Anyone here subscribe to a monthly wine club? I subscribe to the Taste
of California Wine Club. $30 a month for two bottles.

I know most people say wine clubs are a waste of money, and I tend to
agree that for $30 I could get three or four bottles of what they send
me. However, the wines are from little-known wineries in California.
These are wines that, being from Ohio, I most likely will never find in
my local wine store.

My thought is that it is worth the money, for the short term, to be able
to experience a variety of lesser-known wines from California. Here in
Ohio the majority of local-grown wines are of the lesser varieties
(Catawba, Concord, and Niagara) so you can't really find Napa/Sonoma
quality bottles from "local" wineries.

In any case, I'm just curious what everyone else thinks of wine clubs,
if there are any that are recommended, or any other advice you might have.

Thanks,

Mike

--

http://www.webwinerack.com - Wine, Wine Reviews, and Wine Information

xenophobe wrote:
> www.acwc.com and www.finecollector.com
>
> case closed
>
>
>
>
>
>
> "MikeD" > wrote in message
> om...
>
>>Anyone here subscribe to a monthly wine club? I subscribe to the Taste of
>>California Wine Club. $30 a month for two bottles.
>>
>>I know most people say wine clubs are a waste of money, and I tend to
>>agree that for $30 I could get three or four bottles of what they send me.
>>However, the wines are from little-known wineries in California. These are
>>wines that, being from Ohio, I most likely will never find in my local
>>wine store.
>>
>>My thought is that it is worth the money, for the short term, to be able
>>to experience a variety of lesser-known wines from California. Here in
>>Ohio the majority of local-grown wines are of the lesser varieties
>>(Catawba, Concord, and Niagara) so you can't really find Napa/Sonoma
>>quality bottles from "local" wineries.
>>
>>In any case, I'm just curious what everyone else thinks of wine clubs, if
>>there are any that are recommended, or any other advice you might have.
>>
>>Thanks,
>>
>>Mike
>>
>>--

>>http://www.webwinerack.com - Wine, Wine Reviews, and Wine Information
>
>
>

Hmmm... both links broke?

--

http://www.webwinerack.com - Wine, Wine Reviews, and Wine Information

Mike,
What Mark said.

I dn't know Taste of California. But the reality is that even small
wineries tend to either have a website or at least some mentions. Like
WineExpress.com or others, my guess is these are one-off labels (like 2
Buck Chuck).

Does that mean they're neccessarily bad? No. But clubs that present
wines you can't really compare to marketplace are a recipe for allowing
unscruplous people into the equation at worse, and for pricing
inflation at best.

I hope your club brings you many wines you like. But just be aware that
if you DO like them, it's unlikely you (or anyone else you know!) will
ever see those brands again.

"DaleW" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> Mike,
> What Mark said.
>
> I dn't know Taste of California. But the reality is that even small
> wineries tend to either have a website or at least some mentions. Like
> WineExpress.com or others, my guess is these are one-off labels (like 2
> Buck Chuck).
>
> Does that mean they're neccessarily bad? No. But clubs that present
> wines you can't really compare to marketplace are a recipe for allowing
> unscruplous people into the equation at worse, and for pricing
> inflation at best.
>
> I hope your club brings you many wines you like. But just be aware that
> if you DO like them, it's unlikely you (or anyone else you know!) will
> ever see those brands again.
>

Just to add to what others have said. Some friends bought us a membership
similar to cawineclub (whose name I unfortunately can't remember), and the
quality was overall OK, but not particularly memorable. Again, most of what
we received was tolerable to OK, but I can't think of one wine out of 24
that I would go out of my way to purchase a second time.

I have found that a good alternative to a wine club is just to go to regular
tastings at your local wine stores--it's cheaper and I have found many more
"discoveries" there than from any club (and you don't have to wait a month
between tastings ;-)

I am fortunate to live in the Chicago area, so there is no shortage of free
or $5 tasting sessions available every weekend. In fact, tomorrow is the
semi annual tasting and sale at Sav Way--150 or so wines, no cover, and my
wife is driving--woo hoo!

Rick

MikeD wrote:
>
> Anyone here subscribe to a monthly wine club? I subscribe to the Taste
> of California Wine Club. $30 a month for two bottles.
>
> I know most people say wine clubs are a waste of money, and I tend to
> agree that for $30 I could get three or four bottles of what they send
> me. However, the wines are from little-known wineries in California.
> These are wines that, being from Ohio, I most likely will never find in
> my local wine store.
>
> My thought is that it is worth the money, for the short term, to be able
> to experience a variety of lesser-known wines from California. Here in
> Ohio the majority of local-grown wines are of the lesser varieties
> (Catawba, Concord, and Niagara) so you can't really find Napa/Sonoma
> quality bottles from "local" wineries.
>
> In any case, I'm just curious what everyone else thinks of wine clubs,
> if there are any that are recommended, or any other advice you might have.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Mike
>

Hello Mike,

I would be very wary of wine clubs. Firstly all the deals I've seen you
would get them cheaper at a budget retail outlet, even in single
bottles. So they are not cheap.

