The Wine Coach

Summer is the perfect time to plan a get-together with great food and wine. You can keep the party going year-round by starting a wine club using these tips:

Choose members wisely. Pick six to 12 people who love wine or at least have the desire to learn. Each month you’ll have members contribute, which offsets the cost. It’s crucial that all are committed to making the investment. Pooling your resources means you can taste far more wines than you could afford to alone.

Create a name and mission for your group. At the first tasting, brainstorm names. This is a fun icebreaker for members meeting for the first time. Syrah Sisters or Cabernet Crew? Also decide on your mission. Is it to try some great wines while socializing, or is it to expand your wine knowledge?

Create a calendar of tastings for the year. Each member signs up to host a meeting. The host purchases wines within the agreed upon budget or each member brings a bottle. Focus on wines within the $15 to $40 range since that will fit into most people’s budgets. Perhaps invite a sommelier or owner of a wine store to instruct the group on tasting.

Develop your wine source. Since you’ll be buying lots of wine over the coming year, find a wine store to support you. Finding a store with a variety of wines in all price ranges is crucial. Many have sales associates who are certified wine professionals who would be a great asset in selecting wines. Ask if they have discounts or materials to support your club in exchange for making them your “club-approved” store.

The kickoff! Needed at each meeting: wine glasses, spit/dump buckets, water and a method for recording observations. Each member should bring an appetizer for after the sampling. Limit the tastings to six or eight wines and taste them blind so bias is removed. (Each wine can be kept in a paper or wine bag until all are sampled.) Remember: Taste in wine is subjective. No one is right or wrong. 

Wine journals and pictures. Each member can record their thoughts and preferences in a notebook. For wine score sheets, e-mail me at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) for a free template. Take a picture of each bottle’s label to keep with your notes and to refer to later. Take pictures of members during the tasting and include a link to them in the next month’s invitation. That is a sure way to keep them coming back!

Once you get your wine club off the ground, don’t forget to invite friends and family to join in on the fun. A year from now you will have tasted 40 to 60 new wines and will be celebrating your club’s first anniversary. You’ll have increased your knowledge of wine, made closer connections with club members and will be ready to take your club to the next level. Who knows, maybe a club trip to Italy, Spain or Australia might make your calendar for next summer! —Laurie Forster

Laurie Forster, The Wine Coach®, is a wine educator and author of the book “The Sipping Point: A Crash Course in Wine.” Her specialty is providing wine expertise for corporate events, group tastings and team-building seminars. She is also a frequent guest expert on radio shows, including Martha Stewart Radio. Visit http://www.thewinecoach.com.