Berserkers-Only Offer! Wine Access account discounts and GCC memberships!

[Todd F r e n c h]

Sick of all the sadness and pain on your 401k? Tired of all the inflation in your daily spending? I've been working with WineAccess.com (yes, they've noticed that VERY popular thread on WB) to get a special offer, much like the WineBid offers from a short while ago that were met with great success, giving Berserkers an exclusive offer - nay, TWO exclusive offers, and a bonus! Details below:

WINE ACCESS DISCOUNT EXTRAVAGANZZA FOR WINE BERSERKERS

First, the 'bonus', an introduction to the new shipping feature:

Customers are now able to make a purchase and not be charged for shipping at checkout. Instead, we’ll hold their wine for 30 days OR until the order reaches $150. Once they hit the $150 shipping threshold, the customer will choose their preferred delivery date, and they won’t pay a cent for shipping.

If the customer has an outstanding order and spots a few more irresistible bottles, they can easily add them to their shipment. Any standard-sized bottle (750ml) that ships on or before the selected delivery date will be eligible, so they will have their choice of any in-stock wine and a number of Limited Time Offer wines too.

Need more info on the new shipping feature? Click here

Details on the discount offer:

We'd like to offer Wine Berserkers members a discount on their orders for the next 30 days so they can test out our new shipping policy.

All (not current Grand Cru Crü or Monopole Crü) members: get 10% off all orders* from June 28-July 28th, AND you'll also receive a 1-year free membership to Grand Cru Crü (a $35 value) to experience the glory of its benefits. Click HERE to activate your offer.

Grand Cru Crü/Monopole Crü members: get an additional 5% discount on top of the above discount - so 15% off all orders*. Basically you can make your GCC/MC membership pay for itself (and then some!) with this one special offer. Freakin' SWEET. To keep non-GCC/MC members from clicking the extra discount code, you'll be accessing your offer via the Grand Cru Crü member forum, and that thread is HERE


Below are a few terms we need to stipulate with this offer:
To receive the discount, members must use the links in the post (we have one for non-GCC members and one for GCC members, and they WILL be cross-referenced and adjusted accordingly)
*Some exclusions may apply. Discount is applied at checkout.

[Todd F r e n c h]

We are live!!!

[Guillermo M]

Hey Todd, thanks for this! Since you said the CEO would be around, I have a question. I have an outstanding regular order I wanted to add wines to but the "add items" link only allows certain items to be added, not all the ones available on the site.

This has been an ongoing issue with my Michelin shipments as well (in that one not only can't I add some wines, last time I tried it didn't give me the 10% discount either).

[Jeff L]

Awesome, thank you. Pushed me over the edge on the Mouton.

[C. Heinsen]

Any chance we will see some new NDA wines during that time period we should plan for?

[Joe Fisch]

Hey Todd, thanks for this! Since you said the CEO would be around, I have a question. I have an outstanding regular order I wanted to add wines to but the "add items" link only allows certain items to be added, not all the ones available on the site.

This has been an ongoing issue with my Michelin shipments as well (in that one not only can't I add some wines, last time I tried it didn't give me the 10% discount either).

Thanks for the question! We are excited to say that the new feature we just launched should allow you to add any wine to your order, whereas previously you could only choose from a small selection. So if a wine is available to ship by your existing order ship date, you should be able to add it to your order. If you're having issues with it, please feel free to send over your details to help@wineacess.com and we'd be happy to assist you or look into what may be causing the issue.

[Joe Fisch]

Awesome, thank you. Pushed me over the edge on the Mouton.

Excellent choice!

[Joe Fisch]

Any chance we will see some new NDA wines during that time period we should plan for?

We have a few that we’re really proud of going live over the next month and will work with Todd to get Wine Berserker members early access. Stay tuned!

[HoosJustinG]

Bolly at 55/pop with free shipping? No brainer!

[CJ Beazley]

Is heat hold for Texas shipping an option?

