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.

Australian Wine, Bordeaux, California Wine, Fine Wine, French Wine, International Wine, Red Wine, USA Wine, Vineyards, Vintage Wine, Wine Cellar, Wine Club, Wine Club Gift, Wine Education, Wine Lovers, Wine Reviews, Wine Tasting Dean and Deluca, Della Valle Maya, great wines, Harlan, rare wines, wine clubs

Wine Club Insider back with you…

I seem to be about 12 hours later than usual today, and I apologize… we have a large event coming up and I was in (unscheduled) meetings all morning, but here we are, so let’s call it Australia time, and we’ll be all square!

Earlier this week, I was thinking of the various wine clubs I either belong to or have belonged to, and began pondering what kinds of people join wine clubs, so I did some asking around, and the results may surprise you.

My first thought was that your regular wine schnobs like me would be the main culprits, and, to be sure, we make up a fair share of the members, but there’s an entire other segment of “wineclubers…”

Wine has kind of evolved into the drink of the hoi poloi, but if you do some research into the history of wine, you find that it was the drink of the people… the real people. It was the beverage that was drank at every meal, that was the water of life at weddings, at communions, at lunch with your falafel… this new “ooohh, wine is fancy” thing is, to a degree, understandable, but also has taken one of God’s greatest gifts out of the reach out of many, whether in price, or just in aura.

Some of our best friends are what you might call “redneck,” having come to the light from our a beer drinking background. “Pete” didn’t now squat about wine, but could speak eloquently about any of fifty kinds of beer. Now, they belong to three wine clubs (including one we gifted to them) and “Pete” enjoys a great red, and a nice glass (or bottle!) of port as much as anyone I know.

Another set of friends, “Keith” and “Sarah,” came from even further from Napa, so to speak, and after a couple of dinner parties, they enjoy a nice Gewurtz, and a spicy Pinot with diner now.

There are truck drivers I know that are on Pepperbridge’s list, a gas station owner who gets his allotment of Harlan, a meat salesman who is a ten year member of Leonetti, and a flower shop owner who is a long time customer of Araujo…

Yup. Turns out your job doesn’t have anything to do with whether you love wine. Turns out that drinking it out back by a fire pit is sometimes just as good as sitting in a chateau, and, if your real friends are with you, it can be even better.

Cheers,

Wine Club Insider out.

California Wine, Fine Wine, Pinot Noir, Shiraz, USA Wine, Vineyards, White Wine, Wine Club, Wine Club Gift, Wine Education, Wine Lovers, Wine Reviews, Wine Tasting Araujo, Friends, Harlan, Leonette, Pepperbridge, who joins wine clubs, wine club gifts, wine clubs

Wine Club Insider here, slaving away on Christmas Day trying to make your holiday a little brighter!

I hope everyone had a safe, happy and meaningful Christmas, and I hope that at least some of your gifts were wine club gifts!

The last of our “Top Ten” lists is a list of blends, or Meritage (pronounced like “heritage,” by the way) wines.

Generally Cabernet Sauvignon based, these are some seriously good wines! Again, it is by no means an exhaustive list, but it’s pretty good. I stayed away from the ultra old, rare Bordeaux blends, as we covered them in some detail yesterday, and also, I wanted to list wines that you could still buy. In most cases, I didn’t list a vintage, as being blends, they are almost always good!

Okay, here we go…

10) Arbor Crest Dionysus. www.arborcrest.com. Located in Spokane, Washington, Arbor Crest uses Columbia Valley Cab, Merlot and Cab Franc to make this hefty blend. About $45/bottle.

9) Dominus. www.dominusestate.com. The product of famed Petrus winemaker Christian Mouiex, it is a Bordeaux style blend from the famous Napanook Vineyard in Napa. About $100/bottle

Martin Ray Napa Valley “Synthesis.” www.Martinray-winery.com. Actually a blend of several great Napa vineyard cabs, this is pretty heady stuff! About $75/bottle. Their Legacy Club Wine Club is also really good!

