Wine clubs are popular because (a) you get recurring shipments showing up at your door and (b) the people running the club get a revenue stream. Let's look at what kinds of clubs are available to you.
How wine clubs work, in general (all are a bit different)
Periodically, a shipment of a number of wines is sent to you. You are expected to take a handful of shipments before you can cancel. Your credit card is automatically charged a few days ahead of the wine shipping out to you. A default shipment is selected by the seller, but often have time to customize with wines you'd rather have. Often there is a discount on the wines.
Before you jump in, be sure you know the club benefits, cancellation policy, how much wine you'll be getting over the course of a year, and about how much it'll cost per shipment.
About shipping
- Know the cost of shipping before you join.
- Not every state will allow wine shipping. It's not the fault of the winery or those running the club. It's your state legislature.
- Wine should never be shipped ground during the heat of summer, unless it kept cool from door-to-door.
- By federal law there has to be someone home to accept the shipment. Maybe ship to a workplace.
 |
| The wildly popular Naked Wines You, too, could become a Naked Angel image from nakedwines.com |
The traditional winery-direct clubs
You visited Napa, got a buzz, joined four winery-specific clubs. This is a steady, known income stream that wineries love. Clubs really help out the small, family operations.
What to watch for: Be sure you like most of their wines, or all of their wines if you're not allowed to customize. Be sure there are enough benefits for you, such as a discount. If you live five states away you probably don't care about winery parties. Some wineries have gotten a bit stingy with their club as a few don't even offer discounts now. That's not even a wine club IMO.
Retail shop wine clubs
This could be you local wine shop of one in another state that will sent you a mixed package of wines from the various wines they sell.
What to watch for: The wines are something you'd be interested in. They don't use this as a why to dump slow sellers. It's very important to take a look at their past year's shipments and see if the wines are all something you'd drink (or can customize to something of interest).
From an ad you saw somewhere
It starts out something like, "Get a mixed case of the finest California wines for only $90!" The fine print says you're in the club for three more shipments.
What to watch for: How many wines from that first cheap case did you dump down the drain? Are these wines from real wineries, or are they made-up names like Chateau Bulk Wines of Fresno? Many of these clubs claim they can get you the wines you like when you answer a few questions. First, who else are they selling this info to? Second, if their algorithm actually works then you are still drinking the same ol' stuff and not using this as an opportunity to branch out.
Focused wine clubs
This could be run by various retailers. These are clubs that are all organic wine, natural wine, Italian wine, etc. This gives you a chance to explore an area of interest or wine region. You can join a club that offers wine from women-owned wineries or a club that sends you American wine that's not from the West Coast.
What to watch for: Can your curiosity be cured with a couple bottles or do you want cases of wine? Check their past shipments are reviews.
No comments:
Post a Comment