Whether schmoozing or just boozing, there’s a wine club for that
LAST YEAR, investment banker Carlos Garcia found himself in the steep, rugged Les Manyes vineyard of Spain’s Priorat region, strumming a guitar. The impromptu performance at the Terroir al Limit winery came after a picnic of jamon iberico, olives, local cheeses and rich, red wines, and it was for a small, select group of fellow wine lovers.
They were all part of Vines Global, a private, members-only wine club, and they had spent the morning blending their own lush cuvées under the tutelage of the estate’s celebrated winemaker, Dominik Huber.
Michael Evans, who founded the club in 2019, calls it “the first worldwide community dedicated to winemaking.” It’s just one of a half-dozen exclusive, invitation-only clubs for wine lovers. Each is like a complex wine blend with a different character, vibe, and cost. Behind them all is a promise to provide insider wine experiences that even well-connected connoisseurs find hard to come by.
It could bring access to the planet’s rarest wines or frequent tastings and wine-soaked dinners. Some clubs prioritize hanging out with top winemakers, sometimes with the chance for members to make their own wines. All offer the opportunity to network with other well-heeled, wine-loving hedonists.
Some clubs are more transparent than others, and all require you to splash significant cash. There’s is crossover: Some people in the Wine Forum and the Napa Valley Reserve clubs, for example, are also members of Ficofi and 1243 Society.
Garcia is all in on Vines Global. “I’m not a collector. I love the mix of travel, culture and food while getting to know wine regions like Priorat by making wine there that I can share with friends.”
Here is my list of the clubs worth considering.
FOR THOSE WHO PRIZE CHARITABLE GIVING
Wine Forum started as a couple of events that were part of the official agenda during the World Economic Forum in Davos. After the financial crisis that began in 2008, it evolved into an international wine society. Its first club event was in 2010, according to co-founder David Spreng, a venture capitalist who is also the founder and chief executive officer of Runway Growth Capital.
The flagship event is the annual Benevolence gala dinner during Davos week. It’s an evening of exceptional wines that spotlights a charity such as the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship and the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation. There are regular events throughout the year in cities such as New York, Hong Kong, and Singapore, as well as several trips to top estates and regions. It has a direct import company in the US to buy en primeur Bordeaux, along with a bespoke cellar consulting service.
Number of members: 200, says Mr. Spreng, who are “successful business leaders and wine collectors spread all over the world.”
Cost: It depends. “The club doesn’t make money,” says Mr. Spreng. “We all pledge to give at least as much as we spend on wine each year to charity, but there is no minimum. Some members splash out $400,000 to $500,000 annually on wine.”
FOR GENEROUS BURGUNDY OBSESSIVES
The 1243 Bourgogne Society is based in Beaune, the heart of Burgundy, in the Couvent des Cordeliers, built in 1243. Its cellars and private garden are a stone’s throw from the entrance to the famous Hospice de Beaune museum. This very private club has been around since 2014 and is known for extravagant dinners, such as one earlier this year featuring Château Haut-Bailly vintages that spanned 1918 to 2020.
Master of wine Charles Curtis, who runs an advisory service for collectors called Wine Alpha, has been a guest on several occasions. He says the society offers “the most incredible wine events I’ve ever been to.” It’s the kind of club where you taste rare, mind-blowing, historic bottles like 1929 Clos Vougeot Maison Poret and 1869 Château d’Yquem. A further plus is that members can keep up to 100 bottles of their own personal collection in the group’s underground cellars — and host their own private get-togethers on site.
Number of members: Fewer than 100
Cost: If you have to ask…
FOR WOULD-BE VINEYARD OWNERS
Napa Valley Reserve is a unique club abutting the Meadowood resort. It’s ideal if you want to try your hand at making a top Napa wine without investing millions in a winery. Founded by Bill Harlan (of Harlan Estate) in 2000, the Reserve is now an elaborate, 80-acre fantasy estate made real. During the summer, I toured the gorgeous, barn-like winery with aging caves, well-tended vineyards, orchards, organic gardens brimming with vegetables, and a comfortable hospitality space.
When it comes to winemaking, you can do as much (harvest, blend) or as little as you like, as well as attend regular workshops. Winemakers from estates such as Château Lafite Rothschild regularly stop by for dinners and tastings, and the Reserve hosts dinners in major capitals. Be warned: At least 15 members have been inspired to purchase their own wineries.
Number of members: More than 700, including David Spreng of Wine Forum, and others from places as distant as Japan.
Cost: An initial fee of $165,000 (which includes a $100,000 refundable deposit) and annual dues of $3,300.
FOR ENERGETIC EXPLORERS
Founded in 2019, Vines Global grew out of Michael Evans’s first project, Vines of Mendoza in Argentina, which sold vineyard plots to wine-loving members and helped them plant and craft their own bottlings. The new version offers winemaking adventures with global vineyards as partners. In 2024 there will be 22 to 24 events, including blending escapes in Paso Robles, Portugal; Priorat, Spain; Napa; Oregon’s Willamette Valley; Champagne, France; Montalcino in Italy’s Tuscany; and more.
When not making wine, you can hunt for truffles in Tuscany, visit the oldest stained-glass studio in France in Champagne, or go salmon fishing in Oregon. Food and culture are integral, and not just at Michelin-starred restaurants.
Number of members: 75
Cost: An initiation fee: $25,000 or $100,000, depending on how much wine you make, and annual dues of $6,000. (Barrels of wine range from $6,000 to $40,000.)
FOR THOSE WHO CRAVE GLAMOROUS EVENTS (AND DOMAINE DE LA ROMANÉE-CONTI)
Philippe Capdouze, former treasurer at Renault, co-founded Ficofi in 1990. That version has evolved into Le Club Ficofi, which brings wealthy, demanding connoisseurs together with grands cru producers and helps them collect the very best wines through direct allocations from vintner partners at “competitive” prices. The list includes 80 of the greatest estates in Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne and more. Think: Petrus, d’Yquem, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Champagne Salon, Screaming Eagle. Based in Paris, the club has offices in Singapore, Hong Kong, Brazil, and the US.
Elegance and friendliness reign at gala dinners; tastings are oenophilic orgies. Members fly to Paris for their flagship event, Le Palais des Grands Crus at Le Petit Palais, where vintners pour their wines. The club will store and insure your collection, too.
Number of members: In 2021, it reached its cap of 300, from more than 30 countries.
Cost: A one-time joining fee of €50,000 ($53,000), plus first-year purchases totaling at least €400,000, according to the July 2023 membership services and benefits document. The annual minimum subsequently is €100,000, plus a membership fee of €18,000.
FOR STARTUP FANS WHO WANT TO TRY WINEMAKING
The newest entry, Osiris Club, was founded by Napa-based winemaker Paul McSharry and is still building out its membership and benefits. (He calls it a “luxury lifestyle eco-system.”) Like Vines Global, Osiris has partnered with wineries around the world, including Vina Vik in Chile and Château Malartic Lagraviere in Bordeaux, to let members visit, taste and dine with the owners, or create their own wines. (If you opt for the latter, your personal label will be created by a Napa designer.)
Number of members: 15, so far.
Cost: An initiation fee: $30,000 — $5,000 of which can be redeemed against your first barrel of wine — and an annual fee of $6,000, which can be split by as many as three friends. — Bloomberg
