Wine Clubs

When visiting wineries, many of my guests are invited to join the winery's wine club. Few tasters have heard of such clubs prior to their first time winetasting. Most winery's have wine clubs as they provide the winery with a steady source of customers. Small wineries, in particular, are dependent on successful wine clubs in order to stay in business.

The clubs vary slightly but usually do not require a fee to join. Most clubs send their members one case (12 bottles) of wine per year. Some wineries ship two bottles six times per year, others three bottles four times per year, still others four bottle three times a year, and many send six bottles twice a year. Some clubs let you pick the wines you want; others send you a mix of wines selected by the winery. Most wineries include wines in their club shipments that are not available to the general public. Most clubs give you a discount on the wine. The savings on the wine may cover the cost of shipping. If you join the club, most wineries will give you an immediate discount on purchases while you are visiting the winery and will waive your tasting fees. In return you agree to receive a minimum of one or two shipments. After receiving the minimum, you can usually cancel at any time. Most clubs offer discounts on all wine purchases. Many wine clubs have special parties and events for members.

I am a member of three wine clubs and think they are good deal in certain circumstances. The first issue to consider is whether you like the winemaker's style and the variety of wines produced by the winery. If the winery produces six different types of wine and you only like the Cab, the wine club is probably not for you.

Another issue is whether your drinking will keep up with the wine you receive. Be careful about joining too many clubs. If you end up with too much wine that cannot be stored properly, you could end up with a lot of spoiled wine.

Be sure you have your wine sent to an address where someone 21 or over will be physically present to sign for the wine. FedEx and UPS will not just leave the wine on your porch or give you a note to sign. The shippers are required to hand the wine to someone who is of legal age. The best bet is to ship the wine to your business, provided you trust your receptionist not to drink the wine.

I think receiving six bottles twice a year is far better than receiving two bottles six time per year. The fewer shipments, the more you save on shipping. Also, make sure the club does not ship during your hot weather months. You don't want your wine cooking in the shipper's truck as it travels through Arizona in the summer. Most wineries do not ship to club members in the summer but a few do. If you are scheduled to receive a shipment when it's still hot, ask the winery to hold the wine until cooler weather arrives. Most are glad to do so.

A few wineries push their clubs pretty hard. Most use a soft sell. Some don't mention their club unless asked. When you visit a winery, you are under no obligation to join the club or to buy any wine. Only join the club if you will enjoy getting the regular shipments of wine. If you do join the club, have fun. It's fun to get good wine that you won't find in your local wine shop.

If you would like to take a private wine country tour, contact Blue Heron Custom Tours at (866) 326-4237 or Rick@BlueHeronTours.com.

Northern California: An Explorer's Guide

This new guidebook, written by San Francisco resident, Michele Bigley, was just released on June 1. It's a great resource for travel in San Francisco, the Bay Area, and all of Northern California - from Big Sur to the Oregon border.

Here's what Michele had to say about Blue Heron Custom Tours and Travel, "A wealth of knowledge, Rick takes folks on customized tours of the Bay Area, Wine Country, Central Coast, Mendocino, and even the Sierra Foothills. You tell him what you want and he'll create the ideal trip. He knows more about wine and food than most."

Many thanks to Michelle for the nice review. If you're planning a trip to San Francisco, you can pick up "Northern California: An Explorer's Guide" at most good bookstores.

If you'd like to take a tour with a guide who "knows more about wine and food than most," please phone me at (866) 326-4237 (toll free) or e-mail me at Rick@BlueHeronTours.com.

Winetasting in the Carmel Valley

After 28 years in the Bay Area, it was time to visit Carmel Valley. I had visited the Monterey Peninsula and Big Sur many times, but had never made the turn down Carmel Valley Road. A few of my guests had raved about this part of Northern California, so it was time to go.

There are many things to do in the Valley and some beautiful places to stay, but this post will focus on tasting wine. The experience here is quite different than in other parts of Wine Country. The vineyards and wineries located within the Carmel Valley AVA (American Viticulture Area) are difficult to get to. As a result, wineries do not have tasting rooms on site. Rather, their tasting rooms are located apart from the vineyards and production facilities.

At least nine tasting rooms are along Carmel Valley Road. Some are freestanding, while others are in shopping centers. Going from store front to store front, for me, was not as enjoyable as driving among the vineyards to visit wineries in Napa and Sonoma. However, the experience is not all that different than going from tasting room to tasting room in downtown Healdsburg.

Once we entered the tasting rooms -- we visited four -- all of the staff were friendly and knowledgeable about their wines and wines in general. Wineries here tend to produce wines from the Carmel Valley AVA and other parts of Monterey County. Carmel Valley is a bit warmer than other parts of the County, so Bordeaux varietals are grown here. However, temperatures are not as hot as Napa and Sonoma and, thus, Carmel Valley wines are not quite as big. Santa Lucia Highlands AVA has cooler temperatures and many wineries produce excellent Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from this region.

I cannot recommend making a trip to the Monterey area solely to go winetasting. The sights on the Monterey Peninsula and along the coast are more compelling. However, if you are in the area and enjoy wine, spend an afternoon in the Carmel Valley tasting some of Monterey County's wines. You'll taste some good wine and learn about the special qualities of wine produced in this area.

For more information on Monterey County wines, visit www.MontereyWines.org. If you would like to take a tour of Monterey, Carmel, and/or Carmel Valley, please feel free to call me at (866) 326-4237 (toll free) or e-mail me by clicking here.