Wine Clubs

and

case closed

Hmmm... both links broke?

make that

.... ( i drink - i don't type)

and alternative link to the former would be

I agree with you in principle, Mike. The issue at hand is whether you are really getting that experience with the wine club you are enrolled in. I had a look at the website for "A Taste of California" and I was disturbed by what I found. They are an operation based in Chicago (not itself a huge problem) that sells wine from CA and elsewhere from producers that I have never heard of. My not having heard of a winery is not in itself a bad thing ;-) but when I find no reference to the wineries on the Web, I tend to get worried that they are selling wine under "fictional" labels.

What I mean by this is that some wine clubs are essentially clearing houses for unsold wine. That can mean either "name brand" wine sold at discount (a potentially good deal) or bulk wine given a fancy label and sold exclusively through the wine club. In that scheme, you are essentially getting "Two Buck Chuck" via a different mechanism -- and at a significantly higher price.

Regarding your larger question: I know of people who are satisfied members of wine clubs, and I also know of three different types of wine clubs. The first type is the kind you belong to, an outfit that finds wines and sells exclusively through a club or on the Internet. A good example of this type (by the reports of several friends) is the California Wine Club

The second type is a club run by a retailer, of which an example is that of Solano Cellars The third type is a wine club offered by a winery. This is often a good way of getting hard-to-get wines from a favorite winery. One of the best examples of this type is Ridge's Advanced Tasting Program IMO, any of the above options would probably give you a better overall exposure to wine than your current club.

HTH Mark Lipton

Mike, What Mark said.

I dn't know Taste of California. But the reality is that even small wineries tend to either have a website or at least some mentions. Like WineExpress.com or others, my guess is these are one-off labels (like 2 Buck Chuck).

Does that mean they're neccessarily bad? No. But clubs that present wines you can't really compare to marketplace are a recipe for allowing unscruplous people into the equation at worse, and for pricing inflation at best.

I hope your club brings you many wines you like. But just be aware that if you DO like them, it's unlikely you (or anyone else you know!) will ever see those brands again.

DaleW (and Mark):

Thanks for the information. You both bring up very good points. This is my second month in this particular wine club, and the wine has already shipped, but I will probably cancel after this shipment. I quite honestly never thought about the "two buck chuck" scenario you both paint.

I was already kicked around the idea of joining different wine clubs for a few months at a time, and actually reviewing the wine clubs for WebWineRack.com, as well. Not sure if that would be useful to people or not, but if I am going to do it now is the time if I cancel this current wine club.

Thanks for the insight, guys. It is an eye opener.

-Mike

Just to add to what others have said. Some friends bought us a membership similar to cawineclub (whose name I unfortunately can't remember), and the quality was overall OK, but not particularly memorable. Again, most of what we received was tolerable to OK, but I can't think of one wine out of 24 that I would go out of my way to purchase a second time.

I have found that a good alternative to a wine club is just to go to regular tastings at your local wine stores--it's cheaper and I have found many more "discoveries" there than from any club (and you don't have to wait a month between tastings ;-)

I am fortunate to live in the Chicago area, so there is no shortage of free or $5 tasting sessions available every weekend. In fact, tomorrow is the semi annual tasting and sale at Sav Way--150 or so wines, no cover, and my wife is driving--woo hoo!

Rick

Hello Mike,

I would be very wary of wine clubs. Firstly all the deals I've seen you would get them cheaper at a budget retail outlet, even in single bottles. So they are not cheap.

Secondly, wine clubs often have various affiliations which leads them to trying to push certain wines on you. So bias is a problem. There is even a possibility some less ethical clubs would dump substandard wines [or at least poor vintages etc] on their members, who I would think would tend not to be ppl with extensive knowledge of the trade.

Thirdly, you are stuck with what they want. A lot of the joy of getting into wine is going into a shop and getting what takes your fancy. If it's not so good, lesson learned, you have an experience you can tell others of. If its fantastic and no one knows about it, you're king of the world. You are the wine master to all your friends. :)

Fourthly, another joy of wine is purusing the merchandise. In large stores you can walk around for an hour at a time, soaking it all in. Getting it sent to your door, whilst exciting in its own way, does not cut it. It also cuts down on your own learning.

