Are You In?
Wine clubs offer more than wine
By Carolyn Iannone
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At the most basic level, wine clubs give wineries a chance to invite loyal customers to enjoy more of their favorite wines at discounted prices. Many wine clubs offer members first dibs on special events, first access to new releases and limited-edition wines, private tastings with the winemaker and, most of all, a personal connection with the winery and the people who work there. It’s beyond merely visiting the tasting room; it’s an exclusive experience of the East End. So, are you in?
The wine clubs found along Long Island’s wine trails are as different as the wineries themselves. While membership usually includes bimonthly or quarterly shipments of select wines, many clubs offer much more. Even if direct shipment is available, many wine club members choose to stop by the winery and pick up the wine in person. That way they get a chance to again visit the place that made them want to join the wine club, reconnect with the people who work there and, over time, develop a special rapport with people who enjoy the same thing they do: great wine in a great atmosphere.
“There’s an interaction that establishes a bond between wine club members and the company and staff, and that’s really the most important thing,” explains Larry Perrine of Channing Daughters Winery in Bridgehampton. “There’s so much anonymous business today that we take pride in creating a specific human experience and an intentional community. It’s good for everyone involved, and people can count on it.”
Channing Daughters’ wine club was started in 2000 and boasts more than 1,100 members; about a third of them pick up their club selections at the winery. With that many members, not only has Channing Daughters established a loyal following; it also allows the winery to try something new with small lots of wine created exclusively for the club. They create about 70 to 90 cases of these experimental wines, send them off to the wine club and wait for the feedback. Sometimes those exclusive wines are so successful that they go on to become coveted best-sellers.
Kareem Massoud of Paumanok Vineyards in Aquebogue established a wine club in 1999 as a way for customers to enjoy the wine more often at greater savings. Today over 300 members reap the benefits of Paumanok’s wine club, with all the perks of discounts and complimentary tastings, plus VIP service and access to exclusive club events.
“The wine club is great, because on top of having access to phenomenal wines at a premium price, you feel like the guest of honor when you walk through the door,” notes Paumanok Vineyards wine club member Michael Genovese. He’s a loyal, long-time member who belongs to both the standard-level and Grand Vintage clubs. “The atmosphere is family-oriented; the wine club events are great,” says Mr. Genovese. “It’s local, and anything that supports local business, I’m all for.”
Paumanok Vineyards has paired up with Wölffer Estate Vineyard in Sagaponack to offer club members a “Best of Long Island Wine Cruise” in the summer of 2009. Winemakers Charles Massoud and Roman Roth will personally escort the intimate, 10-day voyage along the Mediterranean, hosting exclusive winemaker’s dinners, seminars and wine tastings.
Wölffer Estate’s wine club has grown to more than 250 members since it was formed in 1998. “It’s like a family,” explains retail sales manager Suellen Hoiles, who manages the tasting room and wine club. “You get to know one another. Members even bring along their families and they can extend their benefits to them.” In connection with Wölffer Estate Vineyard’s 20th anniversary, six specially labeled wines will be available exclusively to wine club members.
The Lenz Winery in Peconic just kicked off its version of a wine club in January. The “Subscriber Program” has three membership levels. At levels two and three, members may book a stay at the winery’s two-bedroom cottage.
Shinn Estate Vineyards’ wine club takes the form of a “Futures Tasting.” Members taste wines directly from the barrel before they’ve been bottled, and buy at a discounted rate. When the wine is ready, members may pick it up at the winery or have it shipped.
Cutchogue winery Bedell Cellars started its wine club in 2002, offering members regular wine shipments, discounts and complimentary tastings, along with VIP service. At Corey Creek, Bedell Cellar’s sister vineyard in Southold, there’s a wine-and-cheese pairing on the last weekend of every month that’s free to club members. Raphael, located in Peconic, founded its wine club in 2001. It offers a limited-production line of wines that wine club members gain access to before anyone else.
So the next time you visit a Long Island winery and wish you could be a bigger part of it, ask if they have a wine club. You may find yourself belonging to something much larger than you expected.
The East End offers many more wine clubs than could be mentioned above; see the sidebar for a complete list. And if you don’t see your favorite winery here, be sure to inquire; a club may have started up since this list was compiled.
East End Wine Clubs
Ackerly Pond Insiders’ Club, ackerlypondvineyards.com
Baiting Hollow Farm Vineyards, BHFV Wine Club, baitinghollowfarmvineyard.com/club
Bedell Wine Club, bedellcellars.com
Borghese Wine Society, castellodiborghese.com/shop.html
Bridge Vineyards (See The Tasting Room)
Channing Daughters Wine Club, channingdaughters.com/store/wineclub.php
Clovis Point Wine Wine Club, clovispointwines.com/ourwines.asp
Duck Walk Wine Club, duckwalk.com
Laurel Lake Vineyards Club Inquire at info@llwines.com or (631) 298-1420
The Lenz Winery Subscriber Program, lenzwine.com/Subscriber.htm
Lieb Family Cellars Wine Club, liebcellars.com/wine-club
Macari Vineyards Wine Club, macariwines.com
Martha Clara Vineyards Wine Club, marthaclaravineyards.com/wineclub.html
The Old Field Wine Club, theoldfield.com
Osprey’s Dominion Wine Club, ospreysdominion.com/join_wineclub.html
Paumanok Wine Clubs, paumanok.com/join_club.html
Pellegrini Wine Club, pellegrinivineyards.com/site/wineclub.htm
Pindar Wine Club, pindar.net
Raphael Reserve Club, raphaelwine.com/Club.htm
The Roanoke Connection, roanokevineyards.com/the-roanoke-connection
Sherwood House Wine Club, sherwoodhousevineyards.com
Shinn Estate Futures Tasting Inquire at shinnvin@optonline.net or (631) 804-0367
The Tasting Room Wine Club, tastingroomLI.com. Includes Comtesse Thérèse, Bridge, Sparkling Pointe, Christiano Family, Sherwood House, Schneider and Medolla vineyards.
Vineyard 48, WINECLUB48, vineyard48winery.com/wine-club.php
Waters Crest Wine Club, waterscrestwinery.com/club.php
Wölffer Wine Club, wolffer.com
North Fork Wine Club, northforkwineclub.com
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