Wine Club Insider back, yet again!

I hope you all had a great weekend… I was out camping, but somehow :managed” to stow a bottle of Rombauer Zin and a bottle of Katherin Hills Cab in the pack for the trip… oh, the sacrifices I make for the team!

There’s something about drinking a nice wine along the bank of the river by a campfire that just increases the enjoyment, somehow.

I was doing a little wine buying from one of my favorite establishments, Dean and Deluca – www.deandeluca.com – and while chatting with their wine consultant, she mentioned that I should check out their new wine clubs… intrigued, I hopped on line, and lo and behold, not only do they have wine clubs, they have FIVE wine clubs. Now, so what, you’re probably thinking, but in the spirit of all things D & D, they haven’t gone the “normal” route…

The main thing that makes them different is that four of the clubs each have their own full-time wine steward (one of them does two), and they custom design the programs to your needs. Okay, but that’s not THAT cool, you say…

Ahhh, it gets better! Yes, they have the “regular” “Great Introductions” club at $60/month, and an “Artisan” club at $100 for those little known gems, oh, and the “Great Comparisons” club that looks at regional wines from around the world at $150… wait, you say… STILL not that impressed? Seen it before, you say?

Possibly, though not done this well, I would suggest, but from here they go into pretty uncharted territory.

Their 4th club is called the “Cult” club, and with the resources that only a shop like D&D could manage, they offer, for $1000/quarter, at least three of the world’s rarest wines, and I’m talking BIG names… they asked me not to mention them by name, as the makeup changes, but trust me, these are Big Names!

The 5th club is the “Cellar Rarities,” which takes it a step further… for the 50 lucky members, and only $300/month, they offer you the rarest of the rare, and again, though I’m only speaking, um, hypothetically, think Maya, Harlan, etc…

One of the advantages D&D has is their buying power and their reputation, and now, they have provided a chance for some of us to share it with them through their great wine clubs. Check them out!

Cheers,

Wine Club Insider out.

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WDI here. Welcome back.

I was going over some of my past and present wine clubs, and a couple stand out above the rest. The Gold Medal Wine Club (www.goldmedalwine.com) is one of those.

It offers five different clubs to meet most any taste or budget, and they also offer a couple of unique choices, such as a Pinot Noir club.

Their standard club is the Gold Series club. This level ships two California wines per month, one red and one white, rated 88 points or better. Each shipment is around $34.

The Pinot Noir club sends two different California or international Pinots every other month for about $69 – 89 per shipment. This is a unique opportunity, and is well worth the cost.

The Platinum Series sends you two highly rated (90+ points), limited (usually less than 1000 cases) wines every month for between $69 – 99 per shipment. They’re all California wines, and sometimes include some pre-releases, or “winery only” selections.

The International Series features two reds and a white from around the world. They’re shipped quarterly for between $65 – 105 per shipment. They also send you three gourmet food items with each shipment.

The Diamond Series is their top of the line club, and has the price tag to prove it: each shipment ranges between $159 – 179, and is sent out quarterly. Each wine has been rated 93 points or better, and the club is limited to only 500 members, so get your name in early.

Members can order their favorite wines at 35% off the club rates, if they wish to re-order.

You also get a very nice newsletter (and a cool leather binder for the Diamond Series!). There are no membership or sign up fees, and their customer service is very good. Their phone number is easy to remember: 800-266-8888.

They also have a unique “Plus!” program, where a limited number of very small production wines are made available to members on a request only basis. If you let them know, they will add on one bottle per shipment of these rare finds.

I think you’ll like this one!

See you tomorrow!

Cheer,

WCI

California Wine, Fine Wine, International Wine, Pinot Noir, Red Wine, USA Wine, Wine Club, Wine Club Gift, Wine Education Pinot Noir club, rare wines, Unique wines, wine club gifts, wine clubs