Many people belong to wine clubs – those clubs that charge a monthly/quarterly/periodic fee and will ship wines to the purchasers.  Some of these wine clubs are generic, sourcing their wines from different locations, while others are the wineries themselves.  Retail establishments (such as WineStyles here in town), offer a wine club experience for their customers.  In nearly all cases, customers have the opportunity to experience wines that are not normally available on any retail level.

About two years ago I wrote about wine clubs, and found the old posting as I was mining through my old databases that were damaged during the recent technological meltdown.  I reread it, felt it was current enough after a few tweaks, and offer it for your reading pleasure.  Enjoy!

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There are wine clubs and there are wine clubs. There are those clubs that charge you a monthly fee and send you a set number of bottles of wine every month. I belonged to one for a while. It was ugly. Each and every wine was, at best, mediocre. There was not a single one that I felt the wine was worth a repeat buy. Let’s just call it an expensive lesson learned.

Then there are the home wine tasting clubs. If you’ve been a part of this blog for a while, you know that my first wine club disbanded after many years in existence. This club was having home tasting get-togethers long before it became a part of part of popular culture. I now belong to the loosely-knit Tex and Fritz’s Wine Club. Thing. Although very casual in organization and “membership,” it meets several times a month, has blind (!!!) tastings at each meeting, and I have to say that Tex runs a pretty tight ship. This has helped to sharpen my palate and make me really pay attention to the characteristics of the wine that I’m tasting.

I also belong to the Vegas Wineaux Wine Club which I created because I felt there was a need for a club with a little different take on home wine tastings.  It has been wildly successful!

I’m a member of the  Bottega Nora wine club, created specifically for locals looking to be able to purchase wines at nearly wholesale prices. I will have a complete article on Bottega Nora very soon, because it is a very exciting concept – a great resource for local foodies and wineaux(z)!

So as you can see, there are a variety of options on the national and local level.

And then there are the winery wine clubs. I belong to several, have quit a few, and wish I could belong to more. It would save in shopping. Sort of. Okay, I say that because the winery wine clubs don’t charge a monthly fee; they charge only at the time of wine release, which, depending upon the club, can be as little as an annual allocation to as often as quarterly.

After many months of being on the waiting list, I was finally given the opportunity to purchase an allocation from Kosta Browne. I received my full allocation plus two, and was very happy. Quite broke, but happy. Unfortunately, in the interim their prices have raised substantially – thanks, Wine Spectator! Not! – so I am only a member in name rather than in purchase.  My wallet cried uncle.

I also belong to Hug Cellars, Opolo, Robert Young Estates, Villicana, and Vines on the Marycrest wine clubs. Robert Young Estates (the makers of Scion), is located in Sonoma. The others are Paso Robles wineries.

Hug makes Pinots that are surprisingly Burgundian in character with the bright fruit you expect from California. I have ONE bottle left from my Paso visit last year, but, thankfully, have several bottles from my shipment. I’m sure Augie will let me know if he makes other stuff, but I absolutely love his Pinots! And the Rosé (see eyeballs rolling back into head). (Since I wrote this article, I pulled myself away from just the Pinots and discovered that Hug Cellars makes great Zins, beautiful whites, and Syrahs that are incredible).

My favorite wines from Opolo are the Sangiovese, Fusion, and Mountain Zin. They have a new one that’s only available to the membership (I didn’t see it on their website) called Montagne Mare. I haven’t opened mine up yet, but Don and Mark – whose palates I trust – said it’s pretty awesome. That’s true winespeak! (Yes, I opened it. OMG.)

Villicana has astonishingly beautiful Viognier, Syrah, and Rosé. They probably have other stuff, but that’s what I love from them! Alex and Monica are the winemakers (they’re both very cute, and Alex looks like Clark Kent), and do a great job of keeping their membership informed of winery goings-on.

Robert Young Estates was the first wine club I joined, thanks to Khoury’s. Issa and Nura had gotten in a small shipment and had a tasting. I tasted the Scion and nearly died. They were able to order some for me, I joined the wine club, and the rest, as they say, is history. I just received my shipment of the 2003 Scion and plan on having a small vertical sometime later this year. I have five years of Scion (1999-2003), and I think that will be fun. They are largely undiscovered in spite of phenomenal ratings from all of the big guns of the wine publishing world. (What I wrote here is still very true.  I now have a vertical that’s 2001-2005, with the 2006 due for release at any time.  I will repost the pictures from the Robert Young vertical tasting at a later date).

I once belonged to Linne Calodo, Robert Hall, Peay, Halter Ranch, and Williams Selyem. The reasons I’m not members of their clubs vary. I “resigned” from Linne Calodo because they charged more for their wines than I could buy them retail, and didn’t offer any special goodies that the other wineries do. That made no sense to me! That was also a disappointment because I lust after their wines. But since I can satisfy my “Problem Child” and “Outsider” cravings at Khoury’s, resigning my membership was not a loss.

