February 2024 126

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Love having wine delivered directly to your front door? You’re not alone, and that’s why wine subscriptions have become so popular. A simple and convenient way to try different wines without leaving the house, it’s also an excellent way to hone your taste buds while you sip. “Chosen wisely, wine clubs can expand your taste and lead you on compelling adventures,” says Alice Feiring, a wine specialist and the author and creator of the natural wine newsletter The Feiring Line. “But they can also be a terrific disappointment and waste of money.”

We compared seven different wine subscriptions to give you a better idea of the differences between them — it’s a tough job, but someone has to do it. One caveat: Though has been a hugely popular online pick, we decided not to include it after the company filed for bankruptcy right after the new year.

Ready to start sipping? Here’s everything you need to know about these popular wine subscriptions. (Of course, if you’re not a drinker, you can also look into other subscription services that may be more to your tastes, like coffee subscriptions and snack subscriptions.)

Firstleaf
Best wine subscription

Not only is Firstleaf our most affordable option but it offers tons of personal customization. We also like that it uses a clever algorithm to help you figure out your tastes, then suggests bottles you might enjoy going forward.

SommSelect
Best wine subscription for sommelier picks

SommSelect is all about giving you access to experts who can not only choose quality bottles but help figure out what tastes best to you. Each delivery is based on a theme, so you can try all kinds of wines based on things like regions or grape variety.

From $109 at SommSelect

Club Cutrer Best wine subscription from a California winery

Do you like to stick to California bottles? Club Cutrer is the perfect way to get intimate with all the wines this respected Russian River Valley winery creates throughout the year. You can also add extra bottles to your subscription order at a nice discount and get reduced prices on tours and tastings if you visit in person.

From $135 at Club Cutrer

Wine Access
Best wine subscription for education

Wine Access helps you learn more about what wines you like, as well as wine in general, by offering access to a free podcast to taste along to. And the MyCellar feature lets you rate your deliveries so you can easily buy your faves again or get notified when a bottle from a producer you enjoyed is available.

Henri’s Reserve
Best wine subscription for Champagne

If Champagne is your go-to, Henri’s Reserve is a trusted partner for high-end sparklers from France’s best private terroir. Here you’ll get gorgeous bottles you’d never find at your local wine store, and free shipping is included in all deliveries, so you can always add more bubbly with no fear of paying extra.

From $150 at Henri’s Reserve

Woman-Owned Wineries
Best wine subscription from female winemakers

Though only 14% of head winemakers in California are women, this unique subscription service highlights their efforts. Each month brings a delivery from a different female-led winery, chosen according to your tastes. The service also provides comprehensive information about the remarkable individuals behind each bottle.

From $107 at Woman-Owned Wineries

Naked Wines

Best wine subscription to connect with winemakers

By becoming an Angel investor at Naked Wines, you can have a more personal experience with your favorite wines worldwide. Your subscription fee supports independent vintners, allows you to buy bottles at wholesale prices, and even enables direct communication with the winemakers.

From $40 at Naked Wines

If you’re in search of a cost-effective choice, Firstleaf delivers both quality and value for money. The initial shipment costs $45 for six bottles, and subsequent six-bottle shipments start at $90. We also appreciate Firstleaf for its superb customization options and its capacity to learn our preferences over time, and the fact that there are no pre-set boxes or packets. The procedure begins with an online quiz, which includes basic questions (red or white?) as well as more general inquiries (how adventurous are you?). It then narrows down your preferences with questions about your liking for certain foods such as mushrooms or buttered toast. Following that, the Firstleaf algorithm condenses your responses and selects bottles that mirror your inputs.

Once you receive your wines, you’ll have the opportunity to fine-tune your future orders by returning to the Firstleaf website and rating each bottle. The AI continually modifies your preferences as you use it more, despite the fact that we would have preferred a deeper understanding of how this works after we choose the simplest thumbs-up or thumbs-down icons. A nice feature is the 100% satisfaction guarantee, which is Firstleaf’s commitment to refund the cost of a bottle if they choose a wine that you don’t appreciate.

The notion isn’t that SommSelect doubts your knowledge about wine; rather, it wishes to provide you with the advantage of its sommeliers’ expertise, led by their editorial director David Lynch, former wine director and general manager at Babbo. We tried the cheapest and most popular membership, the Explore 4, which delivers four bottles each month for $109. Each bottle is selected based on a specific theme, like Wines of Croatia; Que Syrah, Syrah; A Sparkling Wine World Tour; and Rosé Revisited. Our initial box was from the Finger Lakes and included two whites and two reds, but you could easily get something as basic as a grape variety or a concept such as “sparkling.” This allows you to experience a variety of different bottles that you may not have chosen yourself.

