Love a Club (and upcoming events)
You pick it out for me...
A couple of weeks ago, while passing through Grand Rapids, I stopped to visit Café Mamo. Michael and Summer have been friends for years now. Turns out I picked a good night; it was Wine Club Pick Up. I’ve wanted to join their wine club for weeks but never remembered to email Summer to opt in.
The universe made it easy for me.
I joined that night and left with three bottles (and a cute pink tote bag). She selected each bottle to showcase the Balkan Peninsula, a lesser known but dynamic wine region. And this is why I love a wine club— someone who is an expert picks out things that they are excited about and shares them with me thereby enriching my life with information and delicious things.
After getting home I realized that I’ve slowly joined enough wine clubs that I rarely if ever buy wine at the store anymore because we have a rack in the basement with bottles from all around the world selected (or made) by friends.
I fell in love with this form of commerce through the small farm CSA model. Like CSAs, Community Supported Agriculture, a club helps the business in a variety of ways. One, it helps them financially by having sales that they can count on. Two, it helps them showcase lesser known but very special ingredients or products and so expanding their market and the markets for other small companies. Three, it helps build community around a business by simply being connected in a real way.
In the era of divided attention and conspicuous consumption, I want my money to go to folks who are rooted in a region, doing the low-margin-hopefully-high-reward work of running a small business. And, frankly, we don’t drink wine often enough to waste time (or money) on a crappy bottle.
These are the wine clubs I’m a part of. I can’t recommend them enough. There are a million more out there and hope you find a small business to be a part of by drinking delicious wine on a regular basis.
P+E Bottle Shop— This is the first wine club I ever joined. Ellie Mullins comes from a wine making family in Sonoma, CA and has one of the best palettes around.
Three bottles a month that she and her husband, Pat, select from around the world. It is pick up only in Three Oaks, MI, but if you don’t live in our area, look for a wine shop that you love and see if they have a club (or just commit to shopping there once a month and have them select the three bottles they are the most interested in).Mawby Winery— For Erik and my wedding we were given so many beautiful bottles of sparkling wine that I joked that would only drink sparkling wine going forward. Then one summer, Mike and Pete Laing, second generation owners of Mawby Winery in Suttons Bay, MI asked if I would do a handful of collaboration dinners together at the winery. I kept hearing about the Fizz Club and finally signed up because who doesn’t want to drink sparkling wine as often as possible? Mawby’s club is 6 bottles (but you can add more) twice a year and allows you to customize your selection from their full portfolio including their recently released NA sparkling wine. Plus they ship!
Stranger Wine Co— I was introduced to Maxx and Sidney by Ellie Mullins (see above and another reason curators are important) and have since become friends. I joined this club not only to support them on their new venture but also because they are making some truly incredible wines and championing Michigan wine with talent and the most fun amount of swagger. You can sign up for 6 or 12 bottles twice a year AND they just opened a tasting room in downtown Buchanan MI.
Café Mamo—We’re back to the beginning of the story here. Summer selects 3 bottles every month. What I love most about this club (beyond her pulls) is that club picks up at their truly delightful restaurant in Grand Rapids. I think it is an innovative way for restaurants to offer more than just a meal (though you should also stay for dinner too).
To sum up, I’ve been reflecting a lot lately on why small businesses are so special and think that it is because it is a physical manifestation of the folks doing the work while actively adding color to the fabric of our world. When it feels like that fabric is fraying a bit at the edges, simply participating has come to be a way I try to mend it in one small way.
upcoming events
Speaking of participating… I’m a part of these things in the next few weeks and hope to see you out there.
Sunday, Oct 5th, Madison, Wisconsin— Farm to Flavor (a truly spectacular event)
Monday, Oct 6th, Virtual— Milk Street Fruit Intensive (apples, pears, quince, oh my)
Thursday, Oct 9th, Fennville, Michigan— Library Talk (love a library almost as much as a club)
Sunday, Nov 9th, Detroit, Michigan— In conversation with Maureen Abood (after party at Vesper Wine and Books)
Yes to all!