Laithwaite’s Wine Club

Laithwaites Wine Club, winner of the Wine Merchant of the Year International Wine Challenge in 2010 and 2011, makes it easy to get started in a wine club by the case.

4 Seasons Wine Club from Laithwaites Wine is a case club – that means your shipment contains 12 bottles of wine – either all red, all white, or mixed. The starting price is $89.99, which means you're paying about $7.50 for each bottle of wine.

In the case of red wines, you'll receive eight different wines (you'll get 2 bottles of some wines) including California Cabernet and Pinot Noir, an Argentinean Malbec, and one of France's finest Bordeaux's.

The white wine case includes a Riesling from Washington State, a Spanish lime & peach Aperitif, along with other whites from New Zealand, France, Italy and Napa Valley.

Finally, the mixed case gives you 4 different reds and 4 different whites, some doubled up, for a total of 12 bottles. This introductory case is great for getting started, or makes a great gift.

Like most wine clubs, tasting notes come with your order. Your first shipment also comes with a binder, to keep your tasting notes in order. In addition, they throw in a free gift: currently a deluxe lever-action corkscrew.

Delivery is every 3 months, and future shipments are billed at $139.99 ($11.67 / bottle). You can cancel anytime (yes, even after your first order!) and even skip a shipment or switch your wine preference. There are also two additional shipments you can take advantage of: one around the holidays, and one over the summer.

A nice service offered by Laithwaites is that if you like a wine in your wine club, you can order more of it direct from Laithwaites.

However, unlike some clubs, shipping is not included – be prepared to spend an extra $19.99 with each shipment.

Visit laithwaiteswine.com & read the full review, including a list of the wine I received in my shipment, and my experience with their customer service team.