The Demise of the Wine Club

This is specifically looking at clubs from wineries, rather than the retail store clubs that send you wine from various wine producers.

As wineries tightened up financially with the lockdowns followed by the mad rush of people post-pandemic, a few things became obvious. Tasting fees increased along with offering a seated experience. This, I think, is for the better. The other thing I've noticed as the lack of benefits for wine club members at quite a few wineries. What were traditional benefits have gone away and the advantage of being in some clubs is not there.

Always an exciting day when a new shipment shows up at the door
image from insidehook.com

Order customization

One expanded benefit for wine clubs is customization of orders. At one time this almost never happened, and you took what they wanted to send. Over the last decade or so, most have turned to allowing you to change your upcoming shipment. This is something I now expect as a customer. Customization of individual orders cost wineries more to process.

Wine discounts

The most obvious change is that many don't offer what used to be the standard 20% discount on wines. A winery may have different tiers, ranging from 10 to 15 to 20% discounts. There are a few that offer no wine discount and still call themselves a wine club. This is just a mailing list. There is really zero benefit to joining a club like this. That is, you are better just ordering wine from them occasionally and asking for case discounts. I've seen these no discount policies, especially with Pinot Noir producers who apparently can easily sell everything they make. What I don't understand is that some of these wines are in retail outlets, meaning they are sold to wholesalers at significant discounts, yet they won't offer a smaller discount to loyal customers.

Other benefits

Freebies, such as wine club shipment pickup parties for the locals, are not seen as often now. What you get are invitations to various paid club events. Some wineries charge reasonable prices, some are priced high enough, so they are making a tidy profit off club events. In the past, most of these affairs hoped to break-even, thinking that keeping club members happy and engaged with the winery is worth it.

For public events at the winery, you'll generally see some small discount on tickets for club members.

Today, when you look at a winery's club benefits, you'll see words like invitation and access rather than complimentary. You still get free tastings if you live close enough to be able to drop in.

If you are considering joining a club, ask the right questions and choose wisely.