I forgot to mention… last month I went to the Monterey Wine Festival. I try to go every year because it’s such a wonderful experience. It was hard to count, but it seemed like there were over 100 different wineries there. Maybe I’m exaggerating, but it was definitely over 50. And in addition there are several premium food vendors offering fine cheeses, seafood, and several other delicacies. It’s basically a wine and foodies dream come true! If you’re curious for next year there’s a list of all the participants on their website. There was also a chef giving free cooking lessons; including recipes such as Caramelized Pineapple Meringue Flambé, Artichoke and Chestnut Velouté with Sautéed Apples, and Tender Calamari Filled with Chorizo, Topped with Tomato Sauce and Served over Soft Polenta. I went to the event at the Hyatt. Apparently they also have a day at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. I’m thinking about trying it next year. I’m sure it would be fine indulging on wine and cheese while you hang out with sea turtles.   Tickets are $99 which seems expensive, but considering its 3 hours of unlimited wine and food it’s not that bad of a deal. According to their website there are over 300 wines to taste. The events are limited to 1,500 guests and I wouldn’t be surprised if it was sold out. So if you plan to attend next year buy your tickets early. This is a highly recommended experience!

Cheers,
Wine Club Insider

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Wine Club Insider back with you.

Rain, Rain, go away, come again another year…

Another day of substandard temps, buckets of rain and overcast here in the northwest. Our summers and falls are marvelous, but Spring kind of sucks until the rain ends… they give us just enough nice days so we don’t move away, but then the next wave of storms comes through, and our drought worries ease for another year!

One good thing is that it’s great for the grapes, though! Wet spring, long, hot, dry summer… maybe that’s why Columbia Valley fruit is getting such a great reputation!

In doing my normal weekly tromp around the cyber-vineyards of the Internet, I came across a new (to me, at least) site called “The Wine Society” out of England.  www.thewinesociety.com

Founded in 1874, it is reputed to be the World’s oldest wine club, and their stated goal is to introduce people to some of the world’s great wines at a fair price.

The way they work their membership is that you actually buy a share in the WIne Society for $60-ish (40 British pounds) and it is good for a lifetime, with no pressure to buy.

Even though shipping to the US isn’t an easy option, there are still plenty of other reasons to join, especially if you want a great wine education or have the option of travelling to the UK or to France at all…

Their wine list is over 800 deep, stuffed full of some of the great treasures from the US, Europe, Australia and beyond. They have a great online library, and if you live in England, they will deliver your wines with their own vans!

They also have several tastings, controlled storage for their members, and a nice futures program. They also have retail outlets in England and France if you “just have to have it today.”

I’m actually thinking about joining just for the extras, and picking up my wine when I next get there… and if I can’t bring it back with me, I guess I’ll just be forced to drink it with a nice piece of cheese and some fresh bread out in the English countryside… could be worse, I guess.

Cheers,

Wine Club Insider out

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Hey, everyone! Wine Club Insider back with you.

Yesterday, we started talking about one of my favorite wines; Port. Now, some folks haven’t had the pleasure, or perhaps have been a bit afraid to give it a try, thinking that it is going to be too sweet/cloying/wierd.

I would like to tell you that despite what preconceptions you might have, port is a real wine. As a matter of fact, when Wine Spectator released their Top Ten Wines of the Decade for the Nineties, no less than three were ports, including numero uno (Smith Woodhouse). www.smithwoodhouse.com

Port, to further our discussion, can be one of the most well constructed, deep, and character filled wines made, and at 18 – 20% alcohol, lasts for years with a little care, even if opened! (check out www.winepreserve.com for their private preserve product). True vintage wines may actually have to be aged a decade or three before they reach their peak.

I have a couple of favorite port sites amongst the hundreds of choices. The first is www.portwine.com, which is a unique kind of club, as it really is a club! You sign up, and it’s basically a fraternity of port enthusiasts, who arrange tastings, trips, tours and education, without actually selling any wine directly. It is very informative, and offers lots of chances to interact with other port lovers.

www.thevintageportsite.com is another great educational site with information about everything port since 1900 basically, including tasting notes, winemakers notes and auction prices for every year since the turn of the LAST century!

www.intowine.com/portvin.html is another cool tool that actually features a chart that tells you about the character of the wines, as well as what to do with them… hold, drink, pour down the sink… almost a must have to enjoy the great ports that you’re going to add to your wine cellar!

