Two of my favorite things come together again–wine and advent calendars! Every year my family members each pick out an advent calendar for the month of December based on what they personally like (it's usually chocolate). However, we also often buy advent calendars that are not necessarily for opening every single day but for the variety of goodies inside them (like socks or jellies).
The new WSJ “Cheers Around the World” wine advent calendar is a perfect example of the second type. You'll get 24 unique bottles of wine that you can open every day or spread out throughout the whole year. Each bottle is actually a quarter-bottle, or one glass of wine. They include both red and white wine PLUS a half bottle of Prosecco.
Would this make a great gift? Absolutely!! But would it also be great just to buy yourself because you deserve it? For sure! At just $149.99 plus free shipping, that's a great variety of wine. Order by November 21 if you want it to actually start the month of December. If you are just wanting it for the variety, you just need to order before it sells out (which it will).
WSJ Wine Variety and Quality
Wondering about the actual wine that you will be getting? We have been reviewing wine from various WSJ wine clubs for about a decade. In fact, I did an entire WSJ Wine Club Review with video that shows you all of the different types of wine you might get, how it is packaged, etc. Don't expect the brand names to be ones that you have heard of because they have their own in-house branding. However, the varieties you get will be recognizable. They will include favorites like Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Grigio, Port, and Rose'. If you are just wanting to have a nice big box of a variety of wine to have on hand, that WSJ introductory box is the way to go.
What can you expect from the quality? You are getting a great deal because you are buying in bulk plus buying their own brands. So while you shouldn't expect a $50 a bottle type wine, you should expect something you would pay around $15 a bottle for in your grocery. It's usually a good value for decent wines because of the bulk buying.
Click here to see the WSJ Wine Advent Calendar for yourself!
Why Wine Advent Calendars are Awesome
I consider myself to be a bit of an expert on wine advent calendars in general. As I mentioned above, I'm very into advent calendars. And obviously since I own a wine club review site, I'm pretty into wine. Every year I check out all of the different wine advent calendars and usually buy at least one.
Do I need little baby bottles of wine when I am already stocked up with full size bottles of wine? Yes!! First of all, I love the variety. It's great to be able to try a different type of wine I don't usually drink or a brand I don't know. And it's not a waste if I don't love it because it's only a glass or two. Second, I don't always want or need a FULL bottle. Sometimes I can't drink a full bottle in a even a week. The little bottles are perfect for when I'm buy myself and want a single glass or if my husband and I each just want one glass of something different. Also, I'm a big calorie counter. So having the portion control of the single glass bottles allows me to indulge without OVER indulging.
Click here to get the WSJ Wine Advent Calendar now before it sells out for the season! Trust me, I have missed out on the advent calendars in years pase because they only make so many.
Sometimes you can find wine advent calendars locally, but they also sell out fast.
Here's a Costco wine advent calendar that fellow WCG member Todd found last week:
I haven't seen a Cooper's Hawk wine advent calendar this year, but here is one that I got a couple of years ago that I enjoyed almost the entire year!
Should You Buy the WSJ Wine Advent Calendar?
If you are looking for a nice variety of wines and you like the thought of mini-bottles, the wine calendar is a great option. Also if you are looking for an impressive gift idea for someone who enjoys wine, it's always a fun gift to give. If you are keeping the advent calendar for yourself, you can look around locally and see if you can snag something like the ones at Costco or Cooper's Hawk. They are just usually tough to find because they sell out fast. If you are trying to have the wine shipped, I would definitely go with WSJ because wine shipping laws are a crazy mess and not worth dealing with. The WSJ shipping page is very straightforward in which states they ship to and when you need to order by.
What are your thoughts on wine advent calendars? Is your goal to drink a bottle each day, or do you like to spread out the good cheer all year long?
