Being a huge wine-o, one thing I wish I did years ago was become a member of a local wine club. In the past I had never had interest since it just seemed like an expensive way to have more booze show up on my doorstep that I really didn’t need to be drinking or spending money on. Skip into my thirties and we are members of a few wine clubs both local and far away, and it is the best decision ever! Here are the reasons why we enjoy being wine club members, and why it is something I highly suggest for you other wine lovers out there!
- Free Stuff! When you join a wine club, they always toss in free things. One thing I love is that our local wine club in Woodinville offers free wine tastings for us and 4 additional guests, anytime! If we are bored on a lazy Sunday, we can always head down the street for an afternoon tasting at no cost and it’s a fun way to spend a few hours with friends.
- Discounted Stuff 🙂 I haven’t come across a wine club that doesn’t offer you discounts when you join. We joined a club once when the offered us 10% off single bottles plus 40% off a case! I would much rather have a case of wine that I know I LOVE for 40% off than grab some random bottles of a shelf at a grocery store that I’m not sure about and pay even more.
- Fun, Exclusive Events! All wineries love to throw parties for holidays, special wine releases, and hey, sometimes just because! Many wineries have weekly live music and tasting parties, and they always make sure that their wine club members are the first to know.
- Networking and Making Friends. My husband and I are business-minded, wine-loving thirty-somethings, and I have found that at our wine club events we tend to come across people with common interests. It is no secret that having being over 30 and having kids makes it harder to make new friends and find time to expand your social network, and I think a nice winery with other club members is one of the ideal places where this is still possible!
Here are some wine clubs I am a fan of:
Kestrel Vintners in Woodinville, WA – Super affordable! They estimate about $350 for 22 bottles of wine (that’s like $15 a bottle!!). They have tasting rooms in both Woodinville and Leavenworth, so you can stop and sample for free east of the mountains too!
Columbia Winery in Woodinville – Their events are super fun, and they have an awesome handful of sister wineries that you also get free tastings at too!
Nefarious Cellars in Lake Chelan – I just love their wine. One of my absolute favorite wineries in Chelan, so a box from them is always welcome. Plus, having a wine club membership in Eastern Washington is a fun excuse to plan a quick little weekend getaway to head over and pick the case up personally (and maybe stop for a few tastings on the way:) ).
Trinchero Napa Valley – This is my total splurge suggestion. If you are going to get a wine club membership from anywhere non-local, I vote it HAS to be from Napa Valley. This winery produces INCREDIBLE reds, some of our absolute favorites ever. This wine club is more expensive than most, but it makes for a total experience when in Napa. They have exclusive areas of their winery accessible only to club members, and hold some of their best wines aside for them too. They do offer great rates on re-orders of cases, and after a taste you will be glad to take them up on the offer for sure 🙂
You clearly don’t have enough wine clubs delivering to your home. However, I do like those fancy wines from Boon Farm…twist and go!! Heck, I’ll even have some shipped to your house at a reasonable fee.