In article >,
Mark Lipton > wrote:

> MonicaCM wrote:
> > I looked at the website and they seem to be the best "of the month"
> > club that I have seen so far. Thank you.
> >
>
> Monica,
> I've heretofore stayed out of this conversation, but I'll put in my
> $0.02 now. First of all, there are three different types of "wine of
> the month" clubs: winery-based, retailer-based and independent. The
> winery-based clubs are generally a good idea if you've liked their wines
> and want to get more exposure or access to hard-to-find wines from them.
> One of the best examples is Ridge's "Advanced Tasting Program" (ATP):
> http://www.ridgewines.com/clubs/ which offers access to wines available
> on from the winery and early access to their more popular wines.
>
> Retailer-based clubs involve wine stores who put together a monthly
> offering that people can buy either on a subscription basis or as a
> one-off arrangement. The key here is to find a retailer whose selection
> and judgment you like, otherwise it's likely to be just a way to dump
> wines they can't sell by regular means. Some of my favorites are the
> wine clubs offered by Solano Cellars (a retailer I know and like):
> http://www.solanocellars.com/catalog/index.php/cPath/29
>
> The independent wine clubs are the riskiest, as most that I've seen deal
> in marginal products (wines produced exclusively for them or wines that
> aren't selling well). One of the better ones that I've seen is the
> California Wine Club: http://www.cawineclub.com/store/nonflash_homepage
> whose wineries I've heard of and often actually like.
>
> These are just examples of what's out there, but FWIW that's how I see
> the playing field.
>
> Good luck, and have fun!
> Mark Lipton

I have looked at the offerings i get about once a week from these
independent wine clubs and I have rarely seen anything that would be of
any value. Often, the wines are marked up above retail or 83 point wines
sold like they would be 90.

By the way, I've been looking at web videos from The Wine Library in New
Jersey. I've ordered a few hard to find bottles from them and their
prices are good but the guy Gary is quite funny and seems to know wines.
He is brutally honest in his opinions and on the most recent videos
slammed two "90+ point" wines as sucking big time. I had both of them
and couldn't agree more.