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Gold Medal Wine Club Review: Is It Good Value For The Money?

By Tammy Schmidt · · Updated

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With the notable trend of the booming wine club business, most wine enthusiasts often wonder if they should invest in it or not. Some would want to but are clueless about which club to join.

Maybe the reason you're on this page is that you were trying to know more about such services. But with the massive subscription services out there, you find it challenging to make significant comparisons.

So...

The great news is, you just landed on the right page! This article aims to be your comprehensive guide as we discuss one of the famous wine clubs today. We'll go over the Gold Medal Wine Club reviews, which hopefully could help you decide whether you should sign up for it or not.

How The Gold Medal Wine Club Works

This wine club means earnest business. Gold Medal Wine Club provides essential services to help save you a trip to the local retail store and other conveniences. This wine club ensures that wine lovers like you no longer have to go to supermarkets to browse varietals that will cater to your specific taste preference.

Inexperienced wine drinkers will usually notice attractive bottles or the graphic design in labels but would lack understanding about wines. The club picks awarded wines from California and around the world, many of them hard to find in local stores.

The club also customizes your selection by picking bottles of wine from varying wineries for each shipment. In the flagship Gold Club, each month features two reds and two whites, and you choose how many bottles you get and how often.

The Target Market

The Gold Medal Wine Club offers services suitable for wine enthusiasts who can't afford to spend hours discovering new bottles of wine. It is also very beneficial if you’re the type who often gets overwhelmed at the liquor store.

I understand how confusing it can be to choose an exceptional wine of the many brands out there.

The club is especially ideal for individuals who have no patience to search wine shops looking for a tasty glass of wine. They cater to individuals who might need someone else to make the tough decisions and take the guesswork out of wine selection.

Furthermore, it makes a great option if you're either curious or fond of California wines and looking for excellent gift ideas.

california wine

All About The Gold Medal Wine Club Review

Membership Benefits and Features

  • Explore the finest bottles of wine from different wineries worldwide: They offer limited-supply, award-winning wines from California and beyond.
  • Customize your selection: You choose the number of bottles per shipment and how often you want to receive them (monthly, every two months, or quarterly in the Gold Club).
  • Gift-ready: Gift subscriptions are available, which makes the club an easy present for friends, colleagues, and bosses.
  • Free registration: When this review was first written, the club offered six club memberships. Its clubs page now leads with three: Gold, Platinum, and Diamond. There is no separate sign-up fee, and you can cancel anytime from your account page.
  • Free shipment on 12 bottles: Shipping is normally charged by destination and bottle count, but the Gold Club ships free when you choose a 12-bottle subscription.
  • Wine education: Shipments have traditionally included the club's newsletter, with winery information and tasting notes on the featured wines.

What The Consumers Say About The Gold Medal Wine Club

Most of their members are happy about the wine quality and its outstanding value. They love the perks of having access to such rare finds from the best wine-producing regions worldwide right to their homes.

Even the press admire the club's versatility and refer to their wines as absolute "crowd-pleasers," which says a lot about the quality. Some of them compliment how they offer such amazing deals at reasonable costs.

While Gold Medal is a more conventional wine subscription, if you want something more outside the box check out our Naked Wines review to learn about their unique structure.

Subscription Plan Options

You will have the option to avail their featured wines by joining these club memberships. You can also buy gift sets and individual wines without joining. Prices change often, so check the club's site for current pricing; the details below describe how each club works.

The International Series

This club focuses on imported wines from family-owned estates abroad, with information about each wine region, producer, and vineyard. Shipments have usually been three bottles, sent quarterly. It no longer appears on the club's main clubs page, so check whether it is currently open.

The Gold Series

It's the club's flagship and most popular membership plan, and it ships until you cancel. Each month features four new wines, two reds and two whites, from California and around the world, and you can choose 2, 4, 6, or 12 bottles per shipment. You can arrange to receive your shipments either every month, every-other-month, or quarterly.

The Diamond Series

Each wine in this program is a red rated 92 points or higher, and because supply is limited, membership can sell out. It is the most expensive membership plan, with three hand-picked reds featured in each quarterly shipment and options from 2 to 12 bottles.

The Platinum Series

It is a premium club series that features ultra-premium wines rated 90 points or higher, mostly from top California wineries. It sits between the Gold and Diamond clubs in price, and each shipment comes with information on the featured wines.

The Garagiste Club Series

This plan has offered small-batch wines from independent winemakers on the West Coast, mostly reds. It no longer appears on the club's main clubs page, so check whether it is currently open.

The Pinot Noir Club Series

As the club’s name implies, it focuses on highly rated Pinot Noir, mostly from California. Pinot Noir also turns up in the Gold, Platinum, and Diamond selections. This club membership is ideal for die-hard Pinot Noir lovers out there, but check whether it is currently open.

