by Mark Aselstine
Over the years, there have been a number of changes to how wine clubs are sold as well as how they function. Some of those changes have occurred because of law changes, others have been brought on by forces completely outside of the wine industry itself. Change #1: Shipping Time Frames A decade ago, it wasn't unusual to sign up for a wine club, only to not see a shipment for at least a month. For a winery direct wine club, it could be multiple months before their next quarterly shipment. Amazon started pressuring all businesses by offering 2 day Prime shipping and now Amazon offers same day delivery for some parts of the country. The concept of waiting to ship until the end of the month is long gone. It's hard to think of shipping happening more quickly as a negative for anyone. ...
by Diana Zahuranec
If you like white wine, there is a Chardonnay made for you. Chardonnay is the most-planted white wine grape in the world, and it is an international favorite for a reason: above all, for its ability to please almost anyone. Much of the Chardonnay you’ll find on a typical retail shelf will have a common style: rich and buttery with vanilla notes (from oak). It’s a popular profile, and if that’s what you prefer, great – you’re already on your way to knowing what you like. However, it’s only one of the many faces of Chardonnay. You may be pleasantly surprised to learn that there are many other styles to explore. In fact, Chardonnay can be oaky and buttery just as easily as it is fruit-forward and full-bodied, lean and mineral, and anywhere in between. What Makes One Chardonn...
by Vesselina Stoyanova
Do you read your daily horoscope on the sly? Have you pondered how your zodiac personality traits affect your life and, most importantly, your wine choices? The team at Wine365 decided to have some fun for spring and answer the existential zodiac and wine pairing questions for you. Aries kicks off the new zodiac cycle on March 21, and while you will not find any crystal ball predictions here, we hope to provide some amusement and encourage you to try some beautiful wines, even if they are outside of your zodiac sign. Read on to discover what’s in your crystal wine glass. Aries, ram Aries (Ram): Cabernet Sauvignon or Sangiovese Aries are natural-born leaders, honest and generous. People born under this sign are not afraid to express their opinion and take risks. The perfect win...
by Mark Aselstine
Over the years, the online wine club game has changed, dramatically. Part of the change has been driven, unsurprisingly in the wine industry, by regulation. Court case after court case has shown that 3rd party wine clubs are the stuff of the past and new age wine clubs, which are permitted as wineries themselves are the future. Here's a handful of those new age wine clubs to know about today. 1) Winc: Any discussion almost has to begin here. Winc has been pushing the envelope of what's possible for some time. They not only originated, but perfected the current preferred marketing method of collecting email addresses via survey and then converting customers at a later date. They're in the process of being publicly traded, after being the first online wine seller to receive a signifi...
by Marla Durben Hirsch
We all know that drinking wine can alter one’s mental state. New research tells us exactly how red wine affects our mood. Investigators from the German-based Institute for Frontier Areas of Psychology and Mental Health, the Instituto Universitario in Portugal, and elsewhere decided to explore whether moderate wine consumption results in positive changes in consciousness, the first such study of its kind. They hypothesized that the “balanced consumption of wine” can lead to “temporary joyful transcendence of the ordinary mental state” and possibly “mystical-type states.” They recruited more than 100 people to visit a wine bar in a tourist area in Lisbon, Portugal to drink two glasses of red wine and document the effects. The participants were mainly university stud...
by Jennifer Evans
The holiday season is an exciting time for everyone, but especially for wine lovers. Why? Because all of our friends and family know the perfect present for us: wine, or gifts to help us enjoy wine. We’ve rounded up the top gifts for every wine lover on your list, sure to make their spirits bright. Bottle of Wine When it comes to gifting and wine lovers, there are few things better than a bottle of our favorite wine, or any wine really. If you’re worried about choosing the wine when you don’t know someone’s favorite, check out our tips on gifting wine, grab one of our adorable wine gifts bags, and give with confidence. Just remember: when you give the gift of wine to someone who loves it, it shows you know us and care, and really what’s more special than that? Hand Painted...
by Stuart George
Six bottles of 1953 Château Doisy Daëne landed on the Arden list recently. A Sauternes-loving client took three bottles and very generously offered to open one with me at our office in Brook Street. No pressure… ???? Until the 1840s, Doisy was a single estate but was subsequently divided into three: Château Doisy Daëne, Château Doisy-Védrines, and Château Doisy-Dubroca. “Daëne” is apparently a French corruption of “Deane”, the English owner of the then undivided Château Doisy. Doisy Daëne is pure Sémillon – no Sauvignon or Muscadelle here – and is known for its “peaches and cream” character. This 1953 comes from a lovely, stylish Sauternes vintage. The nearly 70-year old cork came out without too much trouble, even if it came out in se...
by Stuart George
Arden Fine Wines is based in Brook Street, opposite Claridge’s, which was a favourite bolthole of Sir Winston Churchill. Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill was created by Champagne Pol Roger in homage to its greatest fan. By comparison with most other deluxe champagnes, the volume is tiny – 25,000-50,000 bottles typically. We’ve drunk tasted three vintages of Sir Winston this year, most recently the 1986… This was the fifth vintage of Cuvée Sir Winston to be brought to life and is a very good effort for a rather mixed year in Champagne. We have three bottles left – if they’re not opened for inspection by the (self-appointed ????) Friends of Arden Champagne Tasting Panel in the meantime…...
by Stuart George
The 1960 Bordeaux vintage was (I'm told by somebody who remembers ????) considered to be light, relatively inexpensive, and to be enjoyed while the superior 1959s matured. It was the biggest crop since the frost-bitten 1956 vintage. There was a shortage of wine so the 1960s were well-bought. Caught between the twin peaks of 1959 and 1961, Château Mouton Rothschild's 1960 – when the estate was still ranked as a “Deuxième Cru” (Second Growth) – was one of the best examples of this overlooked year. Our bottle of Mouton 1960 came from a cellar in deepest Sussex and is in as good a condition as could be expected for its age. The label for this Mouton vintage was by Jacques Villon (1875-1963), whose proper name was Gaston Duchamp. He was brother of the sculptor Duch...
by Stuart George
A recent VIP visitor to Arden’s Mayfair office was at Château Léoville Barton when its 1970 vintage was coming to life. I couldn’t find any 1970 and the best that I could come up with (vis-à-vis lunchtime budgets) was 1992. This was the least good vintage of the 90s. Frankly, it was shocker – the wettest Bordeaux summer for half a century. My colleague Madeline was underwhelmed – but she is very high-maintenance when it comes to food and wine ????. The ’92 Leoville Barton wasn’t quite as bad as I feared. We drank it with some cheese (and good company) and it was a pleasant aged claret. It’s probably one of the better wines of this tricky Bordeaux vintage. Fortuitously, the day after entertaining our VIP guest some 1970 Léoville Barton was offer...
