Wine Club Insider back, with only 4 days left before Christmas.

I hope everyone is having a happy holiday season. It will for sure be a White Christmas here in the northwest… we’ve had a record snowfall over the past three days, with nearly four feet of light, fluffy powder creating a winter wonderland. It is a bit brisk however, with the temperatures hovering around zero as we plow out. I did sit in the hot tub with a warm mug of Gluwein last night though, and if you haven’t sat in a hot tub with the snow falling before, take a trip out and join us… it’s pretty magical!

Okay… back to our Top Ten Wine Club Cabs for Christmas” list.

Now, to clarify… as fun as it is, making any kind of “top” list with wine is hard. There are so many great Cabs out there that to make any kind of real, definitive “Top Ten” list is impossible, so this is, of course, opinion, and has to do with some of the favorites I have tasted lately. This is by no means a slight or a “Best of” attempt… I mean, how do you leave Caymus Special Select off the list? (Actually, I can say it fell outside the price range, but still…

And another point: Blends didn’t count, though I will make a “Top Ten Cab blends/Meritage” list for Christmas day. That’s where you’ll find you Opus and Della Vale Maya.

Back on task, then. So far, in tenth, Sterling Vineyards 2005 Diamond Mountain Ranch Cab.

Now, introducing our ninth place winner…

9) 2003 Columbia Crest Reserve. Columbia Crest Vineyards, $27. Summit Reserve Wine Club. www.columbia-crest.com

Yes, believe it or not, the wine juggernaut of the northwest has created a really approachable, tasty, deep offering, and at $27 a bottle, it is the hands down winner for value vs. taste. This is a wine that if you were tasting it blind, you’d say it was a big ole $100 Napa cab. Winemaker Ray Einberger has done an awesome job with all their wines, but this beauty in particular. Their winery, located in the Horse Heaven Hills (H3) appellation is also one of the most beautiful anywhere.

One thing about having a big winery is that you never get bored as a member of their very nice Summit Reserve wine club. Their quarterly shipments include some of their premium, limited production and library wines, all for $45 – 80 bucks a quarter… a great deal!

Back tomorrow with numbers seven and eight!

Wine Club Insider out.

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Wine Club Insider here.

With only five days to go before Christmas, you re rapidly running out of daylight to get those wine club gifts to your special oeniphiles! You may be down to the beautifully wrapped postcard announcing that “your wine club gift is on its way.”

Even if you don’t plan on doing the whole wine club gift, there are plenty of very nice single bottle gifts that will make any wine lover’s heart go pitter patter, and we’ll talk a bit about those over the next couple of days.

Today, we’re going to kind of set the stage…

Christmas, of all the holidays, is really Cabernet Sauvignon’s Big Day. It is the day, with the rich, savory meals that adorn the Christmas table, that the King of Wines shines, and so, for the next 5 days, Cab is King, and we’ll create a “Top 10″ list of great cabs that will be fitting adornments to any holiday table.

Okay… a couple of house rules…

1) It has to be a wine that someone can actually buy (even if it might take a little work)…

2) Without having to get a second mortgage, which eliminates some of the “cult” big names like Screaming Eagle, which cost more than some college tuitions.

3) Ideally, it should be availble through a wine club.

4) It has to be a pure Cab, or at least a majority Cab blend.

(FYI, on the 24th, I’ll post my list of “dream” cabs, which ignore the above rules… this will be a dreamer’s paradise! Stay tuned!)

With the house rules in mind, let’s get started on our list with the Number Ten selection on the Wine Club Insider’s Christmas Cab list!

…and the survey says…

Number 10:   Sterling Vineyards 05 Diamond Mountain Ranch Cabernet. $65/bottle. Available as a special request through the Sterling Vineyards Cellar Club.

Voted “Year’s Best,” by WIne and Spirits, this 92 point beauty has the cool feel of Diamond Mountain Reds, as well as a taste of Cherry. It’s been in oak for 3 years, which has mellowed the tannins slightly, and given it a nice, approachable feel, even though this remains a huge wine! Decant this baby for a couple of hours, and enjoy!

See you tomorrow with numbers 8 & 9! This is going to be fun!

Cheers!

