I was recently asked to take part in Mom Spark Media’s blog review campaign for the California Wine Club. I felt I was very qualified due to the creative budgeting I used to do with my husband when I went to wine country. I thought that wine club sign ups “didn’t count towards my wine budget” until one fateful day when my Visa card was hit with eleven charges and my finance guy husband was not amused.
The California Wine Club has been around for over 20 years and specializes in hand-selected artisan wines from family-owned producers. I was given a three-month Premium Club membership, which features wines from smaller producers and is valued at $150 ($50 per shipment). I had a slight mix up with my first month, so month one and two arrived within one week. Each shipment includes two boots of wine and a newsletter outlining the winery, food pairing suggestions and the club’s tasting notes, recipes and other reading material.
- 10 Tobin James “Radiance” Monterey County Chardonnay – We were with a group of friends and one eloquently pointed out that “the label matched the taste.” It was a bright wine with lots of apple, pear, pineapple and citrus with just a touch of oak. It was creamy and had a good balance. Definitely was a crowd pleaser. $18.00 retail, $10.99 club price.
- 08 Tobin James Titan Hills Vineyards “Fiasco” – This wine from Paso Robles tasted of licorice, Asian spices, spice and pepper. It was juicy, but smooth and easily drinkable. $11.99 club price, $20.99 retail.
- 2010 Fess Parker Santa Barbara County Riesling – this semi-sweet wine has lots of lychee, mango, lemon and other bright summer fruits. It was off-dry, but still a vibrant wine with acidity. $26.00 retail, $12.99 club price.
- 2010 Parker Station Pinot Noir tastes of black cherries, vanilla, cranberry and terrior. This is a very food friendly and approachable wine.
Interesting factoid: Fess Parker Winery was established in 1989 by the late actor Fess Parker, who was known for his roles as Walt Disney’s Davey Crockett and Daniel Boone in the 1950’s and 60’s, and the winery remains a family business.
If you like trying “off the beaten path wines” that you probably can’t easily track down in Texas, this could be a great fit for you. The $50 per month price tag includes shipping and is a fair price for the club, especially if you like the wines and plan to reorder them. The accompanying information not only told you more about the wines and winery, but gave you recipes to pair to fully complement your tasting experience.
If you want to give it a try, the California Wine Club is offering Dallas Wine Chick readers four bottles for the price of 2 when you sign up. Use the code vine12 at checkout.
Click Here to visit the California Wine Club’s website. Click here to check out @cawineclub and @boringwineguy on Twitter.
Disclosure: This review was made possible by Mom Spark Media.