Having a great port decanter and port glasses also makes the whole port drinking experience more enjoyable. You should also try a glass with a nice piece of Stilton, and even try some chocolate with a good tawny… try THAT with a Cab!

Until next time,

Wine Club Insider out.

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Wine Club Insider back with a few more of our Top Ten Cabs for Christmas!

Remember that these are Cabs that won’t break the bank, and are generally available (preferably through a wine club). It’s been fun looking through all my old notes, and going over the 189 cabs on our wine list to choose these gems. I really should have done a “Top 50″ to be honest… there’s at least that many that I can easily come up with that should be on this list, but, well, here we are, so let’s enjoy the ride!

So far, we’ve had the 02 Sterling Diamond Mountain Ranch in at number ten, and the surprising Columbia Crest 05 Reserve in at number nine.

For number eight, we move south. Way south…

00′ Vino de Eyzaguirre de Mostaz from Chile. $16/bottle, International Wine Club.

The first thing you’ll notice about this gem is the sand-coated bottle, which is pretty unique, in my experiece, and makes a great candle holder when you’re finished the wine. The next thing you’ll notice is that the wine is great! Here’s another of the inexpensive wines that will knock your socks off. Parker loved this wine, saying it tastes like a much more expensive wine, and will be credit to any one’s cellar.

It really is something special, with that unique Chilean overtone of currant. You’ll love it.

Now we’ll switch hemispheres.

7) ’02 Mission Hill Reserve, Mission Hill Vineyards, Canada. $28.  www.missionhillwinery.com

Deep, dark, tasty. This joy from Mission Hills in British Columbia’s Okahagan Valley is another great deal. They currently have their 06 on sale, and even though I haven’t reied it yet, if it’s anything like the 02, it’s going to be great!

Their Proprietor’s Wine CLubsends out 4 bottles every quarter, but unfortunately, they don’t ship outside of Canada yet, so bring some back with you on your next trip north!

6) ’03 Isenhower “Tapteil Vineyard,” Walla Walla. $42/bottle, “FOI” Wine club. (www.isenhowercellars.com)

I’ve already talked about my friends Brett and Denise Isenhower, but I saved chatting about this beauty until now. This single vineyard wine is, in a word, huge! This is a BIG mouthful of wine. In my opinion, one of the best cabs Isenhower has ever made. I’m not even sure if they have any left at the winery, but ask around and see if you can scrounge a bottle or six… you won’t be disappointed!

… and my true love gave to me; five golden rings…”

5) If your true love truly loved you, they’d skip the jewelry, and get you a wine club gift from Geyser Peak Winery in Sonoma (www.geyserpeakwinery.com). There would be no better place to start than our number 5 wine; their 2004 Reserve Cabernet at about $30/bottle.

It’s a really deep red, with a good dose of blueberry and blackberry, and maybe a subtle hint of mint.

Their wine club is called the “Cellar Door Club,” and sends out three bottles quarterly. The coolest thing about Geyser Peak, besides being one of the top 10 rated tasting rooms in Sonoma and Napa, is that they really treat their members well at the winery when you visit!

Okay, back tomorrow with the Final Four!

Wine Club Insider out!

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Wine Club Insider here with only 6  days left before Christmas, and only 1 more day to guarantee your wine club gift will arrive by the 24th!

Yup… for you procrastinators out there (who, me?) you’d better get off the pot and start moving. Of course, you can always do the postcard announcing that the wine club git is “on its way,” in which case, you’ve got almost a week left!

