We independently research every club that we review. Although we may receive free samples or commissions on some sales, our opinions are always our own.
I'm excited about the new promotion from The California Wine Club because it combines two of my favorite things--good deals and wine!
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To be honest, they were not my favorite wines that I have ever gotten from a wine club. I would say that I thought all of them were probably in the $7-9 a bottle quality range. Which is not bad for what I paid for them! They are good for pulling out with dinner. But I would NOT give them as gifts. I think I am down to only about 2-3 bottles left and they are the ones that were duplicates. I did end up cancelling my club because although the initial price was good for the case, I did not want to pay the second shipment price assuming they would be about the same quality. Instead I am trying out a Gold Medal club this month and still want to try the Cellars Sweet Club.
There’s actually a lot of debate about that. You definitely do not want a really expensive champagne because the orange juice does cover up some of the flavor. On the flip side, if you are planning on having more than 1 or 2, you don’t want something that will give you a headache. When I make them, I usually just have 1 or 2, so I go with stuff that is about $8-10 a bottle. Most people say that something in the $15 range is perfect. And dry/brut! You can also add just a little bit of a liqueur to it to make it smoother–like a splash of Chambord or Grand Marnier.
While I liked receiving the Zagat shipment that I received last year, it was definitely better as a personal purchase than as a gift. First, there is no option to prepay. So if you order it for someone, you would then have to cancel it after how many ever shipments you wanted to pay for. Second, there is no gifting option at all, so they would not know who it was from and there is no way of notifying the recipient that it will be coming (it takes a few weeks to arrive). Third, it’s a full case, which a really big shipment for most people to receive. I couldn’t even carry it into my house it was so heavy. So if you are having it delivered to someone, it might be difficult for them to deal with it.
We do not actually sell the wine clubs but rather just review them so you would need to reach out to them directly. I would suggest contacting Laithwaites rather than Southwest, though, because Southwest basically just gives the points. You should be able to reach their customer service at 1-800-649-4637.
I think this is a good caution for any wine club. There is always going to be some kind of fine print about autoshipments or shipping charges or things like that. The one thing I would suggest if you ever want to get another wine club is that there are some where you can prepay for just the number of months that you want. Then at the end of what you have pre-paid, the shipments just stop. It’s the best way to give gifts and a good way to make sure you are not getting autobilled if you miss an email or reminder or renewal notice.
I think the issue is that they run a lot of different promotions in a lot of different places. I just noticed that the current one we have is $41.94 for 6 bottles plus a six-piece wine tote with your third shipment. They seem to switch them up pretty regularly (similar to Wall Street Journal Wine Club and a couple of others that we have reviewed). So I guess it depends which link you are clicking through or which flyer you get. Sorry you didn’t have a good experience but we appreciate you leaving your feedback for others!
I’m sorry that happened to you, Marilia! I can’t remember how I unsubscribed, but I think it was by email. I don’t remember talking to anyone. I got a notice right away that I wouldn’t get any more shipments. But I am still on their mailing list and get a lot of sales emails from them.
Unfortunately, all of them that I have seen (even the ones that call themselves “Champagne Clubs”) say in the fine print that they are both Sparkling and Champagne. Of the clubs that I have had delivered personally, they have pretty much all ended up being Sparkling. I don’t think I have seen an actual bottle of Champagne in them yet.
Hi Christi,
To be honest, they were not my favorite wines that I have ever gotten from a wine club. I would say that I thought all of them were probably in the $7-9 a bottle quality range. Which is not bad for what I paid for them! They are good for pulling out with dinner. But I would NOT give them as gifts. I think I am down to only about 2-3 bottles left and they are the ones that were duplicates. I did end up cancelling my club because although the initial price was good for the case, I did not want to pay the second shipment price assuming they would be about the same quality. Instead I am trying out a Gold Medal club this month and still want to try the Cellars Sweet Club.
