Wine Club Thoughts

Recently I spent a day off in the wine country nearest where I live -  Santa Barbara, California.  The trip was prompted by wanting to attend a new-release tasting and pick-up party for one of the wine clubs to which I belong.  While my friend and I were in the area, we decided to make it a day of wine tasting and some of that happened at another winery whose club I have joined.  Two wine club visits in one day prompt this post.
Wine clubs come in at least two forms - those run by wineries and those that are not.  I belong to three that are all run by wineries.  Many smaller wineries rely on direct to consumer (DTC) sales through their wine clubs and online to build consumer loyalty, or because their production is limited, or simply to help the bottom line.  But there are also wine clubs that curate wines from a variety of sources according to a theme, interest or price point.  Some of these build in an educational component or at least supply extensive tasting notes about the wines they send you. This kind of wine club can be run as free-standing companies of various sizes and/or may be affiliated with a periodical or some "non-wine" entity.
I have never belonged to a wine club of the second type I just described, but I think they would be an excellent place to start for people who are beginning their wine journey and seeking out a variety of styles and experiences.  They may also be useful for people who live far from wine producing regions or in places that have limited local resources for purchasing the kind of wine that interests them.
Living in Southern California affords me the opportunity to easily visit wineries, and so all of my current wine club memberships are with wineries in Santa Barbara County. Anyone who has visited any wine country knows that tasting room personnel are ever ready to sign you up for their wine club.  But there are over 125 wineries in five AVAs in Santa Barbara County - and that's just one region of our state.  How does one choose?  The most obvious answer is to join wine clubs that feature wine you enjoy.  But here are a few considerations beyond that first sip:

Who are they?
Choosing nearby wineries has allowed me to get to know the people involved in the operation and to see how they do business.  I like supporting smaller, family-run wineries whose product is not readily available to me elsewhere.  Joining the wine club of a small winery makes me feel like a stakeholder in their success. As with people in any business, ethical standards vary.  Getting to know the people allows me to share my limited wine-buying budget with businesses that operate using a set of values I share and respect.  The best illustration among my three memberships is Stolpman Vineyards, who inspire me by sharing their success with their workers - La Cuadrilla.  (And I find the Syrah from their vineyard sites in Ballard Canyon to be delicious!)

What do I want?
The first paragraphs of this post reveal some of what I am looking for in a wine club: a steady supply of hard-to-find, small-production wines made by people I respect at a price point I can afford and who are close enough for me to visit.  Your interests will be different, but I encourage you to make them as specific as mine.  Some example: there are wineries whose production is so limited that they only sell to club members, or certain bottling are only made available to the “inner circle.”  This can be true of even large wineries.  So there is your motivation if they produce your favorite bottle.  
Some wine clubs offer members significant discounts from time to time or may include other non-wine items in your membership.  One wine club I belonged to enclosed a CD of hand-picked music with each shipment.  (The winemaker’s first career was in Hollywood’s recording industry.)
Pick-up parties, tastings, or even the chance to help at harvest or bottling time are sometimes perks of membership.  Are you interested in them and are they happening in a location that would allow you to participate?  

Time and Money
The money part is obvious - most of us do not have the financial ability to belong to an unlimited number of wine clubs.  Hopefully, the above considerations may help make those hard decisions among the clubs competing for your membership.  But also consider the commitment you are making in terms of frequency of shipments and the quantity of wine that will be sent.  Even wine that you really like and that is at a comfortable price point can become a burden if you are receiving too much of it too frequently.  Be sure you know at the outset how often your prospective club’s terms and conditions.  

The rewards of joining a wine club of any type are many, offering the chance to further explore the wine you know – or the wine you want to know!