Wine Club Insider

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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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Wine Club Insider back with one of my favorite wineries and favorite wine clubs, and with only a week to go before Christmas, it’s a perfect time to get that special someone a wine club gift…

Brett and Denise (“The Boss”) Isenhower were both successful chemists and pharmacists when they made the “natural” leap to wine making…

Actually, it’s not that much of a stretch really, and they are living proof!

They founded Isenhower Cellars in 1999, and opened their winery in Walla Walla in 2002. They make premium, highly allocated wines from a combination of their own estate vineyard, and seven of the most highly rated Columbia Valley vineyards, including Seven Hills, Horse Heaven Hills and Weinbau, to name a few.

They make several uniquely named wines based on Merlot, Cab Sauv, Cab Franc, Grenache, Rousanne and Syrah. Some of their famous names include “Red Paintbrush,” a Cab-Merlot blend that I tried last night. FYI, the 2002 was perfect, though it could have stayed in the bottle for another five years or more. Inky, tons of fruit… excellent!

Their Wild Alfalfa-a Syrah-received 93 points from Parker no less, and sold out within a week. Their River Beauty, another Syrah, is even better, according to Brett.

I’ve been friends with the family since they opened, and have done several wine maker’s dinners for them, and they are wonderful people! They really make an effort to get to know their growing list of customers, and especially the folks in their wine club, called “FOI;” short for “Friends of Isenhower.”

One of the neat things about FOI is that they make a number of “wine club only” bottlings, including Malbecs, blends and others that are only available from the winery.

For the quality of their wines, the price for being a member and receiving the twice yearly shipment of gems is well worth it!

The last shipment featured A “Batchelors Button” Reserve Cab, and a unique Barbera. One of the things I like about Isenhower’s wine club is that they name all of their wines after some of their favorite poems (Road Less Travelled, a sold out Cab Franc), Flowers (Red Paintbrush) and original sayings, such as “Rara Avis,” a rare, Grenache blend.

All of their labels are from paintings from local Walla Walla artist Jeffrey Hill, who also happens to be one of their growers, and several of their early bottles featured pictures of their labs, who are still constant hosts around the winery.

Check out Isenhower, and tell ‘em I sent ya!

Cheers,

Wine Club Insider

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Wine Club Insider back, with only 8 days left until Christmas!

A wine club membership, or a wine club gift are really the perfect gifts for any wine lovers… they’re really the gifts that keep on giving, as every month, or every second month, or even just twice a year, you get the wonderful experience of opening a new, crisp wine shipment.

For me, when I get my wine club shipments-and for some reason, many of mine seem to arrive nearly at the same time–I open the boxes, stand the new members of my wine collection up on the counter, and read through the written material that accompanies it.

Many of the clubs have excellent, informative, and occasionally humorous newsletters. Slightly off topic, one of my favorites to receive is from the “Bounty Hunter,” at www.bountyhunterwine.com, a Napa based company that finds great wines for you and I. Their quartely publication is well designed, fun to read, and informative.

After that, I get to enter the new bottles into my wine data base, and I’ve got to say, this is pretty fun, actually. As soon as you’re done, it updates your wine list, and I always enjoy pulling up a version of my printed list (which I reprint once a month) and perusing the selections… it helps me keep track of what’s there, and lets me relive the memories of some of the great times and trips I had when I got a particular wine.

After that, downstairs I go to try find a place for the new bottles. This is a bit of a problem, as my cellar is almost full. I actually have three little tables set up with bottles in a holding pattern, waiting for a slot. I also have about 100 bottles on the floor, same story.

I try to make it a habit to reward myself for all of this “difficult” work (it’s a tough job, but I’m trying to bear up…) so I don’t often come upstairs empty handed. As a matter of fact, today I brought up a bottle of “Red Paintbrush,” a merlot based blend from one of my favorite wine makers, Isenhower cellars of Walla Walla. (www.isenhowercellars.com). It’s decanting now, so tomorrow I’ll tell you about it, as well as some of Isenhower’s other fine offerings, and their “FOI” (Friends of Isenhower) wine club…

Cheers,

Wine Club Insider

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Wine Club Insider with you again.

For the last couple of days, we’ve been talking about building a wine cellar to keep your wine club collection safe, cool, and happy. Today, we’re going to chat about some of the other “necessities” you need to make your wine cellar complete!

Number one is a good opener. I mean, what kind of fun can you have with your wine club collection if you can’t open your bottles?

I mainly use three different openers, depending on my mood, and the condition of the corks.

