Wine clubs: why do it?

Guest Blogger Professor Charles Hoyt

Wine clubs abound in the United States and more are being added all the time. For those new to the idea of a wine club the basic idea is that you join up, give the club your creditcard # and wines show up at your doorstep from time to time.

Why would anyone consider joining a wine club? The first is that you dont have to drive anywhere to get wine, which is great. But there are much better reasons to join. For example the variety of club themes is nearly endless and so they can be tailored to any taste. There are producers that specialize in particular varietals or styles, so you can procure your particular passion without stepping outside your house.

Another reason is that boutique producers often make limited amounts of their highly sought after, high quality wines. Often, only in their clubs will they offer them to the general public. In fact, some of these wines are so highly prized, that there can be waiting lists to join particular wine clubs. In other words by joining, you are gaining access to quality.

I prefer to join clubs that are run by a particular vineyard, which brings me to my 3rd reason to join a club. If you are receiving wines from one producer, you will get to know that wine as you drink it over the years. You can see how the same wine changes and doesn’t change from vintage to vintage. You will learn how wine ages, which wines age well and which should be drunk young. In short, being able to drink wine this way is a great learning tool.

One thing that I would stay away from are clubs that are not tied to a producer. Just to invent an example, I would be hesitant to join a club that offered a variety of Italian wines. My read on these clubs is that they are not promoting their own product and building the reputation of their product. In other words, they are shippers of wine and so are more likely to send wine that is of lower quality and that makes them more money.

The two wine clubs that I have experience with are Ridge Vineyards and Goosecross Vineyards. Ridges specializes in quality Zinfandels, Cabernets and Rhone varietals. They make a super premium cab called “Montebello” with a super premium price. It tastes super too! Their Zins are well known as some of the best available.

Goosecross makes a wider variety of wines including reds and whites. Theirs cabs are super as well and their wines dont come cheap either. I like their reds. Dont ask me about their whites, I hate Calif Chardonnay. Dennis recently recounted in his blog a comparison of the Eagle Nest Cab Franc and the Goosecross offering. I reviewed a Goosecross Sangiovese/Barbera on Nov 17, 2008.

Enjoy drinking good wine,

Charlie