Wine Club Insider back with you after a weekend on the rocks!

Yup, I’m taking a 15 week mountaineering class, and this weekend we spent two complete days setting up rappels and high angle climbs… great fun, and a fantastic lifestyle… the mountaineers group are terrific, social folks, who also don’t mind tossing back a celebratory beverage after a good day of climbing!

On the Saturday night, a few of us got together at a favorite local spot and had some bar b cue. I had a glass of the house wine, which turned out to be a not-too-bad Chilean merlot, though great company and good times can improve the taste of almost any wine.

Always on the search for new wine clubs, I came across Awesome Clubs, at www.awesomeclubs.com.

They work their wine club on a subscription basis, ranging from one month to one year, at a cost of about $38/month, though you get a 10% discount for 6 and 12 month subscriptions. Their system is also set up to make it easy to ship these memberships as gifts to friends, family and even business associates.

Awesome Clubs also provides several other options as far as clubs go, ranging from a “Steak of the month” club, to Hot Sauce, Hand bags, Cigars, stuff for the Football fan, the Golf Fanatic, Movie of the Month, Soda Pop of the Month, and one I haven’t seen before… the “Kama Sutra of the Month Club.” Yup, you read that correctly – the Kama Sutra of the Month Club.

Apparently, from the literature, once a month, they send you everything you need for a romantic evening, including “Message oils, creams, powders and other potions will entice your body, seduce your senses and jumpstart your hearts.”

A far cry from “a bottle of red and a bottle of white,” but together, they could make for a great and unforgettable evening!

Until next time,

Cheers!

Wine Club Insider out!

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Wine Club Insider back with you!

It appears my predictions of the final demise of old man winter were a bit pre-mature, and did nothing but stir him up, as went from a nice mid 70′s on Monday-Tuesday, to the current conditions, which include a temp of 35, blustery wind, and an inch of new snow (!) on the ground. I apologize, and will keep my mouth shut from now on. Is it just me, or is anyone else looking forward to the shift into summer mode?

Have you noticed if your wine tastes change as the weather gets warmer? I continue to like reds anytime, but I do find I drink more whites and roses in the warmer weather… anyone else?

All Whining (as opposed to “wineing,” which never goes out of style!) aside, I have a nice site to recommend to you.

I was cruising the Web yesterday, and came across a new-to-me site called Bottlenotes at www.bottlenotes.com. At first I was struck by the “cleanliness” of the site… crisp, bright colors, easy to navigate, but as I puttered around, I was impressed with the wide variety of information they offered; they had everything from comprehensive tasting notes and reviews, easily navigable by price, varietal, winery etc, as well as access to their own podcasts featuring such notables as Jack Cakebread, Pete Mondavi jr., etc.

They have a nice feature called “Winecylopedia,” which is a pretty extensive collection of wine info, and they also have “The Daily Sip,” which is, as they describe it, like a cross between “Daily Candy,” and “US Weekly” for the wine industry.

Aside from all of these little perks, they also offer some really fun wine clubs, and their “hook,” so to speak, is that they will completely customize your wine club to your tastes, budget, schedule etc.

They have 9 offerings, including the Explorer’s Wine Club, which is pretty much the standard “get started for $25″ club, and they also have the obligatory Intermediate wine club (The perhaps less than originally named “Connoisseurs Club”) and a high end offering called ”Limited Addictions” (nice name!) wine club, which features pretty high end, rare products such as Gaja, Pavie etc.

From there, they start to get cool, though…

They have a seasonal wine club, which is also customizeable, so you can choose Rhone in the spring, Napa cabs in the fall, etc.

Perhaps the coolest wine clubs they offer are the smallest…

They have a “Jet Setters,” which is a  tour of the world’s wines, they have a “Dinner party in a box” club, which provides all the wines for before, during and after a dinner party (a neat idea, really!), “Pop,” a champagne and sparkling club, a Kosher club for those looking for something beyond Manischewitz (who knew?), and a new Sake club, with some premium sakes on the menu.

All in all, a pretty nice stop on the web, and I’d recommend you check them out for the extras, as well as the interesting wine clubs.

Until next time,

Cheers!

Wine Club Insider out.

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Wine Club Insider back with you.

