JOIN THE (Wine) CLUB!

JOIN THE (Wine) CLUB!

What is a Wine Club? Ask ten different people and you will get asget as many different answers, which vary from wineries and internet companies that regularly send wine to members, to social- or home-based tasting groups.

In our region wine clubs are still a fairly new concept. In Australia, for example, asking someone what wine club they belong to is like asking them what country club they are members of. Everyone belongs to at least one club (sometimes several), and which one they belong to is reflective of their preferences, style, budget and taste.

To get further clarification on what constitutes a wine club, I went to ASK.com. I didn’t find a clear definition, but I did receive 20 pages of wine club listings that included all of the above types of clubs.

The exact description of a wine club may be hard to come by but the advantages are clear - if you enjoy wine regularly, belonging to a wine club will snag some attractive benefits. Here’s a run down of a few:

Winery-Based Wine Clubs frequently offer different levels of membership, each with more substantial perks. As a member you generally receive exclusive wines tailored to meet your interests (white wine, red wine, or mixed), wines delivered to your home or business, the opportunity to purchase wines in limited distribution, pre-release notification, recipes and winemaker notes, discounts on wine, newsletters, advance notice of winery events and wine club events for wine club members only.

Internet Wine Clubs feature a region, or several regions, rather than a single winery and send wine out on a monthly, bi-monthly or quarterly basis directly to your home or business. Each club has a specific niche that identifies them. Most offer discounts on wine, tasting notes, wine- and food-pairing suggestions, newsletters, notice of upcoming wine-related events, and invitations to wine dinners, tasting and tours. The final cost will depend on which level of membership you choose.

Society Wine Clubs and Home Clubs are often comprised of a group of people with similar interests and wine knowledge who meet on a regular basis for wine tasting, dinner, touring and education.

There are literally hundreds of clubs; here are few local clubs with some cool perks.

Basel Cellars Wine Club: Vintage Club and Estate Reserve Club members have the privilege of reserving Basel Cellars Estate for their personal use. www.baselcellars.com

Beverage Bistro Vineyard Wine Club: Members receive two bottles of red wine made from twelve of the world’s best small vineyards—one for each month of the year. Every year, members receive the next vintage released from the same vineyard, providing the opportunity to develop vertical collections. www.vineyardclub.beveragebistro.com

Chateau Ste. Michelle: Perhaps one of the largest (if not the largest) wine clubs in Washington. The winery produces small lot wines specifically for the club and gives complimentary tastings in the Vintage Reserve Room. The club also offers concert ticket pre-sales to Vintage Reserve Club members. www.ste-michelle.com

DiStefano Wine Club: Invitation to member-only terroir and library wine tastings, as well as advance notice for release parties and special events. www.distefanowinery.com

Fidelitas Wine Club: Once you reach the “Optu” (Latin for “finest” or “best”) level, available to the first 25 people who purchase the most wine in a calendar year, you become eligible for a private winemaker dinner with Charlie Hoppes and 10 to 15 of your friends. www.fidelitaswines.com

Pacific Northwest Wine Club: Each month two different varietals are chosen from a variety of Pacific Northwest vineyards and vintages. www.pnwc.com

Vine Tales Wine Club: Takes you on “journeys” though the world of wine, one region at a time. Every other month, a 2-, 3-, 6-, or 12-bottle selection, hand-picked from the selected region, is shipped to your doorstep, along with stories, maps and original collectable Vine Tales pin-up art. www.vinetales.com

VinSentio Wine Club: highlights premium wines from Washington. Signature (wines from smaller, family owner wineries) and Premium memberships (highest rated wines) are available. www.vinsentio.com

Washington State Wine Club: Specializing in wines from the State of Washington every month. www.washingtonstatewineclub.com

Walla Walla Wine Club: Features new releases and hard-to-find wine from Walla Walla. Gives notification of library selections, as they become available and discounts on reordered wines. www.wallawallawineclub.com

Zino Society: Members are professionals throughout the investment community and the wine industry. They share wine-related and other investment opportunities, and engage in activities from education seminars and wine country tours to gourmet dinners and wine tastings.www.zinosociety.com


WOW of the Month
I was fortunate to attend the 15th annual Washington Wines Festival that yielded over $210,000 for the Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic and the Washington Wine Education Consortium. The evening began with a wine reception featuring 31 top Washington winemakers and wineries, including 2006 Honorary Chair Bob Betz of Betz Family Winery.

Perhaps the most exciting lot of the evening was the last item; Anne-Marie Hedges of Hedges Family Estates and Hope Moore of Make the Dash Count Foundation won the chance to throw eight darts at the Washington Wines Festival dartboard. Hedges, who claimed she is a dart novice, hit the bull’s eye on her first throw, winning a 6-Liter 1989 Chateau Lynch Bages, Bordeaux. Hedges then, along with Moore, proceeded to hit each wedge, winning several more bottles, including 1970 Chateau Mouton, 2000 Chateau Lafite Rothschild (100 pts.), 1996 Leonetti Cellar – Cabernet Sauvignon, 1994 Fonseca Vintage Port (100 pts.) and 1999 Joseph Phelps – Insignia.