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August 2008 - Red Wine

Another Great Red Wine Article

Join the Club: Wine Clubs


One of the best ways to get access to great, and sometimes less accessible, wines is to join a wine club. These clubs are free to join and can result in you enjoying a greater variety of wines. Whether retailer operated, or direct through the winery, wine clubs will enhance your wine drinking pleasure.

The first consideration for most consumers is price. Just know that there are a range of wine clubs to meet most consumer tastes and budgets. Being in a wine club does not necessitate spending big money. As an example K&L Wine Merchants in San Francisco has a wine club that will ship you 2 bottles of wine per month for $17.95. For that price you have the advantage of knowledgeable experts picking out wines that they feel represent excellent value.

At the other end of the range is Vintners Collective in Napa. Their wine club, the Collectors Club, ships 8 bottles of wine 5 times per year for $290 per shipment. This wine club specializes in smaller production wineries (generally under 1200 cases per year) with whom they have excellent relationships. The result is wine from vintners that you will likely not see on the shelf of your local wine retailer.

Another consideration is whether to go with a winery direct club vs. a retailer. Ideally, budgets permitting, we recommend both clubs that are owned and operated by the winery and clubs that are run by retailers. We like the idea of getting a preferred spot on one of our favorite wineries distribution lists in addition to the variety that the retail club offers. As an example, let?s look at Justin Vineyards and Winery. This Central Coast maker of excellent red and white wine has a few different wine clubs. They offer a choice of red only or white only or mixed cases and will give you access to wines that disappear quite quickly. As an example we recently received a shipment containing one of our favorites, Justin Justification. This wine was sold out even prior to the wine shipment. So in this case only wine club members had an opportunity to receive this great wine which was available only in limited supply.

In the case of a retailer wine club, we like the idea of knowledgeable experts selecting great wines that have excellent value. Most times these are wines that would never appear on our radar no matter how much we read to keep up. Retail wine clubs often have connections with wineries that provide exceptional values. As in example K&L Wines recently offered a 1997 Cabernet Sauvignon from a well respected Napa producer for under $35. This same wine at the winery was $100. We like the idea of being able to buy an outstanding vintage, 1997, from an outstanding vintner at a most fair price. The case outlined here would not be possible outside of the wine club.

Before committing to a wine club make sure you understand the frequency of the shipments and the length of the commitment. Some clubs welcome your membership on an annual basis and will ship four times per year. Other clubs will accommodate monthly membership, frequently with a minimum number of months. Choose the club that best fits both your budget and your consumption. If you have limited storage space and your frequency of delivery is too high from too many clubs?..well you may have a great problem!

Additional perks of wine clubs often include: free shipping (depending on the state), discounts on retail purchases and/or future wine purchases, first access to newly released wine, admission to special events reserved for wine club patrons, complementary wine tasting, and discounts at local hotels, inns or restaurants.

Wine clubs present beginners and collectors access to great wines, selected by professionals, at a host of price points that will only enhance your wine experience.

R. Adam Shore writes about California Wines from a consumer point of view. A collector of California Cabernet and a resident of the Golden State he has assembled hand selected articles about wine. They are cellared at California Wine Articles. Also visit Physical Fitness Articles to read important articles that will assist you in burning away those new Wine Club calories!



A synopsis on Red Wine.

Join the Club: Wine Clubs


One of the best ways to get access to great, and sometimes less accessible, wines is to join a wine club. These clubs are free to join and can result ...


Click Here to Read More About Wine ...

Red Wine Items For Viewing

The FTD Pink Opulence Rose Bouquet - Standard


An explosion of pink and white comes from the roses, asters, snapdragons and greens in this beautiful arrangement that arrives in a glass vase. Prices may vary in some areas. B20-3266S


Price: 69.99 USD



Headlines on Red Wine

2008 Standard Bank Soweto Wine Festival raises the bar (South African Wine News)

Sun, 10 Aug 2008 15:16:51 PDT
Today, Soweto covers an area of approximately 120km², and is home to nine different ethnic groups. The total population is now 3.5 million, of which 1 million commute daily into Johannesburg to work.

39 Today And So Far No One Has Bitten Me

Sun, 10 Aug 2008 14:19:44 PDT
I don’t normally post on Sundays, some throwback to my Southern Baptist childhood, but today I am 39. This is one of those gushing I am so thankful posts (for the most part…I will get to the mama biting portion soon) so be forewarned. Also, I thought about completely ignoring the fact that I am 39 today on my blog but I AM 39 TODAY! Yahoo! Also, I am going to ramble. I have to say this has been one of the nicest birthday weekends ever. Nothing extravagant, just lots of nice little gestures. M