Peay and Williams Selyem are both wineries of extraordinary excellence. Unfortunately, my wallet is not. So it was with great reluctance that I withdrew from their coveted list memberships.

Halter Ranch has begun showing up in retail outlets recently (Valley Cheese and Wine), and Robert Hall has been a retail staple for years, so it wasn’t necessary for me to continue memberships in their clubs.

There are several clubs that I would love to be a member of just to get their wines! One of them is Four Vines. Yes, Four Vines is available locally, but they have such fun wines that I would love to be surprised twice a year. The Four Vines pourers at the winery are a hoot and make wine fun. The only downside is that their washable tattoos don’t wash off very easily. I had some explaining to do about the Naked and ZinBitch tattoos that were prominently displayed on my neckline. But that’s another story.

The other winery I lust after is Dain. Now, I haven’t had any Dain, but according to the Mark Squires Bulletin Board (of which David Dain is a member and which is now a pay site), their Syrahs and Pinots are supposed to be absolutely ethereal. Because they are a small, “boutique” winery, their wines are not available by retail. And since their wines are about $50 a bottle – a bargain at twice the price, I understand – they aren’t at the gouging stage, either.

Are there more? Tons! So many wine clubs, so little $$$$. Only one of me. To say nothing of my liver …

As always, if you have new discoveries, old standbys, tasting notes, or upcoming events you’d like to share, just let me know. Until next time!

Next time, a couple of reviews on places we’ve been, food we’ve eaten, and wine we’ve drunk (drank? drinked?)

To take wine into our mouths is to savor a droplet of the river of human history.
Clifton Fadiman
1902–1999

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Why in the world would I make up something like White Zin in South Africa? Actually, it’s been around for a while.  But, as in many traumas that we experience in life, I had blanked it out of my memory.  A series of events over the last several weeks brought this dismal (my opinion) fact back to my consciousness, and I’m finally addressing it head on.

When the Wineaux Guy and I went to the Paso Robles Zin Fest last month, the one wine that we didn’t taste was the Zinfandel Rosé.  And it’s not because we turned up our respective noses to it; it’s because we just didn’t get to any of them in the crush (haha) of people and while tasting the wines of some fifty-plus wineries.  Even our livers are limited.

Being in the middle of all of that Zin and all of the followup postings reminded me of a South African wine writer who visited the United States some time ago and was enthralled with a new, slightly sweet, refreshing wine made from uniquely American grapes.  You guessed it. White Zinfandel. What? You didn’t hear my scream of anguish as  I read those words?!?

Well as it turns out, Zinfandel is a new star in Africa and as of two years ago, one producer began making White Zin as a serious part of their very respected portfolio of wines.  Not only that, but apparently there are a bunch (haha) of up-and-coming young South African winemakers who are doing to White Zin what we wish that American winemakers had done years ago; they’re tackling it head on to make it a serious contender in the Rosé – and overall wine – world.

Gasp.

Let’s go back to the first winery I was speaking of just a minute ago.  Its name is Blaauwklippen, and they began their White Zin experiment with the 2007 vintage.  What’s interesting – at least to my eyes and is the complete antithesis of American White Zin producers – they are using a green bottle and though I’ve only been able to look at it in pictures, the wine actually looks, well, *white*!  One more bit of trivia is that while the words “White Zinfandel” appears on the label, they describe it as a “Zinfandel Blanc de Noir” in their written material.

All of my searches could find only this one winery with a current vintage, but more are certain to follow if the success of Blaauwklippen is any indication.

And I’m going to do the unthinkable – tell the story about the Rosé tasting that the Vegas Wineaux Wine Club had last year.  I know I had it *somewhere* in the lost files , but I’m writing this as a reminder.  We had a Sunday brunch blind tasting of six different pink wines, one of which was a (aieeee!) White Zin.  It’s pretty fair to say that quite a few of the members of the club are palate snobs…myself included.  So the pressure was on.  Without naming names, less than half of the participants figured out which one was the White Zin.  ’Nuff said.

Tonight I’m going to be enjoying turkey breast, a salad, and a nice, budget-friendly Pinot Noir.  Not a drop of White Zin in sight.  But that doesn’t mean that it’s the end of America’s best-selling wine varietal in this blog.

Later on I’ll tell you about the site that has many recipes based on White Zin.  Oh the humanity!

Stay tuned!…

Oh! I almost forgot!  I got some of my information from this really terrific little site called Stellenbauchery, a South Africa Wine Adventure, the diary of a young American woman named Julia Burke who relates her adventures living in South Africa during the current harvest season as an intern.  This story is South Africa’s take on White Zin – Zinfandel Blanc de Noir – is a terrific read, as is the rest of her blog.  Too bad her internship is coming to an end.  She makes the adventures there fun.  I’m telling you – it’s a movie in the making!