7) Geyser Peak Reserve Alexandre Meritage. www.geyserpeak.com. Their top of the line blend, it is smooth as silk! I love this wine!

6) David Coffaro “Block 4.”www.coffaro.com. An unusual blend of 50% Zinfandel, 25% Petite Sirah, 5% Pelourisin, 5% Carignan, 5% Syrah, 10% other varietals. They only make about 300 cases, and this is a shocker! Amazing fruit for only $32.bottle!

5) Pend d’Oreille “L’OEuvre.” www.powine.com. L’OEuvre means “work of art” in French, and this blend of Cab Sauv, Merlot, Malbec and Cab France lives up to its name! The winery is located in beautiful Sandpoint, Idaho. About $29/bottle.

4) Jarvis “Lake William.” www.jarviswinery.com. A great blend from one of my favorite wineries. Runs about $65/bottle, if you can get it, and it’s a delight! I recently served it at a wine dinner, and the guests raved!

3) Opus One. www.opusonewinery.com. Located in one of Napa’s most majestic wineries, this proprietary Bordeaux style blend is the quintessential Meritage. Runs about $150/bottle, and is as well-crafted wine as you’ll find!

2) Montes Alpha “M.” From chile’s famed Colchagua Valley, this blend is awesome, especially the 2001, if you can find it! About $75/bottle.

1) Phelps “Insignia.” www.jpvwines.com. From Joseph Phelps great winery, this Cab Sauv, Petit Verdot and Malbec blend exemplifies everything that’s right about California wine making. Even at $140/bottle, it’s a steal for the quality and pure bliss of a good blend!

There you go, folks! Hope you enjoyed the quick trip through the blends! I wish you all the best on this joyous day, and I hope you take a moment to treasure your loved ones and give thanks for your many blessings!

Cheers!

Wine Club Insider

Bordeaux, California Wine, Fine Wine, French Wine, International Wine, Red Wine, USA Wine, Vineyards, Vintage Wine, Wine Cellar, Wine Club, Wine Club Gift, Wine Education, Wine Lovers, Wine Making, Wine Reviews, Wine Tasting Bordeaux blends, Meritage, Wine Club Gift, wine clubs

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

California Wine, Fine Wine, International Wine, Red Wine, USA Wine, Vineyards, Vintage Wine, Wine Cellar, Wine Club, Wine Club Gift, Wine Education, Wine Lovers, Wine Reviews, Wine Tours holiday wine club gifts, list of wine clubs, Wine Club Gift, wine clubs

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

Fine Wine, USA Wine, Vintage Wine, Wine Accessories, Wine Cellar, Wine Club, Wine Education, Wine Glasses, Wine Lovers, Wine Storage designing and building a wine cellar, Fine Wine, wine clubs, wine racks

WCI here again!

How’d you like to have snagged “wine.com” when the whole Internet thing started? Yeah, me too.

Well, www.Wine.com is a pretty cool site, though I hope they do even more with it over the next while… with a name like that, you’ve got to be the best, right?

Anyway, one of the things they do as well as anyone is organize their wines in their online “store,” and then offer you a truly amazing selection!

They are big on “name” wines… wine’s you’ve probably heard of, which is always a help when you’re not able to spend a lot of time perusing and tasting many of the smaller (Many excellent, some not!) production houses.

They have an excellent “Collectibles” section, where you can get your Silver Oak, your Caymus, your Chateauneuf-du-Pape, your top Barolos and the equivalent. Their prices are very comparable, and they have some oft-changing specials which are great deals. For example, right now, they have the highly acclaimed 2005 Concha y Toro “Don Melchor” Cab from Chile for only $59 per bottle, and the awesome 1995 Charles Heidsieck “Blanc de Millenairres Brut” for only $99, and this is an awesome bubbly, let me tell you! I’m actually thinking of serving it for our Christmas dinner this year.

