Is the Brooklyn Wine Club for you? Well, it starts at $1,500 a year (plus $250 initiation). Also: look to Williamsburgh bank building for new marketplace?

In October, I cited (link) a Bloomberg report that BSE Global, the holding company for the Brooklyn Nets, New York Liberty, and Barclays Center operating company, would launch the Brooklyn Wine Club, which promises "A New Experience in the World of Wine" or, as the publication put it, "education and conversations with sommeliers at Barclays and possibly other venues."

Well, it's a lot more ambitious, billed as "A new wine experience where luxury and lifestyle are intertwined." Based on the homepage graphic, it looks like they're aiming at a well-heeled, younger, multicultural crowd (which would rather not go to a local wine bar or restaurant?).

Membership includes access to:

• Member-Only Events
• Invitations to Uncork & Dine gatherings
• Immersive Global Wine Journeys
• Wine at Work sessions
• Special Member Discounts & Perks

The cost: a cool $1,500 a year, plus a $250 initiation fee, though Nets and Liberty season ticket members may get a preferred membership rate.

Among the events listed is Liber Pater’s Rare NYC Debut, "a unique opportunity to explore Bordeaux's heritage." This Dec. 12 wine and multi-course food pairing, at the arena's Crown Club, will feature six different wines and costs $2,400 each.

Also planned is a Jan. 16 Wine & Dining Immersive at the Crown Club, "a seated dinner showcasing a flight of exceptional wines paired with a menu from Major Food Group's Carbone." No price listed.

Also planned is a Jan. 29  Taste Bordeaux, at the arena's Toki Row, "a walk-around tasting experience showcasing exceptional wines from Bordeaux paired with curated dishes." No price listed.

NetsDaily reported that they plan "events outside the arena,” quoting BSE Global's Shanon Ferguson as suggesting a collaboration with a top chef or a local spot, or even an international trip.

More than wine

New BSE Global division to explore niche membership offerings, Sports Business Journal reported Nov. 25, citing the a "tiered membership effort, born in part from the influence of BSE Global’s oenophile owners Joe and Clara Tsai, is intended to promote interest in and enjoyment of wine, regardless of members’ experience or economic strata."

It doesn't appear to be tiered just yet.

BSE's Ferguson said they aimed to sign up a few hundred members in the first year and hold 24 to 36 events a year, some in small spaces, some larger. 

From NetsDaily:

“Moving forward, we want to do larger events, we really want to take the community by storm,” said Ferguson. “We want to be able to do a Brooklyn Food and Wine Festival. We want to have something where we can have thousands of people spread their wings to really experience Brooklyn.”

The wine club, according to SBJ, is part of what CEO Sam Zussman has called the new Brooklyn "ecosystem" (or is it takeover?):

It's also the first step in the launch of the wider Brooklyn Hospitality Group, a separate business under the BSE Global umbrella that will explore more niche and exclusive forms of entertainment, including, according to Ferguson, topics such as magic, comedy, circus concepts and even potentially a marketplace (they recently acquired retail space a block and a half from Barclays Center for that purpose).

That's surely a reference to the Williamsburgh Savings Bank retail condo recently purchased, which was once home to the Brooklyn Flea.