Wine enthusiasts and prospective members in Ontario weighing whether a winery membership is worth the cost
Is a Wine Club Worth It? A Guide to The Hare Founders Wine Club
If you have ever stood in our tasting room, fallen for a bottle, and wondered whether a winery membership is actually worth it, this guide is for you. A good Niagara wine club should pay you back in wine you love, real savings, and a warmer welcome every time you visit. So rather than talk you into anything, we want to lay out exactly how The Hare Founders Wine Club works, what each tier costs, and who it genuinely suits. Then you can decide for yourself.
We are a family winery at 769 Niagara Stone Road in Niagara-on-the-Lake, making VQA small-batch reds, whites, sparkling, and Icewine, including the Cabernet Franc we are known for. Our guests have left us 4.8 stars across 847 reviews, and a lot of those folks are members.
How the Founders Wine Club works
The Founders Wine Club is built around quarterly releases. Four times a year, in March, June, September, and December, we put together a shipment of wine for you. Each release lines up with the season, so you are drinking what suits the weather and the table.
The part most people care about is that it is fully customizable. You are not locked into a fixed box chosen for you. You have the freedom to customize what goes in your shipment and build it toward the wines you actually drink. Life gets busy, so you can also pause or skip any shipment without any drama.
One thing worth saying plainly: we ship within Canada only. If you are in Ontario or anywhere else in the country, you are covered.
The three tiers
There are three ways to join, and each one builds on the last.
The 4 Bottle Founders tier starts from $99 per quarterly release. You get 15% off wine and by-the-glass pours, a flat $15 shipping rate, and complimentary tastings whenever you visit.
The 6 Bottle Founders tier starts from $149 per release. You keep the 15% discount, but shipping becomes complimentary. You also unlock member-only tasting room access and invitations to our seasonal pickup parties.
The Red Brick Club is our invite-only tier, starting from $199 per release. It carries a deeper 20% discount, preferred pricing on events, and other exclusive perks reserved for members.
Across all tiers, members enjoy complimentary tastings on visits and invitations to seasonal pickup parties, which are genuinely some of our favourite days of the year.
Who each tier suits
The 4 Bottle Founders tier is the easy starting point. If you visit us now and then, like the idea of a steady discount, and want a manageable amount of wine four times a year, this is the one. The flat $15 shipping keeps things simple, and your tastings are on us when you stop by.
The 6 Bottle Founders tier suits regular drinkers and people who entertain. Once you are buying six bottles a quarter, complimentary shipping starts to matter, and the member-only tasting room access and pickup parties turn a membership into something social. If you already make the drive to Niagara-on-the-Lake a few times a year, this tier tends to be the sweet spot.
The Red Brick Club is for our most engaged members. It is invite only, so it is not something you sign up for on day one, but the 20% discount and preferred event pricing reward people who are part of the family here.
The value math in plain numbers
Here is the honest part. A wine club is worth it when the savings and perks add up to more than you would have spent anyway.
At the 4 Bottle Founders tier, your 15% discount applies to every bottle in your release and to your by-the-glass pours when you visit. On a $99 release that is already working in your favour, and complimentary tastings add value you would otherwise pay for.
At the 6 Bottle Founders tier, the 15% discount covers more bottles, and shipping is complimentary rather than the $15 flat rate. Across four releases a year, that is shipping you simply do not pay anymore, on top of the per-bottle savings.
At the Red Brick Club tier, the discount jumps to 20% and event pricing improves, so the more you buy and the more events you attend, the more the membership returns.
The simplest test is this. If you already enjoy our wine and visit once or twice a year, the discount, the complimentary tastings, and the pickup parties usually cover the cost of belonging. If you are not sure yet, that is a fair reason to taste with us first. You can read the full details on the wine club page.
How to join, pause, or skip
Joining is straightforward. Pick the tier that fits, and your quarterly releases begin with the next season. From there, you stay in control. Before each release you can customize what goes in your shipment, pause if the timing is off, or skip that quarter entirely. There is no penalty for skipping, and your membership simply picks back up the next time.
The best way to figure out which tier is right is to come taste with us. Book a reservation, tell us what you like, and we will point you toward the membership that makes sense. No pressure either way.
Frequently asked questions
Can I skip a shipment? Yes. You can skip any quarterly shipment, and you can also pause your membership whenever you need to. Your releases resume whenever you are ready.
Do members get free tastings? Yes. Members at every tier enjoy complimentary tastings when they visit us in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
Can I cancel? The Founders Club is built to be flexible, with the freedom to customize, pause, or skip any shipment. If you have a question about your specific membership, just reach out and we will help.
Come find out for yourself
The most honest answer to "is a wine club worth it" is that it depends on how much you love the wine. So taste it first, then decide. When you are ready, join the club and we will save you a warm welcome and a glass.