American wit and comedian Groucho Marx famously once said “I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member”. For many years, this maxim has characterized my aversion to joining a wine club. I’ve preferred being an outlier, more comfortable grazing across different merchants and independent suppliers; from Passione Vino to Majestic by way of Swig, Armitt, Loeb, Flint, Berkmann, etc. My choices driven by regional preferences or favoured wines, as opposed to price or convenience (or loyalty). However, in the past few months, and during lockdown Fuseblower had time to reflect on his usual shopping channels for wine and explore, more fully, the world of wine clubs
Max Graham scion of the port dynasty runs Bar Douro, an enterprise which marries authentic Portuguese food to exceptional Portuguese vinhos at characterful premises in London Bridge and Broadgate. Max has enlisted the support of influential wine writer, educator and judge Sarah Ahmed (Sarah is also known as the Godmother of Portuguese Wine) to launch a Portuguese Wine Club and showcase the country’s dynamic wine scene
On a pre-lockdown visit to Bar Douro, Max was enthusing about his Clube Do Vinho and spoke so eloquently about the unique and characterful wines Sarah had selected that I felt compelled to pay the £120 (quarterly membership fee). The value of the six wines in the case will always be well above £120 and qualifies me for a 10% discount at the Bar Douro Bottle Shop alongside invites to seasonal offers, restaurant incentives and private tastings – which makes it a very affordable treat
My case was delivered a few days later and as promised, was a revelation: 3 whites, 2 reds + 1 rosé (or ‘palhete’ – as blends of red and white grapes are habitually known in Portugal). It’s an eclectic selection especially as some of the wines are newcomers to our shores. I’m no slouch when it comes to Portuguese wine appreciation (and have written about it here previously – so do check the article out, after you’ve read this piece) https://fuseblower.blog/2018/06/12/portuguese-renaissance-an-odyssey/
But nothing quite prepared me for the diverse and characterful wines that arrived. It also goes some way to explain why Condé Nast Traveller recently recommended Bar Douro as their Top Wine Delivery Service in London! https://shop.bardouro.co.uk/pages/wine-club
Vinhos Portugueses 
The 3 standout wines from the case were:
- Herdade do Rocim Indígena Biologic 2018 – From Alicante Bouschet grapes which represent this Alentejo estate’s first certified organic release. Made in ‘talha’ (traditional large clay amphorae) with no time at all in oak, it produces a red wine with spicy, savoury tamarind, clove undertones
- Adega do Vulcão’s Ameixãmbar 2018 – from the Azorean island of Faial made with two indigenous grape varieties produces an outstanding bone dry white wine with a lingering salty and crystaline minerality which reflects its volcanic terroir
- Folias de Baco’s Uivo Renegado 2019. A real maverick containing over 25 native Portuguese varieties split almost equally between red and white grapes. Somewhere between a rosé and a light red – think dusky pink – it’s wild, lively, full of crunchy, bright red fruit with the benefit of being natural and unfiltered
Whilst only recently celebrating their 6th birthday, Honest Grapes (HG) have already garnered multiple accolades from the wine trade including: Decanter Magazine’s “2020 Outstanding Wine Retailer Of The Year” and The Drinks Business “Fine Wine Retailer Of The Year”. If they continue at this rate it will fully justify commissioning a trophy cabinet for their London Hq. In the past they’ve kindly invited me to their Portfolio Tastings and I’ve always found co-owner Tom Harrow (@Wine Chap – Twitter + Instagram) great fun, with an infectious charm and peerless dress sense
Their Premier Crew Wine Club works like this: each month you deposit funds into your ‘wine bank’ account to spend on the wines you love, when you choose to. There are over 500 wines to choose from, accompanied by helpful notes from the HG team and Luke Gavin, their Club Manager, is always on hand to provide solid advice or answer tricky inquiries via e-mail. (Apologies for the barrage of questions Luke!)
