The Cool Wine Clubs Are Here

Wine clubs are sprouting across the nation. Here are a few intriguing recent additions.

Bovine Wine Club

The wine arm of Blue Bovine Steak and Sushi boasts 2,500 square feet of space, hundreds of lockers, meeting capacity for 75 and a convenient downtown location right in Toronto’s Union Station. Members can store bottles in temperature – and humidity-controlled private cellars and cavour them in a private lounge with Bovine bites of sashimi and aged wagyu.

Le Parloir Montreal

Le Parloir’s caves privées offer a stylish and contemporary club experience. Membership at this Griffintown loft – complete with a fireplace and a rooftop terrace – provides access to climate-controlled lockers (100- to 600-bottle capacities), tastings with producers and a sunlit lounge and bar (handy for day drinking).

Barrel Hunter

This roving club pops up across the country with auctions, masterclass tastings and networking events. With master sommelier John Szabo at the helm, members can access an exclusive online bottle shop, attend wine launches and consult one-on-one with Szabo. He’ll even take your call.

Cavernus

Calgary’s wine lovers pop their vintage Champagnes and Corton-Charlemagnes at this downtown lounge, which offers themed tasting flights and private spaces for entertaining. Members enjoy free local corkage fees at select restaurants and reciprocal privileges at other clubs.

Buyers + Cellars

This Ottawa wine bar eschews traditional wine-club formats. There’s no membership fee – the goal is to bring together oenophiles to bond over nice bottles. A rotating cellar of old-world wonders is offered for sale and to taste, usually 20 to 30 wines at a time. Splurge a little for the blind tastings and monthly bottle club.

– Kate Dingwall

Image credit: Le Parloir