Lately, my favorite has been an “automatic” opener from Oster (www.oster.com). Basically, you put it over the bottle, press the button, and it grabs the cork and pulls it out. The best part is that it works on a rechargeable battery.

My second favorite is a CO2 “popper:” You poke the needle through the cork, hit the button, which releases CO2 into the bottle, and out pops the cork. It has a few limits on certain types of cork, but is the most fun, for sure.

The other important opener in my collection is the “Ah So,” which is basically a set of prongs that you wiggle down beside the cork and ah, so, out it comes. You can get almost any cork out with this.

Of course, having a very good Sommelier’s corkscrew is probably recommended, just in case…

The next key is to have a couple of nice glasses to pour your wine club collection into.

Of course, the “gold standard” is Riedel (www.riedel.com), which is often misspelled Reidel, even on so-called “real” websites. I have to say, from my experience, that while there may be some wine glasses almost as good, there aren’t any better. I also enjoy Dansk (which we use for our dinner parties), but my true favorites for everyday sipping are the Riedel “O” glasses; they are perfect for casual-and not so casual- company, and they work great for the hottub!

I’ve already mentioned before about the airator by Air au Vin (www.winebreather.com), and of course having a good crystal decanter or two to decant your vintage wines into is a must, but I think you’ve got the idea.

I’m always willing to help out, so when you’re ready, give me a call, and I’ll come by and help you test it all out with you! Until then,

Cheers!

Wine Club Insider out!

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Wine Club Insider (the blogger formerly known as “WCI!”) here again!

So, you’ve built your new cellar, got your shelves installed, and your ready to open all of the cases of your wine club collection and put them away for years of perfect aging, but before you do, you really need to come up with a system to keep track of what you’ve got, where you got it, how much you paid for it, and where it is.

Trust me.

If you’re planning on collecting more than a couple hundred bottles (which can happen pretty quickly when you belong to a few nice wine clubs, and when people are giving you wine club gifts) this becomes increasingly important for a number of reasons.

The most important reason is because, except for a very few rare vintages, wine doesn’t last forever. As I emntioned earlier, wine is a living, growing thing, and like most living things, it will reach a point where it will pass its prime, and start heading downhill.

Now, personally, I love old wines, but there’s a tendency to “forget” about some of the well-stored bottles of vintage vino in your wine cellar, and next thing you know, your bottle of 1994 Napa nectar is on its way out.

I also like to have a reminder of where and when I got a bottle of wine, or if it was a wine club gift. I also like (and this is really important!) is that it gives you a record for insurance purposes, in case of a fire or other disaster.

My product of choice is actually the wine collection database template available with Microsoft Office Access. Yup. Microsoft.

I downloaded the basic wine club template, and within a 1/2 hour, I was up and going. Okay, by then I did have over 1800 bottles, so it took me three days to input everything, and get it organized, but it was kind of fun playing. I mean, wine is one of the only hobbies where to play with your collection negates its value… hey, while you can drive your vintage car, no one is going to give you $300 for an empty bottle of Opus.

After you’ve got your wine club collection entered in the computer, another good idea is to use neck tags when you put them on the shelf. These are available from several sites. I got mine from www.iwa.com.

Organized? Excellent! Next time we’ll talk a bit about the glasses and other necessities you will need to properly finish out your perfect wine cellar!

Cheers,

Wine Club Insider, out!

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WCI back with you, looking at building that perfect wine cellar to help you store those vintage wines you’ve collected from your wine clubs!

So, we’ve got our temp, humidity and light sorted out, and we’ve picked out the perfect spot in your house; maybe the northwest, tree-shaded corner, or maybe in the addition you built off the kitchen. Now, you’ve got to look at cooling and humidity systems, which are essential, if you don’t have the perfect natural conditions.

Vinotheque (www.vinotheque.com) makes some of the premier units in the world, and there are several good choices on www.wineenthusiasts.com as well.

The key is to get one that is correct for the room size and conditions you have; obviously, if you live in Phoenix, you’ll need a little more juice than if you live in the mountains in northern Idaho.

Next, choose your floors. We chose slate, which we laid ourselves, and we’re very happy with it, though it’s not too forgiving, if a bottle does drop… Other choices include hard wood, tile, or even cork.

