The Customer is Always Right... The Best Wine of the Month Club for You
Asking what is the best wine of the month club is almost like asking what is the best wine; there is no way to answer that without taking personal preferences into consideration. The real question is: what do YOU want from a wine of the month club?
Q&A
First and foremost, you need to go back and ask yourself why you decided to join a wine of the month club in the first
place. If you are mainly looking to save on wine, your priorities will be quite different than if your main concerns are personal enrichment and the acquisition of a higher wine culture.
Once you have established this, you should set your price range according to your budget. The question will now be
narrowed to something like "what is the best wine of the month club for under $100?"
From the wine of the month clubs in your area and fitting your criteria, you will now need to select the one offering both
the most convenient service and a wine selection in tune with your preferences.
By the Bottle or by the Case?
Unless you are buying wine to build your wine cellar, it is also a good idea to figure out how much wine you can really consume before it's too late. Not all wine ages well, as a matter of fact, and storing conditions have to be optimal for best results.
If you are looking at a wine club which plans to send you two 12-bottle cases a month, you should be someone who drinks wine everyday. On the other hand, if you do drink it everyday, as most Southern Europeans do, the best wine of the month club won't be one that delivers two bottles per month; at least not in your book...
However, if you just want to do it for fun, to learn more about wine, whatever the wines of the month quantity may be, you shall be happy as long as the deal fits your budget. Let me give you a tip, though: if you are looking for connoisseur-worthy wines, beware of the assorted 12 and 18- bottle cases; this isn’t usually where the true gems lie.
No PO Boxes Please...
I once found a British wine club that said they didn't deliver to the Isle of Man but they claimed they would be "happy to deliver for someone living on the island," as long as they provided an address in London... Yeah, not very practical, now, is it?
So, what is the best wine of the month club, in terms of delivery policies and practices? Well, for starters, the wine
should be in your house while it's still good to drink! Now, seriously, if you look at what most of them are offering, over 7
days for delivery would be too much. If that is all you can find, look again; there are plenty of wine clubs offering a
faster service.
Great Wines of the World Unite!
You wouldn't be answering the question of what is the best monthly wine club, if you didn't take some time to explore the various
wine club selections
Some wine clubs specialize in reds, some are experts on wines from a particular region, and some just seem to know it all.
Take some time to check out the list of the wines they have in their cellars. Are there any bottles there that excite your
curiosity? Does it seem like a comprehensive collection? Moreover, are they exploring and bringing new discoveries out from time to time, or have they been selling the same Argentinean Syrah for five years straight?
Wherever it may be, the best wine of the month club will make you proud to be a member. It will enrich you, spiritually,
while it might also help you save a few bucks on the many forms, colors and tastes of that much sought-after elixir, which is
even said to make your life last longer.