Wine.com also has a variety of wine clubs, and though they are based on the seemingly-obligatory three levels system, the thing they do better than most is offer you almost guaranteed “No Miss” wines… Everything they send out has been judged and awarded high scores by a number of “reputable” (or at least famous!) wine critics. Now, there are lots of arguments, pro and con, about this system, and we’ll get into them over the next few weeks, but for all of the potential problems, they provide at least a fairly common ground for conversation, and even if, like me, you have never detected “the essence of underbrush with a tar finish,” you know the big boys won’t give a good grade to “plonk.”

Wine.com’s “90+ rated” club really has the good stuff, including the Jim Barry 2004 McRae Wood Shiraz (95 pts James Halliday’s Australian Wine Companion), Clos Pegase 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon (92 pts, Wine Enthusiast), Valdisanti 2004 Toscana (91 pts, Wine Spectator) and Parson’s Flat 2004 Cabernet/Shiraz (93 pts, Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate) as examples.

Also, if you act quick, they have “1 penny” shipping on orders over $99… a perfect combination for the wine lover on your list!

See you down the dusty wine roads!

Cheers,

WCI

Australian Wine, California Wine, Fine Wine, French Wine, International Wine, Shiraz, Spanish Wine, Sparkling Wine, Sweet Wine, USA Wine, Vintage Wine, Wine Club, Wine Club Gift, Wine Education, Wine Lovers, Wine Reviews, Wine Tasting fine wines, wine club gifts, wine clubs, Wine Education, Wine.com

Yesterday, we were talking about Cellars Wine Club (www.cellarswineclub.com), and the eight programs they offer.

We discussed their Premium Club, the Platinum club, and the West Coast club, and today we’ll finish the remaining 5.

The fourth choice is the International Club, which, as the name suggests, offers wines from around the world. From Europe to Australia, from South Africa to South America and all foreign countries in between, you’ll get to sample wines from a new country every month. You may get an Italian Sangio, and a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc one month, and next month, you might get an Argentinean Malbec with a Tempranillo from Spain. it runs $39.95 per month.

The 90+ point club is for those folks who live wine, more than just drink it. You’ll get to sample the world’s finest wines from the most renowned regions, and the choices are all carefully selected to ensure they meet expectations of the discerning palate. Their cellaring potential is also considered. It is only available to 200 members, so hurry up and call! It’s $79.95 per month.

Their top of the line offering is called the Cellar Club, and  focuses on the Ultra-Premium, Allocated, Highly Rated, great Cellaring Potential wines of the world. A perfect gift to indulge a top client or that certain special loved one, or just pamper your own taste buds. Cabernet Sauvignon, Bordeaux style blends and other reds with aging potential are predominately featured. Of course, this is a limited enrollment opportunity, but the $149.95 includes shipping.

Another unique club they offer is the Champagne-Sparkling wine club, for $49.95. Every month members will try two different sparkling wines from the world’s top producers. You could end up with a fine French Champagne, or an Italian Spumante, or a Spanish Proseco,  or even a California Cuvee or an Australian Sparkling Shiraz. It’s a great way to celebrate! 

The final offering is the Case Club, for those who can’t decide. For $299.95, you get an entire case of wine chosen from 6 of their clubs. You can choose from mostly Red, to 1/2 red-1/2 white. It’s a great way to build a cellar or really give someone that awesome gift!

So, there you are… a bunch of great choices, and with the holidays right around the corner, remember that if you need any help deciding, I will gratefully accept and thankfully test out any wines you care to send my way! :)

Cheers,

WCI

California Wine, Fine Wine, International Wine, Sparkling Wine, USA Wine, Wine Cellar, Wine Club, Wine Club Gift, Wine Education, Wine Lovers champagne, wine club gifts, wine clubs

WCI back with you on this 2nd day of December!

As we continue on our trek to discover the best of the fruit of the grape, here’s a club I think you’ll enjoy…

I’m not a member here, but a very well informed friend speaks highly of them from personal experience, and their offerings are among the best, with eight clubs to choose from.

Cellars Wine Club (www.cellarswineclub.com) is based out of Monroe, Washington, and as I mentioned, they have eight programs to look at. Every month you’ll receive two bottles of red, or a red and a white, a newsletter, discounts on ordering, and a custom gift announcement if you decide to bless someone else with the gift of wine!

