Posts Tagged ‘wine’

Save up to 50% off on our Summer Wine Sale!

Monday, June 21st, 2010

ParadiseEvery year we host a sizzling wine sale to kick off the beginning of summer. And that time is now!

While inventory lasts, you may purchase select wines from the Gold Series at up to 50% off the winery direct prices.  And, if you decide to really go for it and order three cases or more, we’ll waive the shipping costs off of the entire order!!!  You don’t even need to be a member to take advantage of this great sale.

Visit our Summer Sale Page to view the wines that are currently on sale. And you might want to hurry, inventory is moving quickly! Once its gone, well, its gone!  Happy Summer!!

“WineToons” – Wine related cartoons, captions by YOU!

Tuesday, June 15th, 2010
Caption by Facebook Fan, Christopher Olivo!

Caption by Facebook Fan, Christopher Olivo!

Congratulations to this week’s WineToon winner, Christopher Olivo! Because of his witty caption, he will receive a special promo code for 10% off on a one time purchase from our wine store. Plus, at the end of this month, his WineToon may be the lucky one chosen for T-shirt printing (which we’ll send to him in the mail, of course!)

Want to join the WineToon fun? Join us on Facebook, www.facebook.com/wineclubs, and your WineToon caption might be next week’s winner!

The Wine Wizard…Test your Wine IQ!

Monday, June 14th, 2010

Its time to put your wine knowledge to the test, or maybe just learn a few things!  Take a look at our wine trivia questions below and help increase your wine knowledge!

Questions

1. What is riddling? *Hint – think Champagne!

2. Which grape variety is used in Beaujolais wines? *Hint – think France.

3. What is the most commonly planted grape in the world? *Hint – it is probably NOT the first wine you thought of!

Answers

1. Riddling is one step of the Champagne-making process in which the bottles are placed in racks, holding them at a 45-degree angle with the cork pointed down. Every few days, the bottles are turned gradually, pushing the sediment toward the neck of the bottle. The angle increases for 6-8 weeks until the bottle is pointed straight down. At this point, the sediment can be removed and the bottle re-corked, finishing the wine making process.

2. Beaujolais wines are made from 100 percent Gamay grapes. The wine’s style is typically light and fruity, and meant to be consumed young. Beaujolias can even be served chilled. Typically a very affordable wine, Beaujolais wines are among the best-selling wines from Burgundy in the United States.

3. Surprisingly, the most popular grape planted isn’t the Cabernet Sauvignon or even Chardonnay. Airen (eye-rhen), a white grape originating in Spain, covers almost a million acres worldwide and is currently the most planted grape in the world.

Sharing Secrets about your Wine Club Membership….

Tuesday, June 8th, 2010

wine_pouring_flopped_175What do we love? We love wine, of course! But we also love viticulture. We love the stories that develop over a bottle of wine. We love visiting wineries. We love food and wine. We love the living, breathing qualities of wine. We love that feeling we get after a frazzling day of work and finally having the chance to plop down on the couch with a glass of wine. But what we really love, what truly makes our hearts sing, is sharing these experiences with others! Its why we do what we do – because sharing wine with others can be one of the most rewarding experiences out there, especially when what we’re sharing is a truly fabulous bottle. We’re in the business of bringing high quality wines to your door; this much is obvious from our website. But what’s not so obvious is the amount we’re willing to bend our memberships to make them something that suits your needs. Which brings us to our last love, giving you what you really want.

I’ll use the Gold Series to set an example of the kind of tweaking we can do to your membership. The Gold Series is the most popular of our five wine club memberships. It is the least expensive of the selections, but the wines are high quality and very versatile. The website explains that the standard membership consists of two highly sought after small production, California wines, sent out on a monthly basis. Generally, it is one red and one white, but sometimes two different reds. The website also offers a Red only or White only option. But, what’s not advertised are alterations to this: if it is your preference, we can make sure that we always send you one red and one white, even in the months when “two reds” is the standard mix. Or, maybe you like red wine, but only Cabernet and Merlot, and in terms of white, you want to avoid Chardonnay and Viognier? (This is all hypothetical, of course. I can’t imagine why anyone would limit himself or herself in this way, but I do understand people have their preferences, and sometimes you just know what you like!)  Well, to sum it up, we can accommodate these requests as well. Perhaps location is your thing. We can send you a shipment only when we feature wines from a particular area like Napa Valley. We’ll work with you to find out your particular preferences. In months that we feature something you’d rather not receive, we can send you something from a previous month’s selection, or we can skip that month entirely, or maybe there’s something else you want to do. Fine by us!