Fifthly if you're in a wine club, many other ppl have had the same wine. I guess some ppl would like that, but I'd find it a little boring having thousands of ppl drinking exactly the same stuff and saying much of the same thing.

I understand there may be a problem with wine shipments in the US. A lot of places typically here in Australia deliver for free or for a small fee, so you can pick your own, particuarly when they have big specials.

I'm saying this because you said Iowa's range would be somewhat limited. I'm sure there would be somewhere in Iowa you could find an extensive range. And if you can get postal orders from some of the bigger places with online shops you're laughing.

So I personally wouldn't go in a wine club unless it was dirt cheap [it would have to be well below wholesale {which you can get in various shops anyway} but that is not going to happen].

It has its pros and cons I guess. I think the other posters will have also given you a fair idea.

HTH,

Mat.

Greetings;

I've belonged to 2 wine clubs here in Ontario.

The first, was a winery based club that pushed the product of the particular winery. Unfortunately, their best products , of which there were more than a few, were rarely a part of the monthly distribution. I quickly perceived that they were catering to the development of an entry level market and price was the prime attraction. I soon said adios.

The second, The Ontario Wine Society, is dedicated to Ontario wines and although their monthly tasting meetings are normally held at specific wineries, they usually present a variety of better Ontario and ofttimes imported wines (for comparison purposes only ;>)) ) consistent with the theme of the particular event. Speakers and invited guests at these tastings are from the host winery and industry professionals and winemakers affiliated with wineries other than the current host and the tasted wines are often currently available. The lovely hors d'oeuvres are a definite winner too.

I think this second variety represents the best in terms of an overall experience within the bounds of its self-imposed mandate and I can surely recommend membership if a like organisation exists in your area.

Mike I mostly agree with what the other posters have said. I did try one of the 'normal' clubs once (might have been the one you are in) and did not like what they pawned off on me and the price they charged. I could get better quality off-brands at our local supermarket.

I am now a member of a different wine of the month club but it has a twist which makes it very worth while. To start it is run and managed by a local winery which we frequent. Second, this winery also has a retail license to re-sell other wine and this is where it gets good. The owners offer club members two bottles a month for about $20 and they mix the selections very nicely. Sometimes it might include one of their wines but we have gone many months without getting one of the local wines. Club members also get a 10% discount on everything else they purchase at the winery no matter when they visit (well, they have to be open).

I don't know about anyone else but this is the way a club should be run and I intend to stick with this for as long as possible.

Mike Miller

Mike:

Thanks for your insight. Would you care to share the name of the wine club? I'm sure it's not in Ohio (crap...) but other visitor to my web site may want to hear about it.

I believe I have been convinced that the Taste of California wine club isn't worth it. As I said in an earlier post, this will be my second month, so at least I've got a few bottles of wine to try, even if I paid too much (that's how you learn, as they say.)

One of the things I want to do with my web site is to establish a wine "trading" club, where you could trade bottles from your personal cellar with other members. No cash involved--just shipping charges that each party pays. Would be a great way to share wines from your area with other members. I'm just not sure if this is a violation of wine shipping laws, even if it is between two private parties and is not a "sale."

Any lawyers in the forum that could answer this one?

Thanks,

Mike

Thanks to everyone who provided some really good input into the wine club question. I've decided to write up an article on the Taste of California Wine Club for the WebWineRack.com web site. Since I've already received four bottles (two Merlot, and two Pinot Gris) from this club I decided to uncork them all at the same time to taste and review, to determine just what types of wine this club sends to its members. (These wines were ~$6.99 per bottle, so it won't be a big expense if some of these bottles go unfinished.)

I wanted to include some of the comments I received in this forum. would anyone involved have any objections to having their comments quoted, or, would anyone care to be "interviewed" via email to discuss their past experiences with wine clubs, good or bad?

Along those same lines, if the wines shipped by this wine club are "off-label" wines, as some suggested may be the case, is it even worth writing up a review of these wines? DaleW brought up the excellent point that, if they are off-label wines we probably will never see them again... so is it worth the time writing up a review if no one will benefit from it because the wine no longer exists? Any opinions?

You can either reply to the newsgroup or directly to me at snipped-for-privacy@webwinerack.com. Thanks in advance for your time, and thanks again to all who provided feedback on the wine club topic.

-Mike