Do you love having someone else make wine decisions for you? We\u2019ve got great news: Local wine clubs have been popping up all over Philly. These mostly monthly subscriptions let you avoid decision paralysis and stock your wine rack with fun, thoughtfully selected bottles. Membership in many bottle shop-hosted clubs scores you further discounts (and in one case, cheap pizza), while winery-run subscriptions often give you access to special events.<\/p>\n
Curated wine clubs have only recently taken off in Philly. This historically came down to logistics: Independent wine-sellers can only offer packages for pickup; they cannot ship or deliver wine to your doorstep, per the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board<\/a> (whose state stores can ship). This is a non-issue for some consumers but can feel like yet another errand to others. Building out club packs can also be a storage nightmare for small shops that already struggle with lack of space. <\/p>\n Practical hurdles aside, wine-centric businesses are figuring out how to make clubs work. The customer demand is there; clubs offer a storytelling moment and reason to try wines you may never have tasted otherwise. There\u2019s a new wealth of local options, and you can set up memberships \u2014 or snag a last-minute Christmas gift for your favorite wine lover \u2014 without having to leave your house.<\/p>\n Neighborhood shops<\/p>\n Le Virt\u00f9 <\/b><\/p>\n This club is so well thought-out that even pickup is a fun adventure: It doubles as tasting social. Members can hang out while enjoying complimentary snacks and tastes of that month\u2019s wines, plus a few additional bottles. Bring a friend if you\u2019d like (non-members may join the tasting for $20). It\u2019s one of the most fun spins on happy hour around. Le Virtu offers two-, four-, and five-bottle packages, focusing on small producers from Southern Italy. Pickup and the tasting social are the first Wednesday of every month. <\/p>\n 1927 E. Passyunk Ave., 215-271-5626, <\/a>levirtu.com<\/a><\/p>\n Jet Wine Bar <\/b><\/p>\n Owner Jill Weber has been serving wines from lesser-known regions around the globe since opening Jet 15-plus years ago. What else would you expect from an archaeologist who pulls double-duty running a wine bar? The monthly club selections (two bottles for $55, or three with varying cheese pairings for $89) have the same quirky-cool range as Jet\u2019s by-the-glass offerings. One month the wines may be from Georgia and the next, maybe Mexico or a mix from mountainous regions. Each set has a different narrative, and a blog page written by Weber gives the how, what, and why behind them. If you love trying new, often-obscure things, this is the club for you. Pickups start the first of each month.<\/p>\n 1525 South St., 215-735-1116, jetwinebar.com<\/a><\/p>\n Local 44 <\/b><\/p>\n This shop is already the go-to for many West Philly-based wine lovers, and their club offering \u2014 which rotates themes monthly \u2014 is also great. A subscription is $99 for four bottles per month, and membership also gets you a tote, wine key, and a 10% discount on any cheese and charcuterie to-go. Sign up in advance. Pickup begins on the first day of each month.<\/p>\n 4329 Spruce St., 215-222-2337, local44beerbar.com<\/a><\/p>\n Fishtown Social <\/b><\/p>\n This Fishtown<\/a> wine bar keeps its club format as simple and friendly as possible. A no-commitment $55 membership gets you two monthly bottles and a 10% discount at the shop on pickup day. An e-newsletter gives the rundown on the featured natural wines, producers, and regions, as well as tasting notes and pairing suggestions. Pickup takes place the first Monday of every month.<\/p>\n 1525 Frankford Ave., no phone, fishtownsocial.com<\/a><\/p>\n Herman\u2019s <\/b>Coffee<\/p>\n Sign up for the wine club at this forward-thinking coffee\/wine shop and choose to get two or four bottles monthly ($75 and $125, respectively). Each month features a partnership with a different small wine importer, aka the folks who do the behind-the-scenes legwork to get small-production wines into Pennsylvania. If you prefer to curate your own, Herman\u2019s just released a listing of specialty bottles<\/a> that you can ask staff to order on your behalf.