Galileo once famously quipped “wine is light, held together by water” but he wasn’t talking about wine clubs. Wine clubs are an exciting way for wine enthusiasts to meet other enthusiasts who take equal joy in their love of wine. With wines worldwide popularity and its countless devotee clubs, one can be sure that anywhere wine is sold there is a group of people gathering together to drink them and celebrate one of the world’s oldest indulgences. The wine club experience often includes wine tastings, information regarding the latest wine related gadgets and technology, and of course a monthly offering of selected bottles of wine.
It is often difficult to know precisely which wine to buy or to dare to be outside of one’s comfort zone to explore new wines. For the unfamiliar, the idea of joining a wine club can seem intimidating at first. However one need not be an aficionado to join a wine club . As mentioned above, the primary purpose of a wine club is to provide members with a selection of wines on a monthly or quarterly basis along with wine related information. Often this selection is themed based (reds, whites, etc…). Therefore the wine club can be useful to those who aren’t sure how to buy wine serving as a crash course in the world of wine. For those with a more developed taste, wine club memberships can be a great way to taste wine from all over the world that might otherwise be difficult to procure without traveling all about the world.
It’s tempting to think of wine clubs as a group of wealthy old men gathering in a dark paneled room wearing velvet robes, sipping wine, and discussing global politics. However in today’s world this simply isn’t the case. The wide variety offered in the wine club world includes online wine clubs. An online wine club is a great alternative to those that find it difficult to buy wine online. Online wine clubs offer the resources of a traditional wine as well a selection of wines shipped to members on a regular basis. While old-fashioned wine clubs are a great way to meet fellow wine lovers in the area, online wine clubs are also a great forum where people can meet from all over the world. While it may be hard to buy wine from certain wineries because of their location and the inablity of most wineries to distribute globally, online wine clubs can serve as global exchanges for the wine market. It’s never been easier to find local specialties from local wineries because of the ability to buy wine online through a wine club.
Membership costs for a wine club can vary greatly whether you are interested in friendly wine clubs focused on a bargain or more exclusive clubs that are often expensive. The typical factors that determine the price a wine club membership include the type of wines offered coupled with the number of bottles members receive monthly, quarterly etc… More expensive wines obviously result in a costlier membership as is the case with the more bottles received from each selection. Wine clubs that offer monthly selections usually ship one to four bottles whereas a standard quarterly selection is two to twelve bottles per quarter. Wine clubs focused on bargain wines typically select lower end wines. This variety of wine club can cost under twenty dollars a month. Moderately priced wine clubs can cost anything from $20 per month to a couple hundred dollars depending on how exclusive the wines offered are. For those connoisseurs with sophisticated wine taste and looking to try the world’s most valued wines membership can cost $500/month and up.
A wine club membership can be a wonderful gift for friends for family, or even something to treat yourself. A deeper knowledge of wine gained through a wine club can make the often daunting task of knowing which wine to buy a much more enjoyable experience. While it’s nearly impossible—it wouldn’t be very cost effective even if it were—to travel seeking out wines from the many regions of the world, wine clubs serve as an alternative. Online wine clubs can further the global reach of the wine club experience and expand the palette of wine lovers of every level—entry level enthusiast to adamant aficionado.
We’ve Got Wine Clubs Galore at Wines.com!
by Kevin Highview on March 7, 2010
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