Every season there is a new vintage with new wines coming onto the market from across the planet which creates a significant for wine consumers such as myself. The question of how to keep up is made significantly more difficult with the increasing number of new wineries coming into production as well as new wine styles and new regions springing up.

However once you have partially ascended the ladder of wine knowledge you can through a process of elimination get to taste a percentage of premium wines and thus selectively enhance your palates wine knowledge.

First of all, remove the high number of wines on the market that should be classified as quaffing wines or of average quality – this eliminates 85-90% of wines available on the market. That still leaves a very large number of wines that would be deemed high-quality premium wines, which leads us to ask what the next step is in making the number of wines to taste a more manageable number?

How about exclusively tasting wines that have been recommended by prominent wine experts such as Robert Parker?

I recently came across what can only be described as premium wine clubs that only distributes wines that have achieved 90 points or greater when tasted by Masters of Wines. All wines are effectively of Gold medal wine quality. The wines are judges by the likes of Robert Parker, Stephen Tanzar, and Wine Enthusiast magazine – I mean these guys all know their stuff. What better way to assure yourself regarding the premium nature of the wines you are tasting?

Have you thought about growing your wine expertise and palate by experiencing international red wines this year?. New world wines such as South African Pinotage, New Zealand Pinot noir, and Australian Shiraz have made a resounding impact on the palates of wine experts with their qualities. Add in old world wines such as Tempranillo and Montepulciano and you have the building blocks for rapidly enhancing your wine expertise.An introduction to premium international red wines can be achieved by joining the WSJ wine red wine club. Once again, the selection process is carried out by leading wine masters and you can decide when and how often you wish to receive deliveries.

If you only have a limited amount of time for tasting wine over the next 12 months then there is a gold medal wine club that only has the very best premium wine on offer and in small quantities for their limited wine club membership. This wine club has only the best wines – yes that also equates to being more expensive – but when selected  for you by Masters of Wine, there is no guesswork regarding the wine quality. You will receive the very best wines exclusively so you are achieving fantastic value for your money with the wine you buy and consume.

There is a monthly wine club for all types and sorts of individuals, whether they are avid wine enthusiasts or simply enjoy an occasion glass at a restaurant with a fine meal. With all the selection available to choose from, it is an important first step to identify what is important to you and what it is you would like to get out of belonging to a wine club. This will make it easier wading through the choices. You should also determine if you would like to receive any bonuses along with your wine deliveries including cheeses or other amenities. Regardless if you know what you like or if you are still training your palette, you are certain to find something unique and exciting.

It is truly satisfying to let someone else do all the research and investigation that goes along with choosing a good bottle of wine and this is something that wine clubs by definition provide for their membership. The people who are in charge of the club are wine experts in their own right and pride themselves in their extensive knowledge and experience when it comes to researching wine. If you do not know much about wine yet yourself, then this can be even more advantageous. You will likely enjoy the little information packet that the wine club sends with its delivery detailing the intricacies as they correspond to that month’s selection.

Members of wine of the month clubs are also offered special discounts and deals fairly regularly, that are not available elsewhere. They also receive special invitations to events that are held at specific wineries. Best of all you are not obligated to stay in the club any longer than you want to as their are no contracts and you can cancel your subscription anytime.

Giving a wine club membership as a gift to a friend or loved one may even be more popular than buying one for yourself. Your intended gift recipient need not be madly passionate about wine to enjoy getting a wine club membership as a gift. If they enjoy wine or might like to learn more then they are excellent candidates. They will enjoy waiting in anticipation for each months surprise delivery. After the period of your gift runs out, they may even discover that they would like to continue the subscription themselves.

There is a wide range of costs between wine clubs with some focusing on rare and expensive bottles, while at the other end of the range there are several that concentrate on less expensive selections. When you’re determining what club is right for you, you’ll have to decide how much you want to devote and go from there. Additionally, be sure to make yourself knowledgeable about the applicable laws for your state concerning the shipping of wine club wines so you will not run into any unexpected surprises later.