How to join a wine club

Step 1: Select the state you live in

Why you should you select a state. There are only 36 states which freely allow wine to be shipped directly to consumers. The others have a series of rules governing who can and cannot ship directly to consumers, and some forbid it entirely.

Step 2: What kind of wine buyer are you?

After 9 years of reviewing wine clubs, we’ve identified a few groups of wine buyers and the wine of the month clubs that cater to them. We use the per-bottle price to make these judgments because that one factor typically drives the both the wine in the subscriptions and the wine buyers’ enjoyment of them.

Here are 4 types of wine lovers we think join wine clubs

1. Just starting out. Someone who doesn’t yet know much about wine and wants to explore a little. We think wine clubs priced under $15 a bottle are the best option. Our ratings will help you steer clear of the stinkers that show up in this price range.
2. “Everyday” wine drinkers are people who drink wine regularly. We focus on wine clubs priced $15-25 per bottle for these wine lovers. Leaving room for different budgets and preferences, we also encourage you to spend just a little bit more per bottle — the difference a couple of bucks makes in this price range can be huge.
3. Wine enthusiasts are people who have a more refined sense of what they like and tend to prefer unusual or high-quality wines. We suggest joining a wine club in the $25-45 per bottle price range for these savvy drinkers. These wine clubs offer boutique, small-production, and otherwise very hard to find wines.
4. Wine connoisseurs are typically comfortable spending upwards of $45 a bottle for special wine. There are some pretty incredible wine clubs to join when you want high-end wine with a guarantee.

Remember which kind of wine drinker you are as you read the rest of this guide, we’ll point out the best options for you.

Step 3: Choose either personalized or curated wine clubs

In this modern era, you can opt to have a professional pick your wine for you, or let an algorithm figure out what you like and match it to an available wine inventory. Read on to see how these curated and personalzied wine clubs are different.

A curated wine club is one where someone else picks all of the wines you receive and every wine club member gets the same wines as each other. Most often a professional is picking wines for the broadest appeal.

The pros and cons of curated wine subscriptions:

• PRO: There isn’t any “work” for you to do
• PRO: You’ll grow your wine knowledge and discover new favorites faster
• CON: You may occasionally get wines that you don’t prefer, like Merlot or Chardonnay
• CON: You may rarely get wine you do prefer, like Cabernet or Sauvignon Blanc

A personalized wine club uses a palate quiz (for your first shipment) and your opinions of their wine (subsequent shipments) to determine which wines they’ll send to you. While they want to match you with the best wines for your palate, you’re limited to the wines available at the wine club.

The pros and cons of personalized wine subscriptions:

• PRO: Wines are selected for you based on preferences you’ve stated, either through a quiz or by rating wine
• PRO: Most personalized wine clubs let you swap out bottles if you’re in the mood for something different than what they recommend
• CON: It might take several shipments before the wine club knows what you like and they may never get it perfect (patience is a virtue)
• CON: They only send wine that fits a generalized palate profile shared by many consumers, not your specific palate

Step 4: What kind of wine do you want to drink

The simplest form of a wine club sends red and white wine from either California or a mix of International regions. This is exactly what many people want — a variety of wine that shows up at your door on a regular basis. Before you pick the wine you want to get, take a moment to consider what you want from a wine subscription.

• Do you want specific grapes or regions?
• Do you want to discover new wines that suit your current preferences?
• Do you want to go on a no holds barred wine adventure?

Okay, now that you’ve pondered the “goal” of your wine membership, let’s dive in.

Choose among loosely-focused wine clubs

You can also get very specific

• The Pinot Noir Series offers only California Pinot
• The Aged Cabernet Series offers library wines mostly from Napa and Sonoma, aged 7-12 years, and ready to drink now
• Other varietal wine clubs for just one grape variety
• The Light & Sweet Wine Club offers sweeter white wines like Moscato and Riesling
• Napa Valley Wine Clubs or Bordeaux Wine Clubs for just one wine region
• inClub by Invino gives you exactly what you want — California Red Blends, French Mourvèdre, and Spanish Albariño to name a few

If you want to try new wines like your current preferences

• Just starting out? Choose a wine club that gives you more wine to love. These 12-bottle case clubs are value-priced and will improve your wine knowledge.
  Join the club: Case Club (curated, California) or 90+ Wine Club (curated, International).
  Need smaller shipments? Try The Cellar Series, a 6-bottle International wine club
• An everyday drinker? Consider joining a wine club that offers a quality bump over what you’ve been drinking but sticks with the most popular grapes and leading wine regions.
  Join the club: Gold Series (curated, California) or Winc (personalized, mostly California)
• A wine enthusiast? Choose a wine club that features a selection of familiar grapes and regions, but also introduces something new to your repertoire.
  Join the club: The Collectors Series (curated, International) or Plonk Wine Club (curated, International)
• A wine connoisseur? It’s a little-known secret that you can find great deals on small-production gems from the best wineries without visiting their tasting rooms. Remember, your local wine shop won’t offer you a satisfaction guarantee, but these members-only clubs will.
  Join the club: Signature Series (curated, California) or Diamond Series (curated, California)

If you want to go on a wine adventure

Discovery of new wine is the fun part for most wine lovers, but we often get stuck in a rut and forget to try new things. These subscriptions will keep your mouth happy.

• Just starting out? Whether you let someone else pick for you or you opt for the do-it-yourself version, you can find great clubs at easy-to-swallow prices.
  Join the club: Wine Awesomeness (curated, International) or Winc (personalized, mostly California)
• An everyday drinker? It’s time to kick it up a notch and enjoy a deeper dive into lesser known wine regions and styles.
  Join the club: The World of Wine Club (curated, International) or Plonk Wine Club (curated, International)
• A wine enthusiast? The more obscure the better. Whether it’s the tiniest wineries or a sommelier’s favorite deals, these two wine clubs are worth the money.
  Join the club: Garagiste Series (curated, California) or Adventurer’s Wine Box (curated, International)
• A wine connoisseur? Get introduced you to wines you’d never try on your own with a wine club that is also an importer — you won’t see much of their wine for sale elsewhere.
  Join the club: Eclectic Wines club with the Special Occasion preference

Step 5: How much wine you should get delivered

While this is largely a personal decision, the answer is probably not “barrels of wine.” We recommend considering the following factors: how much wine you drink each month, how much of your wine you want to buy through a wine subscription, and how often you want to receive shipments. Read on to learn about the mertis of larger shipments delivered less often.

There are real benefits to ordering larger shipments

1. The lowest prices. Wine clubs often give the best pricing to their best customers. The best wine deals are usually “by the case” (12 bottles). There are many clubs that use the “buy more, save more” price structure.
2. Reduced shipping costs. Most wine clubs pay part of the cost of shipping wine and use flat rate shipping.
   
   Example: Two bottles of wine costs the customer $14 to ship. In this scenario you’re paying $7 per bottle for shipping. In contrast, most 12-bottle wine clubs offer $19.99 shipping. In this case you’re paying just $1.67 per bottle for shipping.
   
   Ordering larger shipments means you’ll spend more of your money on wine and less of your money on shipping that wine to you.
3. Convenience. As much as we don’t want to rain on the wine club parade, it’s true that waiting around for deliveries can be a drag. There are ways to get around that issue, but if you receive fewer shipments, then you’ll deal with that annoyance less often.