1)      What is the primary benefit of becoming a member of Hemispheres Wine Guild?

• Every three months you will receive a variety of premium and difficult to obtain wines from around the world.  Our wine expert will hand pick wines appropriate to each membership level from premium to iconic quality.  Through our website member services you will receive a great deal of information about the wine regions, wineries, winemakers, cellaring tips, tasting notes, suggested food pairings and much more to further enhance your wine experience.  As well, we offer wine events, educational material, and more.

 

2)      What is a guild?

• The dictionary definition of a Guild is: “an association of people with similar interests or pursuits”. This is exactly what we are, an association of people interested in gaining access to unique and quality wines and wine experiences.

 

3)       What is the difference between Hemispheres Wine Guild and Opimian Wine Society?

• There are a few major differences between Hemispheres Wine Guild and The Opimian Wine Society.                                                                                 

-  Firstly, with Hemispheres you are guaranteed to receive hand-selected premium wines that you will not find anywhere else which eliminates the need to do your own research and shop around for your wines.  We eliminate the stress of having to select your own bottles with limited purchase information by delivering to your door, the best quality wines available from that region and of that grape varietal.  How do we know these are the best wines?  We’ve gone to the wineries and tasted all the wines right at the cellar door.

-  A Hemispheres membership is an all-inclusive membership, as opposed to Opimian where you pay an annual fee to participate in the membership, but have to pay for each bottle individually.

-  Along with the wines, Hemispheres will provide you with all relevant information (plus some extras) about the wine you receive.  You will have so much material about the wines it will seem as if you actually visited the winery and purchased the bottle yourself. 

-  Finally, with Hemispheres you will receive a level of member service that will not be matched.

 

4)      When will I receive my wine?

• Wine will be delivered on a quarterly basis with the first delivery slated for the week of April 6, 2009.  Future delivery dates are outlined on the Member Calendar of events.

 

5)      How do I become a member?

• Becoming a member is a simple process.  Please click on any of the ‘Join Now’ icons and you will be guided through the registration process.  If you experience any difficulties please contact the office directly at 905-397-5283 or send an email to service@hemisphereswine.ca

 

6)      What methods of payment are accepted?

• Membership payments can be made by Visa or Mastercard.

 

7)      How do I know which membership is right for me?

• Taster Member Profile:  You most definitely love to drink wine, and you like to grab decent ones every once in a while from the liquor store. You wouldn't necessarily say you're a "connoisseur" of fine wine but you certainly know the difference between a bad wine and a good one. Looking for wines can sometimes be a chore because you either don't have the time or inclination to head to the store, haven't had the chance to visit many wineries, and often when you experiment with a new wine the quality is disappointing. This membership will get you more for your money at $25 per bottle including shipping, insurance and all taxes, as well as providing expanded experience of the world’s great wines. You'll be blown away by the quality.
• Enthusiast Member Profile:  Simply put, you love drinking good wine and you’re interested in expanding your knowledge and reach. It seems to you that the wines in the liquor stores are either very ordinary or overpriced at higher levels of quality and good wine related information is hard to come by. You have a decent level of wine knowledge and would like to expand your palate and knowledge even further.
• Connoisseur Member Profile:  You know very well that drinking a great bottle of wine is, well, much more than drinking a great bottle of wine. It’s an experience. Whether with a great new recipe, a close group of friends, along with your favourite book, or at a tasting event, a bottle of wine is the enhancer of experiences. You either have a cellar or are very interested in starting one with fantastic and unique wines.
• Icon Membership Profile: The idea of getting your hands of some of the most patiently and well made wines, from some of the world’s best small producers, under the hands of ultra-talented and dedicated winemakers, and of the best vintages really, REALLY excites you (as it also does us!). It’s a fair amount of wine, so you most definitely want to add to your cellar, open bottles for your friends and family, hand them out to colleagues or clients, and enjoy these iconic wines whenever the opportunity arises. Restaurateurs will be very interested in this membership as a way of offering unique wines otherwise unrepresented in the marketplace for a competitive advantage.

 

8)      Are there any restrictions to becoming a member?

• All that we require is that you are over the age of 19, the delivery address is in Ontario, Alberta, or British Columbia, and you have a passion for premium wine experiences.

 

9)      I am from the United States, can I become a member?

