International Wine of the Month Club » In the News

Don’s September Collector Series Top Picks

Don Lahey — Fri, 28 Sep 2012 21:46:24 +0000

Joel Gott is a California legend and Gott’s Dillian Ranch Zinfandel is his most iconic offering. This month’s feature and first Top Pick is Joel Gott’s 2009 Dillian Ranch Zinfandel. Why? It has everything great Zinfandel needs to possess: plenty of deep down berry fruit, bramble, spice, and a beautiful patina of oak. It’s rich and satisfying, without being sweet or over the top. Gott deserves kudos for another outstanding offering from Amador County’s most renowned Zinfandel vineyard. The dry farmed Dillian Ranch Vineyard was planted between 1920 and 1948 and it offers considerably less than one ton of fruit per acre of superb fruit. So, come taste a bit of yesteryear and the best of today! This month’s second Top Pick belongs to Artesa’s stunning 2009 Estate Reserve Pinot Noir. Artesa has fashioned superb Pinot Noirs for nearly a decade, but winemaker Mark Beringer has hit a homerun with the 2009 Estate Reserve Pinot Noir. The 2009 Estate Reserve is big, balanced, and beautiful and most importantly richly endowed with savory scents and flavors. How could I resist? A votre santé!

A Dream Come True

Don Lahey — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 23:36:18 +0000

For years I’ve heard colleagues and friends speak of the beauty of South Africa’s Winelands. Comments such as “the Western Cape is the world’s most beautiful wine country” and “you can’t imagine how beautiful Stellenbosch and the surrounding Winelands are”, have made me want to see for myself.

I have always dreamed of coming to South Africa. However, if truth be known, I had often wondered if some of the talk about the Cape’s beauty might be a bit of hyperbole. After all, I have been fortunate to have visited most of the world’s wine regions, and I have found each to exude a distinctive charm and give me pause to wonder. Burgundy, Germany’s Rheingau, Napa Valley, Provence, Tuscany, and Chile’s Colchagua Valley whose vineyards soar skyward on the majestic slopes of the towering Cordillera of the Andes, to name just a few special wine regions are all quite special and offer excellent photo ops. However, after visiting South Africa’s Western Cape to sample the wines of Stellenbosch, Franschhoek, Paarl, and Swartland, I must confess there is no more dramatic and stunningly beautiful wine region on earth than South Africa’s Western Cape.

A Votre Santé!

Don

What to Look for in 2012

Don Lahey — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 17:34:33 +0000

South Africa is the world’s ninth largest producer of wine and in recent years, South African wine has become the fastest growing imported wine into the United States. Although hardly a match yet in sheer volume for Argentina, Australia, France, Italy, or Spain, there is no denying that South Africa is making an array of exciting wines that appeal to Americans. The South African wine industry has transformed itself since the end of Apartheid and continues to evolve in new and exciting ways. Not only is there now no shortage of world class red wines being made in South Africa, there is also a bevy of delectable white wines to choose from.

On my recent trip to the Western Cape, I was particularly impressed by the delicious Sauvignon Blancs, Chenin Blancs, Viognier blends, and even by a number of outstanding Chardonnays. Yet, red wine still reigns supreme in South Africa. Stellenbosch and the surrounding regions have long been known for distinctive, full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz based wines as well as South Africa’s unique grape variety, Pinotage, and these wines are all better than ever. I also found a number of South African Merlot wines to be especially tasty. Consequently, in 2012 you should look for a number of South African beauties, both red and white, to show up at your doorstep.

A Votre Santé!

Don

Another Seasonal Thought

Don Lahey — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 23:50:49 +0000

Conventional thinking tends to relegate Champagne and other fine sparkling wines to special occasions, late night parties, and New Year’s Eve. To that I say “humbug.” Champagne is a wine for all seasons, and since every day ought to be a celebration, why not pour yourself a glass of Champagne on a cold, rainy day as well as a warm, sunny day? Why limit the pleasure of good bubbly to a few occasions or just one time of the year? Furthermore, good sparkling wine, and Champagne in particular, cheers the heart as well as the palate.

Personally, I like Champagne at all times of the year, and I especially enjoy it as an aperitif and a prelude to a fun evening. It cleanses the palate and enlivens the soul. I believe it was Winston Churchill who once remarked, “In the time left to us between the disaster and the catastrophe, there is time for a glass of Champagne.” To that, I add Amen!

A Votre Santé!

Don

And The Winners are …

International Wine of the Month Club — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 23:08:35 +0000

So today is the big day ladies and gentlemen – we’ve had a sweepstakes giveaway going on for the past month and today we unveil the grand prize winner! So without further ado, the grand prize winner of our Aromaster Wine Tasting Kit is … (intense drum-roll) … Barbara Newell! Barbara’s new kit includes 80 of the most common wine scents designed by wine professionals, an educational board game, and wine aroma wheels to help identify wine scents! Enjoy your new kit Barbara and Congratulations!

In addition to our grand prize, we’ve also randomly selected 50 of our other entries to receive a handy Wine-Aerating Pour Spout!

Here are the lucky winners:

Greg O.

Jessica N.