The Ordering Process

  • Choose from either the featured wines per club, the gift packages, the combo cases, or wine accessories
  • Click on checkout
  • Complete necessary information like your email address, name, phone number, shipping address, and payment method to see subtotal and sales tax
  • Place your order

The Wine Selection Process

The club reinforces a strict selection process with a team of experts who does the wine tasting under consideration for inclusion.

wine glass and sunset

They also consider seasonality and consumer varietal preferences in their decision-making process. Members get recommendations based on the wine's legacy, previous vintages, awards won, and the ones with the highest rating.

Cancellation Policy

Just like how they don’t have a separate sign-up fee, there is no cancellation fee either. You can cancel anytime from your account page, or by email or phone, but make sure you do so before your next shipment is processed.

Here are some wines featured in past shipments of each club:

  • The Gold Series: 2018 Sauvignon Blanc, 2016 Zinfandel, 2016 Red Blend, 2017 Red Blend, and more
  • The Platinum Series: 2017 Red Blend, 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon, 2018 Red Blend, 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon, and more
  • The Garagiste Club Series: 2017 Pinot Noir, 2014 Syrah, 2016 Tempranillo, 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon, and more
  • The Pinot Noir Club Series: 2016 Pinot Noir with 93-point rating, 2015 Pinot Noir with 91-point rating, 2018 Pinot Noir with 96-point rating, and more
  • The International Series: 2019 French Import Rosé, 2016 Bordeaux Rouge with 92 point rating, 2019 Ansonica, and more
  • The Diamond Series: 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon, 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon, 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon, 2018 Pinot Noir, and more

They have also offered gift sets such as the following:

  • Sparkling Wine and Chocolate Truffles
  • Two Delicious Cabs and Chocolate Truffles
  • White Wines and Decadent Treats
  • 90+ Rich Pinots and Chocolate Truffles

Gold Medal Wine Club Alternatives

The California Wine Club

This wine club aims to connect small, family-owned wineries with wine lovers. It offers a vast collection of California wines, and members can reorder favorites from past shipments.

Members of the California Wine Club have the option to customize the wine selection in their shipment. They can opt to get all reds, all whites, or a combination of both wines. The club's home page currently lists three membership programs:

  • Premier Series Wine Club: Features limited-production California wines from family wineries
  • Signature Series Wine Club: A step up in price and rarity, ideal for wine collectors
  • Aged Cabernet Series Wine Club: Mature, oak-aged Cabernet Sauvignon from prestigious winemakers

Check the club's shipping policy for current shipping costs and the states it can deliver to.

Winc

Winc is a wine club that sells its own wine labels made with partner winemakers. Its website now offers a 6-bottle membership that ships monthly and a 12-bottle membership that ships less often.

Members get a discount on every order, free shipping, and the option to skip shipments. The club’s services are excellent for those who wish to diversify their wine rotation.

Firstleaf

Firstleaf is another wine subscription service with a distinct way of personalizing wine selections to recommend to their consumers. Their system stores data depending on consumer preferences, which their experts determine through an online quiz. The user data is updated each time you provide a rating to connect the customers to wines they love accurately.

They also offer a flexible shipment schedule, a wide variety of exceptional globally-sourced wines, and wine replacement if you get bottles you don't like in your shipment. Their services are suitable for casual wine drinkers who'd love to have the option of picking red, white, or mixed wines.

New members get an introductory price on their first six wines. After that, you can set shipments to arrive anywhere from every 2 to every 12 weeks, and you can change the number of bottles per shipment.

Pros & Cons From This Gold Medal Wine Club Review

Pros

  • Affordable and a wide variety of membership plans
  • Premium, highly-rated California wines at an exceptional value
  • Provides significant wine information in their newsletter for every shipment

Cons

  • Their collection is often limited to California wines.
  • Receive the same bottles for red-only and white-only shipments
  • Lacks a user-friendly website
  • Can't ship to some states (currently Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Mississippi, South Dakota, and Utah)

Frequently Asked Questions

For Whom Is The Gold Medal Wine Club Suitable?

This wine club is perfect for casual wine drinkers since they offer a combination of quality wine, excellent service, and convenience. It’s a thoughtful gift idea for those who love rare wines and individuals who have no time to search for wines that match their taste preferences.

Can I Give Gold Medal Wine Club As A Gift?

Yes, they offer gift subscriptions to their clubs, gift sets, and combo case ideas. All these will make a perfect gift idea for your wine-loving family members and friends.

Final Thoughts

With a profound understanding of this wine club review and some of its alternatives, you already know the best ways to enjoy the different wine varieties. The best part is, you can do all your wine shopping as often as you need to in the comfort of your home.

When choosing a club to join, you must carefully consider your wine preferences, how you'd like to receive the shipment and the cost. Once you select a club, you will realize how you can save all your time and energy from searching the wine aisles in supermarkets. You may use that time instead to enjoy the best wines worldwide. Don’t you think that’s amazing? 🙂

With the Gold Medal Wine Club's vast wine collection, you will have an ultimate wine-tasting experience from the relatively affordable to the luxurious ones. If the varying options of wine types, delivery frequency, and number of bottles are highly beneficial to you, then you should probably give this wine club a try.

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