The Wine Fairy

It’s dark days in Dallas, y’all. First, we gave away Luka Dončić to the freakin’ Lakers. Then, Dallas-based Southwest Airlines started charging for bags. Now–because crappy things come in threes–our largest and best chain liquor store appears to be seriously scaling back their rewards program. Will the disappointments never end?

Just a couple of months ago, I wrote a review of the Total Wine rewards program, &MORE Rewards. That write-up was pretty glowing. I talked about how I’ve held the highest tier status (Grand Reserve) for several years. I expressed how valuable Total Wine’s tasting events have been as I’m pursuing my wine and spirits education. And I detailed how–with a little strategic timing–your wine and liquor purchases can yield all kinds of valuable benefits throughout the year.

The shrinking perks

Anyway, Total Wine must have gotten the memo that their rewards program was more extravagant than necessary. Because now they’ve made some changes and–well, I’m not sure it is anymore.

The three areas where I’ve noticed the biggest differences are the number of in-store classes, the quality of those classes, and the amount of spending required to earn Reserve or Grand Reserve status. (Yes, this is a First World Problems post…stop reading if you’re already irritated with the triviality of this topic.)

I’ll start with the biggest bummer: The educational classes. The complimentary in-store classes are by far my favorite Total Wine Rewards benefit. Once a month, we go to Total Wine in West Plano for a one- or two-hour tasting and lecture on a different wine or spirits specialty.

The first sign of trouble was when I went looking for my monthly class voucher in my email in February. My wife and I are religious about checking our email and registering well in advance. We choose a class that corresponds to a style we’re currently interested in–classic cocktails or Sicilian wine or whatever–then we mark the calendar and don’t let anything displace it from our schedule. When the class rolls around, we usually find a bottle or two that we like and leave with a little more knowledge (and a little more booze) than we walked into the store with.

So where the heck was that email? The class vouchers come out every month and are usually delivered around the 1st or 2nd of the month. My wife’s February birthday email–which is supposed to include a birthday gift or other special discount–was similarly missing in action.

I had to know what was going on, so I logged in to review the Grand Reserve benefits. I found that the monthly class benefit has changed to “six times a year.” Oh well, what can you do? We shrugged and waited another four weeks for the March voucher. (The birthday email never materialized.)

Now that the class benefit has been slashed in half, the class experience itself also seems to be floundering. The classes were an amazing loyalty bonus. And now?

The last wine-themed Total Wine event I attended was in early February. (I booked it with December’s voucher, and I reviewed it here on the blog.) The topic was California wines. Although none of the wines were stellar, there were a lot of classic Cali styles represented and the pours were generous.

There was charcuterie, with honey and the good mustard. Total Wine’s educational materials are solid (though tilted toward their own brands, of course), and I left with a little booklet with Napa/Sonoma maps and all my tasting notes from the class. Overall, it was a pleasant way to spend an evening–though certainly not as indulgent as tastings they’ve hosted in the past.

Whiskey and Whoppers

Then there was March’s class, the Woodford Reserve Experience. I was going to review it for the blog, but then I decided to take mama’s advice and keep my mouth shut if I can’t say anything nice.

The long and short of it is that this class, compared to past experiences, was really stingy. I am not talking about the instructor and brand representative, who was knowledgeable and charismatic and clearly passionate about American whiskey. Nor am I referring to the Woodford bourbons, which are reliably delicious (and outshone their environs in this case).

Nope, it’s the budget cuts. We started class with a pour that was described as a “welcome cocktail,” the Woodford Spire. It’s a mix of bourbon, lemonade, and cranberry juice. It looked like this (water bottle for scale):

After that, we waited our turn for about 25 people to have their way with a single Hormel tray. There was a one-hour presentation about Woodford Reserve’s history and production methods. Then we did a tasting of five different Woodford expressions alongside odd bits of different food: Parmesan crisps, Whoppers, dried apples, butterscotch chips and sesame sticks.

The pairings were interesting…and I did feel like I learned some neat (heh) bourbon trivia and got to practice my tasting skills. I don’t know if I’d chase this as an elite perk though, or block out my Saturday afternoon for it.

The worst cutback, I think, is the plastic cups. I have done whiskey and rum tastings all over Scotland and Ireland and Kentucky and the Caribbean, often as part of a quickie tour stop. That is to say, I’m not usually spending a bundle or booking premium experiences at distilleries. Still, I have never seen anyone conduct a structured tasting of brown spirits without glassware.

The aromas are at least half the point of barrel-aged spirits like whiskey, rum, and brandy. Bad products need good tasting glasses, and better products deserve it. I know Total Wine has a dishwasher in the classroom (I’ve seen it), so to put excellent whiskey in plastic during a tasting class is a tragic shame.

I’ve been attending classes at Total Wine for several years and they are clearly pulling the hand brake on the gravy train. Are Total Wine’s in-store classes a failed experiment? I really hope not. Wine and spirits education is worth investing in, for retailers and for consumers. It’s a great way to try regions and brands that you might not otherwise discover, and to enhance the enjoyment of the ones you already love.

What are they thinking?

But as idealistic as I feel about the potential of classroom experiences, I can also see firsthand that they don’t always produce the hoped-for engagement. At my store, it is most of the same people who show up every time.

