For The Bold West Coast Traveler: Cellar 503
Oregon may be renowned for their Pinot Noirs, but ask Cellar 503‘s founder Carrie Wynkoop and she’ll tell you, there’s so much more coming out of the state. This wine club is dedicated to showcasing all the wine regions in Oregon , thus a hit for adventurous west coast travelers. Be pleasantly surprised with Spanish varieties like Tempranillo and Rioja coming out of the Rogue Valley or the Columbia Valley’s celebrated whites, like Viognier and Sauvignon Blanc. Members can sign up for a monthly shipment of two bottles or a quarterly shipment of four bottles, all curated to a unique theme by Wynkoop. Past selections have included “Unusual Vessels,” focusing on vineyards that use varying aging methods, from amphorae to concrete dolia, and “BBQ wines,” a summer shipment to accompany your favorite grilled grub.
Watch Our Video Review For Wsj Wine
- Gift Memberships & Gift Cards: Yes
- Cancellation Policy: Instant
Laithwaites is another longstanding club, having served wine across the world to both wannabe-sommeliers and budding wine enthusiasts since 1969. It places a large focus on the rich soil and prestigious vineyards across Europe, with wine from countries like France, Austria, and even Bulgaria available for purchase. Between the lush summers of Bordeaux and the all-year-round sun in Argentina, this club is steeped in as much winemaking history as many of the vineyards themselves. Theres a wide selection of reds, whites, and sparkling wine available here, and the gifting options far extend what your average club offers.
One feature youll find with Laithwaites and in not many other places is that there are gifts marked by certain occasions, whether thats birthdays, weddings, or just to say congratulations. You can choose from hampers, gifts for businesses, single bottles, and 12-bottle cases too.
Theres a huge selection available with Laithwaites and prices are reasonable. Want to know more? Read our review here.
Customer Service And Contact Availability
Our Rating 5/5
You can choose form several handy ways of contacting Gold Medal Wine Club. It’s an old club that’s big on old fashioned service so it gets a 5.
There are several ways of getting in touch with the California Wine Club so just pick the method that suits you best. Theres a toll-free and local phone number plus fax. Additionally, you can get in touch by email, live chat, or mail. Queries received outside business hours will be dealt with on the next workday.
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The Pricing Formula Of Wine
While alcohol distribution in the United States is closely regulated, there are multiple variables in the system that contribute to the price of that bottle of Merlot youve been eyeing. There are three tiers comprised of producers, distributors, and retailers that add cost to the product youre purchasing at your local wine cellar.
While some consider that the system is calculated to minimize the risk of alcohol abuse, others argue that the policy mirrors dated Prohibition-era ideologies. After the Prohibitions repeal in 1933, a three-tier system was implemented which requires that alcohol transition through three separate businesses before reaching the consumer. Unfortunately, this not only challenges small producers by creating a series of structural obstacles that may limit their distribution, but also means a price hike on wine for the consumer.
Determining the price of wine depends on a variety of factors,said Dr. Miguel Gómez, a professor who specializes in price transmission and analysis at Cornell University. Wine clubs are a way to go around that and allow consumers the opportunity to purchase wine at a retail price.
In order to remain profitable, each tier provides a percentage markup to the bottle of wine. Generally, distributors will place a 30-35% markup and retailers will add up to a 50% markup to the bottle price.
For Cider Enthusiasts Looking To Mix Things Up
Viticole Wine ClubPrice: Starts at $59/monthViticole Wine Club — which also comes recommended from James — operates on a seasonal schedule, with its tier one club sending one shipment during the spring and another in the fall, each packed with 12 bottles — a mix of both wine and cider
Tier two is similar to tier one, except the individual wines and ciders in this shipment vary in value between $40-60 per bottle, compared to the bottles in tier one which sit between $25-35 each.
Brian McClintic, master sommelier and founder of Viticole, decided to include ciders in the wine club for its biodiversity, reduced carbon footprint, value, enhancement of the food chain, and agroforestry. And because its just downright tasty. The sustainability aspect of the club is also one of the reasons James recommends it
A lot of these subscription services will not really source high quality wines that are sustainable, James said. Organic should be a bare minimum, it shouldnt be a branding point.
Viticole uses regenerative organic farming, meaning all of the fermentations occur naturally with wild yeasts. Also, all of its wine and cider are bottled unfiltered, which results in a taste much more similar to how these beverages tasted before the industrial age.
Sign up for the club here.
