines & Wings, just at much larger scale.
  • Cellars Wine Club: Subscription wine club delivering curated, educational selections to members. Mirrors Wines & Wings' Wine Club concept with comparable monthly-curation, education-content, and direct-delivery mechanics.

Others

  • Vivino: Global wine-rating and discovery app that Wines & Wings uses as a trust signal (3.0+ Vivino filter on every SKU). Not a direct competitor but an ecosystem dependency and an adjacent DTC wine commerce play.

Regional players

  • CyberCellar: Prominent South African online wine retailer. Highly comparable curated-assortment and home-delivery model, and is also a key supplier-adjacent reference point for Wines & Wings' South African-sourcing strategy.
  • Yuppiechef: South African premium online retailer of food, wine, and lifestyle products with home delivery. Comparable curated premium e-commerce model and home-delivery operations in Southern Africa.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Wines and Wings social profiles

Digital presence

Wines and Wings financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Wines and Wings leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Wines and Wings funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Wines and Wings M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Wines and Wings

What does Wines and Wings do?

Wines and Wings is a Malawian direct-to-consumer wine merchant that imports and retails a curated portfolio of South African artisanal wines through an e-commerce storefront with home delivery service across Lilongwe and Blantyre. The business operates a Wine Club membership program, wine education content, and serves customers with scheduled delivery dates and per-bottle unit pricing in Malawian Kwacha.

Is Wines and Wings a public or private company?

Wines and Wings is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.

When was Wines and Wings founded?

Wines and Wings was founded in 2019. It employs 51 to 100 people.

Where is Wines and Wings based?

Wines and Wings is headquartered in Lilongwe, Malawi, in the Africa region.

How does Wines and Wings make money?

One revenue line is on record: wine and Alcohol Product Sales.

Who are Wines and Wings's main competitors?

Broad incumbents on record are Drizly and Total Wine & More. Direct peers are Naked Wines, ReserveBar, Winc, Wine.com and Cellars Wine Club. Vivino is listed as an others. Regional players are CyberCellar and Yuppiechef.

Does Wines and Wings have an API?

No public API is recorded for Wines and Wings.

What industry is Wines and Wings in?

Wines and Wings's product category is Online Wine Retail. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRANABAB, Wine Retail (Bottle Shops & Wine Merchants), with a secondary code of CRANABAF, Alcohol Subscription & Wine Clubs (Retail). Its NAICS code is 445320.

Unlock the full company data

50 free credits on sign-up, no credit card required.

Contact sales