On one issue, I am on the horns of a dilemma – recommending retailers.
One important aspect of a site like this is independence – hence, no advertising and no “affiliate” activity where I get a payment when people buy wines being recommended.
Conversely, though, it is very useful for subscribers to be pointed towards places where they will get a good deal and caring service.
I felt a little more comfortable, though, when Jane MacQuitty once said that joining The Wine Society was the “best £40 you will ever spend”.
And, in truth, that steer is a pretty sound one, whether considering quality, price or service.
So when “supersubscriber” Eddie expressed his thoughts on “TWS”, I felt that others might like hear them.
Just for the avoidance of doubt, neither this site nor Eddie get any financial benefits from what is being said today.
So what prompted Eddie to pen his thoughts?
“Back in April, I came across a website article by the celebrated wine critic and Master Of Wine Jancis Robinson on “Britain’s Best Wine Retailer” .
I would encourage everyone to give it 10 minutes of their time as a comprehensive and interesting account of … The Wine Society.
I have been a fan of Jancis from the time she said that she started her wine journey, like me, with Mateus Rosé and various colours of Hirondelle.
But what really hit home for me was her observation “…,‘I have spent nearly 50 years trying to remain as neutral as possible in my dealings with both producers and retailers, so it rather goes against the grain to express my extreme enthusiasm for what the Society has to offer wine lovers”.
Why is that a brave thing to say.
Largely because of the Negghead Army on Social Media itching to say something like … “must have shares in them the way they go on”.
Actually, the ground is safe this time because this retailer is wholly owned by its 182,000 members.
Better still, it strives to make no more profit than is needed to keep the business viable.
In reality, any “shareholder dividend” here is simply represented by the competitive prices charged to each and every one of that legion of members.
In fact, prices for most of their own label wines have been held for over two years now
What about the £40 Jane MacQ mentions?
Yes, there is a joining fee (to set up accounts etc.) but £20 of that initial fee is used as a discount on your first order.
Not only that but membership is for life (and beyond, as it can be inherited by legatees).
And the issues.
If you had asked a couple of years back, I would have cited (as with most online operations) delivery charges.
Not so, now though – TWS do not add anything at all to the cost of delivery. Brilliant!
Even better, there is no minimum purchase
Fancy just one bottle? then just order it – in what I feel is probably the Society’s strongest suit.
Slick organisation means that deliveries usually come to me within 48 hours, and sometimes it’s been only 24 hours.
Anything else?
Well I have not mentioned money-back guarantees or the supporting material and tastings but my aim here is not to be comprehensive.
Rather, it is to help anyone to get involved with the Society and know how to access wines recommended by Jancis, MidWeek Wines or anyone else.
I suppose, too, that I hope to counteract any perception that The Wine Society name sounds both elitist and expensive.
Actually its prices are competitive and often can give even the premium discounters a run for their money.
Thank you Eddie for sharing those thoughts. To add a bit extra, I have included pictures of bottles from The Wine Society that I have recommended recently.
My next post (on Monday) contains terrific recommendations of Top Tips from other retailers in the weekly feature of the same name.
22 responses
I agree with Eddie’s comments and there is also their tasting packs and live events. I do still buy the 25% supermarket offers but have started to find that the WS is competitive against those as they have been holding their prices. It would be great to hear of any readers favourites. They have some great red Rhone and Beaujolais in at the 10 to 13 range including older wines
Whenever I strike up a wine conversation with someone new,I always ask two questions.
Are you a member of the Wine Society?
Are you aware of Brian Elliott’s MidWeek Wine website?
To be involved in both seems to me to be a no- brainer.
I am flattered to be in such illustrious company, Paul – but don’t stop doing it!
I became a member six years ago on the recommendation of a colleague. The enhanced level of delivery makes this a no brain because you can just have the odd bottle which is on recommendation from them to taste without having to buy a number, but if you don’t like it, they’ll refund! What could be wrong with that?
The best way to navigate their website is to look for all the four star recommendations and your chosen price point and explore. It’s a great way of shopping.
Currently enjoying On Point malbec which is a very easy drinker from Australia, and my every day is Laborie from France
I enjoy trying your recommendations Brian and also to look at occasional supermarket recommendations
So much choice, so little time!
I’ve been a member for just under 50 years.
For a long time, I thought them rather elitist, fine for retired judges, doctors and similar, but not so much for bargain-hunting wine lovers. Mainly we used to buy from their French outlet, or via the en primeur offers.
