The Wine Journey Came to Me

If you would like to checkout Groupon click on the picture. 

Recently the wine journey came to my door via UPS.  A few months ago there was a groupon for wine insiders.  It was a deal I could not pass up ($25.00 - $10.00 coupon); $15.00 for $75.00 worth of wine!  I normally like to post about wines from the wineries I have visited; however, I felt that I needed to post about the wine journey that greeted me at my front door via UPS and the Internet.



The world is swiftly changing and getting smaller all thanks to the Internet. The Internet has become a tool of conveyance, and the ultimate tool for everyday life.  The Internet makes accessing information, shopping online, bill payment, and social networking more accessible to all who can afford a computer, ipad or iphone.  Online shopping has grown over the years, so it is only fair to say why not have wine available for online shopping. There are some states that do not allow for wine to be shipped to the wine lovers.  So if you live in Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Montana. and Utah you are out of luck, but luckily there is an organization out there helping you get your wines from other states and who are helping your local wineries sell their wines to people all over the country. The organization that is helping these states gain the right to sell their wine is free the grapes.      

Thankfully, I live in a state that allows me to visit wineries online and have my wine sent to me via UPS or FedEx.  So when Groupon offered the Wine Insiders online deal, I just could not pass it up.   I used my $75.00 online offer to order 4 bottles of wine plus their shipping cost.  All the wines I purchased were from the California market. Wine Insiders does offer wines from all over the globe; however, their main focus is bringing their customers fine wines that are unique and hard to find.  Wine Insiders started out as a company that featured California wines only, but has since grown.  When looking at their wines they seem to only offer very dry to semi dry wines (but verging on the more dry side). After looking at all their wines and reading about what wines I might enjoy I decided to make my purchase.  The wines I chose were the Maddalena Riesling (2 bottles as I love Riesling), Twin Bridges Pinot Grigio, and Myth Chardonnay. Making the purchase through Wine Insiders was very easy.  You can order strictly online without personal contact, or you can call their 800 number and speak with one of their staff members.  I opted to speak with someone for this experience.  The woman that I spoke with was friendly and very helpful.  She answered questions about residual sugar and the pH of the wines I was selecting.  She really listened to what kind of wine drinker I was and offered some suggestions to the bottle of wines I was selecting.  Because of her advice, I changed my order to add the Myth Chardonnay and the Maddalena Riesling.

The Maddalena Riesling was the first bottle I opened.  I just happened to want a glass of Riesling with my dinner. This Riesling was from Monterey, California.  The wine had a nice natural sweet flavor, it was soft and subtle for a semi dry wine.  I don't believe I would classify this wine as semi dry, but more as a semi sweet wine.  The aroma of this wine was also very subtle and soft with a nice relaxing feel to it.  When you smelled this wine it was like your mind and muscles in your body were at ease.  You could taste notes of apricot, pear, a hint of golden delicious apple and honey.  The Riesling grape was there in taste and smell.  I would recommend this wine with a shrimp and mushroom risotto or with a fruit and cheese appetizer.  Either way you choose to have this wine (as a stand alone, along with your main course or appetizer) it is a great wine to try.

Watch for my other reviews of the wine journey that has come to my door step.