Anyone belong to a wine club?

[cantdrv55]

Tell me about it please. Worth the money? Good wines? Great deals on other stuff? What else to consider when selecting a club? Thanks.

[ErVikingo]

Did for a while. 90% of the stuff they sent was undrinkable ( to my palate anyway). There were various which were just spectacular.

Decided to save my money and trust my friend's recommendations.

[RWebb]

find a good wine shop locally and talk to a knowledgable employee

if you are off in the hinterlands somewhere (which is where they make great wines -- in France & Italy), then you might join a 'club' at K&L ( a major Calif. importer)

[Don Plumley]

The allure of the wine club (and I presume you are talking about general clubs as opposed to a winery specific club) is that they have "special finds" you can't get elsewhere.

Think about that. If the wine is really that wonderful, the theory is the winery should be selling all/most of their wines without being lumped in a grab basket of wines that are looking for a home. However, I will say that as RWebb pointed out, K&L, like many good speciality wine stores have a decent offering. Kermit Lynch (in your general neighborhood) has the single most outstanding regular purchase program (there is not a bad wine in the place) and is worth checking out.

I also agree that a good local retailer is your best avenue. Don't fall for the WSJ wine club, et al.

More to the the point, the deal sites that sell "special selections" of wines at a discount/spot buy? Many banks will call the loan/line of credit on a winery they underwrite if they find the wines on a daily deal site - it causes the value of the wine to decline so much.

[Seabear]

^^^^^ +1
Get to know a local retailer, educate yourself to know what wines/regions you like, set your budget (with some work you can find tasty wines in all budget ranges, $$$ don't necessarily equal tasty), keep track of the wines you like to try on-going vintages, enjoy the journey.

[RWebb]

Originally Posted by Don Plumley

... Kermit Lynch (in your general neighborhood) ...

what???

he's famous - and he imports wines that others don't

no club - just go visit his store

[DByers]

I belong to two local wineries as I have found that the wine maker at these two wineries crawled inside my head and figured out what I really enjoy. Plus they are very small production wineries and this guarantees me some of their wine every release.

Beyond that like others have mentioned I have become very familiar with a few local retailers who know my taste and budget. So much so they will call or email me when they come across something they know I would like.

Lastly I live in area that produces some great fruit and has lots of up and coming wine makers so I find myself frequently tasting in the area with friends.

I do not and have not ever belonged to a large wine club. It works for some people, just not me.

[JTO]

Being in the Rogue Valley, surrounded by excellent vineyards and wine makers, we are members at Roxy Ann and Troon. Mainly because we get free tastings, special events, and offers. We like several of their wines and they are nice places to hang out after work.
Troy

[Don Plumley]

Originally Posted by RWebb

what???

he's famous - and he imports wines that others don't

no club - just go visit his store

Kermit is single-handedly responsible for things like refrigerated transport across the sea, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Bandol, bringing Rosé back, etc.

In addition to an amazing Burgundy list, we buy their Rhones for daily drinkers. Amazing wines. And they do have a wine of the month/something club - just a selection that shows up at your door. The newsletter always has a sample pack of great wines at a fair discount as well. Plus Acme Bread is in the same parking lot. Go! (ask for Steve Waters)

[berettafan]

Every time I consider it I come to the same conclusion.

Better off buying random mixed cases at a large local store.

Now, if a wine club were to provide wines by region and make an honest effort to provide good names i'd be very interested. Could be a great opportunity to learn new areas and possibly pick up yet another expensive habit.

[vash]

living where we live, i think this is not money well spent. like don, on a whim..(usually buzzed) i have joined a couple of smaller outfits and enjoyed the experience. nice way to get stuff that usually sells out.

[ckissick]

Wouldn't that be PARF? Oh, wait. I thought you said whine club.

[cantdrv55]

Thanks for the advice everyone. Wifey and I are going to check out Kermit's store in Berkeley.

[Jeff Alton]

I frequent a few boutique shops and get to know the staff. Have had few misses on their recommendations based on just chatting with them.

Have several friends that I trade bottles with and with whom we share recommendations.

The most important thing is that you get to try wines that you like, not wines other people may like. If you spend a bit of time with a good rep/consultant discussing your likes, they should point you in the right direction.

cheers

[glewis80SC]

Yes, small vineyard in Temecula. Great wine..great people. I only have a quarterly shipment of a few bottles. We usually drive down and pick it up, have some free tastings enjoy one of the bottles, a little cheese and a stogie. Worth the money to me.
Use to be member of Firestone, they were great too, friendly, great wine..when they sold it all changed, I canceled.