there was a woman from florida in another topic trail asking about wine
of the month clubs.. i found a great one for her but i cant find the
link back to that topic now.. so hopefully you, and whoever else this
would be useful to will find this..

if you go to http://www.apprecianados.com/ i was skeptical abuot it at
first because it took me a while to find.. but the products seem to be
high quality and the prices are very reasonable.. 2 wines a month.. 2
reds, 2 whites, or one of each.. soo hopefully this is helpful?

I looked at the website and they seem to be the best "of the month"
club that I have seen so far. Thank you.

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

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.

In article >, says
....
>
>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

As a bit of a followup to Mark's comments, I'd suggest sticking "close to
home," with your first WOTM club. By patronizing a local shop's offering, you
can offer feedback and get more info on the wines - usually. With Web-based,
or mail clubs, you are pretty much at the mercy of who ever is doing the
choosing. This is not to say that the local shop's club will definitely be
better, only that you can talk to the people in charge, if you get some wines
that are not good values. Most shops that offer these clubs do so to build a
customer base, while some other clubs do so to move product that isn't doing
so on it's own. You can also possibly tailor the club toward YOUR preferences,
though a good club will allow you to explore the world of wine, beyond your
experience level. I've seen good, and not-so-good local clubs, but most worthy
retailers want to know your experience with their wines and are open to
suggestions.

If you are getting your $'s worth locally, then maybe try some of the others,
as you should be able to trust your wine shop to step up to the plate.

$0.02.5 worth of thought<G>

Hunt