Five Benefits of Joining a Wine Club

With the Internet, a variety of growers large and small, and wine as popular as ever, there are more clubs for it than ever these days. So just what are the benefits of joining one of these groups?

1. They're great for people who'd like to try different wines but don't know a lot about them.

There are those people in life who have detailed, intricate knowledge of different vintages, growing regions, pairings, and other wine-related topics. These experts are the exception, not the rule. Most people are lucky if they have a few reliable brands to recommend at dinners and social events. Perhaps the primary benefit of being in a wine club is that it connects everyday people to expert sommeliers and connoisseurs who can make the picks for them.

2. They can be an introduction to unfamiliar wines.

It's easy to get stuck in routine in life. How often people order the same thing or two at restaurants, take the same route to work, wear the same clothes. It's not necessarily that folks are resistant to change, they just don't always know if something better is out there and actively searching for it can be time-consuming and no sure thing. With a wine club, something better can be next month's order away, and with dozens of different grapes and seemingly countless blends, it can be good to let experts navigate the uncertainties.

3. They offer a fixed cost.

Wine clubs tend to be subscription-based, offering membership for a monthly cost. Typically, a selection of wine gifts online or elsewhere is picked by experts and sent to members, like a Book of the Month club. There are generally no variable fees, with the cost typically being set and people deciding their level of involvement. There need be no surprise charges or hidden overages.

4. They're convenient

Wine tasting can be about spending an afternoon or weekend driving around the wine country, visiting different vineyards and sampling the fares. But that's not the only option for tasting today. A wine club allows people to sample different offerings in the comfort of their backyard or living room, perhaps at a picnic in the park. It saves the gas, the trip, and the weekend, which of course is nice on occasion but infeasible most of the time.

5. There is also the opportunity to connect with other members.

Wine clubs offer people the chance to taste wine remotely. That said there also are meet-ups and social networking opportunities and the chance for people to forge friendships with other members. It's like any number of different clubs, really, with groups of strangers coming together through a common interest.