Would You Serve This Email In Your Tasting Room?
Why wine club communications are losing loyalty before the next pour.
Let me paint a picture.
A guest comes into your tasting room. They swirl, sip, laugh, and buy a couple bottles. The light is golden, they’re lingering, and before they leave, they join the wine club. Magic, right?
Fast forward a week. Their first “welcome” email shows up in their inbox. And what does it say?
“Your card has been charged. Shipment will arrive in 3–5 business days.”
That’s not a reflection of the in-person experience at your winery. That’s not hospitality. That’s a receipt.
And yet — that’s how most wineries talk to their members. Like they’re shipping pallets to a distributor. Shipping notices, billing reminders, “thanks for being in the club.” It’s as if the romance of the tasting room evaporates the second someone walks out the door.
Here’s the hard truth: when you treat your members like paperwork, they’ll treat you like paperwork too. Easy in, easy out.
Wine Clubs Aren’t Paperwork — They’re Hospitality
Look, I get it. Most wineries think of themselves as product businesses first. You make wine, you sell wine. Wholesale and restaurants keep you steady.
But a wine club? That’s different. That’s when you stop being just a label on a shelf and start becoming a hospitality brand. That’s when you’re asking people to belong to something bigger than bottles.
And nobody — nobody — signs up for a wine club because they can’t wait to get another UPS tracking number. They join because they want to feel part of your story. Because when they open that email at home, they want to feel like they’re right back at your vineyard table, glass in hand.
Every message you send is either building that bridge — or burning it down.
What Strong Wine Membership Communications Look Like
Think about your inbox the way you think about your tasting room. Would you ever pour someone a flight and say, “Thanks for coming, you owe us $85. Your wine will arrive Tuesday”? No way.
Hospitality emails should feel like hospitality:
A welcome note that says “You’re part of our tradition now.”
Insider updates: the harvest mornings, the cellar experiment, the weather that’s making this vintage special.
Recipes or winemaker notes that feel like someone leaning over and saying, “Here’s what I’m cooking with this tonight.”
Invitations that don’t feel like coupons, but like being let in on something rare.
A voice that feels familiar every single time, like a staff member you already know.
You don’t need to send a dozen emails a month. You need to send one that actually feels like you.
Why This Matters
Here’s the thing: wine clubs are everywhere. If all you’re offering is convenience, you’re competing with Costco.
What keeps members isn’t logistics — it’s connection.
Your emails are the digital version of pouring someone a glass across the counter. Done right, they make people proud to belong. Done wrong, they’re just one more reminder to unsubscribe.
How We Help
At Sproveri PR, this is the work I love and that I’m passionate about - helping wineries stop treating their best customers like line items on an invoice, and start treating them like insiders.
We figure out what’s falling flat, give your communications a real voice, and turn “shipment notifications” into stories people actually want to read.
Because if you wouldn’t serve it to a guest in your tasting room, why serve it in their inbox?