Sparkling Wine Club Review

Sparkling Wine Club

Wine Club Overview & Details

Wine Club Rating:

This wine club is...

Summary

A three-bottle sparkling wine club that makes it easy to always have bubbly on hand for a special occasion or just because bubbly wine is fun to drink. This is one of the better value wine clubs from Vinesse and I always think it makes for a great wine subscription.

What I Like

I love that each shipment contains a budget-friendly selection like Prosecco, a mid-range selection like a California sparkling wine, and a true Champagne for a special occasion.

Improvements

I'd love to see customers rewarded for buying bigger allotments. "Buy more save more" pricing would be a great addition to the line-up. I'd also really like to see the shipping costs come down dramatically.

Sparkling Wine Club delivers to

AK AZ AR CA CO CT DC FL HI ID IN IA KS LA ME MD MA MI MN MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC TN TX VT VA WA WV WI WY

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FYI: I find great wine deals so you don’t have to. To keep me on the hunt, I earn a commission when you buy wine based on my recommendations.

Sparkling Wine Club Review

Sparkling Wine Club Review

Vinesse is an online wine club best known for providing their self-branded Vinesse Wine Club to various travel-industry partners like American Airlines and Touring & Tasting magazine.

About the Sparkling Wine Club

Normally you can only join the Vinesse Wine Club through their website. We’ve worked with Vinesse for a very long time, so they’ve allowed our readers to join some of their specialty wine clubs — typically Vinesse Wine Club members-only — like the Sparkling Wine Club.

The Sparkling Wine Club from Vinesse ships quarterly (January, March, July, and October), with a fifth shipment in November so you have plenty of sparkling wine on hand for holiday festivities. Each shipment includes a survey of sparkling wine from around the world — an inexpensive sparkler, a mid-range sparkling wine, and an actual French Champagne. Three-bottle shipments are $72 each, shipping is extra. You can double or quadruple the shipments to six and twelve bottles, the price goes up proportionally.

We’re really big fans of this wine club because the sparkling wine options at most wine and grocery stores are limited, carrying the same wines in most locations. Vinesse finds small producers to work with, so you’re unlikely to find most of these selections anywhere else. Also, there are very few sparkling wine clubs out there and we think everyone needs more bubbly wine in their life.

It’s rare that we encourage people to sign up for prepaid memberships rather than ongoing — mostly because the freedom to cancel a membership is useful if it doesn’t meet your expectations. In the case of the Vinesse Sparkling Wine Club, we really encourage you to consider prepaying for your membership. Here’s why:

Vinesse charges actual shipping costs, not subsidized like some other wine clubs do. They also charge a shipping & handling fee, and a host of shipping-related surcharges. We’ve never understood where all of these charges come from, and they degrade the value of most of the Vinesse wine clubs. That said, Vinesse gives you price breaks on the shipping when you prepay.

A basic example: If you subscribed for three months to the three bottle sparkling wine club, you’d pay $72 x 3 = $206 + ~$60 in shipping costs. If you prepay, you’ll pay $225 which includes shipping. So, if you think this wine club is a good fit for you, consider your prepayment options (mark that it’s a gift when you add it to your shopping cart, you’ll be shown prepaid pricing options to choose from before you check out).

Vinesse Sparkling Wine Review

My Sparkling Wine Ratings

Quality of Wine
Price of Wine
Wine Curation

We’ve continuously received shipments of the Sparkling Wine Club since January 2020 — and we had previously received a shipment in 2015.

There isn’t much transparency with Vinesse about how their wine clubs are curated, but in the case of the Sparkling Wine Club, we’re impressed with the variety and value they deliver. Here is a selection of the wines we’ve received in this club.

November 2020 Shipment of the Sparkling Wine Club

November 2020

NV Michel Guilleminot “Tradition”
Blanc de Noirs, Champagne
Retail: $48

“Champagne Guilleminot Brut is a blend of approximately 70% of wines from the current vintage and 30 % of reserve wines. Aged three years in their cellars... The Champagne is made 100% from Pinot Noir grapes. Look for fresh, fragrant fruit on the nose; crunchy berry fruit flavours combining with a classic biscuity note, a gentle mousse and an appetising, pure, vibrant accent.”

NV Moon River, Brut Sparkling Wine
Viño de España
Retail: $20

“Brut is a term used to describe a very dry sparkling wine, one that has less than 1.5 percent residual sugar. For the Moon River Brut, the vintner crafted a sparkling wine that is mildly floral in aroma, dry and extremely refreshing on the palate, and showcases an engaging lemon drop and marzipan flavor profile.”

