The Cellar Door, Unlocked: Inside the Winemaker-Led World of Yes Society

In the world of fine wine, the barrier to entry has traditionally been a mix of deep pockets and even deeper Rolodexes. For decades, the script for high-end wine collecting was written in the soil of Bordeaux and Napa, dictated by critical scores and transacted through dusty retail shelves or high-stakes auctions. But a shift is occurring, one that favors the story over the score and the winemaker’s intent over the market’s hype. At the heart of this evolution in wine collecting is Yes Society, a membership-driven ecosystem that is quietly dismantling the traditional gatekeeping of the wine world.

Founded in 2020 by Maggie Harrison, the renowned owner and head winemaker of Antica Terra, Yes Society began with a singular, grounded observation that the world’s most compelling wines rarely make it to a standard retail shelf. She envisioned a platform that didn't just sell bottles but opened a door to the cellar side of the industry, offering collectors the curated access and deep context needed to truly understand the liquid in the bottle.

What distinguishes Yes Society from a standard wine club or high-end retailer is its winemaker-led DNA. In practice, this means the membership isn't managed by corporate buyers, but by people who live inside the world of wine every day. Every selection is evaluated with the same discernment used in a cellar, prioritizing character and expression.

The winemaker perspective carries through every touchpoint of the membership. As Yes Society notes, “Members receive guidance shaped by real-world expertise, whether they are building a cellar, exploring food pairings, planning winery visits, or navigating a wine list. The goal is to make discovery feel informed, confident, and personal.”

Leading this charge is Tynan Pierce, the Wine Director at Yes Society. Tynan has been with the organization since its inception, having previously served as the Wine Director and Director of Hospitality at Antica Terra. As Yes Society grew, he stepped away from hospitality to focus exclusively on wine direction and curation. Today, he oversees all wine sourcing and programming, manages member concierge services, hosts events, and curates the seasonal collections that define the membership.

The result is a membership shaped not by scale or trend cycles, but by relationships and lived expertise. That philosophy is perhaps most visible in how the wines themselves are selected.

The Yes Society marketplace is intentionally small and carefully edited. It does not aim for volume. Instead, it focuses on discovery and depth, curating wines that bring dimension and meaning to a cellar.

Tynan spends a significant portion of his year traveling, taking three to four sourcing trips annually to meet with producers and uncover emerging voices. These trips are wide-ranging, recently spanning from the storied slopes of Burgundy and Champagne to the rugged landscapes of Slovenia, Croatia, and the Gredos mountains in Spain.

“I aim to balance recognizable, collectible regions such as Burgundy, Bordeaux, Champagne, and Tuscany with ‘surprise and delight’ selections from places like South Africa, Lebanon, Switzerland, Slovenia, and beyond. These are wines our clients would be unlikely to encounter without guidance. It is about collectorship and curiosity at the same time,” says Tynan. This balance is deliberate. “A collection made up entirely of lesser-known or discovery wines lacks context, while one focused only on benchmark producers misses the joy of exploration.”

By offering both, Yes Society allows members to follow the evolution of a master’s work while simultaneously shifting their own perspectives with something unexpected.

That balance reflects something larger happening across the wine world.

The modern collector is moving away from the power wines of the past. There is a clear shift in stylistic preference. According to Tynan, “collectors who once focused heavily on Napa and Bordeaux, and on richer, fuller-bodied wines, are increasingly drawn to regions like Burgundy and the Loire, favoring lighter-bodied wines with more freshness and energy.”

Yes Society has noticed that the "why" behind a bottle has become as important as the "what." As Tynan describes it “the story is more important than it has ever been. While a compelling narrative cannot compensate for an underperforming wine, the combination of a great wine and a meaningful story is incredibly powerful.”

Collectors now care deeply about the people behind the work and the craftsmanship involved. They are looking for producers working at a human scale, those who prioritize quality over quantity and authenticity over market trends.

But discovery is only part of the equation.

Beyond the bottle, Yes Society acts as a cultural connector. The membership includes individualized sommelier guidance that functions like a high-end concierge service. Members can reach out for help with food pairings, personal sourcing requests, or even recommendations for their next travel destination.

This level of support is designed to make the complexities of wine ownership seamless. By handling the heavy lifting of research, sourcing, and securing limited allocations behind the scenes, Yes Society allows the member to focus on the joy of the collection itself. It transforms the act of collecting into an engaged, culturally rich experience.

As the wine industry continues to evolve, Yes Society remains focused on the work itself. As Tynan puts it, “Meaningful collecting will always be defined by who is doing the best work—those who are deeply committed to their craft, willing to prioritize quality over quantity, and focused on authenticity.”

For Tynan and the team, the most rewarding approach to collecting is long-term: finding producers you believe in, following their work year after year, and leaving just enough room in the cellar for the unexpected.

In a world of mass production and algorithmic recommendations, Yes Society offers a return to something more fundamental: a community built on expertise, trust, and the simple, enduring pleasure of discovering a remarkable story inside a bottle of wine.