Secondly, wine clubs often have various affiliations which leads them to
trying to push certain wines on you. So bias is a problem. There is even
a possibility some less ethical clubs would dump substandard wines [or
at least poor vintages etc] on their members, who I would think would
tend not to be ppl with extensive knowledge of the trade.

Thirdly, you are stuck with what they want. A lot of the joy of getting
into wine is going into a shop and getting what takes your fancy. If
it's not so good, lesson learned, you have an experience you can tell
others of. If its fantastic and no one knows about it, you're king of
the world. You are the wine master to all your friends.

Fourthly, another joy of wine is purusing the merchandise. In large
stores you can walk around for an hour at a time, soaking it all in.
Getting it sent to your door, whilst exciting in its own way, does not
cut it. It also cuts down on your own learning.

Fifthly if you're in a wine club, many other ppl have had the same wine.
I guess some ppl would like that, but I'd find it a little boring having
thousands of ppl drinking exactly the same stuff and saying much of the
same thing.


I understand there may be a problem with wine shipments in the US. A lot
of places typically here in Australia deliver for free or for a small
fee, so you can pick your own, particuarly when they have big specials.

I'm saying this because you said Iowa's range would be somewhat limited.
I'm sure there would be somewhere in Iowa you could find an extensive
range. And if you can get postal orders from some of the bigger places
with online shops you're laughing.



So I personally wouldn't go in a wine club unless it was dirt cheap [it
would have to be well below wholesale {which you can get in various
shops anyway} but that is not going to happen].

It has its pros and cons I guess. I think the other posters will have
also given you a fair idea.


HTH,

Mat.

Greetings;

I've belonged to 2 wine clubs here in Ontario.

The first, was a winery based club that pushed the product of the particular
winery. Unfortunately, their best products , of which there were more than
a few, were rarely a part of the monthly distribution. I quickly perceived
that they were catering to the development of an entry level market and
price was the prime attraction. I soon said adios.

The second, The Ontario Wine Society, is dedicated to Ontario wines and
although their monthly tasting meetings are normally held at specific
wineries, they usually present a variety of better Ontario and ofttimes
imported wines (for comparison purposes only ;>)) ) consistent with the
theme of the particular event. Speakers and invited guests at these
tastings are from the host winery and industry professionals and winemakers
affiliated with wineries other than the current host and the tasted wines
are often currently available. The lovely hors d'oeuvres are a definite
winner too.

I think this second variety represents the best in terms of an overall
experience within the bounds of its self-imposed mandate and I can surely
recommend membership if a like organisation exists in your area.
--
Regards
Chuck
So much wine; So little time!

To reply, delete NOSPAM from return address

Mike Miller wrote:
> In article >,
> says...
>
>>Anyone here subscribe to a monthly wine club? I subscribe to the Taste
>>of California Wine Club. $30 a month for two bottles.
>>
>>I know most people say wine clubs are a waste of money, and I tend to
>>agree that for $30 I could get three or four bottles of what they send
>>me. However, the wines are from little-known wineries in California.
>>These are wines that, being from Ohio, I most likely will never find in
>>my local wine store.
>>
>>My thought is that it is worth the money, for the short term, to be able
>>to experience a variety of lesser-known wines from California. Here in
>>Ohio the majority of local-grown wines are of the lesser varieties
>>(Catawba, Concord, and Niagara) so you can't really find Napa/Sonoma
>>quality bottles from "local" wineries.
>>
>>In any case, I'm just curious what everyone else thinks of wine clubs,
>>if there are any that are recommended, or any other advice you might have.
>>
>>Thanks,
>>
>>Mike
>>
>>
>
> Mike
> I mostly agree with what the other posters have said. I did try one of
> the 'normal' clubs once (might have been the one you are in) and did not
> like what they pawned off on me and the price they charged. I could get
> better quality off-brands at our local supermarket.
>
> I am now a member of a different wine of the month club but it has a
> twist which makes it very worth while. To start it is run and managed by
> a local winery which we frequent. Second, this winery also has a retail
> license to re-sell other wine and this is where it gets good. The owners
> offer club members two bottles a month for about $20 and they mix the
> selections very nicely. Sometimes it might include one of their wines
> but we have gone many months without getting one of the local wines.
> Club members also get a 10% discount on everything else they purchase at
> the winery no matter when they visit (well, they have to be open).
>
> I don't know about anyone else but this is the way a club should be run
> and I intend to stick with this for as long as possible.
>
> Mike Miller

Mike:

Thanks for your insight. Would you care to share the name of the wine
club? I'm sure it's not in Ohio (crap...) but other visitor to my web
site may want to hear about it.

