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Wine Clubs |
Wine clubs are basically winery-specific clubs that you join which provide you certain benefits. Typically, you receive a number of shipments of wine each year which costs you a pre-set price. The shipments are chosen by the winery and many times come with tasting notes and additional information. Some wineries offer levels of wine clubs whereby you can pay a higher price and receive their library or reserve selections. Additionally, you receive a discount on purchasing additional bottles from the winery.
Other than the obvious benefit of getting bottles of wine periodically throughout the year, as a wine club member you have the opportunity to experience a wide variety of wines from the chosen wineries. Many of these wines are not available beyond the Napa region because they are not widely distributed or produced in some cases. Further, upcoming sales are announced to wine club members first. I recently received a phone call from one of my wineries that gave me the opportunity to buy seriously discounted wine before it goes to the general public. Even without special sales, wine club members get to purchase bottles at a discount from retail.
Intangible Benefits
Belonging to a wine club provides you with more than just wine. Each winery is different but most offer special tours and invitations to dinners and exclusive wine releases. More importantly, however, is the way in which wineries treat their wine club members. For example, in my personal experience I have been treated like a very special guest at Schweiger, Louis Martini, Joseph Phelps, Flora Springs, and Nickel and Nickel all because either I or another member of my party was a wine club member. This benefit in and of itself is worth the cost, especially if you are planning a visit to Napa anytime soon.
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