Sitting here watching the snow come down (again!) and just about getting ready for spring… Don’t get me wrong; I love winter probably more than the next guy, as I love XC skiing, snowshoeing, running and even biking in the snow, but I’m getting itchy to do some riding up in the high hills.

Speaking of high hills, we did some snowshoeing in the mountains a week or so ago, and took a bottle of J. Lohr Paso Robles Cab up in a Nalgene bottle to celebrate the summit. I’ve got to say there’s something about having a good glass of wine out of a camp cup while eating dehydrated Shepherd’s Pie made on a Jet Boil! It was great! (Seriously!) and the new dehydrated meals are really pretty good, especially at 6000 feet in the snow!

The Wine Club – www.thewineclub.com – has one of the better online wine selections anywhere, with hundreds of offerings, including a very nice dessert wine selection. They have been one of the leading online dealers, and also have three retail shops in Santa Ana, Santa Clara and San Francisco.

They are going to be starting a Wine of the Month program in March of 2009, and I’m interested in seeing what they offer, as they have a great inventory to choose from. Keep your eye out for what could be a great opportunity!

Another one that has caught my eye recently is the Pacific Northwest Wine Club – www.pnwc.com- which specializes in wines from the – you guessed it – Pacific Northwest and British Columbia. They offer two bottles a month, and also have several tasting events throughout the region. Their newsletter, Vin Affairres, is informative, and well written. They also have gift memberships available starting at $24.99/month.

Finally, there is the “Sideways” Wine Club at www.sidewayswineclub.com. They are a direct descendant of the movie, and seem to have a great selection. Their website is entertaining and informative, but I’m going to check out their selection of Merlots before passing judgement…

Have a great weekend, and we’ll see you Monday!

Cheers,

Wine Club Insider out.

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Wine Club Insider back with you!

I was searching around the web for what’s new, and came across a pretty exciting new site I hadn’t seen before… Wine Club 101 – www.wineclub101.com – starts out as your normal site, but as you start reading, you start to see the differences…

Here is a bit from their home page:

While many wine sellers limit their club selection to white and red, we offer an unprecedented 5 wine clubs (not to mention our Scotch, Beer, and Tequila clubs). With so many offerings, we are virtually guaranteed to have a club that caters to your tastes and your budget.

Each shipment comes complete with notes and evaluations from the Wine Club staff. If you’re a real connoisseur, you will certainly appreciate the background information. If you are a wine novice, our commentary will have you sounding like an expert in no time.

There is NO long-term commitment. Just sign up for as many months as you would like. If you sign up for three months, you will receive 3 shipments. There is no need to cancel. You will not be harassed. You will be billed for each shipment only when it is shipped.

You might like to keep such a great offer all to yourself. But fine things are meant to be shared. Imagine the surprise when that special friend or loved one receives a 3-month, 6-month, or full-year subscription to the club of your choice.

There’s no good reason not to sign up today. So what are you waiting for? Give someone a gift that keeps giving. And while you are at it, order a subscription for yourself. You deserve it!”

Sure enough, their clubs are pretty well organized, and actually original, which is becoming a rare commodity amongst wine clubs.

They have the standard red and white clubs – Red 101 and White 101 for $40/month- as well as a Gold Club for $100/month, a Champagne Club, and a German Club, which is pretty unusual… two bottles of unique German wine each month. One of the highlights, is they also have a very nice Scotch Club, and even a Tequila Club, both for $75/month, maximum, with unusual, rare blends and labels.

One of the other cool things is that you decide how many months you want, and that’s what you get. no long term contracts, no need to resign… a pleasant touch, really.

Their choices of wines are pretty respectable – even spectacular in some cases – for the price, and it seems that service is a real priority.

I think I might just have to give them a try and see how it works… I’ll let you know in a month or two!

Cheers,

Wine Club Insider out.

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Wine Club Insider back!

One of the cool web sites I frequent on at least a weekly basis is www.winezap.com.

Winezap is kind of like a little community where you can actually get to “know” your online “neighbors” as you rate/discuss/argue about wine.

So, every week or so, I get an email in my regular box about the latest wines that have been rated by their distinguished panel of experts…

I think that having a few folks with respected, or at least educated palates can give us a basic groundwork to at least discuss wine, so I appreciate their efforts.

