Advice regarding wine clubs

[quijote]

I'm pretty new to wine myself. If I were you, I'd consider spending the first $40 on a couple of good intro books (_Wine For Dummies_ is good, in spite of the title, and Andrea Immer has a good intro book, too), and then spend another $100-200 buying your own wines (using the books as a guide for what to purchase) and trying them out at your own pace. If you have a friend or two to join you, even better: share the expense.

I spent quite a bit of money during the first couple of months of my self-imposed crash course on wine, not because I had to (there are inexpensive versions of merlot, cabernet, etc to purchase and sample), but because the more I got into it, the more I wanted to sample different things. If cost is an issue for you, consider trying out "wine flights" at wine bars or restaurants in your area. Also, as Innkeeper said, take advantage of the presence of wineries in your area; make them part of your classroom. I used to live in the Bay Area, but never really took that opportunity; now I wish I could.