It’s an addition to the business model and a great way to build customer loyalty: partly inspired by community-supported agriculture, partly by more traditional wine clubs, winemakers in Quebec are now offering their customers to subscribe before the start of the season, even before the first grape is harvested.
For small agricultural businesses, in a context where the price of inputs is rising, having an income while the vines are still under the snow obviously gives a boost.
Le Clos Sainte-Thècle is a small business in Mauricie. It is one of those vineyards whose wines are torn away, which therefore become rarities. This year, the Clos launched its Conclave which allows a very small group, around fifty people, to get their hands on six bottles, to have a personalized visit to the vineyards and other exclusive advantages, popular with those who love Quebec wine.
Cost of this subscription: $250.
“When we started, we made 300 bottles and we worked with a mailing list,” recalls Éric Blouin. The project of this group has been in the air since the beginnings of the company, which made 7500 bottles last year. Which still places it in the category of small vineyards.
“On our scale, it’s not negligible,” explains Éric Blouin. We will renew it every spring, before the sales of the vintage [de l’année précédente]. It is income that arrives earlier. »
By buying the bottles in advance, customers are therefore sure to get their hands on these cuvées, which is not guaranteed otherwise. “We wanted these people to have access to wine,” says Éric Blouin.
And in addition, unless the law changes before the time of delivery of the six cuvées, it is the winegrowers themselves who will bring their bottles to the members of their group. One can hardly dream of a more personalized service.
One of the main reasons that motivated the creation of the Conclave is also to bring together these faithful, in particular through the intermediary of a private group on Facebook where the winegrowers exchange information which interests more the enthusiasts of viticulture than the average wine lover. .
“It’s not a marketing stunt, we do it because we like to talk about our wines with interested people. And that creates a sense of belonging sought after by some of the clientele.
Sara Gaston, General Manager of Vignoble du Ruisseau, Dunham confirms: the creation of a club inevitably creates a sense of belonging among its members. And vice-versa: for the winegrowers, it is also very rewarding to have a select clientele, who choose to go there to get their wines, if that is what they wish.
There are 250 members in the club. The company wants to double the size of the group, which has priority access to wines and spirits, sometimes exclusively for rare creations. Ditto for some aged bottles.
PHOTO EDOUARD PLANTE-FRÉCHETTE, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Sara Gaston
“It’s a model that appeals to true wine lovers,” says Sara Gaston, who herself was a fan of this kind of group in Canadian vineyards.
Le Vignoble du Ruisseau has strategically chosen the time of its wine shipments, three per year, in quieter periods in terms of traffic and, therefore, income.
Other companies choose this kind of program which offers VIP services to part of the clientele. At Domaine Bergeville, one of the very few certified biodynamic vineyards in Quebec, the club ($400 annual fee for nine wines) allows you to participate in the dosage of sparkling wines, the house specialty. Here as elsewhere, the members are treated with small onions.
“Although the wine club concept is quite common in California and the Okanagan Valley in Canada, our inspiration is more that of the baskets of family farmers. The principle is to encourage the purchase of local wines that have traveled a few kilometers and to support local viticulture. For our part, our commitment is to offer allocations including our best cuvées, ephemeral wines produced in smaller quantities and privileged access to our primeurs,” explains Caroline Chagnon, Communications and Marketing Coordinator, Domaine Bergeville.
Sponsor the vines
The Vignoble et Domaine des Aromas, in Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle, has opted for a different model: customers can sponsor the vines.
“It’s very rare in Quebec, but in France it’s a popular model,” explains lawyer-turned-winemaker Richard Généreux. People are selling vineyard sponsorship packages. »
The principle is very simple: the winegrower partner program allows customers to commit to four categories, each offering different privileges: winegrower’s meal, planting of vines, personalized label, tastings… It costs $150 per vine. sponsored. The very young vineyard, born in 2019-2020, does not yet produce wine. Godparents will have to be patient.
“It was very popular during the pandemic”, specifies Richard Généreux, people being then in search of ways to get out of the city and everyday life. The Estate being diverse, you can meet animals as much as grapes or lavender plants, which makes it a great place for a picnic or a BBQ.
The sponsors will receive their bottles (three per vine) when the wine is made and ready, probably in 2025.