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Watch Our Video Review For Laithwaites
- Gift Memberships & Gift Cards: Yes
- Cancellation Policy: Instant
Vinesse puts award-winning winemakers within your reach and curates its selections based on years of positive feedback from its members. Its been working closely with winemakers and vintners since 1993, earning a reputation as one of the most prestigious yet affordable clubs to join on the market right now. According to the website, more than 95% of the creations on its website come recommended by Vinesse customers, providing peace of mind to both new and existing members alike. The experience here doesnt end with a purchase, though. Youre encouraged to review every bottle you drink, contributing to how this club curates its shipments and communicating with a worldwide community.
You can gift memberships to those you love as well as buy gift cards so they can make their own choice. Plus, the website allows for one-off purchases, so picking up individual bottles of their favorites is no trouble at all.
Vinesse makes the perfect gift for those that are ready to dip their toes into making wine drinking an actual hobby. Is it right for you or your loved one? Check out our review.
- Gift Memberships & Gift Cards: Yes
- Cancellation Policy: Instant
Its also possible to buy memberships for other people, whether for loved ones or as corporate bundles, and you can customize combo cases with other items like snacks and books.
- Gift Memberships & Gift Cards: Yes
- Cancellation Policy: Instant
How To Choose The Right Club For You
Your first step in choosing a wine club is to determine how much you want to pay for wine, how often you want to receive it and how much you want to receive. Once you determine this, you should think about why you are looking to receive regular shipments of wine. Perhaps you just want good, affordable wine to show up at your doorstep on a regular basis. If this is the case, then look for an affordable wine club option that tries to match your tastes in wine. If you want to use a wine club to learn more about wine, look for a club that provides a wide variety of wines from a number of different wine regions around the world.
The beauty of each and every one of the above wine clubs is the remarkable convenience they offer. Without ever thinking about it and without having to waste time browsing over walls of wines at crowded grocery and retail stores, wines that match your tastes show up at your door on a regular basis.
The other great advantage to joining wine clubs is the savings. Every wine club on this list is able to provide its members with tremendous value and savings by either having bought large amounts of a given wine from wineries or having produced the wine themselves and disposing of the middlemen that jack up the price.
More than anything, though, its the sense of fun and discovery that comes with every box of wine delivered straight to your door. And we could all do with happy discoveries these days.
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For The Luxury Francophile: Fatcork
Most travelers who’ve experienced France know that Champagne flows like water there. Since 2009, fatcork‘s amplified this mindset stateside by shipping the best of French Champagne to your doorstep, reiterating the French attitude that you don’t need to wait for a special occasion to drink Champagne. fatcork says, “create an occasion by popping a bottle.” The Champagne club and bottle shop, based out of Seattle, Washington, partners with small-batch, family-run Champagne vignerons who use sustainable farming practices on lands passed down through generations. The bottles are aged in their proprietary caves in France then directly imported by fatcork when they’re ready to popsometimes this includes cuvées exclusively produced for fatcork and its members. The quarterly Champagne Club is offered in three tiers: Classic , Fancy and Extra Fancy .
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Wine Access Wine Club
This is the wine club you get when a bunch of Napa Valley insiders and various sommeliers get together and start talking wine. As you can imagine, the results are very good. The philosophy that makes this one of the best online wine clubs is simple, find the best wines at the best price. This wine club’s buyers have industry connections the average wine lover can only dream about. That means your wine subscription box is filled with premium wines and not mass-produced plonk with fancy labels.
There are two new wine club options from Wine Access that we are really excited to share with you.
The first is the Michelin Prestige Wine Club. Wine Access partnered with the Michelin Guide to find the best wine lists from Michelin Starred restaurants. As a club member, you receive shipments of the wines featured on these lists. The club is a great way to get access to wines chosen by the top somms across the country. You can learn more about the wine subscription here.
The second club is a partnership between Wine Access and Wine Folly. Wine Folly is a leading creator of wine education guides. This wine subscription is perfect for anyone interested in learning more about wine the fun way. to get on the waiting list.
Price: You will receive half a case of wine every quarter for $150 per shipment. Your wine club membership includes shipping and a 10% discount on any purchases on the Wine Access website.
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The California Wine Club Membership Programs
You can take your pick from six membership plans each with a different theme like the International Series or Aged Cabernets. The wines in each plan are hand-selected by the California Wine Club team. The Case Club Series comprises 12 bottles while the others feature two bottles. This can be doubled upon request.