B&W Grapes_4And what if two bottles each month just isn’t enough for you? (Now, we’re speaking my language…) The website offers a four bottle membership, which is essentially two of each of the featured wines from the month. But, believe me, by no means does it have to stop there. If you’d like to have four bottles each month but want three reds and one white, we can do that. Or three whites and one red? Yes! Like to try six wines each shipment? Yep, we can do that too. There is virtually no limit to the number of bottles we send you in a month.

And here’s another thing. Moving from the topic of wine selection to frequency of shipments, the website offers monthly, every-other, or quarterly shipments. But we actually can send shipments any time and as often as you like. If you want to have shipments only in months ending in “y”, we can do that. Or, only with the months with a major holiday, we can do that, too.  As often as you would like a shipment, we’ll send one your way.

Want to save a few bucks on shipping costs? How about joining a club membership on a quarterly basis, but receiving all the wines from that quarter at once? Keeping to the example of the Gold Series, you could receive the wines we featured in January, February and March all together in March (totaling 6 different wines in March), then continue on a quarterly basis from there. It will save you money on shipping, but the only downside is that you’ll have to wait two months in between shipments…

Wine PourLike the look of two of our Series, but can’t decide which one to choose and joining both is going to be too much wine? How about alternating? You could join the Gold Series every other month of the year, and in the alternate months, receive one of our premium clubs, like the Platinum or Diamond Series. You could even receive the Platinum Series on a monthly basis, but in your and your partner’s birthday months, treat yourselves to our highest rated wines club membership, the Diamond Series.  Don’t let us stop you…Go wild! Get creative!

What I’m trying to make obvious for you is that this is YOUR membership. Don’t let the website fool you – we are YES people and we want you to have a great experience with the wine club. If that means you want only 92+ rated wines from Monterey and Napa Valley and you want them only in the months of the year when you visit your Aunt Sadie at her home in Boulder, Colorado, well, that’s just peachy with us. We’ll send ‘em your way. Just tell Aunt Sadie to share!

Call our Customer Service phone number to customize your membership or to talk about your options for a gift: (800) 266 – 8888.

A Summer of Wine Festivals

Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010
Let the Wine Tasting Begin!

Let the Wine Tasting Begin!

The weather is turning, yet again, and with Memorial Day’s unofficial summer kickoff  last weekend, we’re eagerly looking forward to the joys of summertime bliss–barbecues, long days with good friends, and wine festivals galore! If you live in California or are planning a trip out west this summer, you might want to check out what wine festivals will be in or around your area. Here is a list of the various wine festivals, both big and small, throughout California. Happy Tasting!

Southern California – The Balboa Bay Club & Resort 7th Annual Food & Wine Festival, Newport Beach, June 3-6, prices vary based on event. LA Wine Fest, Hollywood, June 5-6, $65.o0 or $100 per couple. Coto de Caza World Class Wine Festival, Orange County, June 12, 2010. Members $125, Non-Members $150.00.   San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival, San Diego, November 17-21

Santa Barbara County –  17th Annual Casa Pacifica Angels Wine & Food Festival, June 6, $90.00 presale, 100.00 at the door. Ojai Wine Festival, Ojai, June 13, $30.00 pre-sale, $40.00 at the door. Santa Barbara Wine Festival, June 26, $60.00-$80.00 based on membership. California Wine Festival, Santa Barbara, July 15, 16 and 17. Ticket prices vary based on purchase and event.

Central CoastWine, Waves, & Beyond, Paso Robles, Thursday, June 3- Sunday, June 6. Paso Pinot & Paella Festival, June 6. $65.00.  Atascadero Lakeside Wine Festival, Atascadero, June 26, $40.00.  Winemaker’s Cookoff, Paso Robles, August 7, $75.00

Monterey CountyMonterey Wine Festival June 10-12, Price varies based on event. Scott’s Valley Art & Wine Festival

Northern California2010 Sonoma Wine Country Weekend, September 3 – 5, Ticket sales vary depending on event.  Bodega Bay Seafood, Art & Wine Festival, Bodega Bay, August 28-29. $12.00 pre-sale, $15.00 at the door. Sunnyvale Art & Wine Festival, Silicon Valley, June 5 & 6. Pinot Days, San Francisco, June 27, 31st Annual Los Altos Arts & Wine Festival, Los Altos, July 10-11. 4th Annual San Rafael Food & Wine Festival, San Rafael, August 14, $25.00 (Food & Wine) ($15.00 for food only tasting). Yorkville Highlands Wine Festival, August 14, $60.00. Russian River Valley WineGrowers Grape to Glass Weekend , Russian River, August 20-22, ticket prices vary based on event.

