Wine clubs, wine clubs everywhere

As the popularity and accessibility of wine grows so does the proliferation of wine clubs. While joining a club at a local shop, your favorite winery or some other organization is a great way to get well priced access to some of your favorite wines, as consumers there are some things to watch out for too.

On the positive side the clubs sponsored by local retailers or restaurants are still some of the best ones to join. They give you access to great wines at discounted prices, you are able to join a wine club where the purveyor picking the wine has a knowledge of your palate and you know their taste as well, and in the case of a wine shop you have an opportunity to try wines from a variety of wineries. Also there is no doubt that shops like ours greatly appreciate your support of a small local business and therefore do our best to get you the wines you like most at the best prices.

When it comes to joining a winery wine club you do sacrifice some variety as the wine you will receive is only from that one producer. It makes sense though when you really like the product and the winemaking style as this is the way you get consistent access to their best wines, and also wines they reserve for their club members only.

Wine clubs are also popping up that are sponsored by charities, community organizations and even colleges and universities. This is a great way for you to help your favorite charity and still have a chance to try some unique wines.

Now for some of the not so good clubs that as a consumer you may want to watch out for. Lately some large publishers have started wine clubs like major newspapers and even some well known restaurant rating publications. While initially these seemed like great deals and good clubs to join, as the details have emerged they become less compelling.

What many of these clubs are doing is sending their buyers to wine producing areas around the country to buy up excess wine that has yet to go into bottle. They then bottle the wine and put a label on it that has little relation to who has produced the wine or even to where the grapes are grown. Since they are buying the wine in bulk and doing the bottling they have little cost in the product and therefore sell it at prices that seem too good to be true. And in fact that may be the case. They also have their publication talk up a wine that they in fact are likely to profit from, not a great chance of objectivity there.

The regulations governing what is contained and what is prohibited on a wine label are very strict. The name of the winery, where the grapes come from - region or appellation, the vintage and the alcohol level are all tightly governed. What is not governed though are the descriptions that the wine reviewers and sales people use to describe the wine.

So here are some things to watch for. First off it is very easy to check and see if the winery is real or simply a negotiant bottler. Go to your favorite search engine on the internet and search on the winery name. As just about every legitimate winery has a website and a physical address you can identify which ones may not be the real deal if you find neither. This surely will not change the wine in the bottle or your opinion of it, if you like it that is great, however it will affect your ability to get more or even to find it again in subsequent vintages, and local purchase will almost certainly be impossible.

Next check and see if the description in the tasting notes matches the facts on the label. We were recently made aware of a wine described as "a wonderful blending wine used in some of Napa Valley's greatest Cabernets." After a little fact checking on the label it was discovered that the wine was from California's Central Valley - far away from Napa and therefore unlikely to have been used in any of Napa's greatest Cabernets, both because of quality and the distance it would have to be transported.

Finally, trust your own palate. If you like the majority of what you get from one of the large club sponsors and limited access to the wines after the first bottle is ok with you, go for it. If the wine starts to change in quality though that may indicate they are having a hard time locating the same great deals as the economy begins to get better, and it may then be time to go back to a wine club closer to home.

If there is a topic you would like to read about or questions on wine you can email George@thedinnerpartyshop.com or make suggestions by contacting the Healthy Community section at the Coeur d'Alene Press.

George Balling is co-owner with his wife Mary Lancaster of the dinner party a wine and table top decor shop in Coeur d'Alene by Costco. George is also the managing judge of The North Idaho Wine Rodeo. www.thedinnerpartyshop.com.