One of the benefits of living in wine country and occasionally writing about wine is that I meet a lot of great people, some of whom own wineries or make wine. I also get to sample some unique wines at a wide variety of prices.
Ever since we moved to Napa, I have received weekly requests from friends all over the country asking which wineries to visit, or any great new finds I have run across. Also, every time I discover a new wine, I think of people I know who would enjoy it. Yet many of these wines are not distributed widely, if at all, and not every winery I learn about even allows visitors, so often times I am not able to connect friends to these interesting wines.
So I have come up with a unique idea that will allow me to share my discoveries with you (and with your friends, if you so desire.) I am starting a special wine club for my wine-drinking friends that will combine my love of writing with my growing knowledge-base of interesting wines. There is no cost to join, and no obligation to ever buy. Here’s how it would work:
Each month, I will work with one of my winemaker/owner friends to put together an offer for you. I envision the offers would cost anywhere from $100-200 per shipment, maybe with an occasional higher offer if I find something truly special. Each offering will consist of 2-4 bottles of wine from that month’s featured winery. When I present the offering, I will send you a full write-up about the winery, owner and/or winemaker, discussing how I know them and what makes their wines unique. Of course I will also send info on the wines included in the offer. At that point, you can decide if you want to purchase the offer or not. If you do wish to purchase, just let me know. I will tell you how to proceed and the winery will handle the fulfillment. If you do not wish to buy, you do nothing.
Every few weeks I will feature a different winery, with a full write-up penned by me. Each time, you get to choose if you want it or not. Like I said, there is never an obligation to buy. If you do purchase, and you like the wines you have received, you are welcome to order more wine directly from the winery. At that point my involvement is done.
I will not receive any money from these transactions, either from you (the buyers) or from the wineries. I am not doing this to make money.
Why would I bother with this? As I said above, I am blessed to meet so many wonderful people in wine country who make interesting or great wines. And I enjoy responding to my friends who ask for recommendations. By doing this, I get to use my writing skills to create compelling stories that introduce you to the wines I enjoy and the people who make them. And by doing so, I will help my friends in the wine business find new customers who will enjoy their wines. That is an expensive and time-consuming process for wineries, so any help I can give them is welcomed.
To recap:
- There is no cost to join this wine club, nor any obligation to buy
- All I need is your email address, which I will keep to myself*
- If you wish to purchase a particular offer, I will put you in contact with the winery.
- I am not selling any wine; all orders will be shipped and billed by the wineries
- I am not making money from these transactions
- Many different wine varieties and prices will be featured
* If you purchase an offer, then your email address will be given to that particular winery, but will not be shared with any other wineries.
I have already spoken with a number of winery owners who think this is a great idea and are anxious to participate, so I have confidence this can work. All I need now is for you to send me an email at KvanB@aol.com and say “Hey Kort, please add me to your wine club!” and we will be off and running.
Thanks for reading. I look forward to sharing some great stories and wine with you!
Life Is A Highway (29) 