How to Join a Wine Club

Joining a wine club can be a great way to expand your knowledge of wine and have access to a variety of wines from around the world that you might not see at your local liquor or grocery store. Belonging to a wine club is ideal for novices and connoisseurs alike because the clubs do all the hard work for you so that you can just sit back, relax, and enjoy a fine bottle of wine without fear that you may have picked a dud.

Below, you’ll find a list of several great wine clubs to choose from. They all offer a wide range of prices and wine types that are great for any lover of wine. Unfortunately, wine cannot be legally delivered to all states. You will have to check with the club to see if you are lucky enough to live in a state that allows wine delivery service. If not, you’ll just have to trust your local wine dealer to point you in the right direction each month or on your own.

The California Wine Club

The California Wine Club was founded by Bruce and Pam Boring as a result of their frustration at trying to find great wines at the local wine store based solely on pretty labels and prices. They found that they were always happiest with wines recommended by friends, so that inspired them to start their own “wine of the month” club to provide that same friendly recommendation service to others frustrated with their own searches for quality wines.

Having enjoyed 16 years of business success, The California Wine Club focuses their monthly selections on the hundreds of smaller, family-owned wineries that are located throughout California wine country. The Boring’s found that many of the best California wines don’t even make it to the local stores or wine shops throughout the country. So, they personally visit wineries throughout the state, meet the owners, and taste the wines in order to provide you the opportunity to enjoy many of California’s hidden gold nuggets. The Boring’s personally select each and every wine from these working family wineries and they never accept bulk, closeout, or private label wines for their club choices. There are three monthly wine clubs to choose from, the Premier Club, Signature Series, or International Selections, so you can find just the right club to fit your personal wine tastes.

The Premier Club is their most popular wine of the month club. It’s the perfect choice for novices to get a taste of California’s finest wines, but will also please the wine aficionado. For just $33 per month, you’ll receive two different bottles of award-winning wine from a single winery located in California. You’ll also receive the current issue of Uncorked which will give you detailed information about the winery and the wine selections themselves.

The Signature Series is their upper-level wine of the month club. This club offers the most extraordinary, highly rated, and extremely rare wines that can be found on their travels throughout California. Because of the limited nature of these wines, membership is restricted to only 800 per month. The monthly rate varies between $150 to $225 based on the cost of the featured wines. You’ll receive two to four bottles of wine per month along with detailed tasting notes and winemaker comments.

The International Selections club takes a departure from the California experience and offers its members some unique and fun wines from around the world. However, these international selections are still from small, family-owned wineries that have been hand-picked by the Borings. For $65 to $80 per month, you will receive two bottles of wine along with a full color newsletter describing the wineries and the wines themselves.

The California Wine Club has no membership fees, can be cancelled at any time, and every monthly selection is 100% guaranteed. You can join for yourself or sign up a friend. You can choose to have the wines delivered every month, every other month, or quarterly. Additional wine bottles can be added to your monthly order with no extra shipping charges and you can reorder wines you really enjoyed at up to 50% off the normal retail price.

Cellars Wine Club

Cellars Wine Club offers seven different and unique wine clubs to choose from to meet your differing and unique wine tasting preferences. Every month you’ll receive two standard sized wine bottles along with the current issue of Cellar Notes, a monthly newsletter that describes the wines, regions, and other wine related information. You can choose between reds, whites, or a combination of both. All prices include shipping and handling and you can cancel at any time.

The Premium Wine Club costs $30 per month and is perfect for those new to the world of wine. The wines in this club come from Italy, France, California, Australia, South Africa, and many other premium wine regions from around the world. You’ll become well acquainted with a mixture of varietals, such as Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Shiraz, Pinot Grigio, and others.

The International Club costs $40 per month and will take you on a journey to the most renowned wineries from Europe, Australia, South America, and all points in between. Each month will bring the best wine selections from a different country from around the world. The world of wine is your oyster in this international club.

The West Coast Wine Club costs $40 per month and will provide you with a tour of wines from Washington, Oregon, and California. The western coastal regions of the United States produce some of the best wines in the world. You’ll enjoy wines from Washington’s Columbia Valley, Oregon’s Willamette Valley, and California’s Napa Valley, along with many other premium west coast regions.