Looking for Top-Rated Wine Accessories?

Wednesday, May 5th, 2010
Ravi Instant Wine Chiller

Ravi Instant Wine Chiller

Search no more, because Gold Medal Wine Club has an excellent selection of gadgets, tools, wine glasses, corkscrews, cookbooks, and more – guaranteed to please any wine enthusiast! Visit our online store  today, and check out our latest additions, including the Ravi Instant Wine Chiller ($39.99), a revolutionary tool that immediately cools wine to the proper drinking temperature as you pour it. Its NEW for summer and already one of the best selling items on the market today!

Seriously Simple Cookbook

Seriously Simple Cookbook

If cookbooks are what you’re in the market for, then take a look at “Seriously Simple”, a collection of creative dishes that are easy to master, yet still possess the elegance to impress your finest guests (and offered at just $24.95, it’s a serious steal!)

From Vinturi Aerators, Decanturs, and crystal wine glasses from Ravenscroft, we know you will be impressed with our top-notch selections. Visit our online accessories page today and start shopping!

In honor of Moms everywhere…

Thursday, April 22nd, 2010

Remember when you were little, and you spent all day working so hard at making that perfect gift for mom for Mother’s Day? It took hours of preparation and focused energy, which was, let’s be honest here, a bonus gift for mom that you were so happily–and quietly– working on your masterpiece… You poured your little heart and soul into it- a painting, a new ruler made from a stick, a sculpture of her favorite pet made from clay - Sometimes the end product resulted in that fateful question that helped decipher its meaning, “Oh..honey…it’s delightful! Tell me more about this ‘creation’!” But regardless of what you were making,  it was always going to be awesome because it was from the heart.

I remember one Mother’s Day, my little sister and I had the brilliant idea to create a photo album full of pictures of none other than her darling little angels. We were probably 7 & 5 years old at the time. I remember thinking that we couldn’t use mere paper for the album, because that was too flimsy. We needed something sturdier that would withstand the true test of time, as we were sure this was going to be kept for centuries to come. We always had an abundance of leather around the house, as mom designed leather wallets at that time. Perfect. For hours on end we locked ourselves in the back rooms and searched through endless family photo albums, pulling out pictures that we thought she would like. After making our selections, we glued them onto the leather “sheets” of the album pages, cut from her leather inventory. We bound the pages with small strips of leather from the same source. This present was going to be the end-all of amazing gifts.

As an adult looking back, I can just about imagine the absolute shock in her eyes as she unwrapped her homemade gift to find that her most favorite family pictures and portraits had been ripped from their resting places and glued, yes glued, onto soft leather album pages, captioned with our names in silver permanent marker, just in case anyone forgot. And as a bonus, this was done in the 80’s, before the age of digital cameras, and I’m certain those were the only copies of the prints. Just for you, Mom, and we did it all by ourselves.

Now, I’m sure that like all homemade gifts that children make for their parents, she did treasure it in the special way that only mothers can. To us, her smiling face and hugs in return were satisfaction enough that we had yet again brilliantly displayed how much we loved her on Mother’s Day (even though I never saw that album ever again…)

For the safety of household family portraits everywhere, kids grow up. As an adult, my ability to put gifts together has changed with my upgrade from the “50 cents-per-household-chore” budget.  But that same feeling remains – the desire to WOW mom with perfect gift that shows her that her little angel still loves her dearly.  Because of this, I was delighted to see the selections that Gold Medal Wine Club is offering for Mother’s Day this year. Check them out! Choose from gift baskets, gift packs or FREE items with purchase of a membership. My favorites are the gift baskets — such attention to detail. Plus, what mom can resist a basket that’s full of goodies designed especially for her?!

California Dreaming BasketGift Baskets, Gift Packs & FREE Gifts with Memberships!

Mother’s Day is May 9, just around the corner…. Give the gift of award-winning, hard-to-find wines this year,  and show her how much you love her without spending six hours terrorizing the family portraits with a gluestick!

Are you on the VIP List?