NV Jaillance Cuvée de l'Abbaye Brut Rosé
Crémant de Bordeaux
Retail: $15

“This soft and creamy wine has a really bubbly rosé mousse. It has fruit and a crisp clean edge. The strawberry fruits give this wine a sweet character, certainly off dry. It is ready to drink.”

October 2020 Shipment of the Sparkling Wine Club

October 2020

NV Phillippe Fourrier “Baroville”
Blanc de Noirs, Brut Champagne
Retail: ~$40

“Appearance: pale yellow with matte gold reflections, numerous chimneys of fine bubbles. Nose: frank and lively, with notes of white fruits, peach, pear, enriched with aromas of pastries, honey and candied fruit. Palate: ample and generous attack on the palate; at the evolution, gourmet notes of fruit paste, apricot, peach are born. Overall: slightly spicy, with a good length.”

NV Sidewood Sparkling Wine
Adelaide Hills, Australia
Retail: $~20

“With a blend of 60% Chardonnay and 40% Pinot Noir, the bouquet offers delightful, lifted aromas of strawberry, lemon citrus and underlying notes of biscotti. The palate is elegant and well integrated, displaying intense strawberry, nectarine and cashew characters enhanced by partial malolactic fermentation and extended time on yeast lees. The natural acidity provides excellent structure and finesse, with an excellent mouth-watering citrus and nougat finish.”

NV Giusti Prosecco, Extra Dry “Rosalia”
Treviso, Veneto, Italy
Retail: $19

“This opens with delicate aromas of spring flower and white stone fruit. The no frills, softly foaming palate offers candied peach and yellow apple, along with fresh acidity.”

July 2020 Shipment of the Sparkling Wine Club

July 2020

NV Delahaie Brut Premier
Premier Cru Champagne from Epernay
Retail: ~$35

“Plenty of finesse in this smooth-textured Champagne, flavors of apricot, peach, vanilla pastry and mineral. Racy, with a great balance, full of energy and driving the flavors to a long conclusion, sure to be a crowd pleaser. 40% Pinot Noir, 40% Pinot Meunier and 20% Chardonnay.”

NV Dignitat Spain, Single Vineyard Brut
Metode Tradicional, Cava
Retail: $25

“The preferred name for sparkling wine in Spain is Cava, and most of the country’s Cava is produced in Catalonia. There, the three most common grape varieties utilized for crafting bubbly are Xarello, Macabeo and Parellada — the same varieties used by Dignitat for this wine.”

NV La Casa dei Fiori Prosecco, “Cuvée 77” Extra Dry
Veneto, Italy
Retail: $22

“This is a sparkling wine with a soft and aromatic bouquet, delicate and distinctive mouthfeel and a fine and persistent “perlage.” Its intensely fruity aroma (think: fresh-cut apples) opens up to reveal additional fruit impressions and delicate floral notes. Think of it as the perfect wine for happy hour buffets, casual poolside sipping, and even a sweet substitute for dessert.”

March 2020 Shipment of the Sparkling Wine Club

March 2020

NV Besserat de Bellefon, ‘Cuvée des Moines’ Brut
Champagne
Retail: ~$35

“The “Cuvee des Moines” Brut marries three grape varieties — Pinot Meunier, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir — from several vintages, including “reserve” wines, in a style that is soft and creamy. The winemaking and blending method enables Besserat de Bellefon to maintain a “house style” style that is dependable and delicious. You might even call it drama-free.”

NV Prosper Maufoux Brut
Crémant de Bourgogne Blanc, Burgundy
Retail: ~$20

“A Burgundy specialist, the estate crafts an exquisite Crémant de Bourgogne Blanc Brut. It’s a cuvee of three grape varieties that Gublin expertly blends to create a sparkling wine that you could easily mistake for a fine Champagne.”

2017 Salamon Francesco “Nomalas” Extra Brut
Sparkling Pinot Grigio from Veneto, Italy
Retail: ~$20

“A moon yellow color with intense & clean bouquet. Floral, lemon & white peach notes create a lively & harmonious taste. Right acidity, dry & mineral with crisp finish.”

January 2020 Shipment of the Sparkling Wine Club

January 2020

NV Phillippe Fourrier “Baroville”
Blanc de Noirs, Brut Champagne
Retail: ~$40

“Appearance: pale yellow with matte gold reflections, numerous chimneys of fine bubbles. Nose: frank and lively, with notes of white fruits, peach, pear, enriched with aromas of pastries, honey and candied fruit. Palate: ample and generous attack on the palate; at the evolution, gourmet notes of fruit paste, apricot, peach are born. Overall: slightly spicy, with a good length.”