• Thank you for your interest in HWG, but unfortunately, at this point we are only able to service members in Canada in the provinces of Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia.

 

10)  Why I am I not able to become a member if I don’t live in Ontario, Alberta, or British Columbia?

• Due to the complex nature of provincial liquor regulations and the detailed licensing process that is involved, at this stage we are not prepared to service provinces outside of Ontario, Alberta, or British Columbia. 

 

11)  Can I purchase a membership for someone as a gift?

• Absolutely!  You can set-up a membership for them with their contact information and delivery address.

 

12)  Can I split my membership with family and/or friends?

• Memberships can only be billed and delivered to a single name and location, but wine can be distributed any way you like once delivered.

 

13)  Can I have my wine delivered to different addresses?

• Yes, the delivery address can be changed at any time through the Hemispheres website.  Please note that deliveries can only be made in the provinces of Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia.

 

14)  This membership seems expensive, can you describe the value offered on the bottle of wine.

• Through purchasing power, Hemispheres Wine Guild is able to utilize value in numbers to offer members premium, hard to obtain wines at significantly lower prices than would be available otherwise.  As a guild we are able to obtain wines of premium quality by partnering with wineries and liquor distribution branches to get the best possible value on these wines.  If these wines were ever available at a liquor store, they would be sold at a notably higher cost per bottle.

 

15)  Is there anyone that I can speak to with questions or concerns?

• Please feel free to contact the Hemsipheres office at 1-905-397-5283 or 1-866-351-8739 or by email to service@hemisphereswine.ca and our member services representative will be happy to assist you.  The office business hours will be 9:00am-5:00pm, Monday to Friday.

 

16)  What is the difference between Premium quality, Ultra-Premium quality, and Iconic quality wine?

• All wines that members receive will be premium hard to obtain bottles.  As the category of wine goes up, the quality of that wine will become even more premium and the actual wines will likely be from very small batches from the best ever vintages.  Iconic wines are wines that will make any wine connoisseur say “wow that was one of the best bottles I have ever experienced!”

 

17)  What is the contact information for Hemispheres Wine Guild?

• 43 Church St.  Suite 303
• St. Catharines, Ontario       L2R 7E1
• Office Phone Number     1-905-397-5283   
• Toll Free Phone Number   1-866-351-8739
• Email        service@hemisphereswine.ca
• Website     www.hemisphereswine.ca     

 

18)  How often are wine events and tastings held?

• Hemispheres Wine Guild will aim to hold a major wine event and tasting at least twice per year.  Events and tastings will be planned well in advance and will always appear in the members section on the calendar of events.

 

19)  I can’t possibly drink this amount of wine, why so much?

• With the wines that you receive with Hemispheres membership there are many ways to distribute the bottles you receive.  Of course you can enjoy some wines upon delivery, while other bottles can be tucked away in your cellar for additional aging and development.  All wines will come with suggestions as to when that particular wine might be best consumed.   Other bottles can be given to friends and family as gifts.  These wines will be unique to anyone receiving them as they are not available for purchase anywhere else.  Bringing one of your Hemispheres selected bottles to a dinner party will be a huge hit, and if you know the menu you can determine the wine that will pair best with the meal by using the wealth of wine resources provided in the members section.

 

20)  Can I purchase more of a wine that I really enjoyed?

• At Hemispheres we will always be looking for member feedback about the wines offered and we will be collecting information on the wines that our members REALLY love.  We are aiming to have some of these wines available for single case purchase starting January 1, 2010.

 

21)    What happens if any of my wines delivered are broken?

• If upon delivery, you find a broken bottle please contact the office at 905-397-5283 or send an email to service@hemisphereswine.ca ,provide us with your member information, and indicate exactly which wine was broken.  We will then promptly make arrangements to have a replacement bottle delivered to you.

 

22)  Do I ever get to choose my wine?

• Your quarterly wine offerings will always be selected by our wine expert, Marcus Ansems, who will seek out the highest quality wines from the region of focus.

 

23)  Will I ever get a say in where wines are sourced from or what types of wine are sourced?

• Member feedback is something that will be strongly encouraged and will be looked at closely to determine the general preferences and thoughts of our members.  This information will then be considered when sourcing trips are planned.  From time to time, we will also let our members vote on upcoming sourcing trips.