Over the last ten years or so however, the WS has become steadily more and more competitive, and more catholic in its selections. Nowadays I am buying much more from them, and I see them as directly competitive with the major supermarkets, but with a higher threshold of quality. The fact that you can now order any amount of wine, down to a single bottle, and have it delivered to any address, post free, is a real selling point too, ideal for presents, Customer service is excellent too. I’m a big fan.
Morning Brian and thank you again for the opportunity here to share these thoughts about TWS. And a prompt to others to share their own story of connection with The Society.
Appreciate that feature space is limited so there are a couple of more details I’d like to included if I may be indulgent now.
I find the website facilities are a particularly useful facility in listing my purchasing history to remind me what I’ve had and when. When I last looked I’d bought in excess of 200 different bottles from them! As much as anything I have always considered this to be a superb investigatory feature and an educator.
I haven’t mentioned any specific wines I particularly enjoy in the main text where the usual criteria for favourites, whether it be TWS or anywhere, is how often I make repeat buys. At TWS I move through the card quite a bit, but it turns out that it’s the Baccolo Appassimento Rosso Veneto, whatever vintage, is a repeat, so much appreciation from many quarters for that bottle.
TWS have a terrific Nerofino Rosso Vigneti delle Dolomiti, Castel Firmian that is teroldego (50%) and lagrein (50%).
I wouldn’t normally choose a Rioja, and a white one at that as mentioned in today’s pic, but I’ve tried the Society’s own and enjoyed it, and then moved on.
If all Italy in general is something of a favourite for me then Portugal and now South Africa run close second, the latter I’ve never been to, but the former I found eventually 20 years ago provided a very rewarding experience. TWS have their own red, Peninsula de Setubal 2024 that is an astonishing £6.50. A recent purchase was a mixed 6 bottle case of the South African Tierhoek-Piekenierskloof of which the Chardonnay 2024 is terrific.
France naturally will always will be on the list. The bottle in today’s pic recently recommended by you Brian, the Society’s French Pinot Noir 2023, I take in a 2.25l bag-in-a-box that makes for a very convenient go-to on the kitchen bench. At £7.33 a bottle equivalent. What’s not to like at that money.
But it’s all else that I’ve had amongst those 200+ bottles over the years that have provided such a comprehensive education and built a confidence to go with TWS on choice on several levels including now taking cases ”in bond”, especially from South Africa and Germany.
I hesitate a little to mention this on MWW because we are not always looking at typically easily affordable stuff here. It’s outside the usual MWW remit.
A lot of these wines are great value at the prices offered, but nevertheless can exceed the typical ”sweet spot” criteria seemingly around £10 to £12 now. I suppose it’s a case of that which I mentioned a long time back when there’s a need to be careful with what money we have, I buy something cheap and cheerful for mid-week pasta and add a classier offering from TWS hoping that the average pricing when added-up looks sensible.
Last word on TWS is although the promo’ emails coming to me seem never ending they are flagging-up interesting wines daily so I appreciate receiving them and checking out potential purchases.
Currently where cheaper-end bottles are concerned the Lidl Clubcard today will get us a rather good deal on Valpolicella Ripasso Superiore 13.5% abv £7.99 down to £5.49, while we could also pick up your Daily Record column proposals in the Cepa Lebrel Rioja range, both Jovan and Reserva, around £6.29, and there’s a Crianza too.
That leaves some room for manoeuvre on something more exclusive from TWS if we originally propose an under-£20 total spend on two bottles is on the cards. So from TWS I’ve just had a their Château Mazails Cru Bourgeois from the ”stellar 2022 vintage” for £9.95. Still trying to locate that elusive high quality Bordeaux for under £10.
It came to me in 24 hours alongside a Baccolo red … and the white … and the Le Bosc Grenache Blanc that’s attracting some attention just now.
So to close thank you again Brian for allowing me my expression. Appreciate it.
“ Still trying to locate that elusive high quality Bordeaux for under £10.” …
In last Saturday’s Times, Jane MacQuitty recommended:
2017 Château La Garde, Pessac-Léognan, France
13 per cent, Aldi, £19.99, down to £9.99 from Monday
“Queue up on Monday for a tenner off this truly classy Graves claret — it’s an oaky yet fleshy joy.”
They may still have some, as, from my experience, Claret seems less attractive, for whatever reasons, to the younger demographic wine buyers.
