Wine clubs worth joining to lift a glass

(LATimes) - Wine club subscriptions with surprises and preferences are offered by Les Marchands, Michael Mina Wine Club, the Feiring Line Wine Society, Kermit Lynch Wine Club and Wine Expo.

Typically, wine clubs have had about as much coolness factor as the old Columbia Record Club. No serious wine drinkers would have ever considered joining such a club. But now a handful of new wine clubs is changing the game with selections focused on Santa Barbara wines, grand cru Burgundy or natural wines.

Bottles are hand-picked, often highly allocated (i.e. hard to find), come with tasting notes and/or recipes — and inside is something you'd actually like to drink. Some clubs cater to what you already like. Others challenge your palate with eclectic and surprising choices. One has no pre-selected wines and instead sends out bottles custom-tailored to each member's interests.

What's not to like? Belonging to a wine club is suddenly cool.

Note that prices for wine club subscriptions do not include any applicable sales tax or shipping.

Les Marchands

When sommeliers Eric Railsback and Brian McClintic opened Les Marchands Wine Bar & Merchant in Santa Barbara last spring, they had no plans for a wine club. But customers asked for one. They started off with two clubs and now offer several more, each devoted to a specific interest and price point. "We're working really hard to make sure we're giving value and really cool wines," says Railsback. The latest is SBC Wine Club, featuring the wines of Santa Barbara County, two bottles per month, "a mix of hard-to-find gems, recognizable names, and up and coming young producers" ($80). For Burgundy hounds, the Grand Cru Club offers two to three highly allocated Burgundies a month ($249).