From Stacy Slinkard,
Your Guide to Wine.
FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now!

Wine clubs are a dime a dozen these days, most offering a variety of wines that may or may not be all that up to snuff. In blows a fresh breeze…the California Wine Club. With over 16 years of better business tucked under their belts, Bruce and Pam Boring have done what most just talk of doing – they have successfully combined both their interests and personal passions into a dynamic business that is built on a win-win foundation. This win-win plan allows the smaller, Mom and Pop wineries, (otherwise known as “Boutique Wineries”) to get the delicious bottled fruits of their labors out to the consumers.

What You Get

The club’s bottom line objective is placing truly terrific wines into the hands of over 15,000 wine enthusiasts, from the novice to the seasoned wine lover, on a monthly basis. Each month the wines arrive with a captivating, full-color, 12-page newsletter, Uncorked, that gives the inside scoop on the winery that the wine of the month is from. It also offers savory winery recipes, tips on wine country lodging, fun wine trivia, witty wine quotes, featured wine discounts and an opportunity for members to rate and review their favorite wines. Reading Uncorked is like sitting with a good friend who brings you up to speed on what’s going on in the world of boutique wines – fun, friendly and informative.

The Borings do all of the upfront “work,” of tasting and sifting through the wines, to offer only the best of the best from the boutique wineries throughout California – from Mendocino County to the Sierra Foothills and from San Diego to Santa Rosa. They have recently included an International Wine Club that is composed of wines from France, Italy, Austria, Spain, South Africa, and Australia – all with the same objective, deliver exceptional wines from small-family owned wineries. These wines are imported directly from the California Wine Club and are virtually impossible to obtain in domestic markets.

According to Bruce, “Everybody wins, the members receive two bottles of fantastic wines every month and the smaller vintners benefit by direct marketing and distribution,” as their best wines are shipped directly to their club member/buyer via the California Wine Club.

The Nitty Gritty

Monthly memberships are very flexible, so you can try them out for a single month or sign up for several and save a bit more money. There is no “membership fee,” all wines are 100% guaranteed (money back or a new bottle) and you can cancel anytime – bottom line: you have nothing to lose. The whole goal is to provide wine lovers with great wine from real working boutique vineyards at a great rate.