Wednesday, April 7th, 2010

Save 40Make sure we have your email address, and you’ll be the first to hear about special discounts, exclusive promotions and private wine sales…before the public even knows about it! Throughout the year, we’re able to offer a range of special deals, and we want you to hear about it first. Having your email address on file is also a good idea when it comes to your scheduled wine club shipments. As each wine delivery is sent out, we’ll send you an email notification of the shipment with personal tracking information – this way you can plan and anticipate its arrival. Many of our wine club members are already enjoying the benefits of email notifications, and you can too!

Please give us a call today at 1-800-266-8888, and we can easily verify your account information and add your email address to our private list. And rest assured, we always keep email information confidential and never share it with anyone. Be in the know. Join the VIP list today!

Want to Impress Friends? Try the Plus Program!

Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010

Gold Medal Wine Club offers a Platinum Series Plus! selection each month. Last month’s Respite 2006 Cabernet SauvignonRespite is, in a word, stellar. If there’s any reason at all to join the Plus! program, this bottle might be it, and might be worth it simply for the potential bragging rights.

I attended a party over the weekend and was asked to bring a bottle of wine for all to enjoy. Normally I’m not fazed by this type of request, however, I became worried as the realization kicked in that I’d be in attendance with some really knowledgeable wine folks.

 <Insert panic here.>

Now, don’t get me wrong, I always find joy in trying a new bottle.  The living, breathing qualities of the life of wine intrigue me, and I’m always excited at the prospect of opening a highly rated bottle. But when it comes to bringing an offering to a party of well-versed wine enthusiasts, my excitement quickly melts away to apprehension. I think to myself, “Don’t appear pretentious by bringing an overly expensive wine, but don’t underachieve either. Above all, don’t let on that I’m nervous about it.” Anyone been here before? 

After checking my wine cellar, I decided on Respite 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon,  a brave choice because I had no idea what food was to be served. With such a hearty Cabernet in hand, I could really hit or miss the food pairing. Also, I’d never tried this particular bottle before. I knew it would be good, Wine Enthusiast recently awarded it 91 Points, but they also pointed out that it might want a few more years in the cellar. 

As I walked into the party, I was greeted by eye contact, then bottle contact as my selection was scrutinized.  “I’ve never heard of that winery, we must open it up,” my host offered.  I smiled and glanced around the room to the tables of hour d’ourves – so many tables of food that a formal dinner had to be out of the question. A selection of various antipasto-type finger foods including cheeses, marinated veggies, breads, tapenades and fruit plates were meticulously displayed, and then I saw, jackpot, tapas portion sized steaks, fish, and meaty lasagna. Hurdle number one, pairing, conquered.

We opened the bottle and without decanting or aerating, the wine was quickly dispersed into wine glasses that seemed to appear out of every corner of the room.  Swirl, sniff, “ooh’s” and “ah’s” at the aromas of fruit and red currants, followed by the ever fateful first sips. As each person took a mouthful, the reaction was priceless as eyes lit up around the kitchen island and met my gaze with delighted squints and smiles.  And let me say, I also thoroughly enjoyed those few seconds, as the wine filtered through my senses. Delectable. The structure and balance were exactly on par with the high standards of this group, and might I say as well that the Wine Enthusiast must have rated this wine a couple of years ago, because it is outstanding right now.

The rest of the night was highly enjoyable, but it was extra sweet because I had officially stamped a great impression upon the group, achieving credibility and bragging rights on having such great taste in wine.  The best part? I didn’t have to find this bottle, it came to my doorstep and all I had to do was add the Plus! bottle to my regular shipment. Plus! wines really are “all that” and more!

If you haven’t done so already, you might consider adding a Plus Bottle to your wine club membership.  The wines featured with that program are rare, exquisite, and downright tasty! There’s simply not enough quantity to feature the bottles to everyone, which is why it is offered as an add-on. This extra bottle is available for Gold, Platinum or Diamond Series memberships, and may be included in every shipment or as often as you like. It simply adds that something extra and special to an already great thing.  Try it out, even just once in your next shipment. I know you won’t be disappointed, and maybe, just maybe, it will bring you bragging rights at your next party.

Art of Fine Wine – A Burst of Color for Spring

Saturday, March 20th, 2010
"Yountville Vineyard"

"Yountville Vineyard"

Happy March, and with it, happy spring! We’re really excited about the featured artist for this month, Sandy Delehanty. Sandy offers bright color and a vivacious attitude in her artwork. When we saw this painting, entitled Yountville Vineyard , we couldn’t pass it up and had to post it for your viewing pleasure. Sandy works as a full time artist in northern California. She leads painting trips around the world and also instructs watercolor and oil painting classes. You may view other selections sure to capture your eye on her website.


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