The Platinum Wine Club costs $60 per month and will take you on a global tour of some of the greatest wines the world has to offer. This club is best suited for those with a little more experience with wines. Most of these wines are produced in limited quantities from boutique wineries and often feature grapes indigenous to a particular region.

The 90+ Point Wine Club costs $80 per month and features wines that have been rated 90+ by wine experts, such as Robert Parker, Stephen Tanzer, and The Wine Enthusiast. These wines are considered some of the world’s finest from renowned vineyards across California, Europe, Australia, and South America. This club is so exclusive that they only take 200 members per month due to the limited availability of many of these high quality wines.

The Cellars Wine Club costs $150 per month and includes the best of the best in the wine tasting world. These highly rated and cellar worthy wines are perfect for those who take wine tasting and collecting more seriously than the average wine drinker. Reds might include Cabernet Sauvignons or Bordeaux style blends that age well and whites might include Rieslings or full-bodied Chardonnays. This club is so exclusive that only a few choice members will be allowed to join.

The Sparkling Champagne Club costs $50 per month and will provide you with two sparkling wine or champagne bottles from the top producers in the world. Selections from France, Italy, California, or Australia will tickle the nose of any sparkling wine fan.

Wine.com

Wine.com has been the #1 online wine store since 1998 and their mission is to make the hobby of wine fun and easy. Their on-staff wine sommeliers travel the globe to find the best wines available. You can benefit from these expert wine travelers by joining their very own wine clubs. Wine.com’s clubs must be prepaid in 3, 6, or 12 month membership packages which includes shipping. Your membership will include a monthly subscription to The Virtual Vine, their online, members-only newsletter which gives detailed information about wine regions, the wine industry, recipes, and discount wine offers. There are three clubs to choose from, the Discovery Tour, the Grand Tour, and the Build Your Cellar option.

The Discovery Tour will bring you two bottles of wine from the most famous wine regions from around the world for just $20 per month. Each wine is personally selected from their own wine experts and will include educational wine information, such as detailed wine tasting notes and food pairing ideas.

The Grand Tour will provide you with two bottles of high quality wine from well-known and newer wineries for just $40 per month. These award-winning wines might come from Australia, California, or South Africa and are often rated over 90 points by wine experts.

The Build Your Cellar club features two bottles of ultra-premium, age worthy wines to fill your cellar with for only $70 per month. These wines only come in red varieties, are from the best known wineries, and are often rated over 90 points by wine experts. You can then reorder your favorites to add to your cellar collection at a 15% discounted rate. Past selections have included Hess 2002 Collection Cabernet Sauvignon (rated 94 points by Wine Enthusiast) and Joseph Phelps 2001 Napa Valley Merlot (rated 93 points by Wine & Spirits).

Wine Enthusiast (WineExpress)

The Wine Enthusiast has been selling wine and wine accessories since 1979. Publishing Wine Enthusiast Magazine since 1988, they have grown to become the world’s largest wine and spirits magazine. They host a series of “Toast of the Town” wine tasting events and are highly respected within the wine community.

The Wine Enthusiast offers several clubs through their sister site WineExpress.com. They offer several different club options at a variety of different membership prices. Each wine will come with detailed notes and food pairing suggestions to make your wine tasting experience an educational one. The Rich Red Club will send you three bottles of top-rated, hard-to-find red wines for just $50 per month. The Winning White Club will send you three bottles of luscious, creamy white wines for just $50 per month. You can also join the Best of Both Worlds Club and enjoy both the Rich Reds and the Winning Whites for a discounted price of just $90 per month. You will receive all six bottles every month from both clubs.

Their Connoisseur’s Choice Club will send you three bottles of their super-premium red wines for just $80 per month, which is perfect for the more experienced wine lover. Finally, you can join the Perfect Pair Two Bottle Wine Club and receive a bottle of red and a bottle of white every month for just $30. This one is perfect for the novice who doesn’t want to spend a lot of money, but still wants to enjoy fine, quality wines.