Tobi R.

Blake L.

Jack W.

Joanne L.

Nicole F.

Garrett B.

Terry H.

Mark D.

Mark A.

F. Pantoja

Kathryn V.

Kelley S.

Carla F.

Valerie S.

Tim H.

David E.

Ed W.

Lee S.

Debra F.

Derrick B.

Karen R.

Bob Y.

Jerry B.

Sue S.

Sue F.

Kurt F.

Michael S.

J. Ross

Cheri P.

Bruce T.

Rebecca H.

Bob W.

Andy H.

Claude K.

James H.

Chris C.

Amanda B.

Debbie L.

Maria W.

Susan M.

Al M.

Grace T.

Ally A.

Debby N.

Dan M.

Laurie A.

Tim K.

Jennifer L.

We just want to thank everyone for supporting our Facebook launch and for participating in our giveaway! Stay connected with our page to find out all kinds of good stuff like what’s going on with our club, and the wine world in general.

Cheers!

Tis the Season . . .

Don Lahey — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 23:45:44 +0000

Annually, more than 40% of retail wine sales occur in the months of November and December. When one factors in holiday gift giving, parties, and general merry making, this robust figure begins to make sense … or does it? I sometimes wonder what people, and especially ardent wine drinkers, consume the rest of the year. Unfortunately, the answer is all too clear.

Most wine drinkers are on a budget and are understandably afraid to take a chance on an unfamiliar label. Consequently, they resort to purchasing inexpensive commercial brands of wine on sale. On rare special occasions they’ll splurge and buy an expensive bottle of wine with some degree of name recognition. Sadly, that expensive bottle of wine will likely be too young for present consumption, yet it will be consumed within a week of purchase. In essence, most people drink a label and a price tag and end up paying too much or too little for wine that fails to impress. Moreover, they deprive themselves of the many fine, affordable wines on the market that lay next to a label that everyone knows and can pronounce. In truth, fine wine can occasionally be had for as little as $10.00/bottle, and there is no shortage of outstanding offerings that sell for $15.00-$50.00 per bottle. These undiscovered treasures come from all over the world, and yes, indeed, their names will likely not be on the tip of everyone’s tongue. That’s a good sign. So this New Year, my sincere wish is that every wine drinker branch out to discover that hidden treasure.

A Votre Santé!

Don

78 year anniversary, and boy does it feel good!

International Wine of the Month Club — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 01:26:46 +0000

Can you believe that the sale of alcohol was actually banned at one point? Glad it’s just a remembrance of what once was, but no longer is. We think this merits a toast ladies and gentlemen. Cheers to the good stuff!

Wait a minute … who manages this thing?

Kristina Manning — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 20:42:33 +0000

I’d like to take a moment to introduce myself, Kristina Manning, C&H Clubs Customer Service Manager. I am proud to say we have a top notch Customer Service Team! I’d like to share with everyone C&H Clubs Customer service mission statement as it’s what drives our focus everyday we clock in: “We are committed to providing excellent customer service through knowledge, enthusiasm, courtesy and attentiveness. Meeting our customers’ expectations is our top priority.”

Companies talk about the importance of customer service all the time, but we truly believe in it. We here at C&H Clubs believe that besides the quality and variety of our wines, our customer service is just as important as the beautiful selections we choose.

We love hearing from our members about their experiences with our wines, so give us a call anytime to share your thoughts on the wines you have tried from us. Wine is in fact one of my passions and I will share with you what I thought about a wine from time to time and maybe some fun and random things going on out there in the wine world.

Give us a call if you ever have any concerns about our selections or delivery of your wines to your door. That’s what we’re here for!

Cheers,

Kristina Manning

Customer Service Manager

800-625-8238

Check out our Wine Events Calendar!

Kris Calef — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 23:41:51 +0000

Hey fellow wine enthusiasts! We just wanted to share with you our Wine Events Calendar on our site which will always keep you in the loop about all kinds of wine events and expos going on. We update our events on the 1st of every month, so be sure to watch for it. We also send off a reminder on our Facebook page every time we update our calendar, so please visit our page and like us to stay in the loop!

And if you ever have any you don’t see and would like to share, just send us an email at customerservice@winemonthclub.com!

Welcome to The International Wine of the Month Club’s Blog!

Kris Calef — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 00:22:33 +0000

It’s been a long time coming and we’ve given this one quite a bit of thought. Many of our loyal customers participated in a survey a few months back, the primary focus of which was to help us determine exactly what kind of content you’d like us to cover on our blog and on our Facebook page.

You’re feedback was quite clear and with it in mind, you can look forward to posts from Don Lahey, the head of our wine tasting panel, highlighting some of his personal favorites of our featured selections, notes from recent panel tastings, and insights on changes in the industry such as the move from corks to screw caps!

We’ll be digging up information on national wine tasting and other wine related events, exploring the many wine regions represented in the club, and sharing some of our most favorite recipes that we found married perfectly with our featured selections.

The future direction of our blog content will be largely influenced by our members and we’re eager to learn from you how we can continue to add value to your overall experience with The International Wine of the Month Club.

A Votre Sante!

Kris Calef

President