wine club

Best Wine Clubs (with video)

Filed under: Wine

The best wine clubs in the U.S. include several award-winning wineries that produce some of the best wine this country has to offer. Luxist examined the benefits of some of the best, most popular ones, including those from Domaine Carneros, St. Francis Winery & Vineyards, Duckhorn Vineyards, Far Niente and Cakebread Cellars. There are certain advantages to be had when subscribing to a wine club offered directly from a winery. Here is what we learned:

St. Francis Winery & Vineyards
Located just outside the historic town of Kenwood, St. Francis Winery & Vineyards, is known for its intensely flavored and complex award-winning wines. St. Francis grows 100% of its grapes in Sonoma County and was among the first to plant Merlot in the Sonoma Valley, enduring many a raised eyebrow for daring to plant a blending grape on prime soil. In June, the winery was a Luxist Awards' Readers' Choice Nominee for Best Domestic Red Wine.

Wine Club:
St. Francis offers three different wine clubs. Called "The Patrons Society", the difference between the three options are selections and shipping schedules. Its "red wine club" ships four, six or eight times per year. The "white wine club" includes six-bottle shipments four times a year (February, May, September and November). The Zinfandel Wine Club ships three bottles per shipment over a six month schedule (February, March, May, June, September and November).

Benefits of Membership:
Members are given the ability to sample small production wines before they are released to the public. Often, the wines are so exclusive, that only wine club members have the opportunity to purchase them, as most never hit store shelves.

Discounts:
Members receive a 20% discount on all Artisan wines and a 25% discount on all Sonoma County tier wines. They also receive a 20% discount on all retail merchandise and on reserve wine & food pairings for two (reservations required).

Freebies:
Complimentary wine tastings at St. Francis' Visitors Center and opportunities for "members only" activities at the winery. Members also receive recipes from the winery's Executive Chef, David Bush, for foods that pair well with the wines. Invitations are extended to members for St. Francis regional events around the country.

Cost:
Price varies, depending on size of shipment and does not include tax and shipping (which costs $14 to $21 for a three bottle shipment by UPS Ground). The white wine club ranges from $80 (for a four bottle shipment) to $91 (for a six bottle shipment). The zinfandel wine club ranges from $96 to $108 (for three bottle shipments). Click here to sign up for the wine club. For more information, call (800) 650-5437.

Gallery: St. Francis Winery & Vineyards

The dining room at St. Francis Winery & Vineyards

Tags: awards-main, best wine clubs, best+wine, best+wine+club, bestwine, bestwineclub, cabernet sauvignon, cake, Cakebread, Cakebread Cellars, cakebread+winery, cakebreadwinery, chardonnay, Domaine Carneros, domaine carneros brut rose, folie a deux, le+reve+domaine+carneros, lerevedomainecarneros, luxist-awards, sparkling wine, St. Francis Winery Vineyards, whats+difference+between+champagne+and+sparkling+wine, whatsdifferencebetweenchampagneandsparklingwine, which+is+the+best+wine+in+the+world, which+winery+has+the+best+wine+club, whichisthebestwineintheworld, whichwineryhasthebestwineclub, wine club, wine clubs, wine-tasting

Continue reading “Best Wine Clubs (with video)”

Michael Mondavi Launches Private Cellars Wine Club

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

Wine scion Michael Mondavi has announced his newest creation, the Private Cellars wine club. The club features luxury wines from around the world. As Mondavi puts it in the video above, his career in the wine business creating the Robert Mondavi wines led to relationships most renowned wine-making families in the world.

The club will feature a selections from a variety of wineries including some of the legendary "Supertuscans." The club launches with the Marchesi de' Frescobaldi Castelgiocondo Brunello, a four time Wine Spectator 'Top 100' wine. Marchesi de' Frescobaldi is one of the most prestigious houses in the world of wine. The wine is made from 100% Sangiovese grapes has a deep ruby red color and a rich bouquet, with ripe fruit on the nose, followed by spicier notes of coffee on the finish. It is sold through the wine club for $55.

Members who joined Mondavi's Private Cellars club by the end of the 2010 received a bottle of Castelgiocondo as a unique gift of entry but its not too late to join the club. You need not be a club member to purchase these wines, however club members receive special pricing and access to Member Only wines.Club Members receive 10% off most wines. Other benefits include personalized visits, VIP access and introductions to top wineries and winemakers around the world and invitations to special wine and culinary events with Michael Mondavi. Mondavi will also host Blend Your Own Wine Experiences in Napa Valley. All shipments are a maximum of $600 and shipping is included. You may choose to receive your wines monthly, bi-monthly or quarterly.

Tags: michael mondavi, mondavi, supertuscans, wine, wine club

USA Today Gets Its Own Wine Club

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

Never one to be left out of a trend, USA Today has become the latest newspaper to have a wine club. The paper follows in the heels of the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, San Francisco Chronicle and many other papers. The club is being operated by My Wines Direct and will offer six bottles of wine each quarter for $69.99 plus $11.99 shipping. Members receive wine selections chosen by experts but also by readers ("just like you!" touts the wine website) who will participate in tasting panels throughout the country. Wines will be accompanied by tasting notes and a recipe to create a meal pairing.

Source

Tags: newspaper wine clubs, NewspaperWineClubs, usa today, UsaToday, wine club, WineClub

New York Times Gets A Wine Club

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

Following in the footsteps of the Wall Street Journal, the NY Times is getting into the wine business with a new wine club. The New York Times Wine Club will have two tiers of membership $90 (Times Sampler) or $180 (Times Reserve) per six-bottle shipment Customers can choose to have wine delivered every one, two or three months. The NY Times is looking at various ways to raise revenue and extend the brand. On the wine website NY Times food and wine content runs along one side. Wine club members will also receive booklets of Times recipes meant to be paired with the wines. The shop also sells select wines like the Pahlmeyer Jayson Chardonnay and the Brokenwood Semillon in six and 12 bottle allotments.

The wine club is operated by the Global Wine Company. Other media-related wine clubs include ones started by the San Francisco Chronicle, the Bay Area public broadcasting organization KQED, Sunset Magazine and Forbes. Will wine save media? The wine industry has been going through its own turmoil lately but maybe if newspaper readers won't pay for content they will pay for wine.

Source

Tags: new york times, NewYorkTimes, wine, wine club, WineClub