Tricia
There’s actually a lot of debate about that. You definitely do not want a really expensive champagne because the orange juice does cover up some of the flavor. On the flip side, if you are planning on having more than 1 or 2, you don’t want something that will give you a headache. When I make them, I usually just have 1 or 2, so I go with stuff that is about $8-10 a bottle. Most people say that something in the $15 range is perfect. And dry/brut! You can also add just a little bit of a liqueur to it to make it smoother–like a splash of Chambord or Grand Marnier.
I’ve seen other people post about these before and call them “wine sippy cups.” That cracks me up. These are a “must purchase” for me!
And for those of us who LIKE getting all white wines, it is perfect. 😉
Hi Jeff, Shipping as of today is $19.99.
While I liked receiving the Zagat shipment that I received last year, it was definitely better as a personal purchase than as a gift. First, there is no option to prepay. So if you order it for someone, you would then have to cancel it after how many ever shipments you wanted to pay for. Second, there is no gifting option at all, so they would not know who it was from and there is no way of notifying the recipient that it will be coming (it takes a few weeks to arrive). Third, it’s a full case, which a really big shipment for most people to receive. I couldn’t even carry it into my house it was so heavy. So if you are having it delivered to someone, it might be difficult for them to deal with it.
Hi Cathie,
We do not actually sell the wine clubs but rather just review them so you would need to reach out to them directly. I would suggest contacting Laithwaites rather than Southwest, though, because Southwest basically just gives the points. You should be able to reach their customer service at 1-800-649-4637.
Tricia
You can cancel your subscription through Customer Service:
Monday through Friday, 6:00 am – 4:00 pm PST
800-823-5527
I think this is a good caution for any wine club. There is always going to be some kind of fine print about autoshipments or shipping charges or things like that. The one thing I would suggest if you ever want to get another wine club is that there are some where you can prepay for just the number of months that you want. Then at the end of what you have pre-paid, the shipments just stop. It’s the best way to give gifts and a good way to make sure you are not getting autobilled if you miss an email or reminder or renewal notice.
Hi Greg,
I think the issue is that they run a lot of different promotions in a lot of different places. I just noticed that the current one we have is $41.94 for 6 bottles plus a six-piece wine tote with your third shipment. They seem to switch them up pretty regularly (similar to Wall Street Journal Wine Club and a couple of others that we have reviewed). So I guess it depends which link you are clicking through or which flyer you get. Sorry you didn’t have a good experience but we appreciate you leaving your feedback for others!
Hi Tod,
According to their site, you can call 1-877-975-9463 to speak with someone in customer service to cancel your WSJ Wine Club shipment.
Hi Eileen,
We are not actually the wine club, we just reviewed it. But here’s the contact information for 5 Seasons Wine Club so you can contact them:
Toll-free customer service at 800-823-5527 from 6 AM to 5 PM Pacific Time, Monday – Friday
Vinesse Customer Support
4550 East Thousand Oaks Blvd., Suite 100
Westlake Village, CA 91362
Email: support@vinesse.com
Hi Roger,
We actually are not the wine club itself. We just review the clubs. You will need to contact them directly for subscription information.
Tricia
Hi Ilse,
We actually do not sell the wine ourselves. We just do reviews of it. You will need to contact the club directly for them to help you with your order.
Tricia
I’m sorry that happened to you, Marilia! I can’t remember how I unsubscribed, but I think it was by email. I don’t remember talking to anyone. I got a notice right away that I wouldn’t get any more shipments. But I am still on their mailing list and get a lot of sales emails from them.
Unfortunately, all of them that I have seen (even the ones that call themselves “Champagne Clubs”) say in the fine print that they are both Sparkling and Champagne. Of the clubs that I have had delivered personally, they have pretty much all ended up being Sparkling. I don’t think I have seen an actual bottle of Champagne in them yet.
Aren’t you glad it wasn’t Riesling? 🙂
It wasn’t my finest work. But it was fun. 🙂