Top 10 Ros Wine Club Gift Wine Clubs
- Pros: Hand-sourced and custom-made wines
- Cons: Limited customer service hours
- Subscription Price: Starts at $52 – $59.95 monthly for 3 – 4 wines
- Membership Plans: Pay as you go
- Money Back / Satisfaction Guarantee: Yes
- Customer Support: Call and live chat in office hours email
- Gift Memberships & Gift Cards: Yes
- Cancellation Policy: 3 days in advance plus unlimited skip a month policy.
The majority of bottles in Wincs selection is produced by top Golden State boutique wineries, each hand-crafting a range of styles covering different sun-loving grapes. Winc highlights existing labels plus commissions new bottles made specially for its subscribers. A healthy slice of Wincs selection is dedicated to New World regions beyond California in addition to a few European vineyards, ensuring you get a wide choice of interesting grapes and international takes on them. Winc refreshes its portfolio on a monthly basis so things never get stale. Its selection also boasts organic, vegan, and low-alcohol/ sugar labels.
Its range has a selection of still and sparkling rosés so if a loved one has a special occasion around the corner, you can give them a pink gift with a Winc gift card. Values range from $60 to $600 so your recipient can join the club for at least one month or simply enjoy a shopping spree for fine rosés in Wincs store.
Enjoy top handcrafted and handpicked wines from boutique Californian and European vintners with Winc.
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How Much Is Winc Per Month
The amount of money you spend on Winc each month really depends on how much wine you purchase. Once per month, users get charged $59.95 for Insider Access Credits. This means you essentially pre-pay for about $60 worth of wine. If you buy more than $60 worth of wine, you pay the difference if you buy less, you accumulate credits over time.
Being a Winc member means you get lower prices on wine. For example, my favorite bottle of wine from Winc is the 2019 Pacificana Rosé. The regular price is $22.99, but the W price is $17.99. By maintaining my membership status, I save $5 on my rosé. Confusingly, however, you can only purchase Winc wines by being a member so the regular price doesnt actually appear to be there for any reason other than showing you that youre saving money on the retail price.
Factors To Take Into Consideration While Choosing The Best Wine Clubs
Consider Your State of Residence: Before you sign up, make sure that your wine club delivers to your state. Most clubs will ask you to enter your address when you apply and check this automatically.
Budget: Is the monthly or quarterly fee that your wine club charges affordable, and is the amount of wine suitable for your needs? If not, you can always choose a different club or subscription.
Different Types of Wine Clubs: Some wine clubs provide wine by the bottle while others ship by the glass. Some have fixed selections while others send you wines they think youll enjoy the most.
Understanding What Wine Clubs Really Are Like: Before you become a wine club member, its good to know exactly how much wine and what type of wine youll be getting – and how often. When in doubt, check out some online wine reviews to help you decide.
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Our Wine Clubs Review Summed Up
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To that end, you should know that many advertisers pay us a referral fee if you purchase products after clicking links or calling phone numbers on our website.
The following companies are our partners in Wine Clubs: Gold Medal, Wine Insiders, The International Wine of the Month Club, Global Wine Cellars, California Wine Club, Tasting Room, Nakedwines.com, Winc, Martha Stewart, Bright Cellars, WSJwine, Splash Wines, Firstleaf, Vinebox, 90+ Cellars, Besa, and Laithwaites.
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Enjoy A Complimentary Glass
When you pick up your club installment, enjoy a nice glass on us! You can even bring a guest as well. If you are an active member, you may receive a complimentary glass when you purchase a bottle or more during a winery visit. We also include a complimentary glass voucher with each shipment. We love to share our passion for wine with others, which is why we are happy to provide these complimentary offers.
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What Is The Difference Between Wine Clubs And Regular Online Wine Shops
A wine club involves more than just looking through pictures of wine bottles and tasting notes to decide which wine you want. It is a whole experience that involves not just getting wines that you like but trying out new wines that you didnt know that you love.
Each month you are paired with a wine selection based on a short beginner questionnaire as well as any additional wine rating that you do from then on. You get a select number of bottles delivered to your door. The number of bottles and the frequency of shipping depends greatly on your own choice and on what your wine club offers.
Wine clubs almost always go above and beyond telling you all about the wines. From where it was made, from whom it came, the process it took, to the tasting notes no matter how subtle. Once youve read all the information youll receive about your bottle of wine, youll feel like you know it inside and out.
Also, wine clubs love to provide you with wine pairing recipes to make your entire wine experience fantastic.
With wine clubs you dont have to think so hard about what wines to get. Most of that work it done for you. Most of the time you get a nice surprise with each bottle. Rarely, you might be disappointed in a bottle you receive but most companies will refund your money if you absolutely hated the wine or send you a replacement bottle.
