Should you join a wine club?
Someone at work asked "Should I join a wine club (where they ship you wine every month...), but as I've never been a member of one ... any particular favorites you could recommend."
Being the wine person I am, of course I suggest trying to buy/find/explore the wines yourself.
- if you drink a fair bit of wine, you can determine what you like and joining a club or two of favorites should come naturally. I don't think this is you.
- if you are drinking not much more than 2-4 bottles every two months then a club will keep you supplied but you'll be drinking only the club wine... which is extremely limiting.
As you mentioned, getting wine in the mail can get complicated:
- you have to have a reliable delivery routine.
- during the hot months, I never have wine shipped as even 6 hours at 90+F is pretty hard on wine, especially nicer wine. Personally, I never have wine shipped.
- it is somewhat costly, at least at the price points I normally pay per bottle.
A wine club from a good wine shop (K&L, Wine Club, Beltramo or specialty retailers like Kermit Lynch or Vin Vino Wine) is better as you get a broad variety of wines. But I find them expensive, especially if they are sending you random selections. It's one thing to find out you don't care for Sangiovese; it's another to spend $50 ($40 + tax + shipping) to discover this.
But if you have a bit of time and energy I suggest getting a good wine book that simplifies wine and do your own shopping. For example, the book
Great Wine Made Simple: Straight Talk from a Master Sommelier by Andrea Immer is excellent (it's the book I wished I could have written but better) as it covers wine from a learn by tasting now perspective with specific broad recommendations. And you don't have to pay a whole lot to discover the varietals/regions/style you like or dislike.
Buy your own from a decent store (K & L, Wine Club, Beltramos, ....), if possible and if asking for recommendations don't be at all afraid to keep to your budget, since they will always have a wine that is 30% more but even better. If these stores are too inconvenient try Whole Foods, Cost Plus or BevMo (though it's hard to find good wine unless you know what you are looking for at BM and to some WF).
My personal favorite is Costco, which has unbeatable prices and consistenly high quality wines. I really don't know how they get some of their limited production wines given their volume. Often times Costco is the only place I'll find a specific wine I'm interested in. If you were to blindly sample their wines you'd get an excellent of idea of what you like and dislike.
Being the wine person I am, of course I suggest trying to buy/find/explore the wines yourself.
- if you drink a fair bit of wine, you can determine what you like and joining a club or two of favorites should come naturally. I don't think this is you.
- if you are drinking not much more than 2-4 bottles every two months then a club will keep you supplied but you'll be drinking only the club wine... which is extremely limiting.
As you mentioned, getting wine in the mail can get complicated:
- you have to have a reliable delivery routine.
- during the hot months, I never have wine shipped as even 6 hours at 90+F is pretty hard on wine, especially nicer wine. Personally, I never have wine shipped.
- it is somewhat costly, at least at the price points I normally pay per bottle.
A wine club from a good wine shop (K&L, Wine Club, Beltramo or specialty retailers like Kermit Lynch or Vin Vino Wine) is better as you get a broad variety of wines. But I find them expensive, especially if they are sending you random selections. It's one thing to find out you don't care for Sangiovese; it's another to spend $50 ($40 + tax + shipping) to discover this.
But if you have a bit of time and energy I suggest getting a good wine book that simplifies wine and do your own shopping. For example, the book
Great Wine Made Simple: Straight Talk from a Master Sommelier by Andrea Immer is excellent (it's the book I wished I could have written but better) as it covers wine from a learn by tasting now perspective with specific broad recommendations. And you don't have to pay a whole lot to discover the varietals/regions/style you like or dislike.
Buy your own from a decent store (K & L, Wine Club, Beltramos, ....), if possible and if asking for recommendations don't be at all afraid to keep to your budget, since they will always have a wine that is 30% more but even better. If these stores are too inconvenient try Whole Foods, Cost Plus or BevMo (though it's hard to find good wine unless you know what you are looking for at BM and to some WF).
My personal favorite is Costco, which has unbeatable prices and consistenly high quality wines. I really don't know how they get some of their limited production wines given their volume. Often times Costco is the only place I'll find a specific wine I'm interested in. If you were to blindly sample their wines you'd get an excellent of idea of what you like and dislike.
posted by Russell @ 5:13 PM
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