Other monthly club options include the Somm 6 with six bottles ($204) and the Somm 6 Reds ($225). Want something a little more exciting? SommSelect’s Blind 6 Club ($220) comes with six beautiful bottles wrapped in black tissue paper to hide the labels and a “blinding” kit to help you taste them and take notes.

For anyone trying to keep prices down, it’s important to note that though the Explore 4 is still $109, you have to pay $25 for shipping, which the company claims includes added insurance. The other club options include free shipping. We also signed up for SommSelect’s Daily Discoveries, a newsletter that spotlights wines its sommeliers are especially excited about.

Sonoma Cutrer is a well-respected, organic vineyard located in the Russian River Valley. We especially liked knowing exactly where our bottles were coming from as well as the expectation of quality craftsmanship from the Sonoma-based estate. Club Cutrer offers two options that will arrive at your door every February, May and October: Chardonnay Lovers and Winemaker’s Selection, and you can choose from four (from $135), six (from $210) or 12 (from $300) bottles. We chose the four-bottle Winemaker’s Selection, and though the first shipment was not in time for the winery’s limited production Pinot Noir, we received one Founder’s Reserve Chardonnay and a Grand Cuvée sparkling in our box.

Not sure what to choose? A quiz focusing on preferred flavors, like zesty lemon and dark chocolate, will help you figure out the best membership level and varietals. In addition to your three deliveries per year, you’ll also get special membership pricing if you’d like to supplement your shipments with customized bottles from the website. And if you live close by or choose to visit the region, you can take advantage of free tasting events and an annual winery tour.

If you’re as passionate about studying wine as you are about drinking it, Wine Access proves to be an invaluable recourse. There are nine various clubs, each shipping bottles quarterly. You can opt for premium offerings like WA Connoisseurs (starting at $150 for two bottles) and WA Collectors (beginning at $150 for a lone bottle), or the more accessible Wine for Normal People (priced from $150 for six bottles). I had the pleasure of trying out the ($120 for four bottles six times annually). This club provides access to the Unfiltered podcast, led by wine guru and social media celebrity Amanda McCrossin, alongside videos and printed narratives that delve into each bottle, enabling you to sip along. The podcast provided a fun and educational supplement to my wine learning journey.

Other worthwhile features of Wine Access include the possibilities to modify delivery dates, add wines to your club order at 10% off without additional shipping costs, and access to the site’s My Cellar feature. This tool lets you rate different bottles, reorder your favourites, receive notifications about new releases from your preferred producers, and even shop wines similar to your top picks from previous tastings.

For enthusiasts of French sparkling wines, Henri’s Reserve offers a fascinating opportunity to expand your Champagne knowledge beyond the well-known brands. The offerings include bottles sourced from France’s most esteemed terroirs and, more specifically, smaller, lesser-known private estates that are rare finds in your local liquor store. This Champagne Club has three levels, shipping two bottles per month and offering flexible payment plans: annually ($1,800), bi-monthly ($900), or quarterly ($600). Or you might opt for a pay-as-you-go plan at $150 per delivery.

Fortunately, all deliveries include shipping costs, which makes the pay-as-you-go option more appealing. The true appeal of the Henri’s Reserve Champagne Club, however, lies in the quality of Champagne included, selected by industry veterans Robert Houde (former head sommelier at Charlie Trotter) and Ruth Frantz (president of Henri’s Reserve). You’ll find these Champagnes on the menus of some of the most luxurious restaurants worldwide, like French Laundry, Per Se, and Eleven Madison Park.

According to a research conducted by Santa Clara University, a meager 14% of Californian wineries have a woman as their chief winemaker. This prompts our appreciation for the Wine Club from Women Owned Wineries. They deliver a well-selected range of wines from a female winemaker every month. They offer various subscription options, allowing to choose the frequency and type of wine. The Classic Club offers three bottles for $107 per month. Double Your Pleasure costs $199 per month for six bottles. Red Wine Lovers caters three bottles of red bi-monthly for $218 per month. For Seasonal Club, you get three bottles quarterly for $107 per shipment. We eagerly anticipate the next delivery following our first shipment which included three fantastic selections from Sonoma, CA-based Camp Rose Cellars.

Each shipment comes with a $25 flat fee. But you can add more bottles at a 10% discount if there are others you desire to try out on the site. For non-alcohol consumers, there’s a Less is More Club that goes for $97 per shipment and no shipping fees. We especially love the comprehensive description of each vintner that comes with the package. For more knowledge, the website hosts an online directory featuring about 600 women winemakers.