The Premium wine club is perfect for the wine novice or for anyone interested in discovering wines they normally do’nt have access to.  They offer wines from the classic regions of Italy, France, and California as well as more recently discovered premium regions in Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Argentina and South Africa.  The best known varietals such as Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay are all covered, but , you’ll also get a chance to try lesser known red varietals such as Tempranillo, Carmenere, Malbec, Pinot Nero, Shiraz, and other white varietals including Pinot Grigio, Semillon, Alvarinho and Torrontes.

The cost is only $39.95 per month.

The Platinum Club is $59.95, but offers a nice selection of more upscale choices, for the more seasoned aficionado.  These wines are produced in limited quantities from boutique wineries & vineyards and include all the favorite varietals as well as lesser known varietals often from grapes indigenous of a particular region. 

The third choice is the “West Coast Club.” Just like in real estate, success is all about location, and in the USA, the West Coast reigns supreme!  They cover the standard California areas, as well as Oregon and Washington, and add Pinot Noir and Cab Franc to the favorite varietals list. It runs $39.95 per month.

I’ll be back tomorrow to finish the rest of Cellars’ fine offerings, but remember, you only have 22 shopping days until Christmas, and what better gift for the wine lovers in your life than the gift of a wine club!

Cheers,

WCI

California Wine, Fine Wine, International Wine, USA Wine, Wine Club, Wine Club Gift, Wine Education, Wine Labels Cellars, wine club gifts, wine clubs

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

WCI here! I hope your holiday weekend is going well, and you are enjoying time with family, friends, and fine wine!

I had mentioned that we were going to have a Bruce Pinot with our turkey dinner, but on a whim, I switched to a 2001 Elk Grove Pinot Noir instead, and it was awesome! Deep, big, and still lots of fruit. It was a perfect match for the Thanksgiving Day feast. The Ste. Chappelle Reisling was excellent as usual, and the “Huck” huckleberry wine was a surprise hit! I also switched dessert wines, going for a 2003 Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc from Gold Digger Cellars. It was still nicely acidic, and was a good pairing with the Pumpkin cobbler we had for dessert.

Please send me a comment with your Thanksgiving Day pairings so we can post every one’s traditions!

Today I’d love to chat about the Vinesse family of wine clubs (www.vinesse.com).

Vinesse actually has 6 different clubs you can choose from. Here’s a brief description of each:

1) The American Cellars club sends you either 2 or 4 bottles a month of wines from small distributors. Usually between $12 - 15/bottle.

2) The World of Wine club sends you interesting wines from a different country each shipping. You get 6 bottles every other month, and they range from $15 - 20 per bottle.

3) The Four Seasons club sends out 5 shipments of 4 bottles each year, basically once for every season, plus a special bonus holiday shipment. The wines are selected to match the food of the season, and are about $20 per bottle.

4) The California Treasures club ships about every 8 weeks, and features 4 bottles from boutique wineries from around California. About half are from Napa and Sonoma, and the rest are from areas around the state. They average about $12 - 15/bottle.

5) The Elevant Society features exclusive, big, bold reds from the US and around the world. They range from about $29-35 per bottle, and you get either 2 or 4 bottles per month. I’ve belonged to Elevant for almost 4 years, and have never been disappointed!

6) Being a big dessert wine fan, I’m also a member of their “Light and Sweet” club, which features a wide variety of lighter, sweeter wines from around the world. Some are sparkling, some are roses or blushes, but all are fun to drink. You get either 2 or 4 bottles every other month for between $12 - 15/bottle.

Vinesse also has 3, 6 or 12 month gift subscriptions, and if you contact them now, they’ll have them at your friend’s doors by Christmas!

Have a great day, and I’ll see you tomorrow along the dusty wine roads!

Cheers,

WCI

California Wine, Dessert Wine, International Wine, Sweet Wine, USA Wine, Wine Club, Wine Club Gift, Wine Education Vinesse, wine club gifts, wine clubs