With shoppers increasingly buying everything from electricals to underwear over the internet, it’s no surprise that the ever-resourceful wine industry has firmly established its presence in cyberspace.
It’s now possible to source everything from ultra-rare vintage white wine to personalised champagne bottles over the internet and online wine clubs have been enjoying a buoyant trade in harnessing the spending power of those who want to pick up wine bargains from the comfort of their own home.
Even before the advent of the internet, wine delivered to the door was a familiar concept among white wine enthusiasts, with mail order companies promoting their bargain buys in newspaper supplements.
Today, the choices are vast and there are some very tempting deals out there, all competing for wine buyers’ custom. And it’s not hard to see the appeal of online wine clubs – whether you’re short on money, time, or just ideas, these home delivery clubs can offer savings and solutions to your wine-buying dilemmas. If the choice at your local off-license or supermarket is starting to look a little samey, online wine clubs can be a great source of inspiration, with many offering bottles from all four corners of the world, in price brackets that range from super-cheap to super-splurge.
But whilst some online wine clubs offer genuine bargains and hard to find bottles alongside the convenience of having your chosen wine delivered right to your doorstep, others offer enticing-sounding sign up deals that can wind up being costly mistakes. But with so much choice out there, how is the white wine buyer to know which sites are the Premier Cru Champagnes of the wine club world and which are the sub-standard Lambruscos?
Of course, a lot depends on exactly what you are looking for. If you’re in the market for a one-off case, you’ll want to choose a wine club that doesn’t have a costly membership fee, or you could end up worse off financially than if you bought the bottles individually. Even if you plan to make a monthly purchase, do a little research into whether the monthly offers are going to be for wines that you actually want to (and can afford to) buy. Many a wine buyer has found themselves with wine racks full of overpriced, unexciting bottles of white wine thanks to wine clubs that looked great at the outset but failed to deliver on their early promise.
As with so many things in the white wine world, an awful lot comes down to personal taste. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to online wine clubs; it is more a case of different strokes for different folks. Some wine clubs specialise in everyday wines delivered, at reduced prices, to your door. Others specialise in wines from one particular country, whilst some specialise in fine wines and rare vintages. If your white wine buying tends to be a bit haphazard, you should look for online wine clubs that offer a little bit of everything – good introductory offers; wines from various countries and regions; good deals on cases; and individual bottles.
Word of mouth is a good way of sorting the quality wine clubs from the duff ones and a bit of online research can go a long way.
One wine club that has received plaudits from Observer wine critic Tim Atkin as well as Superplonk legend Malcolm Gluck, is the Wine Society.
This long-established wine club offers bottles that range in price from under a fiver to over 250 pounds and is a favourite among beginners to the world of white wine as well as to in-the-know aficionados. The Wine Society was founded in 1874 and its online incarnation has been in existence since the 1990s.
The Society is run as a Co-operative and aims to offer great deals on truly interesting wines. A one-off payment of £40 buys a share in the company, which operates in the same way as a life-long membership (more than life-long, in fact, as the share can be passed on to a loved one). The share entitles members to take advantage of all the Wine Society’s offers and with no monthly minimum purchase, it’s a great gift idea for the white wine lover in your life (even if that white wine lover happens to be yourself…)
Whilst the Wine Society is a great all rounder, white wine buyers with more specialised tastes might want to consider other online clubs. Berry Bros & Rudd, for example, is ideal for those with a taste for fine wines. You don’t have to be a member to buy online from this family owned company, but with deals such as 15% off cases for members, it can be very tempting to sign up.
For those who tend to favour the white wine of one country above any others, wine clubs can be a good way to get the best bottles at the best prices. The Australian Wine Centre, for example, offers great deals on hard to find bottles from small producers, at very fair prices.
Image by Five O’Clock Dallas.
