Let's All Go Wine Clubbing

Groucho Marx once said, "I don't care to belong to a club that accepts people like me as members.". The joy of joining a Wine Club is that there are no meetings to dress up for, you never have to meet other members and your anonymity is retained. There seem to be a gazillion Wine Clubs out there; every winery and online wine retailer offers them. As we here at Wines.com were setting up our Wine Clubs, we were determined to provide subscribers with exciting, over-delivering wines. What on earth does "over-delivering" mean? Most of our Wine Clubs deliver wines priced to our members in the teens. If you were to find these wines in stores, they would cost you much more. At their price-points, the wines deliver more than what you would expect, based on what you paid. We have hand-selected, through extensive tastings, a collection that is guaranteed to please. Wines representing a wide range of varietals from a vast array of wine growing region from around the globe. It's easy to recommend one particular Wines.com Wine Club. You will be pleased with our National Wildlife Federation Organic Wine Club. Great wines, from progressive, responsible wineries, benefitting a great organization, the NWF. Feel free to call us at (800)690-9463 x308 if you have any questions about the Wine Clubs or any of our wines. They make great gifts! Let's ALL Go Wine Clubbing!

Cheers, Buckley Wineholt

America's Greenest Winery

Nestled amongst the rolling hills of Mendocino County you'll find a true family success story, in the form of the Parducci Winery. Located in Ukiah, Parducci has certainly seen its ups and downs. But it's certainly riding the crest of a big "up" right now. My friend Tim Thornhill, a partner in the current operation, was determined to "reunite our extended family on several hundred acres of land where we could grow something". That was 2002. In a few short years the family turned around a winery that needed turning around, and today the Mendocino Wine Group, based at Parducci, produces nearly a quarter of a million cases of wine. Parducci purchases grapes from local family farms, who pride themselves on protecting the environment through certified farming practices; exercizing carbon neutrality (America's first) and extensively utilizing solar power, renewable energy, placing emphasis on re-use and recycling, using earth-friendly packaging- these are but a few of the reasons why Parducci was chosen by the team here at Wines.com to lead off our National Wildlife Federation Organic Wine Club. Plus, we love their wines & think that they are a steal at their modest price-points. Their Pinot Noir offers distinct Mendocino spicy mintiness, with ripe berry and chocolate undertones. The refreshing Sauvignon Blanc provides aromas of lemon and tropical fruits with zesty citrus and melon flavors. Bright flavors of juicy pear and ripe apple define their Chardonnay, wrapped lightly by a creamy oak accent. Tim views Mendocino County as a great, undiscovered land where history, agriculture, fresh air, natural beauty and warm-spirited people create a comfortable lifestyle. "I see Parducci as a way for our family to work together to benefit the community while improving things environmentally". Having recently been the guests of the winery, seeing and tasting the fruits of their efforts, I wholeheartedly agree. We here at Wines.com support their efforts, and invite you to do so by subscribing to Wines.com's National Wildlfe Federation Organic Wine Club, with some of the proceeds from each subscription going to support the NWF.

Cheers, Buckley Wineholt

Al Lageder Rocks

I had the great pleasure of meeting one of my "Wine Heroes" last week. Not just meeting Alois Lageder, famed Italian winemaker, but participating in a mentored tasting of a number of his single-vineyard biodynamically produced wines from Alto Adige. He makes over 20 different wines in the highlands of the Dolomites. He carefully chooses which grape will be planted at which particular site, reaching such decisions by considering the whole terroir, the complex and total array of all of the natural factors that determine the uniqueness of any given locale. He has been at the forefront of biodynamic agriculture for many years, with the long-term goal being to strengthen the vineyards' biological equilibrium. By increasing the vitality of the vines, their resistance to parasites and disease is enhanced. Allowing full ripening of the grapes, and utilizing gentle vinification processes (such as relying upon gravity vs. the use of pumps), Lageder is able to produce wines of singular typicity. These elegant wines truly taste of their origin. Two of my favorites from the tasting were the 2007 "Benefizium Porer" Pinot Grigio & the 2007 "Haberle"Pinot Bianco. The PG was a shining example of the often-flat varietal. Super-clean, stunning minerality, just enough acidity and some creaminess for balance. Just a hint of lime for the minimal fruit component. The Pinot Bianco, on the other hand, could not have packed more fruit onto the palate. This dry, fresh, vibrant fruit-bomb washed starfruit, green melon, grapefruit, and tart green apple over my beaming tastebuds. Chockfull of fruit flavors and fully supported by crisp minerality. This is the best Pinot Bianco I've ever tasted. This man is a genius, and I hope that he is able to create wines this good for many years to come. While the PG would be great with anything with flippers from the sea, the PB is a super "stand-alone" wine, simply calling for the good times to roll. We are very proud to be able to offer Alois Lageder's wines here at Wines.com, and we wish he and his family continued Great Success.

Cheers, Buckley Wineholt

Sustainability

I'm no farmer. Most wine drinkers aren't. Most of us don't know much about the various agricultural practices employed by wineries. Increasingly, many of us are rightfully concerned about the actual impact of how what we consume is produced. We are increasingly concerned about the deleterious affects that corporate agricultural practices have had on the land in the past 50 years. I don't presume to know much about the "healthiest" agricultural practices that a winery can employ, but I'm learning. As we concerned wine consumers are all learning about the correct, intelligent, healthy ways that grapes can be grown and wine can be made. You'll be reading a great deal here, and elsewhere, about organic, sustainable and biodynamic growing practices that wineries chose to employ. To me, the over-arching concern must be sustainability, in a larger sense. It is important to consider both the environmental and the economic sustainability quotients. If the land is farmed using the smartest, healthiest methods, and good (or great) wine is produced as a result of this, and the wine is marketed effectively, then economic sustainability should follow. Sure, there's weather, labor issues and a million other " Murphy's Law" factors to consider. I'm no farmer, nor am I an economist. I'm just another wino with righteous concerns. The wineries that address these concerns have a better chance of surviving than those that don't. They're unsustainable.

Cheers, Buckley Wineholt

Welcome to the National Wildlife Federation Wine Blog

The purpose of this blog is to set higher standards and to publish wine reviews on organic wines. Some wines will be featured on the Organic Wine Club, others are available at a store near you or perhaps on Wines.com. Please feel free to comment or send us information about organic wines that you review to questions@wines.com.