Red Wine Club Types

You can join a red wine club either directly through a winery or through a third party wine reseller. These two wine club types work in a different manner, so I've provided more details on both to help you decide which one is right for you.

Winery Wine Clubs

As I mentioned above, this type of red wine club is managed directly through a winery. There are some differences in them from one winery to the next, but the way they work overall is pretty much the same. You'll want to look at the details of each club for the specifics. Here is usually how they work:

• In Person or Online: When you are wine tasting, they usually have a number of brochures available for you to review. This is where most people sign up for the wine club. However, you can also sign up online through their website. It's free to join and many have more than one club option.


• Select Your Club: They usually have a club that is for red wine club only, white wine only or a combination of the two. The wines that you will receive are only from this one winery.


• Receive & Pay Shipments Quarterly: Most wineries ship their wines to their wine club members once a quarter, although a handful ship once a month. You only pay when the wine is shipped to you. One thing you'll want to look at is number of bottles they ship per month and the estimated cost. Most ship just a couple of bottles each month, while others might ship a few more.

Usually you'll receive an email right before shipment letting you know what they are shipping to you, so you can estimate the costs at that time too. You can also cancel your membership at anytime.

Some of the other benefits that come with a membership of this type of red wine club include:

• Discounts on their wines
• Access to limited production wines
• First access to their futures
• If available, tasting in their special members only tasting area where it isn't as crowded

You will also be invited to wine tasting events, many that are for members only. The fun part is that a lot of places will also have the wine makers join the event, so you can learn more about the wines you love.

Overall, I would recommend joining at least one wine club for a winery that you truly enjoy. You can get to know the winery, more about the wines and be the first to try new releases. Since you can cancel at anytime, it's also a good way to try one winery out for a while and then maybe try another favorite for a few months.

Third Party Vendor Wine Clubs

When you think of wine of the month clubs, this is probably the type of wine club that comes to mind. This type of red wine club is created and managed through third party wine resellers.

Each reseller also usually has a few options, so that you can get the wines that you enjoy the most. The great thing about these wine clubs is that you also get a combination of different wineries in each monthly shipment.

If you choose a red wine club, you will receive only red wines but from a variety of different wineries. This also gives you the option to try something new that maybe you wouldn't normally try.

They also usually charge a set fee per month which allows you to pay monthly or pay ahead for a longer period of time. Most of these clubs are also free to join and you can usually cancel at anytime. For these clubs, I would highly recommend that you read through all of the information before joining.

Since each reseller sets up their club slightly in a different way, then you'll want to ensure you know exactly what you are signing up for when you join. You'll also want to ask them to give you a list of wines they shipped out to members over the last two or three months. That will help you decide if it's the right club for you.

Finally, you'll want to make sure you go with a reputable company and not one that may end up shipping you something that you didn't sign up to receive. Here are some of the top wine clubs and a good place to start your search.

Club Name/Company	Club Options	Estimated Pricing	Other Details
Wine.com	3 Clubs: Discovery Tour, Wines of the World, 90 Point Rated	$29.99, $39.99, $69.99 per month, shipping, handling fees and taxes are not included in the base price.	All three clubs are two bottles a month. With the Discovery Tour and Wines of the World you can also select reds only or red/white mix. The 90 Point Rated club only includes red wine.
Cellars Wine Club	10 Clubs including one for red wine lovers, one for international wine lovers, west coast wine club and several others to choose from.	Range is from $19.99 to $149.99 a month. You can also choose the every other month option.	These wine clubs are highly rated and they have a lot of options. They also just launched one they call the Red Trio Club. This one features three wines a month, all from different wineries.
Winetasting.com	3 Clubs: Discovery, Master's Series, Extreme Series	$29.99, $39.99 and $175 - $200 a month - Shipping, handling fees and taxes are not included.	Each club is 2 bottles a month. Discovery and Master's Series have the option for two reds, or one white and one red. Extreme Series is usually Cabernets and Bordeaux varietals.

These are just some of the great red wine club types available and that I'd recommend. Each give you a great way to sample some new red wines and continue to learn more about the types of red wine you enjoy and don't enjoy as much.