I’ve long wanted to give them a road test and so signed up for membership during lockdown and set up a monthly direct debit. It is a bonus to have the services of a personal wine guru a phone call away or at the other end of an ethernet cable. I was particularly keen to get my hands on some of their vini Italiani – especially the reds and whites from the ‘Mezzogiorno’ of Campania, Sicilia & Sardegna
http://www.honestgrapes.co.uk is a joy to navigate. To date I’ve barely explored the vinous treats I selected this time round, especially the wines from Sardegna which I keenly anticipate: a prized Vermentino and an Agricola Punica Barrua, from their j-v with Tenuta San Guido – of Sassicaia fame. Here’s what I have drunk:
Coffele, Soave Classico Castel Cerino DOC, 2018
Gives both Inama and Pieropan a run for their money. La bella signora Jancis (whose palate is way more sophisticated than mine) says of it… ‘Spicy and smoky sage and apple palate with a touch of salt and a medium-long finish
Tempa Di Zoè Aglianico Diciotto IGT, 2018
I am head over heels in love with Aglianico right now and this expression from the Cilento coast (in Campania) has a fascinating and spicy bouquet with pepper and balsamic notes. Soft on the palate with delicate tannins. A perfect autumnal wine
I know from Tom Harrow that he is travelling to Italy and that Premier Crew hope to feature more Italian wines from less storied regions such as Le Marche, Abruzzo, Apulia, etc. I selected 10 bottles this time and hope to top this up for the festive, if we’re still able to call it that, season
“Welcome to Wine Club. The first rule of Wine Club is: you do not talk about Wine Club.” (If you’ll forgive me for co-opting the immortal lines Brad Pitt delivers in the eponymous movie about white collar boxing). We can, at least, talk about Wine Society. Since inception this member-owned co-operative has pledged to re-invest their profits back into fairer prices and even better services. And with an impressive selection ranging from under-£6 favourites to fine and rare bottles, they seem like an essential addition to any wine lover’s portfolio. Their wines regularly feature in Decanter magazine and across my social media timeline so I felt confident paying the £40 membership fee (you get £20 back to spend straight away) knowing I would be benefiting from their dedicated team of wine experts and buyers
My quest was: find some red and white Rhône and Bordeaux; replenish my stocks for several upcoming family birthdays and celebrations; get a head start on pairing wines for Christmas and Boxing Day. The Wine Society did not disappoint. I found a range of mature Northern Rhône wines, even a Condrieu, all at between £17 – £30. It was just as easy to find some amazing old world Bordeaux as it was to discover esoteric new world domaines. Fuseblower’s order placed and paid for, now just awaiting despatch. The pricing and curation of their online list really is breathtaking and you will need to be very disciplined to avoid ordering way more wine than you intend, the choice is truly that good! https://www.thewinesociety.com/joining-the-society
In conclusion, I had a good time clubbing in lockdown and identified some unexpected benefits. I started off just wanting to ensure I had a regular supply of great wines delivered to my door yet I came away with much more: wines hand-picked by ‘names’ in the industry, exclusive wines (including some real gems), recommended growers and regions and some great tasting notes and stories about the winemakers – which I can’t get enough of. The clubs not only appeal to people who find choosing wine bewildering but also to those looking for an easily navigable online retail path
Many of you will have seen the advertisements and promotions for the bigger wine clubs like Virgin, Naked and Laithwaite’s, even Aldi have a wine club these days! America has a plethora of wine clubs which run the gamut from basic plonk to ‘The Most Wanted’ at $600 per month. But what I like about the UK membership scene is that you can find great niche outfits or sororities to suit every taste and new ones are constantly bursting onto the scene. At the time of going to press Fuseblower couldn’t help but notice that the Goode doctor (Dr Jamie Goode) has been appointed Contributing Editor at recently founded The Sorting Table, which is poised to unveil its own wine club https://thesortingtable.co.uk/pages/wine-club
For many of us, Fuseblower included, the elephant in the room in 2020 has been the COVID pandemic. It has, by-and-large, restricted the wine community to Zoom tastings and denied us our usual interactions in the hospitality sector. Lucy Shaw recently posited in trade title The Drinks Business “Has COVID Killed The Sommelier?”* (shedding light on the challenges these experts are facing with the hospitality industry in crisis). I venture that one sector where we’ll undoubtedly see more sommeliers providing their expertise is the wine club. Fuseblower would be much happier entrusting his wine club picks to a renowned and knowledgeable sommelier than an arbitrary algorithm
Battle of the somm: has Covid killed the sommelier?
- NB Fuseblower always pays his own way unless stated otherwise
Fuseblower 