Are wine clubs worth it?

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Brits have become partial to wine over the years. As a nation, we drink 10 times as much wine as we did in 1974 — a whopping 37 bottles each a year.

Sales of premium wines have increased steadily. While collectors — and investors looking to add alternative (and tax-efficient) assets to their portfolio — have paid out record sums in the past decade: a bottle of Romanée-Conti 1945 sold for $558,000 in 2018.

However, if your busy life doesn’t permit enough time to attend the best tasting events, then a wine club may be for you.

I’m pleased to say that the best wine suppliers and importers in the UK all have delivery services and will match their best supply to your taste buds on request.

It goes without saying that the most exclusive retailers can be exceptionally expensive. But if you fancy exploring a range of fine wines before committing, here are my suggestions for the wine subscription services.

Best established wine club

With 50 years of experience and more than 100,000 customers, Laithwaites wine subscriptions are a popular choice for the discerning connoisseur or wannabe sommelier. The wines are themed each month with the ‘occasional treat’ thrown in too. Laithwaites wine subscriptions start from an eminently reasonable £40 a month — but that’s for four bottles, which won’t get anyone I know through the weekend. So head for the 12 bottles a month deal at £90. And there’s 40 per cent off your first box at the moment to lure you in. Laithwaites

Best for budding wine experts

Unpretentious, yet allowing you to build up to becoming a big spender, Perfect Cellar has a vast range of options for the novice or expert. You can even purchase tasting boxes featuring wines that grace the tables of Michelin-starred restaurants. Membership brings you expert advice, virtual cellars, ‘Cellar coins’ (store credit), technological innovations and more, from £33 a month. More exclusive levels are available, including The Collector Club, which is limited to 100 members/collectors (minimum spend £5,000 a year). Perfect Cellar

Best of British

The esteem of English vineyard wines has been growing for a decade, but they’re still less widely available than bottles from other, more established regions. So, if you want to sample a regular selection then Corkk has a range of subscription services. Starting from £19.50 and rising to £312 if you fancy 12 bottles of the best fizz each month, you will receive a selection of the best of British wines from established vineyards to artisan winemakers. All the better for treating your friends to a taste test. Corkk