Wine club perks when you join a wine club

Wineries will think of all types of wine club perks (gimmicks) to get wine country travelers to join their wine clubs. It is just about the best way for a winery to sell their wine and get a good return on profit. There is no distributor, or middle man, to take a cut. Many wineries will give their employees a commission when they sign up a wine club member. Always be on guard for the old wine club push. Most use a soft sell, but a few do come on very strong. I love the line, “Our wine club is free to join.”  I have not yet found a wine club that charges a fee to join.

Although the perk of a parking space is unusual, these are some of the advantages of joining a wine club:

• Wines not distributed but sold only to wine club members.
• Wines released to wine club members well before being distributed.
• Wine club events: Release parties and the like. The best perk is when the party is at the winery and no fees are charged.
• Free tasting for the club member and guests.
• Use of a picnic area.

Some not so good perks:

• Wine shipments include a varietal that is not a favorite.
• Finding your wine on sale for less than the wine club price.
• Shipping costs.
• You can quit a wine club, but breaking up is hard to do.