Naked Wines intends to incorporate you into the wine production process with their crowdfunding system. They enable you to liaise with winemakers directly and provide a cheaper, personalized selection. A team of wine professionals curate the wine list, featuring quality, independent winemakers. You can enjoy access to exclusive wines across the world as an Angel subscriber for $40 per month. Naked Wines provides a voucher for the first order, offering six bottles for just $40, which equates to a $100 discount. They apply the $40 monthly Angel investment to any bottles you wish to buy. Each bottle’s price equals its wholesale pricing. If you are pleased with a wine, you can appreciate the winemaker directly. This allows Naked Wines to utilize technology to establish a more intimate global community. It also offers an opportunity for consumers to be more engaged and aware that they’re supporting winemakers directly.

With the wide range of subscriptions available today, choosing the right one can seem daunting. Every service varies in aspects such as price, frequency of delivery, covered regions, and the specific type of wine they offer. This leaves a lot to consider before making a final choice. Edouard Bourgeois, the wine director at Pressoir Wine, a community of wine enthusiasts based in NYC, asserts, “I believe strongly that a wine subscription should mirror the client’s preference in terms of budget and taste. Essentially, an effective wine subscription should function similarly to a sommelier, prioritizing the best interests of the client.”

Leah Adint, the chief winemaker at Erath Winery, recommends considering specifics that attract you to the type of wine you wish to sample. “Are you interested in wines from a single manufacturer or several manufacturers? Factors like the winery’s legacy, sustainability practices, designation as single vineyards or blends can guide you through the plethora of online wine clubs.”

Once you’ve formed a clearer idea of what catches your interest, it’s critical to ensure that the wines you’re getting are of good quality. This involves inquiries regarding their selection process for wines and who is responsible for making these decisions. Trusting your intuition is also crucial. Michele Pravda, the proprietor of Smith & Vine, a local wine shop located in Carroll Garden, Brooklyn, notes, “Trust is key in these situations. The source of your club or subscription should be credible. Are the wines being tested? Do they maintain a diverse array of producers and suppliers to ensure the subscription remains varied and engaging for its duration?”

And if you’re asking all these questions but getting no answers, you may want to take a hard pass. “Look for a real live person and a name or a store behind the club. You want someone who has something to lose if the drinker is disappointed,” adds Feiring.

A few other things to keep in mind are shipping and cancellation policies. You may be offered a great deal, but shipping to your specific state could make things a lot more expensive. “Make sure you know the final cost of each shipment before you sign up,” adds Adint. “Also make sure you can cancel if you change your mind — no one likes being stuck in a subscription that charges you or makes it difficult to cancel.”

Note: The prices above reflect the retailers’ listed price at the time of publication.

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Two years after beer sales first began at Beaver Stadium, the home for Penn State football is now set to host a spring beer festival.

“Hoppy Valley Brewers Fest” is aiming to feature at least 50 breweries — more than a dozen already confirmed — on Saturday, May 11, inside Beaver Stadium. The event will take place on the field from 1-5 p.m. for those with general admission, while those with VIP tickets (early access) will be able to start an hour earlier.

No formal announcement on the 21-and-over event has yet been made. But a website for the event is publicly accessible, and an event page began circulating on Facebook by Thursday afternoon. Organizers confirmed the event to the CDT, acknowledging they anticipated making a later announcement.

Ticket prices via Ticketmaster are not yet known but will be released by early next week, an official said. A link on the event website asks visitors to sign up for updates.

“We’re going to be priced competitively, but we also have to keep in mind we are at Beaver Stadium, and that’s also an expense,” said Eric Engelbarts, executive director of the Happy Valley Sports & Entertainment Alliance, which helped organize the event.

According to the website, Antifragile Brewing Company — in downtown State College — helped organize the event with collaboration from Happy Valley Adventure Bureau, Happy Valley Sports & Entertainment Alliance, Breweries of Pennsylvania, and the Pennsylvania Restaurant & Lodging Association. The event’s official social media partner is Hello Social Co.

Confirmed breweries at this point include the following, with the original location in parentheses:

Antifragile Brewing Co. (State College, Pa.)

Dancing Gnome Brewery (Pittsburgh, Pa.)

Dewey Beer (Dewey Beach, Del.)

Fourscore Beer Co. (Gettysburg, Pa.)

Grist House Craft Brewery (Pittsburgh, Pa.)

Hidden River Brewing Company (Douglassville, Pa.)

Other Half Brewing (Brooklyn, N.Y.)

Prison City Brewing (Auburn, N.Y.)