NV Montellini, Prosecco Brut
Treviso, Veneto, Italy
Retail: $22

“The 2019 Ultimate Wine Challenge said "Fresh, summer aromas of green grape, honeydew, and golden pear, the palate yields more subtle notes of kohlrabi and clean, green grape flavors. The mousse is creamy and the wine finishes clean, making it an ideal candidate for a spritz."”

NV Flegenheimer Bros. ‘Out of the Park’ Sparkling Shiraz
South Australia
Retail: ~$18

“This sparkling Shiraz displays a vibrant lush garnet color and a bouquet of rich berry fruits, dark cherries and soft lingering hints of integrated oak. On the palate bright juicy red fruits and sweet plum are bal-anced with silky tannins and a velvety smooth finish.”

February 2015 Shipment of the Sparkling Wine Club

February 2015

NV Delahaie Brut Premier
Premier Cru Champagne from Epernay
Retail(ed) ~$35

“Plenty of finesse in this smooth-textured Champagne, flavors of apricot, peach, vanilla pastry and mineral. Racy, with a great balance, full of energy and driving the flavors to a long conclusion, sure to be a crowd pleaser. 40% Pinot Noir, 40% Pinot Meunier and 20% Chardonnay.”

Bailly-Lapierre Égarade Brut 2010
Sparkling Wine from Burgundy
Retail(ed) ~$25

“The Village of Bailly is the birthplace of Crémant de Bourgogne — the AOC sparkling wine of Burgundy. The Égarade is a mix of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. (Apologies, I can’t find tasting notes for this vintage.)”

Terriero Prosecco D.O.C. Treviso
Sparkling wine from Treviso, Veneto, Italy
Retail(ed) ~$12

“Straw colored with a delicate and persistent bead, Terriero displays aromas of ripe, yellow peach and apricot. Crisp and fresh with a fruit rich palate, Terriero Prosecco is perfect as an aperitif and represents top quality, artisan made Prosecco at an affordable price. Only 3500 cases produced.”

Membership Benefits

My Vinesse Sparkling
Benefits Ratings

Satisfaction Guarantee
Customer Service
Wine Education
Convenience

Satisfaction Guarantee. Vinesse has an industry-leading satisfaction guarantee. They’ll replace any bottle for any reason, few questions asked. They do track who abuses the policy, but they really just want their members to be happy with the wines they receive.

Wine Education. For each wine Vinesse ships, they include a tasting sheet with a limited amount of backstory about the wine and/or winery. Each sheet also includes useful information like when to drink the wine and detailed food pairing suggestions.

Customer Service. Vinesse has a reputation for poor customer service. We think a more fair assessment is that they sometimes use misleading marketing practices or that their travel partners don’t do a good job of setting expectations for the mileage rewards. None of these common complaints have anything to do with their specialty clubs — only their current members and our readers can enroll in these memberships. We believe that once people understand how wine clubs work, they’re less apt to write scathing reviews and more likely to work with customer service to resolve their issues.

Convenience. You can manage most account changes online yourself without the need to contact customer support. There are no pre-shipment notices so you’ll need to keep track of shipment timeframes. The Sparkling club ships quarterly (January, March, July, and October), with a fifth shipment in November. If you want to cancel, we recommend you do it right after you get a shipment.

Vinesse shipments come via UPS and they use the Follow My Delivery option within UPS MyChoice. UPS MyChoice is a free service you can sign up for with UPS to make receiving deliveries easier and more convenient. The Follow My Delivery option is great because it literally follows your delivery truck around town letting you know when they’re close by — so you can make sure you’re home to provide an adult signature.

Personalization. The Sparkling Wine Club is not a personalized wine club.

Discount Opportunities. There aren’t any discount opportunities associated with the Vinesse Sparkling Wine Club, but all of their wine club members occasionally receive emails about deals on additional wine to purchase.

Who Should Join the Vinesse Sparkling Wine Club?

We think the Sparkling Wine Club is a great choice for most wine drinkers. If you hesitate to buy sparkling because it seems like a splurge, this will help you discover the world of inexpensive sparkling wine that tastes good (as opposed to sweet sparklers lacking the acidity to balance the sugar).

Sparkling Wine Gift Review

Vinesse’s sparkling wine club is available in prepaid gift memberships. When you order a prepaid subscription your shipping rates are fixed and you know exactly how much you’ll spend (we expect this of wine club gift subscriptions). You can include a custom gift message in the first shipment.

Sparkling Wine Club