Many regular class attendees, it’s easy to notice, are set in their ways when it comes to wine and spirits. They’re still hung up on the Chianti they drank during an Italian summer 20 years ago. These folks are unlikely to budge from their favorite brands and products, and seem to be more interested in drinking and snacking than in learning and trying new things. If they had to pay for a spirits or wine class, they would likely never come. (I personally can’t imagine being more excited to eat some grocery-store pepperoni than to compare five mash bills on a horizontal whiskey tasting…but I’m just nerdy that way.)

Total Wine has the scoop on who registers for free classes and what they end up buying later. Maybe some number-crunchers looked at that data set and decided that if classes don’t drive purchases, then the math doesn’t make sense.

If that’s the case, then it sucks. It sucks for me and for the others who actively participate in the purpose of the exercise. But it may explain why Total Wine’s commitment to the classroom program seems to be declining.

I sort of get it, Total Wine. I do. Liquor is something that sells itself even in hard economic times, and maybe you don’t have to offer an amazing rewards program to get people to drink. Maybe you’ve displaced enough of the competition in DFW that you don’t feel a need for the free-classes differentiator anymore.

Total Wine is a privately held company, so there’s no earnings call or quarterly reports I can look at to try and figure out what they’re thinking. I can really only speculate on their motives.

Still, Total Wine reportedly has some of the largest margins in the industry, thanks to their gigantic buying power and the Winery Direct and Spirits Direct private-label programs. So I wish they were still willing to splash out some largess on their most loyal buyers. Instead, they’re paring back benefits and increasing the barrier to entry for Grand Reserve members.

Which brings me to my final point–the devaluation of the points system.

Is Grand Reserve still worth it?

In my previous look at Total Wine’s rewards program, I spelled out how, if you bought the right things at the right time, it was fairly easy to earn enough points each year to achieve Grand Reserve status. This was because Total Wine frequently ran point-multiplying promotions.

These were hard to predict, and usually offered during off-peak times for the beverage industry (i.e., not the holidays or Spring Break). But there were (occasionally) generous multipliers that would accelerate your rewards points earnings and potentially allow you to achieve Grand Reserve for relatively modest in-store spending.

So far in 2025, there haven’t been any multipliers offered in my local market–which means I’ve only been able to earn points at the base rate. I’m currently a long way from earning Grand Reserve for 2026, while in most years I’ve already secured it by mid-March.

I have no idea if this reduced earning rate is Total Wine’s plan going forward. But let’s say it is: At 10 points per dollar spent, a customer would need to spend $2500 annually to reach the 25,000-point Grand Reserve threshold.

Twenty-five hundred dollars is spending $100 at Total Wine, twice per month. Okay. But is that loyalty, or is it super-loyalty? For regular people–i.e., people who aren’t high-end collectors, corporate-gift buyers, or habitual hosts–that seems like kind of lot.

As a wine student, I spend way more than that amount on alcohol every year. I also mainly buy my liquor and mixers at Total Wine because I like their in-store sampling and staff, their selection, and their house brands. That probably won’t change.

But for wine? I spread my wine budget out between large chains like Total Wine, Costco, grocery stores, mail-order clubs, wineries, and (increasingly) independent wine shops. I’m not sure I’ll qualify for Grand Reserve status for 2026 without specifically trying for it. And with the current trend, I’m not sure it’s worth specifically trying for.

At least something is still free? ‘Strue. I picked up my Wine Spectator magazine and two free wine bags–also bi-monthly Grand Reserve perks–when I was in the store the other day. The magazine’s pages are full of bottles and exotic locales I’d love to sample one day. The wine bags are empty, and I’m not sure what’s going to go inside them just yet.

What it means (and what’s next)

Here’s what’s really going on, Total Wine (and Southwest Airlines–though you’re not in this conversation, it applies to you, too):

As overall inflation and the soaring cost of living in Dallas is currently kicking my ass, freebies and rewards points are a sort of moderating influence on my budget panic. They are a totemic offering from the capitalistic machine, a balm for mounting lifestyle dread. The more that normal things cost, the better a “free” luxury feels.

The increased cost of goods and services is easy to see, measure, and correct for. It’s easy to discuss and compare: This year’s price versus last year’s. This store versus the store down the street. No one really wants to be talking about eggs, and yet we’re still always talking about eggs.

But rewards programs–things without cash value, but with real hedonistic value–are more slippery, more unnerving. Those points we “earned” weren’t ever ours, but they felt like they were. They were linked not to daily necessities, but to past entitlements and anticipated pleasures. The stealthy enshittification of previously generous membership perks has touched a nerve. I can’t control the negative changes–but I can’t not notice them, either.

I may let my Grand Reserve status lapse. I may find a new favorite airline. I may even break down and watch Luka play for the Lakers if I can get over seeing him in purple and gold. In any case, Total Wine’s barrel-shaped classroom will always have a special place in my heart…I just hope they decide to keep the lights on in there.

Review disclosure: I was not compensated or provided any free products for this review. (Except as a Total Wine membership perk as described above.) Opinions expressed on The Wine Fairy blog are entirely my own.