The problem being with THAT bottle Richard Wyndham is, it isn’t ”the elusive high quality Bordeaux for under £10”. It costs £19.99 usual full retail and is a current offer/reduction! Maybe very agreeable to try at the lower money, no doubt, but what then? I can’t afford a £20 quid bottle from Aldi no matter how good, that I suggest applies to many people, which is why it’s down in price. They can’t sell it!!
Yes just back from my local Aldi. Seven bottles in my bag. Two are 2014!
Richard,
Thanks for the hot tip. Just returned from checking the stack at aldi, Rustington and lo and behold four bottles left at the discounted price!
A big thank you!
Thanks Eddie and I am grateful to you for offering the piece for publication. I am very happy to include the thoughts of the MidWeeker Tribe where I can – but do have to edit some to match contributions to my space constraints. Returning to Eddie., now, those Lidl Rioja’s will be the subject of next Thursday’s post but the price parity is only in Scotland where Minimum Unit Pricing will not allow wine of that strength to be sold at a lower price.
Eddie,
Just joined and ordered my first three bottles.
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience and knowledge.
Thank you for saying so Richard Wheeler! Write and say what you had. I’m sure Brian and others would be well interested to know.
I’ve been a member since I was 18 and still love it. I do spread my purchasing around because I enjoy the research, but you could easily just buy from The Wine Society and be a happy drinker.
Thanks Eddie for this, I must get round to joining, the free delivery looks useful. I note that they also have a decent selection of boxed wines to try.
Hello Ian Gardiner and thank you for your reply. A couple of things about TWS and bags-in-boxes. TWS are reliable so we’d expect what’s in the box to be OK. But then if not we can without argument reject it! However the Society’s French Pinot Noir 2023 for instance has been already spoken about by Brian for a bottle he reviewed a couple of weeks ago. We can buy a single bottle, no delivery charge and check it out then go in for the box at £22, and a cheaper equivalent per bottle price of £7.33, if we like what we’ve tasted.
Another one I’ve had is Cuvée Laborie, Pays d’Oc 2024 Bag-in-Box, 2.25l. That’s £21 so £7 for a bottle. I had the previous incarnation that was different grapes but there are those who like the idea of going back to the carignan, grenache and merlot it used to be and is maybe the better for it.
I until a couple of years ago worked for Majestic for 17 years in various roles. Although very hard work I always took advantage of the generous staff discount which alas has ended now. I also had thought the Wine Society as a high end merchant but over the years realised that we shared many customers. I still get a little from Majestic but have found particularly online the range rarely changes. In-store there are a lot bottles that don’t make it on to the website so popping in every now and again is very beneficial.
I started shopping with the WS 2 years ago and have to say thoroughly impressed. New and interesting wines are added regularly and I also had a few cases buying in bond wines. Last week I ordered 12 X of 874 from Rioja Alta. With Ardanza now retailing around £26/£30 a bottle this is a bargain. Other highlights recently have been the
A de Château d’Arche, Bordeaux Blanc
Catherine Marshall Sandstone Pinot Noir
Corse-Calvi Rouge Cuvée Fiumeseccu, Domaine Alzipratu
Romate Maribel A Selection of Amontillado
Llopart Original 1887 Brut Nature Gran Reserva
Ordering easy and pricing is very fair. A wine company I definitely recommend.
Welcome aboard the Comments section Jamie and thanks your fair minded assessment given your multiple years with a rival. Your specific recommendations will, I am sure, be a big help to other MidWeekers. Incidentally, I felt that Majestic had turned an important corner recently but \I hadn’t picked up on the differences between in-store and online offerings. Given the tasting bar, I wish more people would do as you suggest and pop into the physical stores from time to time.
Great comments and advice as always but lets keep it professional
Nimish
( Retired Doctor)
Re JerryW – For a long time, I thought them rather elitist, fine for retired judges, doctors and similar,
I think Jerry is talking about the times 50 years ago before the welcome “democratisation” of the medical profession. Back in those days retired doctors (stereotyping I admit) wore linen jackets, straw hats, kept bees – and a good cellar (often bolstered by the gratitude of comfortably-off patients cured of a malediction).
Since inheriting my father’s membership over 20 years ago, I’ve been delighted with the Wine Society.
I’ve found the most useful aspect is the members reviews. When they don’t like a wine, the reviews can be caustic so if a wine has 10 or so reviews and they are all positive, I know I won’t be disappointed.
Thanks John for joining the Comments section; you are very welcome. Good of you to underline the legacy aspect of The Wine Society membership and your “wisdom of the crowd” tactic seems a sound one.