Bi-Monthly Wine of the Month Clubs

Overview: This wine club, one of our favorites, features hard-to-access, ultra-premium, mostly red wine, from California's boutique family wineries. An important thing to note: not all bottles shipped in this club have the same general cost. Instead of getting two $75 bottles, you might get a $140 and a $35 bottle. No matter how much it retails for, you'll always get interesting wine from the Siganture Series.

What We Love: We love the wine we've received from this club, in fact it's on our Editor's Picks list because we'd sign up for this one. Also, they reward volume purchasing! If you can afford it, by upgrading to the 4-bottle per shipment program you can save up to $11 per bottle. Get a preview of the killer selection in their online wine store.

Could Be Better: As a general rule, we think The California Wine Club has little they can do to improve. Whether you're buying for yourself or as a gift, they've really done a lot to create a wine club worth joining.

Overview: This wine subscription focuses on high-quality and value-priced wines from small family wineries in California, and is perfect to give as a gift or to join yourself. Even though California wine is legendary, most of us can't afford legendary wine prices. The California Wine Club's "Love it" Guarantee means you'll love your wine or they'll send you something else at no additional cost.

What We Love: The California Wine Club appears on the most lists of best wine clubs on our website because they overdeliver on value, customer service, and quality. The Premier Series is their biggest wine club and is the perfect gift for a California wine lover. If you join for yourself, you'll also enjoy wine credits, concierge service for wine tasting trips to California, and more perks of membership. The California Wine Club now regularly offers introductory discounts, and that makes this wine club a better value while still delivering fantastic quality.

Could Be Better: Our only complaints about the Premier Series are twofold. First, if you order red wine only or white wine only, you'll get two of the same wine in your shipment. Second, they offer a 4-bottle version of the wine club (with free shipping), but you have to call to upgrade and we wish they would just offer it on the website when you sign up.

Overview: California is home to some of the world's best wine regions and wineries, many of which are boutique wineries. A boutique winery is typically a small-family operation with limited distribution beyond their tasting room. This wine of the month club is a great way to get introduced to what California wine has to offer at reasonable prices and it makes an excellent gift.

What We Love: Consistency. We've been receiving their shipments for years and we've never had a wine we didn't like. You can't really ask for more than that from a wine club.

Could Be Better: As a general rule, we think Gold Medal Wine Club has little they can do to improve. Whether you're buying for yourself or as a gift, they've really done a lot to create a wine club worth joining.

Overview: Garagiste is a term which describes up-and-coming winemakers who toil away creating artisanal wines in their, well not usually, garages. If you're someone who wants to be up on the latest and greatest future stars of California winemaking, try the mostly red wine selection of Garagiste wines from the Gold Medal Wine Club.

What We Love: We look forward to discovering new wineries from all over California. We know we're getting very good wine at below-retail prices and helping small family businesses grow.

Could Be Better: Like other Gold Medal Wine Club series, we'd really like to see more information about the winemaking and viticulture in the educational materials.

Overview: An affordably-priced personalized wine club that learns what you like as you receive, drink, and rate six bottle shipments. International, domestic, and award-winning wine from a thoroughly modern wine subscription box service.

What We Love: Compared with other wine subscriptions in this price category, we think Firstleaf has nailed ease-of-use, presentation, and offers reasonably-interesting wines. We also really like that they identify the body, acidity, sweetness, fruitiness, and tannin level for each wine they sell. You can review the wine before it is shipped and swap out wines that have characteristics you don't like.

Could Be Better: We think their marketing materials make them seem better than they really are, but with a 100% satisfaction guarantee and inexpensive introductory shipment, you can decide for yourself.

Overview: This is the happy medium of wine clubs they offer as you get one bottle from their entry-level subscription and one bottle from their premium membership. If you're doing your math as "average price paid per bottle" you might not love this club, but if you consider that you're getting one value-priced wine and one special-occasion wine in each shipment, it's a neat concept.

What We Love: Unlike some other wine clubs which focus on acquiring closeout wines to ship to their members, this wine club cares a great deal about coming up with consistent selections befitting their reputation of 25 years in the business. Their tasting panel includes proprietor Kris Calef, wine professionals, and everyday wine drinkers, so they excel at finding palate-friendly wines with wide appeal.

Could Be Better: We'd love to see four-bottle shipments offered by this wine club as a way to help mitigate the cost. The company offers a reliable, quality-driven service, so you don't really get deals on the wine in the shipments. While we'd probably pass on this particular subscription for ourselves, we think it makes a terrific wine club gift — especially if you mix it up with some of their other cool monthly clubs.

Overview: This wine club is perfect for Cabernet lovers who lack the patience to cellar red wines and those who want to explore aged wine with a Satisfaction Guarantee. Each shipment contains two bottles of perfectly-cellared, mostly Napa, California Cabernet Sauvignon that's ready to drink now.

What We Love: We like that they bring you a variety of aged Cabernet Sauvignon, at different levels of quality from exceptional to rarified. Each shipment explores the different wine regions of Napa Valley and Sonoma County, like Oakville, Alexander Valley, Atlas Peak, Howell Mountain, and Spring Mountain District. We also love that you can buy Cabernet online in their store.

Could Be Better: As a general rule, we think The California Wine Club has little they can do to improve. Whether you're buying for yourself or as a gift, they've really done a lot to create a wine club worth joining.

Overview: Among all of the case clubs (12 bottles, typically shipped quarterly), this California wine club offering selections from boutique wineries is one of the two best deals. The other club delivers 90+ point wine from around the world.

What We Love: We asked The California Wine Club for a case club deal and they made one! And now you get to save a TON of money on their already affordable Premier Series wines.

Could Be Better: Normally we'd ask for a deal for this club, but it's already priced as low as it can go, so it's perfect as is!

Overview: Using the same methods of wine selection for more than 25 years, The California Wine Club expanded their vision to include an International wine club, too. Get an in-depth look at new-to-you wine regions around the world with all of the perks of being a member of The California Wine Club.

What We Love: As hard as it is to find boutique wines produced in the United States, it's even harder to find these tiny gems overseas.The fine selections we received were an eclectic pair of wines from Becker Vineyards in Germany; a Pinot Noir and a Pinot Gris. There is much to love about The California Wine Club, but we especially love their devotion to their members. We also like that it's a family business supporting family wineries.

Could Be Better: As a general rule, we think The California Wine Club has little they can do to improve. Whether you're buying for yourself or as a gift, they've really done a lot to create a wine club worth joining.

Overview: This wine club features wines from Oregon and Washington — two award-winning wine regions drawing the attention of those in the know. Using the same methods and ideas of wine selection as they've used for years in California, The California Wine Club has translated their vision to an Pacific Northwest region. Get an in-depth look at these Burgundian and Bordeaux-style regions with all of the perks of being a member of The California Wine Club.

What We Love: The California Wine Club has an excellent reputation and they've been in business a long time. We like that it's a family business supporting family wineries.

Could Be Better: We have very little we feel The California Wine Club could do to improve. The prices sometimes feel a bit high, but when you factor in all of the benefits of membership, including a satisfaction guarantee, we still feel like you get what you pay for here.