Since this is the eve before shipping deadline, I’d like to take today’s blog and summarize some of the clubs we’ve talked about in our chats so far…

*International Wine of the Month Club   www.winemonthclub.com

*California Wine Club   www.cawineclub.com

*Sterling WIne Club  vineyards.com">www.serlingvineyards.com

Parducci  www.parducci.com

Mondavi   www.robertmondaviwinery.com

*Jarvis (Inner Circle Wine Club)  www.jarviswines.com

Stags Leap Wine Cellars   www.cask23.com

Pine Ridge Vineyards   vineyards.com">www.pineridgevineyards.com

Silverado   vineyards.com">www.silveradovineyards.com

*Silver Oak  www.silveroak.com

Groth  www.grothwines.com

Opus One   www.opusonewinery.com

Neibaum Copploa   www.rubiconestate.com

*St. Supery (Divine Wine Club)  www.stsupery.com

*V. Sattui  www.vsattui.com

*The Wine Garage   www.winegarage.com

Domaine Chandon  www.chandon.com

Clos Pegase   www.clospegase.com

*Vinesse Wine Club   (Elevant Wine Club and Light and Sweet wine club) www.vinesse.com

*Gold Medal Wine Club   www.goldmedalwine.com

Cellars WIne Club    www.cellarswine.com

*Wine of the month club   www.wineofthemonthclub.com

*Gourmet Way   www.gourmetway.net

Flying Noodle   www.flyingnoodle.com

Wine.com    www.wine.com

*Townshend Cellar “Diamond T” wine club   www.townshendcellar.com

*Hooked on Wine   www.hookedonwine.net

Ambrosia   www.ambrosiawine.com

*The Bounty Hunter  www.bountyhunterwine.com

*Isenhower “FOI” wine club   www.isenhowercellars.com

The ones with an “*” are ones that I am or have been a member of (don’t worry… there’s more still to come… hey, I collect a lot of wine!), and after either tasting their wines (vineyard specific wine clubs) or getting good feedback on the others, I can honestly say I would highly recommend any of the fine establishments on this list!

Trust me… you can’t go wrong! Any of these will be a much-treasured addition to any collector’s cellar, or even better, your own!

Enjoy, and I’ll be back tomorrow!

Cheers,

Wine Club Insider

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WCI back again!

Having recovered from my weekend with Don Townshend, I’d like to detour slightly today, and talk about a very cool wine site on the web.

Hooked on Wine (hookedonwine.net) is one of the best wine purveyors on the web. Actually, Michael Shemali is a wine re-buyer, I guess. He buys entire cellars of wine from folks, buys on consignment, buys from the wineries, and then offers the great deals he finds to those on his mailing list, and through his on-line store. Folks can also consign wine through his store or through auctions he runs.

One of the coolest things is that he really focuses on fine wines, and offers some great deals that you just won’t find in many places.

For example, today in my emailing, he had verticals of Opus and Silver Oak on, going back more than twenty years!

His site is attractive to look at, and is well set up and easy to navigate. He has it broken down by Favorites, by Region, by Rating, by Bottle size and by Vintage.

The Region section is extensive, covering most of the main wine growing areas of the world, and many of the minor ones. It also breaks them down by varietals.

The Ratings section has wines from 85 – 100 points, broken down in small increments.

The Bottle size section has wines up to 18 liters (!), and the vintages go back to the 50′s. He also has a section on new wines, and one for his favorites, which has some interesting choices. Some of the lots have one bottle, some have several cases… you never know, which is why it’s so fun to keep up with what’s new.

They will also ship wines as a gift, and some of these bottle will make GREAT gifts! D’you have someone who really likes wine on your list? How about shipping them an 18 liter  (That’s equal to two full cases, BTW!) bottle of 1999 La Petite Cheval Bordeaux for only $3900… Now THAT’S a Wine Club Gift that I’d like to see under my tree!

Cheers,

WCI

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WCI back with you with another winner!

The Wine of the Month Club (www.wineofthemonthclub.com) is the real thing.

Here’s a quote from their home page: “The Wine of the Month Club was the inspiration of Paul Kalemkiarian Sr. In 1972, while owning a premium wine shop in Palos Verdes Estates, Paul noticed the need of the wine consumer, good wine at a good price. Good value was not the only element that Paul realized would help make his wine shop grow. He determined that even though he catered to an upscale market, the lack of wine education was high. Then the idea came to him, how about a mail order wine education course that included the wine! The Wine of the Month Club was born.”

