Cooper's Hawk Wine Club is an all-inclusive wine club membership that sends members one to two bottles of newly released wine each month, and also includes a variety of other exclusive benefits.
Who Is Cooper's Hawk Winery?
If you've never heard of Cooper's Hawk, you may be wondering why you would even be interested in their wine club. The business was founded in 2005 by CEO Tim McEnery, and encompasses several business aspects: a winery, modern casual dining, and a Napa-style tasting room and artisanal market at each location.
Winemaker
Rob Warren is Cooper's Hawk's winemaker, and brings along experience as a winemaker in Canada and Virginia. He sources fruit, produces wine, and suggests the menu pairings for the approximately 50 wines in the portfolio from Cooper's Hawk's central facility in Illinois. Grapes are sourced from some of the world's best vineyards in locations like California, Oregon, Washington, and even Michigan. Warren has worked at noted wineries like Kacaba Vineyards in the Niagara region of Ontario, Canada, and Tarara Winery, one of Virginia's oldest and more well-known wineries.
Wine Portfolio
Cooper's Hawk has a wide selection of wine under their private label. These include:
- Whites: Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay (both oaked and unoaked versions), Viognier, Cooper's Hawk White, Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Moscato
- Reds: Pinot Noir, Barbera, Merlot, Malbec, Cooper's Hawk Red, Zinfandel, Cabernet Zinfandel, Petite Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Tempranillo, Super Tuscan, Shiraz
- Sparkling: Rosé, Prosecco, Blanc de Blanc, Moscato, Almond, Raspberry, Sweet Red
- Other: White Zinfandel, Sweet Red and Romance Red (sweet), Red and White Sangria
- Fruit Wines: Rhubarb, Cranberry, Raspberry, Blueberry, Passion Fruit
- Dessert: Ice Wine, Nightjar
- Mulled Wines: Winter White and Winter Red
- Cooper's Hawk Lux: Sparkling, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Meritage, and Cabernet Sauvignon
Cooper's Hawk Locations
Cooper's Hawk only has locations in a handful of states, including:
- Florida
- Indiana
- Illinois
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Ohio
- Virginia
- Wisconsin
Membership Benefits
There are a variety of benefits that members receive for joining Cooper's Hawk Wine Club. Some of the key benefits include:
- 10% discount on retail wines sold at Cooper's Hawk Winery and Restaurant for 1-5 bottles, a 15% discount for 6-11 bottles, and 20% discount when purchasing 12 or more (where allowed by law)
- 10% discount on carryout orders and featured retail products
- Exclusive promotions for members, which may include special limited bottling offers and incentives
- Complimentary entrée for both member and spouse during their birthday month (value up to $15)
- Invites to member-only parties, classes, domestic and international wine trips, events, and more
- Earn 350 points and receive $25 reward to be used at any Cooper's Hawk location (subject to terms and conditions)
General Membership Tiers
Cooper's Hawk Winery and Restaurant's wine club offers several levels of general membership interested parties can join. These include:
- Variety Membership: Alternating red and white wines each month
- Red Club Membership: Choose any wine during a white wine month, but an additional charge applies to Cooper's Hawk Lux Wines, special releases, and Ice Wines
- White Club Membership: Choose any wine during red wine month, and additional charges apply just as with Red Wine club for noted choices
- Sweet Club Membership: Choose any fruit, sparkling, romance, or holiday wine each month
- Gift Membership: Available in either three, six, or twelve-month packages
Once you choose your wine club type, members can make the choice on either receiving one or two bottles each month. Shipments can be sent to a home or business on a quarterly basis, with an adult 21 years or older present to sign for each shipment. Members can choose to pick up their shipment at any Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurant location.
Prices on the wine club are pretty straightforward. Bottles for the variety, red, and white are $19.99 a month for one bottles, while two bottles is $37.99. These prices are valid if you are picking up monthly. Sweet wines for monthly pick up are $17.99 for one, or $33.99 for two bottles. If you have the wines shipped, they come quarterly only and one bottle per month is $82.99 for the quarter and two bottles is $145.99.
Ambassador Club
Select members may be invited to join the Cooper's Hawk Ambassador or Ambassador Elite Clubs. These special-invite-only clubs are based on annual spend and longevity in the existing wine club tiers, and members here will receive additional benefits beyond the standard club benefits.
You can earn benefits through online and restaurant spending as well as tenure in the club. Complete details regarding eligibility and benefits are available on the Cooper's Hawk website for those who want a more exclusive wine club experience.
Pros and Cons of Wine Club Membership
As with any wine club membership, there are some pros and cons to consider in your decision on whether to join.
Potential Pros
A few things you might find to your benefit include:
- Monthly wine prices are standard, which means no surprises on what your credit card will be charged. With wine clubs that send varying types of wines, you are often told "shipments range from price x to price y".
- For wine lovers who live near a Cooper's Hawk location, you can take advantage of the full list of benefits.
- If you are a fan of the entire Cooper's Hawk line up, keeping a wine club that lets you get wines you know you like is definitely a benefit, versus encountering new wines that you may not end up enjoying or have tried before.
- When you visit a Cooper's Hawk restaurant, club members can order exclusive wines that aren't on the restaurant wine list.
- Low price point for those who want to belong to a wine club, but not pay $50-$100 a bottle.
- The wine club is Cooper's Hawk's primary focus. This can be a benefit because they are always focused on customer service and ensuring members like the monthly releases and ample array of benefits.
- Great for novice wine drinkers who want to expand their overall knowledge about wines.
- Can choose your specific style of wine preference; red, white, combination of both, or sweet wines.
Possible Downsides
Despite all the potential upsides of a Copper's Hawk club membership, you may find a few drawbacks depending on your reasons for joining:
- Since they are only located in a handful of states, you are missing out on a number of additional benefits if you don't live near any location.
- Not trying all the wines if you don't live nearby, so you don't know what you like or don't like.
- If you have wines shipped, they only come quarterly so you will have to wait several months to enjoy a shipment.
- For those who like variety in region, winery, winemaker, etc., this may not be the right club for you.
- The wine club being the primary focus of the company can have its drawbacks too. You may miss the boutique feel or may feel more like you're buying from a wine "factory" rather than an artisan winery.
- Shipping the wines makes them more expensive with the added costs. Shipping is $82.99 for three bottles quarterly; this makes them about $28 each versus $19.99 each.
Reviews and Awards
Cooper's Hawk has garnered many awards over the years, including a 99 point win for the Lux Pinot Noir. They were also named the official wine of the 2018 Screen Actors Guild Awards taking place in January 2018.
Size
Cooper's Hawk has become one of the biggest wine clubs nationwide. In 2016, they topped over 200,000 members. Crain's Business Journal quotes several local wine experts who expressed surprise, yet praise the success of Cooper's Hawk, noting they are on to a successful business model that is certainly working for them.
Reviews
People tend to love the exclusivity and the frequency of the members' only wine pairing dinners that are a great mix of good food, wine, and fun.
On the other hand, some TripAdvisor reviewers have noted the winery aspect feels more like a wine factory, and the pushy sales pitch to join the wine club throughout the tasting and subsequent dinner are a put off. However, despite some customer misgivings, most reviews are positive.
Choosing a Wine Club to Join
Selecting a wine club to join is definitely a personal decision. You need to decide what you want out of the club membership and if it's worth receiving a bottle every month for said benefits. Wine clubs can be a great buy as you are guaranteed to have new wine on hand, and it's typically fun learning about the new wines each shipment. And, those who live near a Cooper's Hawk location can definitely take advantage of all the specialty dinners, exclusive wines on-site, and free tastings.
