If you buy wine in Australia you are faced with an unlimited range of ways to do so. Third-degree wine enthusiasts read everything written on the subject, taste thousands of wines and then trust only their own judgement. Others place their faith entirely in the hands and palates of the tasters employed by the large wine clubs and rest easily in the knowledge that every month a mixed dozen of wines priced exactly to suit their budget will show up on the doorstep. The large clubs tend to offer good value for money, even if their own wines are less likely to thrill the committed wine enthusiast. Their regular case deliveries take all the work out of the business of having to drop into a wine store and most offer sound advice on what dish to match with what wine. Several offer to accept wine back and will credit it even on the simple grounds that you just don’t like it. Specialist wine retailers offer a completely different service, on a one-to-one scale. You will usually deal directly with a more knowledgeable individual on the shop floor, but that isn’t necessarily important to most customers. Specialist retailers are more likely to stock a greater depth of small, specialist wines from the better smaller makers, whose volumes are just too small to be worth cataloguing into the larger clubs and retailers. They will tend to be more expensive since there’s less reason to be price-competitive. Gary Collins, owner of Sydney’s The Wine Gallery, even offers to tailor-make investment packages for customers which take into account their preferences, market trends, wine quality and value. He makes the point that there’s no investment value in many of the wines sold by the larger clubs, since a large number are sold exclusively through to club members. Here’s a comparison of Australia’s two largest wine clubs with Vintage Cellars, one of the most service and quality orientated of the national retail chains, plus the high-profile Wine Planet Internet wine site. Cellarmasters offers four categories of wine to its members: (i) proprietary wines also available elsewhere, (ii) exclusive wines commissioned from leading makers, (iii) wines from small growers who work closely with Cellarmasters in their wine production and who sell entirely through the organisation, and (iv) exclusive brands entirely owned by Cellarmasters from the vineyards upwards. Cellarmasters also provides Futures Plans to its members for either straight or mixed dozens of wines. 50% of the fee is payable up-front, but members can choose between paying the remaining 50% or redeeming their initial issue with 6% guaranteed interest. The company’s Millennium Fizz Project involves lay-buy like monthly payments to purchase Champagnes from three French makers and offers the chance to win a Nebuchadnezzar of each for the ultimate 2000 party. Cellarmasters distributes 17 mailings each year and has an online shop at www.cellarmasters.co.au. The site also offers a reminder and prompt service so members never forget that crucial birthday or anniversary. Around 65% of the wine sold by The Wine Society are of regularly branded products available elsewhere. The Society considers it an advantage to its customers that the majority of its wines are recognised outside its membership. It does not own vineyards and says it is not restricted by having to make and sell wines from properties it owns which may have lesser years. At any time The Wine Society will offer around 1,000 different wines. The Wine Society is one of the country’s largest private operators of wine educational courses, with regular programmes in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. It also conducts courses in other major centres. With over 40 stores Australia-wide and a massive membership base, Vintage Cellars presents a valid comparison to the larger wine clubs. VC offers its members a number of incentives to purchase including a Cellar Share system in which every member receives a Cellar Share for every $500 spent. These shares are redeemable for wines and amount to an ongoing discount of 4-5% on future purchases. VC’s Wine Club stages a number of events for its better customers and matches the style of invitation to the customers’ purchase record. Members receive the bi-monthly Cellar Press and can freely register to receive more immediate information and offers through Fax Press. Wine Planet is the runaway Internet site which is helping to turn Australian wine retail upside down. It promises to beat prices of all other suppliers, which means it margins must be incredibly low. Given the intense competition between Coles Myer, Woolworths and Cellarmasters, it’s my bet that sooner or later one of them is going to have to buy Wine Planet in order to take it out of the equation. Meantime, Wine Planet’s Wine Lovers Club offers its members access to special prices throughout the site, plus a ‘My Cellar’ personal cellaring database that allows them to keep track of their wine collection. It offers free giveaways and prizes, regular electronic newsletters and first bite at rare and exceptional wines. A loyalty programme for members is planned later in the year, possibly to coincide with the site’s major update this November. The Wine Lovers Club demands no costs or conditions. Cellarmasters 02 9333 8008 Joining Fee: Nil Annual Fee: $25, first 6 months free Minimum annual purchase: Nil Sale or return guarantee: Yes Membership: 250,000+ (Aust & NZ) The Wine Society 02 9431 4000 Joining Fee: $50 in 25 $2 shares refundable on leaving Annual Fee: Nil Minimum annual purchase: $25 in wine or accessories Sale or return guarantee: Yes Membership: 57,000 Vintage Cellars 02 9748 5555 Joining Fee: Nil Annual Fee: Nil Minimum annual purchase: Nil Sale or return guarantee: Yes Membership: 100,000 approx. Wine Planet www.wineplanet.com.au Joining Fee: Nil Annual Fee: Nil Minimum annual purchase: Nil Sale or return guarantee: If something wrong Membership: N/A.