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I hosted the monthly home tasting at my place last week for the Vegas Wineaux Wine Club.  The theme was Wines of Trader Joe’s.  I have to admit that there was a decided reluctance on the part of many of the members to even attend the tasting. However. The Trader Joe’s tasting was quite an eye-opener for many of us who tend to have more, um, *polished* palates than the average person. Okay, I’ll just say it. We’re wine snobs.

Tony McAlexander of the Trader Joe’s store located at Washington and Buffalo here in the NW area of Las Vegas brought six wines to share with us. They included the following:

• 2007 Trader Joe’s Grand Reserve Pinot Noir
• 2006 Trader Joe’s Reserve Rutherford Meritage
• 2008 Trentatre Rosso  (which also has Braille on the label)
• 2007 Novella Petite Sirah
• 2008 Trader Joe’s Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
• 2006 Conte de Bregonzo Amarone

What?!? Trader Joe’s has its own label?!? Yes indeed! And the wines were far better than the prices would indicate. The most expensive wine was the Amarone at  $18.99 (if I remember correctly) and the least expensive was the 2008 Trentatre Rosso, which, amazingly, turned out to be the wine of the night simply because its price of $5.99 completely belied the character and quality of this simple Italian red.

I brought out my 2006 Trader Joe’s Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon to share as well. Yeah it was yummy, and at $9.99 when I purchased it, was another quality stunner.

Enjoy the slideshow! I am trying to put another one together which focuses on our friend Tony’s “problem” of keeping his eyes open when he’s getting his picture taken. I have about 25 shots of Tony and his eyes are open(ish) on maybe four of them! Stay tuned for that one – I’ve been chuckling while working on it.

Meanwhile, Trader Joe’s, always our friend in the budget healthy food department, has done the same with its wines. There are free tastings Fridays through Mondays at the TJ’s on Washington. The times are approximately 2:30 pm through 5:30.

Enjoy!

PS:  Or you can go straight to the slideshow here.

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I try to plan these reviews carefully.  Really.  So it’s always a nice surprise when I snag something out of the cooler that turns out to be much better than I’d anticipated or remembered.  I bought two bottles last year, and I believe the Wineaux Guy and I drank one sometime during the summer.  So this bottle has been resting for a year and is one of the few white wines I have right now.  In fact, I do believe I have more Rosés than whites! I need to check on the Wine Cellar page to verify.

At any rate, I found some wonderful flounder fillets at the local Smith’s market and snagged them immediately. You can see the recipe here on Grapes N Grub (still under construction, more or less). I knew I wanted a white wine to go with the recipe because flounder is such a light and delicate fish and felt that even my Villicana Vin Rosé would be a little too much for such a delicate fish. Unfortunately I’m out of daily drinker whites, so I had to break out one of my better wines.

The 2007 Kiamie White Kuvée is a serious wine in spite of the kitschy spelling of cuvée.  A blend of 65% Viognier and 35% Rousanne , it has seen oak, but unlike many Viognier and Viognier blends, it is most definitely not a Napa Chard wannabe.  The color is clear and golden and has enough body to lumber around the glass.  This is where the comparison to Chardonnay ends.

Fresh apple, pear, a touch of honeydew, and a bit of early morning by the beach (don’t ask – long story) greet your nose.  Other melon nuances and a definite overtone of minerality also surface.

The mouthfeel is lush, and the white fruits predominate.  The finish displays the minerality of the wine.  I wish it had a touch more acidity FOR THIS DISH but it has a good and bracing acidity on its own.

Generally when I prepare something picatta style, I prefer to have an Oregon-style pinot noir as it pairs beautifully with whatever meat and the capers, butter, and wine.  I’m not so sure I would drink a Pinot with this, however, because of the texture of the fish.  Salmon, on the hand, is a different story altogether.

But I digress.

I found myself having an extra glass or two because it is a good drinking wine and very refreshing. A good buy at $24.00, it is currently sold out on the Kiamie website, but may still be available through the tasting room in Paso Robles or through other retailers.

There you have it! I hope that you get to stop by the Kiamie tasting room in downtown Paso Robles, so that you can enjoy some of their other wines as well.  It is a new winery and came highly recommended by DeDee of Wine Tasting Journals in Paso.  Her recommendation did not disappoint.

My rating – Not quite up to George Clooney level, but still pretty nice!

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Peachy Canyon Winery - Paso Robles

Here we go.  This is better than anything I could have made up. First of all, Doug Beckett, the owner of Peachy Canyon, is a … hmmm.  How can I put this politely?  How about lunatic?  And we fell in love with him immediately! We could relate.

Only a certifiable lunatic would bring an old Zin to the Zin Fest where there are multiple wines that could easily smack it down.  It took someone having a brass pair to do this, but when I saw “the poster,” I knew that Doug was the guy.

He brought a 1996 Peachy Canyon Zinfandel to the Zin Fest party.  I tasted it and was blown away.  You can see the review right here … what do you think?

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