One of my favorite experiences while traveling is exploring the local food and drink.  The first thing I do in a bar in a new country is ask for a recommendation for a locally produced beer.  While I love drinking beer, I am a huge fan of wine.  I don’t like paying the  huge premium a glass of wine.  I prefer my wine out of a bottle I have purchased at a store. Ask my college roommates, it wasn’t uncommon for me to open a bottle of wine to cook with and drink the rest of the bottle before dinner.

I usually buy wine by going to the store.  I stand in front of the wine selection.  Generally I don’t pay more than 15 bucks a bottle.  I look at the below 15 dollar bottles as see which one speaks for me.  There is no real method to my madness.  About 75% of the time, I enjoying the bottle.

One of those said college roommates has introduced me to a new way to buy my wine.  It stays in my price range but takes some of the guesswork out of buying wine.  It is a new monthly wine club.  It is called ClubW.

Why is it different?

ClubW is different than most monthly wine clubs. It sources its wine in small lots from small wineries from around the world. Every wine shipment contains at least 3 bottles of wine.  Every month, they offer you 3 recommended wines based on your palate.  They base their recommendations on your answers to their palate questionnaire.  You are able to select any combination of red and white wine.  The wine is priced between $13 and $29 a bottle.  A three bottle box starts at $39 plus $6 in shipping.

Club W allows you to select your monthly wine.  They have a recommended box of three wines. Each wine comes with detailed tasting notes as well as a recipe pairing. If none of these wine excited your palate, there have a selection of recommended wines.  These wines also fit with your palate.  If you are buying for someone else, they have a selection of wines that are being featured this month.  If you don’t want any wine one month you are able to skip a month or a few without penalty.  You need to skip it 48 hours before your box shipment date.

My Selection

I prefer white wine, so I selected two bottles of white and one red.  Club W recommended:

• 2014 Sauvetage Rosé from Côtes de Provence, France
• 2012 Mopina Super Tuscan from Santa Barbara County, California
• 2014 Cocomero Rosato from Tuscany, Italy

Since this was my first month and I have never had any of these style wines before.  I decided that rather than going with box recommendations, I selected three wines from the recommendations that were styles I know I enjoy.  I selected for my July ClubW wine box.:

• 2014 If a Tree Falls Riesling from Yakima Valley, Washington
• 2013 One from the Quiver Malbec from Mendoza, Argentina
• 2014 Rambutan Muscat Canelli from Santa Baraba County, California

My selections were a little heavy on the USA influence, but I haven’t had USA wine in a while.  While working in West Africa, I tended to drink the cheap but good Argentina wines.

My Tasting Notes

If a Tree Falls Riesling

About the wine

• Origin: Yakima Valley, Washington
• Alcohol by Volume: 12.7%
• Serve: Chilled
• Pairings: Egg rolls, Thai Chicken, Fresh Salads with Fruit

Tasting Notes

I can’t wait to pop the cork out.  I am a huge fan of Riesling. I pour myself a glass of this honey colored liquid in my makeshift wine glass.  Its color is light golden honey yellow when held up to the light. I sniffed the class and can smell a hint of lemon and citrus.  A sniff of the glass reminds me of cherries and licorice.  I take a sip.  It feels light on my tongue. It has a touch of sweetness and tartness.  I can taste a hint of lemon and apples.

Tasting with Burrata with Stone Fruit, Chili, & Mint

This recipe was provided by ClubW and is from Chef Claire  Thomas of the The Kitchy Kitchen.

I used  peaches as my stone fruit and fresh  mint leaves from my garden. The texture of the burrata adds a new component to the salad.  The slight tartness of the Riesling compliments the peaches and burrata. I enjoyed this salad and glass of wine.  I have added this  recipe to my repertoire of regular lunch salads (although without the wine).

One from the Quiver Malbec

About the wine

• Origin: Mendoza, Argentina
• Alcohol by Volume: 14%
• Serve: Room Temperature
• Pairings: Steak, Pasta, Grilled Beef, and Provoleta

Tasting Notes

I pop the cork out of the bottle and the smell of berries hits me. I pour a glass in my makeshift wine glass.  It is a deep red/purple in color.  Its color is rich and full when held up to the light.  A sniff of the glass reminds me of cherries and licorice.  I take a sip.  It feels heavy on my tongue.  I can taste the cherries and a hint of something spicy.

Tasting with Pappardelle & Beef Ragu

This recipe was provided by ClubW and is from Chef Elizabeth Cauvel from ElizabathCauvelCooks.com.

The ragu sauce is a great compliment to the Malbec.  The taste of cherries pairs nicely with the subtle flavors in the sauce.  Make sure to buy really fresh pappardelle.  Mine wasn’t as fresh as the package claimed, but it did make a nice base to eat the amazing sauce.  The beef adds an extra layer of flavor to both the wine and  sauce.

Rambutan Muscat Canelli

About the wine

• Origin: Mendoza, Argentina
• Alcohol by Volume: 14%
• Serve: Room Temperature
• Pairings: Steak, Pasta, Grilled Beef, and Provoleta

Tasting Notes

I had a little difficulty getting the cork out of the bottle.  Once I did, I poured myself a glass.  It is a pale golden yellow in color.  I can smell a hint of dragon fruit and lemons.  I take a small sip. The wine is light and smooth in texture.  It is slightly sweet and a little tangy.  I can taste a little bit of fruity tartness.  Overall, a refreshing desert wine.

Tasting with Strawberry-Rhubarb Streusel Bars

This recipe was provided by ClubW and is from the Kitchn.

I had never tried rhubarb before, but the recipe called for it.  I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this  streusel.  It is a good balance between tartness and sweet.  The crust and streusel topping are barely sweet and it complements the sugar in the filling.  The wine does a good job at bringing out the tart flavor of the rhubarb and the strawberries without making you feel like you are eating a spoon full of sugar.

Disclosure notice:

All opinions are my own and I am a monthly customer of ClubW.  I was introduced to ClubW from a college roommate.  If you sign up for ClubW please use my affiliate link.  You will get $26.00 off your first order of wine and I get $13.00 towards more wine.  I like more wine.

Do any of my July ClubW Wine Box interest you?  If so try ClubW, today and save $26.00 on your first box.