Some of the wines I received reviews on tonight were (and the reviewer):

Bordeaux, Burgundy, California Wine, Chardonnay, Fine Wine, French Wine, International Wine, Italian Wine, Pinot Noir, Red Wine, Shiraz, Sparkling Wine, USA Wine, Vintage Wine, White Wine, Wine Cellar, Wine Club, Wine Club Gift, Wine Education, Wine Lovers, Wine Reviews, Wine Tasting Wine Club, Wine Club Gift, Wine Reviews, winezap.com

Wine Club Insider back.

As the snow/slush/sleet continues to fall here in the Northwest, adding to the five feet we’ve already accumulated, I’m sitting in front of a fire, sipping on a glass of Corbett Canyon Reserve left over from New Years Eve… I’ve got to tell you that for an inexpensive wine, it’s pretty tasty! It’s a Central Valley product from Ripon, California, and as is becoming the norm, it’s hard to get a bad bottle of wine from California…

I think that the vintners from California have gotten so smart and do such a good job with their properties, and with their actual crafting of the wine that even “cheap” California wine is darn good, especially when compared with the product from a decade ago, or with similar priced wines from many other regions and nations. Go Left Coast!

Here are a couple of other wine clubs for you to consider:

The Wine Insiders (hey, I like the name!) at www.wineinsiders.com offers three choices of level (pretty normal) but also offer 3, 6 & 12 month options, with wine club gifts starting at $89, and ranging up to over $500 for a 12 month Connoisseur’s Club membership.

Their top level club is pretty substantial, with great options, including some nice Barolos and California Pinot Noirs.

www.winegiftclub.comis another online provider with a great selection of services. While their actual wine clubs are a bit limited, they make up for it by providing a great choice of seasonal gifts, including champagne, wine gift baskets, wine and food baskets, etc. You can choose your price, as well as your products, and they custom build your basket for you and ship them out. Right now, they’re getting geared up for Valentine’s Day, so check them out and be ready for the big day! (C’mon… don’t miss this one, guys… even if she says she doesn’t want anything, we know better… you’ll seldom go wrong from being too romantic, or spoiling her too much!)

Hope it helps, and I’ll be back tomorrow.

Cheers,

Wine Club Insider out.

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Wine Club Insider here, yet again!

We’re already six days into 2009! Where’s the time going? It was a funny holiday season with Christmas and New Years on Thursdays… it seems like we haven’t been able to get anything done for two weeks, but it has seemed to extend the holiday out a bit, that’s for sure!

I’d love to introduce you to K&L Wine Merchants. www.klwines.com.

They are a longstanding operation, having been in the wine business since 1976. One of the advantages of that kind of longevity is that you can develop some great relationships with wineries, wine brokers and negociants world wide, enabling them to offer some great wines at good deals.

Because of this, K&L offer five different wine clubs for you to choose from, and they certainly offer an above average selection of wines.

They’ve been well regarded by the media, including the Wall Street Journal, and even Food and Wine Magazine:

“Serious wine lovers have been turning to this California retailer for more than 30 years. K&L’s wine buyers not only hunt down the best from nearly every region in the world, but also sell hundreds of direct-import wines at great prices. The Web site shows real-time inventory of just how many bottles of, say, 2004 Domaines Schlumberger Saering Grand CruRiesling ($20) are still available. Tip: Direct-import sparkling wines include terrific bargains such as Tarlant Brut Zéro Champagne”
Food & Wine (June 2007)

At first glance, their wine clubs have the standardish levels, such as “Best Buy,” “Premium” and “Signature,” but the selections are pretty amazing… here are some of the choices from recent Signature shipments:

• 2005 Castello di Monsanto Chianti Classico Riserva

• Blanquette de Limoux, Antech “Cuvée Francoise”

• 2000 Coufran, Haut-Médoc

• 2006 Antinori Vermentino Guado al Tasso

• 2005 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Chante Cigale “Vieilles Vignes”

• 1994 Burgess Cellars “Vintage Selection” Cabernet Sauvignon

• 1995 Burgess Cellars “Vintage Selection” Cabernet Sauvignon

Now, they also offer a couple of non-standard options, including a Champagne club for $69.95/shipment, and a “Club Italiano,” which offers a nice selection of Italian wines.

Lastly, the thing that really sets K&L apart is their “Personal Sommelier” service, which allows you talk to an expert, and custom design your wine club experience. If you want three, four bottles, and you want to spend a certain amount, they’ll hook you up and custom fit a package for you.

