Professor Bainbridge...on law, politics, religion, culture & food

Schramsberg

Most California wineries of any decent size have one or more wine clubs, pursuant to which members get one or more shipments per year of that winery's current releases. I belong to several of these clubs, but my favorite may be Schramsberg's Cellar Club. The cool thing about Schramsberg's club is that they send you 2 bottles - one current release but also one library wine - four times a year. The most recent shipment, which arrived today, included wines from the 2000 and 1992 vintages. So not only do you get a mature wine, which aged deep underground in Schramsberg's fantastic system of caves, you usually get it at a very steep discount from what you'd pay at retail (if you could even find it). I recommend it highly. I also recommend visiting Schramsberg if you get to Napa Valley. It is one of the most beautiful and fascinating wineries I've ever visited. The tour of the underground caves is a special highlight, as is the seated tasting.