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
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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?
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):
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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):
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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:
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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.
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.
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.
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