Wine Clubs

[audreyh1]

Clubs don’t work so well in Minnesota, either, also for the weather reason: Bottles on the front porch tend to freeze! I’ve bought some cases from wine.com and Naked Wines, in which case they are delivered to my local Fedex/Kinkos for me to go pick up.

We have most months where daytime high temperatures are way too high for shipping wine across half the country. I’m only comfortable ordering wine Dec-Feb. Unfortunately, that is the time some northern states won’t ship wine far because it’s too cold.

 

[Doribe]

I like to go to our local wine/liquor store and pick our my own wine. If I am buying a bottle to take to a dinner party, the clerk will help me choose a wine based on their expert opinion. The clerk asks a price point, and the dinner course I want the wine for. They usually ask about any other preferences I have.

I live in a big city so there are several places within a 15 minute drive that I can get this service. I also just pick up wine on sale at the local grocery store.

I somtimes buy cases when I travel and stop at wineries.

 

[troutnut1]

Used to belong to one and had cases and cases of expensive wine when I went broke in the 80’s. Drank them with top ramen noodles when I could get them at 10 for $1. Later joined a better club in 1998. Alcoholics Anonymous.

 

[gerntz]

I've been getting a case of reds per Q from Virgin WC for 5+ years. Tides me over between trips to Costco.

 

[Chuckanut]

Trader Joe’s has some interesting wines in the under $15 a bottle area. The Nero d’Avela from Sicily are quite nice.

 

[Sarpy]

I'm also a fan of Naked Wines and have been a member for over a year now. I've had good luck ordering the all-red cases and enjoy trying new wines with each order. My preference is to elect when I want a case, vs. having an automatic shipment.

About three months ago I discovered Splash wines. As with Naked Wines, you can randomly order or sign up for a regular shipment, and their prices are somewhat lower than Naked Wine's.

However, my all-time favorite purchase experience is Grocery Outlet (I believe they're more of a Western chain). They usually carry a great variety with fabulous prices and twice-a-year 20% off sales.

 

[Amethyst]

People are talking about wines at this and that "price point," yet I can never tell exactly how the sellers arrive at a price per bottle.

 

[Dash man]

I belong to two wine clubs from the Walla Walla Washington area. I signed up while visiting them a couple of years back. One thing I’ve noticed besides having better quality wines than our local stores have, but they have a longer shelf life before turning bad once they are opened.

 

[Markola]

I didn't realize people go into the store to pick wines any more. We have used Total's online sorting tool for years, then pick up the wine at the store (we are too far away for them to deliver for free). It's getting harder and harder to find anything good under $10.00, but can still be done.

Agree about the $10 threshold. I seem to be paying $12-$18 and looking for the 20% off sales for a case, which I then turn around and give right back as taxes. The best bargains for high quality I’m still finding consistently are delicious Spanish reds like Garnacha and Portuguese reds and blends with Touriga National grapes, both in the $9-$12 range.

 

[ElizabethT]

Yes, two of them, but only because 1) they are both local so we pick up our wine in person, thus avoiding any hefty shipping charges, and 2) COVID! - Both offer free wine by the glass for members, and one offers half price food as well, giving us somewhere to go and hangout while remaining outdoors and distanced, often accompanied by live music.

So we do it more for the social aspects, though the wine from both are excellent.

At Winery #1 we pay $65 monthly for two bottles of wine, and as benefits receive two free glasses of wine daily, of which we probably partake of at about eight glasses a month, or roughly two free bottles, in addition to the two we pay for. We also enjoy weekly half price meals, usually running $25 each visit, a great price for an app and an entree, which we share, plus two glasses of wine. Almost always accompanied by live music.

At Winery #2 we pay $120 every four months, 4 bottles of wine, 3x a year. Four free glasses of wine per month. Live music one night per week, usually including a food truck.

Again, while the wine at both is excellent, it's the opportunity to get out and socialize while outdoors and distanced during the pandemic that keeps us enrolled in their respective wine clubs.

 

[ElizabethT]

Amen! As you say, it’s common knowledge that Total Wine advertises decent wines as a lure to get you into the store, where their salespeople are trained to convince you to swap the decent bottle in your basket for one of their much higher markup exclusives. No thank you.