From there, over the next 31 years, he has grown and expanded it to one of the best sites on the web. I’ve met Paul, let me tell ya, he knows his wine!

The Wine of the Month Club only has three programs, but they are excellent. The wines are top quality, and the prices are hard to beat!

The “Classic” or regular series sends you the standard two bottles, with the price never exceeding $20/month, and the wine selection is really ineresting. You can, of course, choose 1 red and 1 white, or 2 reds.

The Vintner series really ups the ante, offering some excellent wines at great values. The monthly total varies, but is always a great deal.

The Limited series is their top of the line, and as I was glancing through the choices, I was amazed at the quality (and the prices!) of the selections!

One of the cooler things is they have a “Wine Shoppe” where you can order/reorder the wines on the list for substantial savings.

The Wine of the Month Club also has an excellent selection of gifts, food items, baskets, a podcast, a great newsletter, wine dinners… almost everything you could want from an online wine store!

I’d highly recommend you check them out, especially since they promise they will still get your wine club gift to your loved ones by Christmas!

Until tomorrow,

Cheers!

WCI

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WCI back, with just a few comments on wine clubs…

There are literally dozens of different wine clubs, using dozens of formats; some deliver monthly, some quarterly, some twice a year, some once a year. Some give you an allotment that you must take, others give you a choice. Some give you red and white, some white, some red, some sweet. Some only offer wines from a single property, others “shop the world,” so to speak, on your behalf. No matter your preference, there are wine clubs to meet your needs.

Starting tomorrow, we’ll talk a bot about several of these options, but for today, we’re going to finish up the trip to Napa.

The sun was low in the sky, and we were nearing the end of a perfect Napa Valley day. Our guide (and driver, thank goodness!) pulled in to V. Sattui (www.vsattui.com), a fascinating winery that I had never really heard of, located just across the road from Dean and Deluca (www.deananddeluca.com), which also has a wonderful selection, by the way.

V. Sattui is one of the most decorated wineries in California, and only sells their wines direct from the winery, and to their large and loyal wine clubs, of which I have been a proud member for almost ten years. They ship monthly, and the variety of wines they offer is pretty staggering. They have everything from crisp white to huge single vineyard Cabs, Merlots, Zins, Sangios, and even a great selection of dessert wines.

They have a marvelous deli, a picnic area, a bar b cue and a great store… it is one of the most fun, enjoyable wineries to visit, and we had a terrific time. They have some extraordinary vintages in their library collection, including several from their famed Rutherford, Suzanne’s and Morisoli vineyards,

Though it was only a dream on my first visit, Daryl Sattui, the current owner, has also just recently completed the Castello di Amorosa, a 121,000 sq. foot Tuscan castle on the side of Diamond Mountain. There they sell Italian-style wines, amongst the gardens, the dungeon and the moat! It is truly one of the most spectacular settings in all of Napa.

We finished our day with a great dinner at Etoille, the restaurant located at Domaine Chandon, one of the best champagne houses in the USA (www.chandon.com), and headed back to our B&B, with 10 cases of wine in tow, and a delightful Napa Valley glow about us.

The following day, we actually got to a few more wineries, including Sterling (vineyards.com">www.sterlingvineyards.com), and Clos Pegase (www.clospegase.com), with its ten million dollar art collection displayed in the tunnels, before flying home, with the beginnings of a great cellar flying along with us.

Napa is a wonder, and we’ll talk more about it over the next few weeks, as we continue down the dusty wine roads!

Cheers,

WCI

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Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I hope you’re enjoying a wonderful holiday with some great wines to go with it!

I’d love to hear what everyone’s drinking with their turkey… please drop me a comment/note and let me know, so we can post your preferences. At our place, we’re having a very nice Ste. Michelle Reisling, a David Bruce Pinot Noir from Oregon, and a surprisingly wonderful huckleberry wine called “Huck.” For dessert, we’re having a Cabernet Sauvignon Ice wine (!) from Icicle Ridge winery in Washington. What are your Turkey Day favorites? Drop us a line, and I’ll post your choices next week!

