Radio Times launches premium wine club

The entertainment listings bible has launched new service The Radio Times Wine for its 23 million readers, with a dual model and some high-altitude benefits. Millions of consumers already turn to Radio Times to discover the best scheduled television programmes, sporting events and radio fixtures over the coming days across various channels. Its print edition has around 1.1 million readers every week, while its website draws 19 million monthly users. Now the publication will have the chance to sell wine to that significant pool of readers. The brand announced this week that it has launched The Radio Times Wine in partnership with The Wine Flyer. Set up in 2022 as a subsidiary of IAG Loyalty (which provides the loyalty schemes for frequent fliers of various airlines), The Wine Flyer's original concept was that through buying wine, members could earn enough to fly to short-haul destinations like Paris, Barcelona or Naples in just six months.

How will The Radio Times Wine work?

Every three months Radio Times and Wine Flyer will curate a new case of 12 bottles, with each case priced at £149.99. According to the publication, each case will be a combination of "good quality classics" and "new discoveries". An additional perk is that Radio Times consumers will earn Avios rewards to use on future flights with every wine purchase. Accepted by various major airlines including British Airways, Iberia, Finnair, Qatar Airways, and Aer Lingus, Avios points can also be used towards purchasing seat upgrades, hotel stays, and car rentals. In terms of exactly how many Avios points are up for grabs, buyers currently receive 3,000 Avios points when they purchase The Radio Times Curated Selection from The Wine Flyer, but the nature of the Avios rewards will also be changed up every three months. According to The Wine Flyer, wines for the club are chosen "using our experience of selecting and serving in the aviation environment, with its limited space to store products and the impact of altitude on taste... "Many of our products are served on, or are exclusive to British Airways, some are selected to complement and some are recognisable well-loved brands like Whispering Angel, Moët and Penfolds."

Dual model

One of the biggest draws of The Radio Times Wine for consumers will likely be the lack of up-front commitment required. Readers can choose to subscribe to the wine service, receiving a case every three months, or they can buy a one-off case. Among the wineries already signed up to work with The Radio Times Wine are: Finca Los Trenzones in the Spanish region of La Mancha, Miopasso in Sicily, Muldova's Jumi-Juma and the organic Château Paradis located in Coteaux d'Aix en Provence. Radio Times may have taken inspiration for its new wine service from Virgin Wines' Discovery Club which also offers members a new 12-bottle case every three months and claims there is "no contract, and no minimum amount of cases that you have to take." According to its website "you can skip a case at any time." The price point too, is similar, with The Radio Times Wine charging £149.99 per case and Virgin Wines offering theirs for £14o, reduced to £65.99 for new members. The Wine Society, on the other hand, caters to multiple price points with subscriptions ranging from £110 per case up to £178, but with cases delivered every two months rather than three. Furthermore, there are some tempting deals to be had via The Sunday Times Wine Club, which has slashed the price of its 12-bottle Bestsellers case (delivered every two months) from £179.86 to £95.88. It encourages interested parties to "lock in best prices on our most popular wines and beat the duty rises."

Challenging climate

The climate for wine subscription services remains challenging. Naked Wines, which invites customers to become "Angels" and deposit a monthly amount into their account to purchase wines and enjoy perks, has recently made the call to liquidate £40 million of excess inventory in order to rebalance the business. CEO Rodrigo Maza said the move is part of his new “disciplined approach to capital” and stressed that his goal for 2025 and beyond is to “ensure the business is profitable in all realistic scenarios.”