How to join/find a wine club? resources?

Question

I'm looking to become a more knowledgeable member of the "wine world" - I'm hoping to join a wine club, build my wine collection - and ultimately, learn more about wine, et al

I've been researching - and have yet to find a great guide to wine clubs -

I started here, is this a good source?

http://www.halogenguides.com/living/guide/club-vino

Can you recommend other helpful, INTERESTING, sources? THANK YOU!

Answer 1

Check out the wine clubs in California.  We've been members of several, and are VERY happy with Sterling Vineyards.  You can go to their website and contact them...they might even clue you into some other wineclubs.

Answer 2

I'm not sure, but I think you might be heading in the wrong direction there. The link and the other responses are referring to  wineries that sell to people who sign up for their clubs. If you live near the wineries, there are some learning benefits, but aside from that, I don't see how a membership would help you.

What city do you live in? I know of several organizations and wine stores in LA that have tastings and "classes."

Better yet, why not organize a group of your friends and start your own wine club. A friend of mine did that and the group of 6 is having their 16th gathering tomorrow night. None of us had much knowledge to begin with - just a copy of The Wine Bible for each of us, but we would pick themes, get the wine and assign research to each member. We learn about varietals, regions, styles, etc. We started out simple with just some cheese and meat and crackers learning about basics. We've done stuff as fancy as tasting Barolos with homemade osso bucco and risotto, etc.

If this is what you had in mind, I could give you a few more tips.

Answer 3

It's easy to find wine clubs on the net, but why?

If you live anywhere near a wine shop or wine warehouse, that is where you should start.  

I like plumdump....'s suggestion of forming your own wine club.

Have each member responsible for bringing 3 wines to compare on a weekly or monthly schedule.  Try wines readily attainable locally.  Don't be afraid of anything you buy and decide which is your favorite each session.

This is the best and probably the least expensive way to acquire a knowledge of wine.

Answer 4

Just from my experience, which happened to lead to a conversation with the UPS man.... be careful about joining clubs that mail you wine that they select on a schedule.

I joined one (Vinesse).  I got bottle after bottle of chardonay, and even though they had different labels, most had identical corks & identical unpleasant taste.  After I cancelled, I kept getting wine, which I would refuse, & they kept debitting my account anyway.  The UPS guy told me he seen & heard about that a lot with that particular wine club, as well as a few others.

I would suggest you just go to your liquor store / wine store and sample.  Most have some wines available for tastings.  You don't really need to be knowledgable about wine, you just need to know what you like & what tastes good to you.