Okay… let’s get back to ”The valley…”

Heading west down the tranquil Oakville Crossroad toward highway 29 and Opus One (www.opusonewinery.com) an almost mystical place to a new “winey…” I mean, this was OPUS, for goodness sake!

Opus is a joint venture between the now-late Robert Mondavi, and Baron Phillipe de Rothschild to produce a “proprietary Bordeaux blend,” of mostly Cab, and a few other varietals, such as Merlot, Cab Franc, Petite Verdot, etc…

This winery is amazing. It is an architectural wonder, that almost defies description. It is also expensive.

We had missed the 10:30 a.m. guided daily tour, so we were forced to enjoy the grounds on our own with our $25 tasting of the famous Opus One, which lived up to its  billing. I bought one, even at the “exorbitant” price of $85/bottle… funny how things change in a couple of years. $85 for a ’94 Opus now? Gimme a case!

From there, across the street to Mondavi! (www.robertmondaviwinery.com). The famous roof line silhouette greeted us, and we headed in for a tasting of an impressive line of wines. A few samples and a little conversation with the wine room manager later, and we were in a small private room with a couple of delightful library wines; older vintages of special character, kept back by the wine maker as something special.

I bought a couple of bottles of their best, the Mondavi Reserve Cabernet, and we continued our trek. Francis Ford Coppola’s fine establishment (www.rubiconestate.com) where I purchased several vintages of the iconic “Rubicon.”

Across to St. Supery (www.stsupery.com) where I joined the “Divine Wine Club,” and remain a thankful member to this date. St. Superyhas a fairly wide variety of wines, but are best known for their estate grown Rutherford Vineyard Cabs.

How many wineries had we been to so far? Nine? Ten? Eleven, I think. I had truly lost count, but I was determined to make an even dozen–one for each bottle in a case?

Our final stop was V. Sattui, one of the most interesting wineries in the valley, and where we’ll pick up tomorrow, as we hop along the dusty wine roads on our way for some good post-Thanksgiving shopping!

Cheers!

WCI

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WCI back to share the memories of Napa…

We turned left off Silverado Trail onto the Oakville Crossroad, and just a few hundred yards down on the left was one of the iconic wineries in my mind, and many others, apparently.

Silver Oak Cellars, where “Life is a Cabernet,” and every wine would be red if it could… www.silveroak.com

My first glass of great wine was a glass of Silver Oak, care of Bob Kolberg, who managed the vineyards for Justin Meyer, the inimitable founder and icon of Silver Oak. It was then that I realized that wine really could be something pretty special. It had depth, fruit, character… all those words I’d read about (and I read a LOT!) but had never really tasted before.

We turned down the tree shaded lane, with the famous tower right there, just like on the label.

We parked, walked in, and I got my first “keeper” Silver Oak crystal Cabernet glass. (Yes, for a very reasonable tasting fee, you get to taste the wine, and you get to keep to the glass, too!)

We dwelled for what seemed like hours, and even got to chat to Justin himself. We tasted the current release (the famous 1994 Alexander Valley) and even got to taste the Meyer Family Port, a 100% Cabernet-based port style wine. I walked out of there with a 1/2 case of the ’84, and another 1/2 case of the port, and I was even more committed to “America’s Favorite Cab.”

I also joined the wine club, which is a bit different than many others; Silver Oak only makes two wines a year, the Alexander Valley Cab (Silver label), and the Napa Valley Cab (black label), which are released at different times each year. Every year, I get my announcement and get to order my allotment, and it is one of the highlights of my wine year. I have even given extra bottles away as Christmas gifts, and I must say, they are some of the best-received gifts I have ever given.

I still have 1 bottle of the ’94, kept for the past 14 years (well, 11 by me, as Silver Oak always spends three years in the barrel before release) for the perfect special occasion; likely my 10th anniversary, which is coming up in the next year or two.

After Silver Oak, we headed basically across the street to another fine, fine winery, Groth Cellars (www.grothwines.com) where we sampled some of their wonderful products, including their Reserve Cab, and a great Merlot, purchasing both, of course.

What a day, and we were barely at 1:30 p.m.!

What’s next? Hmmm… how about Opus One? Okay! See you tomorrow along the dusty wine roads!

Cheers,

WCI

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