Oh gosh, not our experience whatsoever. We have often gone into Total Wine and asked a salesperson for help in selecting a dozen bottles at whatever price point we are seeking, sometimes at $10 or less a bottle, sometimes $20 or less, sometimes $30 or less, and been very pleased by the results. Some real dark horses have been discovered at all three price points, always to our happy surprise.

And boy do I miss their daily free wine tastings, another COVID casualty.

 

[GoBears]

Since the start of the pandemic, I have purchased several cases of assorted reds at Total Wine via their website. They have curbside pick up, which has worked very well.

 

[sandlapper]

People are talking about wines at this and that "price point," yet I can never tell exactly how the sellers arrive at a price per bottle.

Finding a bargin on a wine is easier if you go to a store that displays wine ratings and tasting notes. Costco and Total Wine are good at doing this. If you have drunk wine over many years (like 40 years for me) you get to know which reviewers have taste you trust. I used to like Robert Parker, and Stephen Tanzer. Good importers like Eric Solomon, Robert Kacher, and Lenardo Dicaprio tend to have good value wines.

Wine quality today is probably better than it has ever been. In the early 1990's Robert Parker said that US distributors handled a case of Bud better than a First Growth Bordeaux.

 

[audreyh1]

Good resource if you buy wine at Costco: https://costcowineblog.com/

Independent reviewer.

 

[Aerides]

Good resource if you buy wine at Costco: https://costcowineblog.com/

Independent reviewer.

Thanks! Gonna bookmark that. I like his reviews of the new advent calendar collections, as I was not interested in those but now I might pick one up...

 

[Sojourner]

I've tried two different clubs—Winc, and Wine Insiders—but canceled both shortly after the initial promotional periods ended. I found the wines being offered were typically much younger, less complex, and much more light/medium bodied than I preferred. Out of a total of maybe 20-30 bottles I ordered between the two, I think I genuinely loved only about two or three. Also, there were far too few wines available from Spain, Italy, and France, which are my favorite regions by far.

I tend to get the majority of my wine from a few online retailers and local wine shops that carry a good selection of full-bodied, rich, complex reds. I'd rather spend $13-20 on a bottle I really like and will savor than $10 on something mediocre from a discount wine club.

 

[Singletrack]

Like several others, my wife and I use Naked Wines. The website has a pretty good selection, and the customer reviews are helpful. One can usually find a decent red in the $12 range but, of course, you can spend more. Delivery is pretty quick, although as others have pointed out, UPS requires a direct signature for delivery. That requires us to carefully coordinate when we order so that we are home on the expected delivery date

 

[tizod]

Naked wines

Perfect timing! I've been considering them as they have a great starter discount

I really liked Naked. Good wines etc. did many clubs and liked Naked the best. Especially if you like reds from Lodi etc.
I left them as I can easily go to wine stores and get similar/better and avoid shipping to a work address. I could easily go back, I miss some wines they have. As always, some I avoided. But in all great job and great service. When I lose mobility they will be my go to.

 

[Gearhead Jim]

At our price point, we don't need a wine club; we joined a wine gang.

 

[2017ish]

...

Wine quality today is probably better than it has ever been. ...

Amen. We've even noticed a difference over the past 25 years. The internationalization of the industry, including proprietors sending their children to other continents to learn and teach, has been a boon at all pricepoints.

 

[bgares]

Access Wine out of California. They offer many good wines from around the world.
Some exclusives with free shipping on any 6 bottles or $120. And a rock solid satisfaction guarantee

 

[Amethyst]

At our price point, we don't need a wine club; we joined a wine gang.

 

[WestUniversity]

We’ve been members of several clubs over the years. The only real incentive we’ve found is getting wines that aren’t widely available or are almost impossible to get unless you’re a member or perhaps actually visit the specific winery. We have dropped all our clubs and now buy from Total Wine. We have been so much more satisfied with Total Wine...

 

[KarenF]

We have been getting wine from Nakedwines for the past seven or eight months and have been quite happy with it. The wine is tasty and the prices are good. We pick our own bottles and order when we want to, which is usually once per month. Sadly, under our state law, we can only get one case per month. Since we have a bottle of wine with dinner almost every night, that means I also have to go in person to the local Total Wines, which I do on my bi-weekly grocery shopping days.

We have been getting Nakedwines shipments for about 3 months and lime them. We also buy from Wine Insiders when they have a big enough sale.

 

[rrs26ja]

Look into WTSO (wines till sold out) you set up your email and get notifications, if you order at least 4 bottles there is free shipping.