Winos I have a Question

[Aggie_Ama]

I have become a wine fan, when we went to New Mexico we stopped by one winery that I loved every wine. My mom is members of two clubs and I know in the past she has gotten disenchanted with some wineries. Is a wine club a good idea? The one I am thinking has sweets (the ones DH will drink) for a reasonable value. But you have to commit for a year. It is 20% off the cost but I wonder if committing yourself to one is a good idea? I have done several wine tours in TX and I find I like a lot of different wineries.

[OakLeaf]

It totally depends on the winery.

But the reason we quit Heller's wine club was the shipping.

Is someone home all day at your place to receive the wine? If not, will the winery ship hold for pickup, and is the shipper's depot reasonably convenient to you, open to the public at hours that you can use, and air-conditioned? If it's FedEx, they will only hold express shipments for pickup. UPS will hold ground shipments, but their depot in our town is not air-conditioned, and it's open only a couple of hours each afternoon.

Sitting out in the hot sun on your porch for hours - or in a warehouse that might be 20° hotter than outdoors - is not good for wine.

[maillotpois]

We have belonged to many wine clubs over the years. We let them come and go depending on our cash flow at the time. The are a couple we won't let go of because they had wait lists to get on the club list and the wine is so good.

We always have the wine shipped to one of our offices to avoid the delivery issue.

How much wine do you commit to in a year? All the clubs are different - some it is 2 bottles a month, and others it is quarterly. Be sure that the quantity is something you want - and that you won't get sick of the same winery all the time.

One of my favorite clubs was a local tasting room that distributed wines from many different wineries, so you were always getting something different.

[pll]

We have belonged to many wine clubs over the years. We let them come and go depending on our cash flow at the time. The are a couple we won't let go of because they had wait lists to get on the club list and the wine is so good.


You piqued my interest. Could you share the names/links of those good wine clubs? I can wait for something good.x

[Crankin]

I like to think of myself as a wine enthusiast, not a wino :).
Wine clubs are illegal here. The liquor store lobby is super strong. The legislature made them legal last year, but there was some loophole, which stopped the distribution.
We have some favorite wines from the wineries on the south coast of MA/RI. Since we can't have them shipped directly form the winery, we have our local liquor store order a case for us, we get a huge discount for buying a case, and they can get anything we want. They have tastings all of the time. It's a great store, even though I have a friend who calls it "the bad boys hang out," as that's where all the "bad boys" hung out when she was in high school.

[maillotpois]

You piqued my interest. Could you share the names/links of those good wine clubs? I can wait for something good.x

A. Rafanelli in Healdsburg (or Geyserville) CA is the top one. They do Zin and Cab. I think it took us 2 years to get on the list. It isn't a subscription per se, but we have an opportunity to buy several bottles/cases, depending on the limits, every year.

Another one we wont give up is Talty - same location.

I don't know if either have a website.

[pll]

A. Rafanelli in Healdsburg (or Geyserville) CA is the top one. They do Zin and Cab. I think it took us 2 years to get on the list. It isn't a subscription per se, but we have an opportunity to buy several bottles/cases, depending on the limits, every year.

Another one we wont give up is Talty - same location.

I don't know if either have a website.

Thanks! I will explore. I am fan of red wines.

[OakLeaf]

If you're looking at California, Robert Sinskey wines are amazing. We visited their winery a few years ago and pick up a bottle whenever we can find one locally (which isn't often). They were working on biodynamic certification at the time - I believe they have it now.

We missed the chance to get into their wine club before there was a waiting list, unfortunately.

[Aggie_Ama]

I don't have to worry about shipping, I receive all shipments at my job and the CEO is in two wine clubs so getting liquor at work is okay (just not drinking on the job). The one I am leaning towards is a winery I went to in NM, they ship 6 bottles quarterly. What I like about them is you can join the "Vinters Choice", "Sweets", "Reds" or "White Club". Shipping is included in the cost ranging from $115-155. What I haven't inquired about is whether you can say to substitute something if you don't like a wine, I know one of my mom's you can. And I also don't know if you can switch, probably not since some ship different months. In the summer I like sweets, in the winters red.

[maillotpois]

Curious - what do they mean by "sweets"? That makes me think of dessert wine, like Sauternes or Muscat. Is it a regional thing? I have never heard of it here.

[Aggie_Ama]

Riesling, Muscat, Rose wines that aren't dry styled, sometimes they have residual sugar. Some wineries break them down as off dry, some call them sweet, some don't separate them at all. It isn't always something like Port though that has been fortified with liquor, in the TX/NM wineries those are classified as Dessert wines. Although those are included in the particular wineries "sweet" grouping for club.

Usually I like the ones that are a hint of sweetness, great with spicy foods or a little more enjoyable to drink alone (for me) than drier wines. They are lighter than dry wines, this one is my favorite (http://www.lachiripada.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=1&products_id=105&osCsid=f6aa2a35f1dc8f9402375b31c0d050cc)from the winery in NM. It isn't a pure sweet to me, where you taste a sugary almost fruit juice style.

[maillotpois]

Ah - interesting. Makes sense.

[smilingcat]

check to make sure your wine club you join can ship to your state. Each wine club have different states they can ship to.

Second thing is that most state will require someone over 21 to sign for the shipment since it is alcohol. If no one over 21 is around the house when the delivery is made by UPS... then you will have to go to their facility to pick it up.

Some wine club is not limited to just one winery. Some will cater to boutique wineries, those producing very limited quantity like 500 cases to 1000 cases.