With your shelves, choose some that make it easy to get at your wine collection, and that make it safe to take a bottle out. Plain shelves can hold a lot of fine wine, but can cause complications if you want to take out a bottle of vintage wine on the third or fourth layer down, especially with the odd shaped Syrah bottles. Trust me on this.

I would highly recommend having a “wine system” or main, free-standing rack that holds a lot of wine, has room on top for large wine bottles, and end pieces for glasses, and your other wine accessories. My brother-in-law crafted mine by hand as my birthday gift a few years ago, using plans he got from Norm Abrams’ New Yankee workshop (www.newyankee,com).

For the remaining wall space, I used wine racks from www.winerack.com, and the good folks at International Wine Accessories (www.iwa.com) can actually outfit your entire cellar for you, designed as you like it, and I mean anything; they will custom build you ANYTHING you want (and even things you didn’t know you wanted!), built to fit your space.

Now you’ve got your space, and tomorrow, we’ll talk a bit about how to keep track of your burgeoning fine wine collection!

Cheers,

WCI

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WCI back!

Okay, so now we’re all members of a bunch of great wine clubs, and our collections are building up. The small racks we bought are filled, there’re a couple of cases on the floor, and a bunch more bottles on a shelf in the basement…

My friends, the time has come to start considering a real wine cellar!

There are several ways to go about starting your own cellar, ranging from digging your own basement if you live in parts of California, to converting the small spare room. No matter which way you choose to go, there are a couple of constants that you should be aware of.

The first constant is Constant Temperature. Besides regularly shaking your bottles around, this is one of the things that can damage a nice bottle fastest. Wine is a living, growing thing; unlike whiskey or other spirits that stop aging as soon as they hit the bottle, wine continues to grow, mature, and (hopefully!) improve as it sits in the barrel and then in the bottle, and it likes being stored at a relatively cool, constant temperature.

Somewhere between 55 and 60 degrees is considered just about optimal, which coincidentally matches up with the temperatures in the wine caves in France… hmm… imagine that!

The next constant is Constant Humidity. Low humidity can increase the evaporation of the wine, and most importantly, can damage the cork, which is a really really bad thing.

The third constant is constant light. Natural and fluorescent light both give off significant amounts of ultra-violet radiation, which degrade the otherwise stable organic compounds in the wine,

Okay… we want cool, moist and dark. What’s next? Oh, where do I begin? Building a cellar can be one of the most rewarding things you’ll ever do, and we’ve got a few days worth of work to do, so that you can safely and happily store the fruits of your wine clubs, and your wine club gifts!

See you tomorrow!

Cheers,

WCI

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Hey, WIC here again.

I was doing a little surfing today, and came across a wine club I’d looked at a couple of years ago, and ran into again.

Ambrosia (www.ambrosiawine.com) at first comes across as your “normal” online wine store, but when you look a little deeper, you’ll be impressed, as I was.

They have a pretty amazing store I have to say, with a ton of varietals and choices. Their claim to fame is what they call their “Aged Cabernet” collection, and it’s impressive, to say the least! One of the deepest collections of aged California Cabs online anywhere.

Now, they also have their wine clubs, and again, at first, it looks pretty average–the typical three choices, but, as I said before, when you dig a little deeper, you’ll be surprised.

The first option is their “Discovery” club, with three options: Red, White or mixed. It runs about $29.90 a month, and features a lot of up and coming wineries, as well as some of the usual suspects, good wines, all.

The second option is the “Master” Series, and it really steps it up a notch, with choices from Chateau Montelena, Nickel and Nickel, Etude and Landmark. For $65 a month, it’s a pretty good deal.

The third option is where they really stand apart! As a wine club, or for an excellent wine club gift, their Cabernet Series is one of the best. They have three choices within the Cab Series, starting with the Private Tasting Club, which will send you two pretty good California cabs each month for between $100 – 125 a month.

The next step up is the Aged Cab Club, and it is for sure top notch. These are all older, harder to find wines, and occasionally they’ll send you one of the older versions along with the same wine in a younger vintage to try them side by side. It runs $125 – 150.

Now, for a real treat, the Extreme Cabernet Club is something you won’t find just anywhere! They offer such gems as Far Niente, Joseph Phelps, Stags Leap, Quintessa, Chateau Montelena and more, and for $150 – 175, it’s well worth it.

All in all, Ambrosia Wine is well worth checking out!

Until tomorrow,

Cheers,

WCI

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