They’re based out of California, so if you’re out of CA you don’t pay tax either. Check them out!

Cheers,

Wine Club Insider out!

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Wine Club Insider back with you on January 3rd, 2009! Where did the time go? It seems like barely a year ago and we were welcoming in 2008…

I hope everyone had a safe and happy New Year’s eve celebration. Ours was very nice, aside from the five FEET of snow we have, which limited parking to our party a bit. Still, we had a great day of paintball, fireworks, hot tub, good food, and, or course, good wine!

For our midnight celebratory toast, we cracked a nice bottle of Roederer champagne, which is, I must say, as good as the reviews say it is! Crisp, light, but with a body not at all common amongst many champagnes.

Today, I would like to revisit a site we touched on a few weeks ago:

Gold Medal Wine Club, at www.goldmedalwine.com, is one of the better wine clubs, I would have to say, and certainly has one of the larger selections, with 5 main choices, including their Pinot Noir club.

The reason I’m mentioning them again is that they have launched several new features that are pretty interesting.

They have a spot where you can answer some questions about wine and earn a discount, as well as they have a taster’s blog, where you can compare notes about the wine club offerings. They also offer free greeting cards, and are currently sponsoring a trip to Portugal contest.

One of the neatest features is that they offer a “live chat” opportunity, where you can actually chat with someone right now about the various wines.

You can also get upto 45% off winery-direct reorders, which can really add up when you find a wine you like.

On that note, when you find a great wine that you like, it’s not a bad idea, space permitting, to buy a case, if you have the chance, and the price is right. Wine is a growing thing, and you can never be sure what next year’s vintage will bring. If you find something you like, and you can get 45% off, like from Gold Medal WIne club, then buy a  case, and enjoy!

Overall, some nice upgrades to the Gold Medal WIne Club site, so check it out.

Cheers,

Wine Club Insider out

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Wine Club Insider back.

Two days into the new year, and I’ve found two great wine clubs for you to look at!

Yesterday we talked about 4 seasons wine club, and today I’d like to share “My Wines Direct” with you.

My Wines Direct is located at www.mywinesdirect.com, and they have a wide variety of choices, including three month or six month subscriptions of three bottles of red, white or mixed every month.

• Baco Gran Reserva Pinot Noir 2006 (1 bottle)
• Finca El Retiro Barrica Syrah 2006 (1 bottle)
• Orrando Merlot 2007 (1 bottle)

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Wine Club Insider back for another year!

Welcome to 2009, and what better way to start than with a great new find!

4 Seasons WIne Club (www.4seasonswine.com) has a quality wine club, featuring a few unique features.

Every three months (once every season!), you will receive an entire case of wine, either all-white, all-red or mixed for only $129.95, which works out to less than $11/bottle.

A couple of the other cool features are that they allow you to skip a season or two, and pick back up when you’re ready. They also send you out a preview of next season’s shipment when you get your current one, which is not that common.

Another of the cool things is that if you join soon, either for yourself, or as a wine club gift, you’ll receive a very nice sommelier’s cork screw, complete with wooden display case. A $49 value, yours as a gift.

Perhaps the coolest part right now is that if you sign up now, you will get your entire first case for only $69.99, or $6/bottle!

Yup. An entire case for under $70! That’s hard to beat under any circumstances!

www.4seasonswine.comalso features a very good wine shop, where you can shop by varietal (kind of grape), type (red, white, sparkling, etc), country or price.

They have a terrific selection ranging in price from a few dollars to more than a hundred. In the Dessert section, for example, they have several different ages of port, great late harvests, Tokaji Aszu, one of the world’s greatest wines, and even some outstanding German Eiswein.

Under the “Reds” type, you’ll find choices ranging from an everyday drinking merlot, up to futres for the supposedly esquisite 2005 Mouton Rothschild at only $831/bottle… a steal! Now that’s a “Wine of the Month” selection you don’t see everyday!

Interested in a specific country? You can’t go wrong. In the USA section, for example, you can even buy a magnum of Araujo ‘Eisele’ vineyard Cab for a mere $484! Try to find one of those around town!

Again, check out 4 Seasons Wine club… I think you’ll be impressed!

Cheers,

Wine Club Insider out

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