Second Sin Brewing Company (Bristol, Pa.)

Sunset Hill Brewing Company (Gilbertsville, Pa.)

Sworn Brewing Company (Mechanicsburg, Pa.)

Ten7 Brewing Co. (North Wales, Pa.)

Tin Barn Brewing (Chester, N.Y.)

Trace Brewing (Pittsburgh, Pa.)

Troegs Independent Brewing (Hershey, Pa.)

Warwick Farm Brewing (Jamison, Pa.)

Expect more confirmations as the festival draws closer.

“We’ll continue to release more breweries over the coming weeks,” Engelbarts added. “Almost every other week or so, we’ll be able to release another bunch of them. The vast majority of breweries will be coming from Pennsylvania or will have a tie to Penn State, like if it’s produced by an alum. But not all.”

Tickets for designated drivers will also be available for sale.

Ticket-holders will enter the festival through the south tunnel of Beaver Stadium — and, yes, the event will be held on the field. The ID check and ticketing lines will start as early as 10 a.m., two hours before VIP admission.

Ideally, Engelbarts said, Hoppy Valley Brewers Fest will feature close to 75 breweries on the field, in addition to about 10 food vendors. No vendors are ready to be announced, but priority will be given to those pre-approved by the university, he said.

Live music is also expected at the beer festival, although — again — no bands are yet confirmed. Organizers are contemplating having a potential DJ supplement the live bands, but no decision has yet been made.

A lot remains in flux at this early point, but organizers wanted to remain flexible depending on the response to the brewfest. If fewer people sign up, they might aim for closer to 50 breweries than 75. If more sign up, they’re likewise able to scale up.

Although a cap on the number of ticket sales has not yet been set, organizers still acknowledged they might have to halt sales at some point. After all, Beaver Stadium may be the fourth-largest stadium in the world — but the space on the field isn’t infinite.

“We want to make sure everyone has a good experience and no one has to wait hours on end waiting for their beer,” Engelbarts said. “So we want to be mindful of the customer experience.”

For more information on the event, and for future updates, go to HoppyValleyBrewersFest.com.

You wouldn’t ordinarily hear lots of American whiskey enthusiasts grumbling about a barrel proof Kentucky bourbon aged over 10 years, available for a modest $75. However, when it comes to Elijah Craig, one of Heaven Hill’s most adored brands, the complaints are rolling in. These grumbles, in this instance, are justified. Since its initial release in 2013, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof has always had a 12 year age statement until 2023.That’s when Heaven Hill announced that, on a go-forward basis, its thrice-yearly releases would not consistently have a minimum age of 12. Some releases, like the 11-years-and-some months batch B523, which was out last May, would be younger. On the flip side, some would be older than 12 years! Such was the case for the subsequent release, batch C923, released last fall, which was over 13 years old— the oldest ECBP yet! This should be a positive development, correct?

Perhaps. The most recent release, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Bourbon Batch A124 signifies it’s the first batch of the year, and 124 represents it was released in January 2024, seems to confirm the critic’s fears. Coming in at 10 years and 9 months, it’s considerably younger than twelve years. At 59.5% ABV, the proof is at an all-time low by ECBP standards. Does this signal the start of a downward trend? Are things going downhill for Elijah Craig? Before rushing to judgment, it’s worth taking the time to actually, you know, taste the bourbon.

Rest assured, the sky isn’t falling.

In actuality, what we’re dealing with… is an outstanding bourbon. Putting aside changes in age and proof, the same combination of 78% corn, 12% malted barley, and 10% rye are used, still aged in Char No. 3 new oak barrels, and yet remains non-chill filtered. This batch unpacks candy-like, vibrant fruit notes that transform into caramel, cinnamon, brown sugar, and a touch of chocolate tastes. Although it may be slightly less viscous than previous batches, it still gives a satisfying fullness to your palate. The lower proof actually makes it more suitable for cocktails—I can vouch it makes a knockout high-powered Manhattan.

It’s easy to question the motives of Elijah Craig/Heaven Hill. Perhaps the change was made to reduce costs or conceal dwindling supplies, rather than to give the blenders more control to distinguish each batch from the last. However, increased flexibility is the end result. If batch A124 is interpreted as a disaster, indicating the start of a decline, a single taste refutes this. Some people may hanker for the days of 12-year-old ECBP with proof over 130. I wouldn’t mind having more of those myself. But I can’t find it in my heart to criticize a bourbon that is this top-notch at such a reasonable cost (still recommended retail price of $74.99). And hey, if it’s not to your taste, another batch will be available in four months. That’s another great aspect of Elijah Craig.