I love to try different wines. Though I tend to prefer sweet varieties it’s nice to taste something new. I’m not what I’d call a wine connoisseur so sometimes I don’t even know what I haven’t tried and what I might like! The idea of a different wines delivered to your door for you to try each month sounds awesome to me. California Wine Club does just that.
The California Wine Club is owned by Bruce and Pam Boring who travel around all the family-owned wineries in California to share with their club members the best wines in their region. What a great concept, and I absolutely love that buying from them supports small family-owned businesses. The vast majority of the wines they sell are sold locally only and you’d never find them in a store near you. So members of the California Wine Club get a taste of the wineries in Napa, Sonoma, the Sierra Foothills and more that you probably wouldn’t get to try unless you lived there or hopped on a plane. They bring California Wines to you. Right to your doorstep, to be specific!
So how does this work? First, there’s no membership fee and you can cancel at any time. So you don’t need to worry that you’re getting roped into a big, expensive commitment. Secondly, they guarantee their wines so although we all have different tastes, if you get a bad bottle they’ll replace it for free. Finally, their membership plans are really flexible and can suit any taste and budget.
The California Wine Club offers four types of memberships. Their Premier membership includes two bottles on wine for $49.95 per month, shipping included. Choose to have this delivered every month, every other month, or quarterly. Then you can select to receive two bottles of red, two of white, or one of each. The Signature Series option includes options for delivery at the same intervals as the Premier membership, but with this one you can also choose to have two, three, or four bottles of wine delivered. These wines are the most highly rated and prices range from $150 to $275 per shipment. The third club option they have is the International Selections. These shipments include 2 bottles of international wine, choose from either all reds or mostly reds (an occasional white thrown it) and they are about $60-$75 per shipment. Finally, the Aged Cabernet Series includes Napa Valley Cabernets aged 8-12 years. Two bottles average $150-$235 per shipment.
So, what kind of wine do they send? I was sent a sample shipment of two wines and my husband and I really enjoyed them! It was pretty cool to get a surprise package of wine delivered to my door. I broke right into that after the kids went to bed. I’m more of a white wine person so first we tried The Seven Brothers 2008 Sauvignon Blanc from the Robledo Family Winery:
Aromas of honeysuckle and mango waft from your glass of this yummy Sauvignon Blanc. On the palate, green tea, citrus and lemongrass make this white a rich and complex.
We both really liked this one. Although I tend to prefer sweet wines and this one was a bit drier than my usual picks, I really liked it. It wasn’t bitter and had a smooth aftertaste. A great, slightly fruity white wine. I’d definitely love to have this one again!
We were also sent a bottle of The Seven Brothers 2009 Tempranillo, a dark red wine:
This wine has a bright ruby color with heavy aromas of cranberry, blackberry, cinnamon, spice and toasted oak. The flavors of dried black fruit, toasted cedar and tobacco mingle with great acidity and strong tannins to produce a long, rich finish.
Now, I’m not much of a fan of red wines to begin with. I prefer whites so I wasn’t surprised that this one wasn’t my favorite. My husband, however, really likes a drier red wine and he drank the whole bottle! He really liked this one. That’s one nice thing about the California Wine Club: you can try a variety of wines that provide a favorite for everyone.
A membership to the California Wine Club would make a fantastic gift for anyone who loves to try new, unique wines. And it would be fun to join yourself and get a surprise on your doorstep every so often! Check out their website at www.cawineclub.com and learn more. Then follow the California Wine Club on Facebook and Twitter to be the first to hear their latest news!
This review was made possible by Mom Spark Media. Thoughts are my own. I received a 2 month Membership to the California Wine Club for the purpose of this review. The opinions in this post are 100% mine. You can read my full disclosure policy here.
Angela says
Sounds like the perfect gift idea for my brother, he’s always so hard to buy for.