One Year of Wine Club

Wine club is back! A little lighter and more nimble for us both, this time. We’ve taken the club down to $45/month, with special additions during festive times (and parties!). This subscription gets you two themed bottles per month (occasionally 1 bottle if it’s something super, super special), plus a bi-monthly newsletter with recommendations, wine geek stuff, small business behind-the-scenes, and whatever else is on my mind. Every couple few months we’ll have a private meet up to try some new wines and a have a visit with a wine expert, grower, maker, or other beverage enthusiast. Since most of these wines are going to be in rather limited supply, it’s only open to a few dozen members. Grab a spot now for $500/year or $45/month.

More details!
When Bywater first opened, I subscribed to a highbrow/lowbrow taste in winemaking: rare, cool, zero intervention wines (meaning natural wines made without or with very little human meddling, chemicals, or additives), or fun and fun-tasting stuff that might be a little more ‘constructed’ but was delicious and affordable. These days I tend to be a little more flexible and yet a little more fussy. I want to drink wines that feel respectful of the time, money, energy, and resources it takes to get from ground to glass, and sometimes that might mean there’s a little sulfur, or maybe a little filtration… and sometimes it might mean zero intervention at all! I want to buy from winemakers who respects their dirt, which is a very complicated thing. Are they paying fair wages? Adding to the topsoil? Enriching the biodiversity, respecting native plants? When a farmer or winemaker uses a chemical or other manmade intervention, I’m interested in why and not necessarily dismissive until I’ve learned more. As a result of these shifting priorities, most of the wine choices for Wine Club will be skewed toward naturally made wines that deeply express their terroir and are made by folks you’d want to share a glass with. Simple, and very complicated. Wine Club will naturally reflect the seasons and might include orange or skin contact wines, dessert wines, sherries, reds, whites, or wine-based spirits.

Let us know if you’re giving wine club membership as a gift, and we’ll print a special voucher letting them know all about it. 🙂