Up to 2,500 Bonus Miles - American Cellars Wine Club
#16
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: ORD & DEN
Programs: UA Premier 1K 1MM, Marriott Titanium, Hilton Gold
Posts: 239
I'm curious which wines people got. Of the six wines they show on their site, we only got one of them (the Pinot). The other five must all fall under their substitutions for wines similar in character and of equal value may occasionally be made clause.
We gotWe had the Paso a Paso with dungeness crab last night, and it was pretty reasonable.
We got
- 2008 Paso a Paso - Rueda, Spain Verdejo
- 2009 Valle de Uco 'Urban' - Mendoza, Argentina Torrontes
- 2008 The Negociant - California Albarino
- 2009 Green Groves - Russian River Valley Pinot Noir
- 2009 Mount Oso Cellars - Tracy Hills, California Shiraz-Merlot
- 2007 Domaine Jean Bousquet - Tupungato, Argentina Cabernet Sauvignon
Our six just arrived today. We got
- 2008 Paso a Paso - Rueda, Spain Verdejo
- 2009 Valle de Uco 'Urban' - Mendoza, Argentina Torrontes
- 2008 The Negociant - California Albarino
- 2009 Green Groves - Russian River Valley Pinot Noir
- 2009 Iron Rock - California Cabernet
- 2009 Acrobat - California Merlot
#17
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: LHR (sometimes CLE, SFO, BOS, LAX, SEA)
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 5,889
Yeah, this was a great way to try some new and interesting wines! Kudos to the fine folks at ACWC.
I asked for "whites" and got 2 bottles each of
2008 The Negociant - California Albarino
Inoffensive but not incredibly memorable, a pretty good table wine.
2009 Valle de Uco 'Urban' - Mendoza, Argentina Torrontes
Really interesting flavor! I was very impressed.
2008 Paso a Paso - Rueda, Spain Verdejo
Kind of unpleasant, to be honest. There might be some food that goes well with this strong, almost acidic flavor; it wasn't chicken
I asked for "whites" and got 2 bottles each of
2008 The Negociant - California Albarino
Inoffensive but not incredibly memorable, a pretty good table wine.
2009 Valle de Uco 'Urban' - Mendoza, Argentina Torrontes
Really interesting flavor! I was very impressed.
2008 Paso a Paso - Rueda, Spain Verdejo
Kind of unpleasant, to be honest. There might be some food that goes well with this strong, almost acidic flavor; it wasn't chicken
#18
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Near SEA
Programs: UA MM, AS MVPG75K, Marriott Lifetime Gold
Posts: 7,969
Was tempted to try this, but from what I've seen with online wine clubs, one rarely if ever gets a deal. And just not worth 2500 miles based on RNE's experience above
#19
Moderator, Omni, Omni/PR, Omni/Games, FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Between DCA and IAD
Programs: UA 1K MM; Hilton Diamond
Posts: 67,010
Ours were:
- 2009 Green Groves - Russian River Valley Pinot Noir. Opened that tonight, so we'll see how it is.
- 2007 Jean Bousquet Cab Sauv - Argentina. Had this one a couple of days ago; it was pretty good--not a typical Cab, mind you, with very little peppercorn to it. Still something I'd pay $9-$12 a bottle for.
- 2007 Colombelle Cotes de Gascogne - French Tannat/Merlot/Cab blend. So-so; a bit "thin" and lacking in character. I'd drink it for $6-$7 a bottle, but no more.
#20
Moderator, Omni, Omni/PR, Omni/Games, FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Between DCA and IAD
Programs: UA 1K MM; Hilton Diamond
Posts: 67,010
Bonus miles showed up today (dated yesterday):
Jan. 06, 2011 VINESSE WINE CLUB ENROLLMENT 2500
Jan. 06, 2011 VINESSE WINE CLUB ENROLLMENT 2500
#21
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 1999
Posts: 11,419
Initially was considering it. Overall (price, selection, fine print caveats) not that much of a deal. I think I'll pass. Hope you all get your miles and can bail before the large charges hit.
and... thanks all FTers for reporting!
and... thanks all FTers for reporting!
#22
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: LAX
Programs: UA/AA
Posts: 1,739
Just got an authorization on my credit card.
Second shipment will be coming soon.
Second shipment will be coming soon.
#23
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: GVA (Greater Vancouver Area)
Programs: DREAD Gold; UA 1.035MM; Bonvoy Au-197; PCC Elite+; CCC Elite+; MSC C-12; CWC Au-197; WoH Dis
Posts: 52,110
I called today to cancel, and they recommended waiting until the points post. They did delay our next shipment until March to give us more time, which I though was pretty good.
#24
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: SEA
Posts: 96
Almost the same for me, except they only delayed until February. That's fine though. I've got a reminder to cancel as soon as the miles post.
#25
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: ORD/MDW
Programs: AA EXP, DL FO, CO Plat, UA 1P, FB Plat, Marriott PLT, PC Plat, HH Diamond, Starwood Gold, Nat'l Exec
Posts: 107
I did the same when I saw my CC had been charged $110 for the second shipment. A very nice CSR told me that I had to remain a member for at least a month for the bonus miles to post. Also delayed my shipment until March, and set up a notification email before it ships.
#27
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 408
as i need 4000 more miles to book an award ticket, i was thinking about this promotion... can you please tell me what was the total charge for the first shipment?
united has 'award accelerator' 33% discount till tomorrow (3.9k miles for 102$ for me), so i need to decide pretty soon...
thanks for help!
united has 'award accelerator' 33% discount till tomorrow (3.9k miles for 102$ for me), so i need to decide pretty soon...
thanks for help!
#28
Join Date: Sep 2010
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 268
i am very skeptical of the types of wine $7 can buy. can someone give an overall drinkability ratings of those wines?
#29
Moderator, Omni, Omni/PR, Omni/Games, FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Between DCA and IAD
Programs: UA 1K MM; Hilton Diamond
Posts: 67,010
Although cost factors into the ratings for most wines--meaning a $50 90-point wine is typically "better" in drinkability than a $10 90-point wine--price shouldn't be your primary criteria in evaluating wine quality. I'm not saying expensive wines are a rip-off or bogus (which many people insist is the case), but rather that you can certainly spend $50 on a wine you like less than a $10 wine of the same varietal. (And yes, I know some fantastic $250 and $2500 wines, too.)
As for the ACWC, I found all the reds reasonably drinkable. I'm not sure the second set are worth what they charged (around $13/bottle IIRC) as I could probably find comparable wines at that price locally without paying shipping, although I would say they were better than the initial shipment's wines.
I'm going to stick with them for a third shipment just to see what I get, then probably cancel. I've enjoyed the wines so far, but after the bonus miles, they're somewhat costly compared to other places I typically buy wine.
#30
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: LHR (sometimes CLE, SFO, BOS, LAX, SEA)
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 5,889
Cool, the NYT just discovered the torrontes (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/02/di...ws/02wine.html), one of the interesting varietal whites that ACWC shipped.