Wine on the road is a tricky subject. Back in the 90′s when I worked for a charter airline, I recall passengers bringing on totes filled with their favorite wine. One couple told me they can never find “their wine” while traveling so they started bringing their own. Good idea! Now granted, that was pre-9/11 when passengers could bring any size bottle of liquid from home on board and return with two bottles of duty free liquor (that’s how I stocked my bar back then). Today, it’s not as easy. For one thing you have to check your spirits and, yes, I’ve seen wine-drenched luggage happen to unfortunate travelers due to poor packaging.
With that said, I’ve always thought it would be great to have your own wine delivered to your hotel room without paying an exuberant price. After all, some hotel bars close down early and it’s not uncommon to lack a wine store nearby.
I’ve been a wine drinker for a long time, so when the California Wine Club approached me about a possible review the first thing I asked was, “Can you deliver anywhere?” The answer was an enthusiastic yes!
The California Wine Club can deliver wine to your hotel room, your inlaws or wherever else you may be staying.
If you aren’t aware, the California Wine Club is a wine of the month club. Each month, depending upon your subscription, you will receive two bottles of wine to try. You choose red, white or both. The wine brand is a surprise. The monthly wine club subscriptions starts at a reasonable $36.45 for the most popular choice, the Premier Club, and goes up to $150-$235 for the Aged Cabernet Series with a couple of other options in between. The actual membership is free and you can cancel anytime.
My upcoming travel plans were quite spontaneous; therefore, I asked to have the wine shipped to my home and sure enough a surprise selection was delivered to my front door just like any package. I received a Bargetto Family Estates Pinot Grigio (white) and a Rougon Smith RSW Coast Cuvee (a red blend). While I’ve attended many wine tastings, I’m not claiming to be a connoisseur. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find both bottles were delightful and actually jotted down their names so I can seek them out during future wine shopping.
My overall experience with the California Wine Club was really good. The wine was tasty, the prices are reasonable and I’m pleased the company is flexible and able to ship wine to travelers. If you’ve always wanted a wine club subscription but have passed because you travel too much, now you have a reason to join. Just make sure you have a corkscrew on hand when you travel!
Bonus for you! Use promo code: vacationgals to receive 4 bottles in your first shipment for the price of two with no obligation to continue. Also, if you find California Wine Club on Twitter or Facebook and like / follow them and mention The Vacation Gals sent you, you will be entered in a raffle to win a one month gift subscription.
This is a great idea. I’m always wishing I could bring wine on trips when I’m carry-on only — this is one way around that conundrum.
Ah Ha! So this is what your up to when not writing and taking care of business.
Kidding. We like wine as well and this is a great idea because like you say, prices for a bottle of wine at a hotel have huge mark ups most times, great solution!
Thanks for the tip,
Nancy & Shawn
We have been California Wine Club members for several years. We have also been shipping our favorite wines to our vacation home in the Florida Keys for years! We order our favorites, and the wine consultants make sure it is shipped in time to be there when we arrive! Last week, we picked several of the wines on sale, and also some Signature Series wines, as a treat for us and our friends. The California Wine Club will hold these selections, and ship them just before our arrival in November. We have ours shipped to a friend’s address. He always knows we’ll be there soon, when the wine arrives!
The California Wine Club is happy to accomodate us in any way they can. Try it, you’ll love them!
Pat and Ed Klopp