I believe I have been convinced that the Taste of California wine club
isn't worth it. As I said in an earlier post, this will be my second
month, so at least I've got a few bottles of wine to try, even if I paid
too much (that's how you learn, as they say.)

One of the things I want to do with my web site is to establish a wine
"trading" club, where you could trade bottles from your personal cellar
with other members. No cash involved--just shipping charges that each
party pays. Would be a great way to share wines from your area with
other members. I'm just not sure if this is a violation of wine
shipping laws, even if it is between two private parties and is not a
"sale."

Any lawyers in the forum that could answer this one?

Thanks,

Mike

--

http://www.webwinerack.com - Wine, Wine Reviews, and Wine Information

MikeD wrote:
> Mike Miller wrote:
>
>> In article >,
>> says...
>>
>>> Anyone here subscribe to a monthly wine club? I subscribe to the
>>> Taste of California Wine Club. $30 a month for two bottles.
>>>
>>> I know most people say wine clubs are a waste of money, and I tend to
>>> agree that for $30 I could get three or four bottles of what they
>>> send me. However, the wines are from little-known wineries in
>>> California. These are wines that, being from Ohio, I most likely will
>>> never find in my local wine store.
>>>
>>> My thought is that it is worth the money, for the short term, to be
>>> able to experience a variety of lesser-known wines from California.
>>> Here in Ohio the majority of local-grown wines are of the lesser
>>> varieties (Catawba, Concord, and Niagara) so you can't really find
>>> Napa/Sonoma quality bottles from "local" wineries.
>>>
>>> In any case, I'm just curious what everyone else thinks of wine
>>> clubs, if there are any that are recommended, or any other advice you
>>> might have.
>>>
>>> Thanks,
>>>
>>> Mike
>>>
>>>
>>
>> Mike
>> I mostly agree with what the other posters have said. I did try one of
>> the 'normal' clubs once (might have been the one you are in) and did
>> not like what they pawned off on me and the price they charged. I
>> could get better quality off-brands at our local supermarket.
>>
>> I am now a member of a different wine of the month club but it has a
>> twist which makes it very worth while. To start it is run and managed
>> by a local winery which we frequent. Second, this winery also has a
>> retail license to re-sell other wine and this is where it gets good.
>> The owners offer club members two bottles a month for about $20 and
>> they mix the selections very nicely. Sometimes it might include one of
>> their wines but we have gone many months without getting one of the
>> local wines. Club members also get a 10% discount on everything else
>> they purchase at the winery no matter when they visit (well, they have
>> to be open).
>>
>> I don't know about anyone else but this is the way a club should be
>> run and I intend to stick with this for as long as possible.
>>
>> Mike Miller
>
>
> Mike:
>
> Thanks for your insight. Would you care to share the name of the wine
> club? I'm sure it's not in Ohio (crap...) but other visitor to my web
> site may want to hear about it.
>
> I believe I have been convinced that the Taste of California wine club
> isn't worth it. As I said in an earlier post, this will be my second
> month, so at least I've got a few bottles of wine to try, even if I paid
> too much (that's how you learn, as they say.)
>
> One of the things I want to do with my web site is to establish a wine
> "trading" club, where you could trade bottles from your personal cellar
> with other members. No cash involved--just shipping charges that each
> party pays. Would be a great way to share wines from your area with
> other members. I'm just not sure if this is a violation of wine
> shipping laws, even if it is between two private parties and is not a
> "sale."
>
> Any lawyers in the forum that could answer this one?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Mike
>

Thanks to everyone who provided some really good input into the wine
club question. I've decided to write up an article on the Taste of
California Wine Club for the WebWineRack.com web site. Since I've
already received four bottles (two Merlot, and two Pinot Gris) from this
club I decided to uncork them all at the same time to taste and review,
to determine just what types of wine this club sends to its members.
(These wines were ~$6.99 per bottle, so it won't be a big expense if
some of these bottles go unfinished.)

I wanted to include some of the comments I received in this forum.
would anyone involved have any objections to having their comments
quoted, or, would anyone care to be "interviewed" via email to discuss
their past experiences with wine clubs, good or bad?

Along those same lines, if the wines shipped by this wine club are
"off-label" wines, as some suggested may be the case, is it even worth
writing up a review of these wines? DaleW brought up the excellent
point that, if they are off-label wines we probably will never see them
again... so is it worth the time writing up a review if no one will
benefit from it because the wine no longer exists? Any opinions?

You can either reply to the newsgroup or directly to me at
. Thanks in advance for your time, and thanks again
to all who provided feedback on the wine club topic.

-Mike

--

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