What to consider when joining an Okanagan Wine Club

You love wine, we get it, we understand why. You’ve been on a couple of wine tours and visited several fantastic local wineries and you buy Okanagan wine often enough that you’ve decided to look into joining a wine club. But what exactly does that involve and how does one decide which is the best wine club to join? With hundreds of wineries to choose from in British Columbia alone, the decision on which wine club to join can be overwhelming. We are here to help make your decision a little easier. 

Why join an Okanagan wine club? 

Okanagan wine is world-renowned. By joining an Okanagan wine club you can enjoy the best of the Okanagan Valley wines from the comfort of your own home, even if you live outside of the Okanagan or even out of province. Joining a wine club provides the opportunity to sample some prizewinning wines and rare vintages that you may not otherwise have had the chance to. In addition, wine club members can uncork an impressive array of perks and privileges. For many wine-lovers, the thought of having exclusive access to specific wines that you can only get by being a wine club member is intoxicating enough, but before you sign on the dotted line, there are other factors to take into consideration. 

Tips for picking the Okanagan wine club that works for you

First and foremost, you must enjoy the wine! It is always temping while enjoying a tasting at a winery to think about the discounts you could get if you were a wine club member, however not all memberships are the same in terms of benefits and there are other important factors to take into consideration when determining which wine club is the best for you:

What is the commitment to the wine club? It’s important to ask the winery what their wine club commitment is. In some cases it is one year, in others it is one shipment. Some wineries allow you to end your membership after your first order and others don’t. Always read the fine print so you know exactly what you are committing to. 

Are there wine club fees? Most Okanagan wine clubs do not charge a fee to members, however, as mentioned above, you will probably be committed to your membership for a specific period of time or must meet the minimum number of bottles purchased. 

What is the discount offered on wine? Of course one of the biggest benefits to joining a wine club are the discounts on the wine itself! Each club is different, and most wineries will state on their websites exactly how much discount is offered to club members. If the discount on wine is the biggest motivating factor in your decision on which wine club to join, consider that many (but not all) Okanagan wineries also offer a discount to club members on additional wine over and above what is included in their shipment, whether purchased online or at the winery itself. 

Are there different wine club options or is it one-size-fits-all? Some wine clubs offer tiered levels within the club, depending on how often you want to receive a shipment and how many wines are in the shipment. At Dirty Laundry we have four levels of wine club ranging from Peek-a-Boo membership (6 bottles of wine shipped every 5 months) all the way up to Madam membership (12 bottles of wine, shipped every 3 months). Usually, the higher the tier of membership, the greater the commitment, but the more discounts and perks included. 

What are the on-site perks? Aside from the discounts on the wine, the member-only perks at the winery itself are often the deciding factor when choosing which Okanagan wine club to join, especially if you live locally. From complimentary wine tastings to events such as cheese and wine evenings, elaborate music events or private wine tastings and food pairings, each winery offers something different and unique for wine club members, so check out the winery’s website to find out exactly what is included. At Dirty Laundry, we offer all wine club members free access to our “Wine Club Wednesdays” featuring live entertainment, complimentary hors d’oeuvres and an introduction to a new wine before release to the general public.

Dirty Laundry’s wine club members all receive complimentary tastings, a $15 winery gift card for each club shipment that is picked up at the Winery, and at least a 50% discount on our Elevated Tasting Experience. Plus,  members can make reservations to sit, eat and drink on our award-winning patio. For our higher tiers of wine club, Boudoir and Madam, members can experience a complimentary Elevated Tasting Experience for four once per year, valued at $160, plus Madam members are eligible for intimate VIP tastings on our private upstairs patio. Quite the list of member perks!

Are shipments customizable? Most wine clubs will select the types of wine for the shipment depending on the time of year and particular wines available, and a perk of being a wine club member is that pre-releases, reserve wines and sold-out vintages (often not available to the public) can be included in wine club shipments. However, while some people love the element of surprise and will not make any changes to their shipment, others prefer to know exactly what they are getting, or they want an all-white wine or all-red wine case. At Dirty Laundry, we send members a suggested shipment curated by our winemaker Mason Spink but all members have the choice of fully customising their shipment. The majority of wine clubs have the option to make changes to your shipment simply by logging into an online account.

What are the shipping costs? It’s important to check out the cost of shipping the wine to your destination before making any commitments to a particular club, especially if you are from out of town and cannot pick up your wine in-person. While on the surface it might seem like you are getting a significant discount, if there are high shipping fees you could in fact end up paying a lot more to get your favourite tipple to your doorstep. Many Okanagan wine clubs offer free shipping to members, so be sure to dig a bit deeper into shipping charges when choosing the wine club for you.

Is there flexibility to skip a shipment? Some wine clubs allow you to skip a shipment and still remain a member of the club and therefore receive the accompanying club benefits, however this is not the case across the board. Remember, many of the Okanagan wine clubs offer different tiers of membership so you should be able to find one with shipment frequencies that work within your budget and wine cellar space!

Ultimately, the best Okanagan wine club for you to join is the one that provides the broadest range of discounts and benefits while also shipping wine that you LOVE directly to your door (or to your car when you go and pick it up!). Not everyone is looking for the same things out of a wine club membership; it’s all up to you.