Wine of the month club

[Mike1973]

Anyone here every do any of the "wine of the month" clubs? A google search brings up a bunch and I think it might be something fun to try but I would like to do one that I know someone has used and its been quality wines and decent prices.

 

[JimCook]

For sampling wines, I find that heading to tastings at local retailers works best for me. On any vacation where I've gone to wineries, if there's something that's not distributed and I really enjoy it, then I'll sign up for that winery's wine club. My concern with general 'sampler' clubs is the wines they provide are either non-descript or not mentioned anywhere else. I suppose there could be some gems in there, but in a lot of things, you get what you pay for.
If you're looking for some inexpensive wines that I've personally tasted that are quality, check out this page: http://findyourstrength.com/WordPress/category/wine-talk/jims-wine-picks/inexpensive-wines/





- Jim

 

[Wade E]

I thought about it a few times but there are so many crappy wines out there and those are probably the 1's that they are pushing as they could get them cheap and pawn them off. Take a look at some of the names and then do some research on the net and see if they are rated anywhere decent. If you want to buy some decent wines at lower prices try this site and take notes as this is what I did. He rates a lot of different kinds of wines at good prices and tells you if they are good, bad, or just worth it for the price. He is not your normal snobbish wine critic. Watch a few of his clips and see what you think. Pretty darn funny! If you like the show, spread the rumor(Thunder) Gary Vaynerchuck

http://tv.winelibrary.com

 

[Mike1973]

Thanks for the tips!!

 

[smurfe]

I don't want to say "crappy" wines are used in these clubs but will say it is a common practice to ship wines that are slow sellers (think Overstock.com). Same goes for beer of the month clubs. I was a member of a wine of the month club once and shorly cancelled it. They weren't that good and you don't have a lot of control of what you get. I was sadly disapointed and after looking around locally, I have a great selection of wines available to me. I also figured out real fast that I could buy many of the club wines locally for a third or better less.

 

[geocorn]

I have tried to come up with a "Wine Kit of the Month Club", but can't seem to figure it out. Red, white, cheap, high-end, mixed, options, etc. I would love to hear your comments.

 

[JimCook]

George,


Here's how the commercial wine clubs that I belong to tend to work. There is a certain value point that is maintained (usually) for each shipment. Shipments happen on a regular pre-defined basis (two in spring and two in fall for most of the ones I participate in - based on weather, which isn't an issue here). Individual wines that are sent are discounted at a club rate and then for that month or the next, you can order whichever wines were shipped at a discount. Provided maximum membership isn't hit, you can join at any point and in most cases you can cancel after at least one shipment (some wineries are a year). Finally, some wineries have different club types, and you can join any or all. For instance, at one winery, I belong to the sampler club, which sends me one bottle of everything the winery produces in a year spread out over four shipments of three bottles each. Each shipment is usually around $125 before shipping. That same winery has a 'cab-only' club that ships only cabernet type wines. Given all of this information, here are my ideas for a 'Wine Kit of the <timeframe> Club"...


1) Break up your club options by price points - perhaps a Quick Drinker Club (smaller sized/priced kits), a Concentrate Club (15L-18L kits), an Age Worthy Club (18L-23L higher end lines).


2) Each month, quarter, or maybe at an every-other-month frequency, one kit ofGeorge's choice gets sent out to the participants. Because I'm going to doubt the George or buyers want to deal with contractual agreements, it's not like there is a locked commitment that can warrant some kind of big discount. Also, I don't know the margins in the business, so I won't speak to this. However, perhaps as an added touch, each kit arrives with some PVC shrink caps and some label paper or something similar - a nice small touch that adds value and is needed by the consumer.


3) Cancel at any time - join at any time - shipments are charged when they go out and then you hopefully have several people with the same kit to compare notes/questions as they are progressing.


4) By varying the manufacturers and types of kits, a broader exposure of kit types reaches the consumers that may be stuck in certain habits or buying patterns and potentially missing out on other winemaking opportunities.


Will everyone be interested in something like this - of course not. However, even if only a couple people participated, since there shouldn't be too much of a time commitment on George's part, the number of participants shouldn't be critical (no minimum number to operate). And who knows, George - maybe you can get Mosti to let the club members beta test some new kits or something.


- Jim

 

[uavwmn]

Now that sounds like an idea worth looking in to. I would be willing to join a "Wine of the Month" Club thru George's Store. I bet this would take off surprisingly well.

Good idea, Jim.

 

[Mike1973]

Very good ideas Jim, I would also be interested in the clubs you are in...

 

[JimCook]

Mike,


(If a moderator feels this isn't relevant to this thread, please relocate.)


Here's a list of clubs that I am currently in or have been in over the past year...


Gloria Ferrer Champagne Cellars (www.gloriaferrer.com) - Carneros, Sonoma - makes great pinots, nice chardonnays, and some merlot, rose,and really good sparkling wines.


Reverie Winery (www.reveriewinery.com) - Diamond Mountain, Napa - while there is an emphasis on the cabs (the Special Reserve is very nice), the DreamTeam club that I am a member of provides one bottle of each of the wines that Reverie produces, including their small productions of Roussanne (superb), Petit Verdot, Tempranillo, Barbera, etc.


Arista Winery (www.aristawinery.com) - Their A-List mailing list provides access to the excellent pinot noir and awesome zinfandel along with a gewurztraminer from this small producer.


Porter Creek (www.portercreekvineyards.com) - maker of very nice pinot noirs andchardonnay wine. The syrah and carignane are good as well.


Loring Wine Company (www.loringwinecompany.com) - excellent pinot noirs and a really cool guy.


Kaesler Vineyards(www.kaesler.com.au) - making world class wines from Barossa Valley in Australia, the Shiraz from here is amazing, as are the other wines as well.


I also used to belong to Buena Vista Winery (www.buenavistacarneros.com) - their Haywood Estates Los Chamizal Zinfandel is really great, and their basic pinot and syrah are both very good values with really nice flavor.


There may be some more to add to the list after my Cali honeymoon trip in August. As always, be sure to verify pricing against www.wine-searcher.com or a similar site, but note that most of the time, there are further discounts when you are a member of a wine club (mailing lists usually do not have discounts).


- JimEdited by: JimCook