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Posted by Robert Whitley on July 1, 2009 at 6:16 PM

Wine Review Online Launches Wine Club

Today is a big day at Wine Review Online because it marks the "official" debut of our wine club in partnership with JV Wines of Napa.

This idea has been in the incubator for some time, inspired by what Michael Franz and I consider the bane of our existence, the ubiquitous "where do I find that wine you've just recommended?" question, which we both field with regularity.

Both of us thought it would be a great idea if we could identify a couple of gems each month and provide a resource that would allow you to find and purchase the wine. At a great price, of course!

So here it is, two wines -- a red and a white or two reds -- delivered to your doorstep each month for $39. We've even made a deal with JV Wines to provide free shipping.

If you aren't familiar with JV Wines, be prepared to be impressed. With more than 4000 selections at any given time, we have plenty of great wines to choose from each month. What we're looking for are wines that "over-deliver" on quality for the price.

This month it's two superb wines from Spain, a red from Rioja and a white from the Rias Baixas. We've selected a Napa Valley stalwart, the 2005 Clos du Val Cabernet Sauvignon, and a yummy new Chardonnay from the Central Coast of California, the 2008 Acre Chardonnay, for the month of August.

And this is just the beginning. On top of these superb wines at a fabulous price, club members also will receive a subscription to the WRO Reviews pages for the length of their membership -- even more bang for your bucks!

Salute!

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Our July offering has a decidedly Spanish flair: the 2002 Luis Canas Rioja Reserva, the Best of Show red wine at the 2008 San Diego International Wine Competition, and the 2007 Paco & Lola Albarino, a Platinum award-winner at the 2009 Critics Challenge, from the Rias Baixas region in the northwest corner of Spain. Just $39 per month to join up, and now with free shipping!

More...

Whitley On Wine

Winemaker Interview: Dr. Federico Carletti, Poliziano
Jul 1, 2009

Dr. Federico Carletti took over the family winery, Poliziano, in the Tuscan district of Montepulciano more than 20 years ago. The Vino Nobile, the region's most important wine, was not so noble back then and Carletti had a huge mountain to climb. Today, however, the Vino Nobile is on the rebound in both quality and prestige and it's safe to say Poliziano was in the forefront of the viticultural revolution. Dr. Carletti chats with Robert about the past and the future of Poliziano.

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Wine Bytes

Byron 2006 Nielson Vineyard Historic Vines Chardonnay Jul 2, 2009 The Wine Guru says Byron's 2006 Nielson Vineyard Historic Vines Chardonnay, from the historic Santa Maria Valley vineyard, is sensational stuff.
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Franz & Lukacs Talk Wine

Debunking Common Wine Misconceptions
Jun 9, 2009

April Fool's Day may have come and gone -- but if you're looking to learn more about wine, you're not out of the woods just yet. Even the most seasoned drinkers can be fooled by misinformation and urban myths. Michael Franz and Paul Lukacs are back to talk about common misconceptions -- including the idea that wine usually gets better with age.

Audio Link

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OUR COLUMNISTS


Dr. Michael Apstein	Gerald D. Boyd	Tina Caputo	Patrick Comiskey	Michael Franz


Ed McCarthy	Linda Murphy	Robert Whitley

Are Stags leap District Wines Unique?
Michael Apstein

Everyone seems to agree that the Stags Leap District of Napa Valley is unique because of its topography, climate and soil. The question remains whether that uniqueness translates into distinctive wines that reflect the site. To test the theory, I spent two days in the Stags Leap District comparing the same vintage of Cabernet Sauvignon made from grapes grown in the Stags Leap District to those made from grapes grown in other California locales.

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L.A.'s New Wave of Wine Bars
Patrick Comiskey

I moved to Los Angeles from wine-savvy San Francisco in 2004, with little sense of just what kind of wine town it was, but soon learned that strictly in terms of wine geek credentials, it had few to none. That has all changed dramatically in the last decade, and no phenomenon exemplifies this change better than in the wave of new wine bars that have opened here in the last few years.

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Wine With . . . Pissaladière

One of the things we most associate with summer in the south of France is Pissaladière, that wonderfully fragrant, pungently flavored rustic tart topped with onions, anchovies and black olives. It is, according to Waverly Root in The Food of France, his venerable ode to French culture and food, 'Italy's gift to Nice.' The name, says Root, is related to the Provençale word pissala, which means anchovies ground into a paste.

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One of the World's Greatest Merlot Wines
Mary Ewing-Mulligan

I've forgotten the vintage, but I can still recall the taste of the first Masseto I experienced many years ago. I had never encountered an Italian wine that was so plump and so dense with fruit character. As a Merlot, it was also vastly different from the fairly austere and simple Merlots from Italy's northeastern regions -- a revelation. Masseto is the star of the outstanding collection of wines made by the Tenuta dell'Ornellaia, in the Bolgheri wine zone on the Tuscan coast. The estate was founded in 1981 by Ludovico Antinori and now, after various changes in ownership, is the property of the Frescobaldi family. The wine called Masseto comes from a single vineyard of the same name, whose 17 acres are planted entirely to Merlot.

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