We have mentioned in passing how we have started a wine collection in the basement, now having nine - 44 bottle racks. I try and keep a separate year in each rack, and we only store reds down there (whites we buy and keep upstairs, ready to chill and serve with fitch or chicken :o) In the past, I belonged to the V. Sattui (Napa Valley, St. Helena, my absolute favorite winery) wine of the month club - but at $20-$30 per bottle, that is just a little to rich for our blood, especially when you can age a cheaper wine for 5-10 years and have a smooth experience.
For a while, I had joined Four Seasons Wine Club, but it did not fit our budget at the time. So I recently received an offer from WSJwine (Wall Street Journal Wine) and decided to take the plunge again. We are going to get a case of reds every three months, and based on the first case, with some Spanish, New Zealand, Australian, 2005 Bordeaux (Franch :o), and Mendocino selections, we think we have found a great new selection source. Our usual rule of thumb is to not spend more than $10 a bottle, because we age them, but we also like to experiment. The cool thing about WSJwine is that you can skip a shipment with no penalty, there is no minimum requirement, and you can cancel at any time - so we will moderate our purchases, and get some fine vino.
If you have any interest in getting some boutique wines, red or white, from around the world, have we got a deal for you. You can get an introductory Discovery Club shipment (twelve bottles and a cool Connoisseur Corkscrew) for $95, with the three month shipment option costing about $140 per shipment (we plan on skipping every other shipment).
If interested, send the following information to buckoclown@aol.com, and I will submit for you. It is a win/win, you get a great introductory offer, and we get a 1/2 shipment, a mini-ponzi scheme if you will :o)
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I think the 2005 Bordeaux was a real score. I think there were also a couple of bottles of Tempranillo (Spanish) in there, which I really liked when we were at Biltmore. Looking forward to trying them in a few years! Patience is a virtue....
ReplyDeleteMy Granddaughter, Arielle, is a chef at a vineyard in Temecula California- Ponte- They have a wine club too So Cal is a great new experience in wines- perhaps you should look into a side trip next time you vacation in the WEst!
ReplyDeleteSounds like an interesting & fun thing to do. I don't like wine (or whine)but I love going into wine shops when we're on the road & looking at all the different bottles of their stock. Linda in WA
ReplyDeleteOh this is interesting. Well George is making his own wine. Tennessee has not been able to have wine shipped here. I think either that bill has now passed or it is up again. I've not kept up. He is sure enjoying making it. WE have our own storage going. He keeps something going all the time in the various stages. Once his buckets and big bottles are free - he's on to buying more starter kits. Has to quit around Oct 1 due to the basement being colder and it might not ferment. I enjoy it too! Drinking it. Have a good day.
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