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.