Recipe of the Week: Pickled Garlic Seeds

Sun, 10 Aug 2008 12:11:29 PDT
After garlic scape season is over, garlic flowers are ready, full of garlic seeds. You don't usually see these at the greenmarkets unless you ask a kind farmer to bring them in for you, but if you do, they are just wonderful, a rare treat. The garlic flowers are bursting with seeds like tiny cloves of garlic, packed all around the surface of the spherical flower. When you get them home, it takes some work to pull the seeds off the flowers, but you can pickle and can them and enjoy the tiny


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12:43 AM

August 10, 2008 - Fresno Wine

A Featured Fresno Wine Article

Wine Charms for Every Occasion


Wondering what to gift your hostess for today?s cocktail party? Here is the perfect gift. Wine charms. It is as charming as it sounds. Perfect for dinners, get-togethers, parties, wine tasting events and theme parties. With an attractive wine charm, you can keep track of your glass, as it will be tagged with an elegant charm. It can also be used for beer mugs and other glasses. Wouldn?t it be fun to tag a Monopoly wine charm to your glass? With pieces such as Free Parking, Community Chest and Go To Jail, it will surely make excellent conversation. At a poker game, you could choose the poker wine charm, which comes with six different cards. Loop it around your glass and you are surely bound to win!

Going to a bridal shower? Or a wedding party? Carry along a set of Pewter Wine Charms. It comes with a wedding car and cake, a wedding invitation and a bride and groom! It is ideal for the occasion. Do you prefer gold and silver metal beads? You can get it at just $9.99. It comes along with a silver pouch. For the same price you can get gambler charms, mythical charms and art charms. If you are looking for elegance and a little class, then multi-colored beads should be your choice. For those who love the sea, there is a boating wine charm. It has several attachments such as an anchor, wheel and sail. For beach lovers there is a beach wine charm complete with sun, sea and surf!

Or maybe you prefer a BBQ wine charm or a Big Money Pewter Wine Charm, both available at $9.99. A perfect gift for a woman would be a flower based wine charm, which looks so attractive you will want to carry it away with you. If you host is a stargazer, then the celestial wine charm is best suited. There really is a charm for every occasion. You name it and someone has already created it. Such a variety is difficult to find in other products. These wine charms are made with such precision and care that one would think it should be more expensive. However, wine charms are quite affordable and you can buy one that suits your taste.

For example, a golfer could go for the golf wine charm and an artist can go for the art wine charm. You can even find wine charm that relate to different countries in the world. The Egyptian wine charm comes with colored beads. During the festive season of Christmas, the Christmas wine charm is very apt. There is wine charms based on dogs, cats, insects, pets, wild animals, medicine, winter? the list goes on.

John Lamont is a successful author and regular contributor to http://www.acewineracks.com/fine.pl/building-kedco-plan.html an online resource for all kinds of wine racks, including wall wine racks, metal wine racks and more.



Another short Fresno Wine review

Wine Charms for Every Occasion


Wondering what to gift your hostess for today?s cocktail party? Here is the perfect gift. Wine charms. It is as charming as it sounds. Perfect for din...


Click Here to Read More About Wine ...

Recommended Fresno Wine Items

The FTD Love's Abundance Bouquet - Premium


The more you love, the more you grow. Reap affection, with a bounty of gloriously pink, yellow, and purple blooms with greenery in a basket. B23-3269P


Price: 79.99 USD



News about Fresno Wine

Farm labor contractor fined in worker’s death (AG Weekly)

Fri, 08 Aug 2008 15:56:13 PDT
FRESNO, Calif. — The employer of a pregnant teenager who died of heat stroke after pruning grapevines for nine hours in hot weather was hit Wednesday with the highest fine ever issued to a California farming operation.

36 Hours in Denver (New York Times)

Fri, 08 Aug 2008 08:15:42 PDT
A costumed guide at the Molly Brown House Museum. THE shifting political landscape of the American West, where Democrats hope to make significant gains in several battleground states this fall, helped sell Denver as the site of the party’s national convention, Aug. 25 to 28. But as easy as this city may be to navigate — you can practically see from one end to the other, it’s that flat — Denver’s ...

French director weaves a complex tale (The Fresno Bee)

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 21:37:47 PDT
I went to see a magician perform in Reno, Nev., re- cently. I enjoyed the show, but as I sat there watching him do magician-type things -- levitate his assistant, make a bowling ball vanish, perform old-fashioned sleight-of-hand tricks -- it occurred to me that I'm not the type who much cares how magic acts work. Read comments

All about Peaches

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 13:18:57 PDT
I have no children, not even a dog or a cat. But I'm considering adopting. Adopting a peach tree that is. Near Fresno, farmer Mas Masumoto and his family grow lovely heirloom varieties of peaches including Sun Crest and Elberta. Their peaches are organic, fragile, absolutely delicious and only available by adoption. Now I have to admit, I am totally and completely biased towards peaches. They are high in dietary fiber, Vitamin A, Niacin and Potassium, and a very good source of Vitamin C but t


K&L Wines

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