The Birley Wine Club has launched a London delivery service for its members, who can be sent bottles of Dom Pérignon 2010 directly to their door for £100.
Clement Robert, group head sommelier and wine buyer for The Birley Clubs, told db that since launching the delivery service two weeks ago, sales had exceeded his expectations.
“We’re selling way above what we expected. Christmas is around the corner, so our members are stocking up their cellars with Bordeaux and Burgundy, it’s a completely different trend to what we witnessed over the summer,” he said.
The Birley Wine Club, which launched this summer, features weekly wine offers for its members across two lists – one features five Champagnes, 10 whites and 10 reds, and the other features older vintages from the likes of Petrus and Domaine de la Romanée-Conti.
“In order to make the offer enticing for our members, we’re selling the wines way below their retail price, and below the lowest price on Wine-Searcher.
“We wanted to offer wines that are incredibly good value for money to our members during lockdown,” Robert said.
Among the current offers are Dom Pérignon 2010 for £100 a bottle and Taittinger Comtes de Champagne 2005 for £500 for a case of six.
The wines are delivered to London postcodes in Annabel’s branded Land Rovers by drivers dressed in the same outfits worn by the doormen at the private club.
The success of the wine delivery service won’t mean that the cellars of Annabel’s, Harry’s Bar and Mark’s Club will be drained dry, however.
“We lucky to have an amazing reserve cellar, so we haven’t touched the stock of the club wines at all. Our members will find the same wines on the list that they enjoyed before lockdown,” Robert said.
In addition to weekly wine offers, members of the Birley Wine Club have access to winemaker dinners and en primeur offers. Among the wines being offered to members at below market value are Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet 2018, Barolo Pira Luca Roagna 2014 and Sassicaia 2017.