<\/p>\n 1313 S. Third St., no phone, hermanscoffee.com<\/a><\/p>\n Sup\u00e9rette <\/b><\/p>\n Sup\u00e9rette wine director and Superfolie GM Kait Caruke and owner Chlo\u00e9 Grigri have been best pals in wine since 2017, a relationship that naturally evolved into collaborating on the wine programs for Superfolie and Sup\u00e9rette. Coucou wine club<\/a> is their first venture into curating a monthly subscription, a celebration of the natural-minded producers \u2014 often French, but not always \u2014 they scoop up and pop open together on the regular. There are two offerings: a party pack ($75) to drink immediately or a collector\u2019s club ($125) for bottles that you can enjoy now or age for later. Both clubs come with pairing suggestions, discounts in the wine shop, and early access to special events. Sign-ups close at the end of month for the following month\u2019s pickup, which takes place the first Wednesday of each month.<\/p>\n 1538 E. Passyunk Ave., no phone, superettephl.com<\/a><\/p>\n Sally <\/b><\/p>\n This friendly wine club is so popular, there\u2019s a waitlist to get in<\/a>. For $50 per month, the Sally team picks two natural wines \u2014 chosen for their seasonality, stories, and mood \u2014 for you to take home. A cheese pizza can be added for an additional $10, which feels like a dream date night in the making. Pickup days are communicated at the beginning of each month. Membership also scores you 15% off regular wine shop purchases. Win, win, wine.<\/p>\n 2229 Spruce St., 267-773-7178, sallyphl.com<\/a><\/p>\n Vernick <\/b><\/p>\n This tried-and-true club has been around since 2020, continually refining and keeping the offerings classic, thoughtful, and interesting \u2014 the same ethos as the restaurant. Members receive four bottles each month for $100, as well as tasting notes and pairing ideas. Membership can be as flexible as month-to-month, but those that sign up for a full year get one month free. Pickup is the 15th of each month.<\/p>\n 2029 Walnut St., 267-639-6644, vernickphilly.com<\/a><\/p>\n Local producers<\/p>\n Pray Tell <\/b><\/p>\n This urban winery has done a lot in a year since relocating from Oregon to Philly: classes, events, collaborations, dinners, being featured on the menus of nearly all the Michelin- recognized restaurants in Philly. Partners Tom Caruso and Sydney Adams are clearly working their tails off to share their wines all around the city, so it\u2019s no surprise that they have an excellent wine club, to boot. This is one of the few quarterly offerings, with plans ranging $100 to 125 based on which three bottles are featured. Members also receive discounts on flights at the winery, branded glasses, and merchandise, plus first access to events. If you don\u2019t want to trek to East Kensington<\/a>, shipping is available to 38 states, including Pennsylvania and New Jersey.<\/p>\n 1615 N. Hancock St., no phone, praytellwines.com<\/a><\/p>\n Wayvine <\/b><\/p>\n Make your wine club double as a real-life experience. This Chester County<\/a> winery\u2019s club members can choose an annual 12- or 24-bottle subscription, split into twice-yearly shipments or pickups. Additional perks include tastings for the member and (depending on membership level) five to 10 guests, plus complimentary T-shirts and wine glasses, 5% off merchandise and artwork, and invitations to members-only experiences, including two annual pickup parties where you\u2019ll mingle with the Wayvine family. Set in Nottingham\u2019s rolling hills, the winery has its own Airbnb if you want to make it an overnight<\/a>; members get a discount on that, too, pending availability.<\/p>\n 5150 Forge Rd., Nottingham, 610-620-526, wayvine.wine<\/a><\/p>\n Vox Vineti <\/b><\/p>\n This is the least traditional club offering on this list, which is also why it\u2019s so compelling. This tiny but mighty minimal-intervention winery out in Christiana, Pennsylvania, provides memberships only to those who buy one to two cases of their wines, which you can do online<\/a>. Perks include visits to their Lancaster County vineyard (members only, by appointment) <\/b>as well as invitations to guest-chef events, private barrel tastings with owner\/winegrower Ed Lazzerini, and complimentary samples during tasting room hours.<\/p>\n