[Keith P]

Is heat hold for Texas shipping an option?

Every time I have ordered wine from Wine Access I have picked my arrival date. Placed an order a few days ago for a mid-October delivery

[Joe Fisch]

Is heat hold for Texas shipping an option?

Yes. You can choose your delivery date at checkout and we’ll hold the wine for you at no additional cost. Additionally, we’ve created a proprietary technology that monitors zip-by-zip temperatures from our warehouse to your house so that we can deliver the wine when the weather is safest. If that’s interesting to you, just choose “Ship when the weather is safest” at checkout and we’ll notify you if we suggest moving your selected delivery date.

[Jonathan Jaggers]

Nice offer - snagged some Bevan and Smith Haut Lafite along with some Tensley and Hoopes whites

[Luca Giupponi]

Is Michigan still on your black list as far as shipping goes?

[Joe Fisch]

Is Michigan still on your black list as far as shipping goes?

We can ship most of our NDA wines to Michigan: https://www.wineaccess.com/store/occasi ... -michigan/

[Jesse W]

To those of us in NY, ground delivery only takes 1 day according to the site. Given the quick timing do people feel that ice packs are a consistently reliable solution to allow for shipping during summer heats? Or should I still hold it for milder weather?

[Jonathan Jaggers]

To those of us in NY, ground delivery only takes 1 day according to the site. Given the quick timing do people feel that ice packs are a consistently reliable solution to allow for shipping during summer heats? Or should I still hold it for milder weather?

Those trucks still turn into cookers, so I wouldn't chance it once it gets in the mid 80s or higher

[Mikko Tuomi]

Anyone find any good buys in there? Even with the discount, I'm struggling to find any.

[Rohit B]

Any chance we will see some new NDA wines during that time period we should plan for?

We have a few that we’re really proud of going live over the next month and will work with Todd to get Wine Berserker members early access. Stay tuned!

Hi Joe, thanks for chiming in. Can you comment further on these future offers? Pretty much every NDA has an incredible write up and pitch, but some have fallen very short. Ringer 19 (overly sweet) and Yesterday Howell Mountain 18 (smoke taint) come to mind. Did these wines just fall through the cracks?

[Max S.]

Anyone find any good buys in there? Even with the discount, I'm struggling to find any.

On the lower end, Bedrock OVZ and Guigal St Joseph. Also Laherte Freres

[J3ff S@g@n]

i cant find mouton or bevan.....where do u guys find those?

[Max S.]

i cant find mouton or bevan.....where do u guys find those?

Can be region-specific

[Joe Fisch]

Anyone find any good buys in there? Even with the discount, I'm struggling to find any.

If you let me know what you like, I'm happy to help make some recommendations!

[Joe Fisch]

i cant find mouton or bevan.....where do u guys find those?

Unfortunately these sold out already! However we do have two 100-point Chateau Margauxs being offered tomorrow, a 2009 and 2010 – we will drop the link in this chat as soon as they are ready so you can get early access. Not sure if you were looking for other first growths or Pauillac specifically but we are really excited about the Margauxs.

While we are out of Bevan, we have really been loving Sire who does an amazing wine from Houyi. As you may have seen, Nine Suns / Houyi Vineyard was just acquired by Realm so it could be a great one to secure as it’s tough to tell what will happen with the property!

https://www.wineaccess.com/catalog/2018 ... 7cde97450/

[Kevin Patrick]

While you're here, any chance for 20+ year-old Musar to pop up in the near future?

[Joe Fisch]

Any chance we will see some new NDA wines during that time period we should plan for?

We have a few that we’re really proud of going live over the next month and will work with Todd to get Wine Berserker members early access. Stay tuned!

Hi Joe, thanks for chiming in. Can you comment further on these future offers? Pretty much every NDA has an incredible write up and pitch, but some have fallen very short. Ringer 19 (overly sweet) and Yesterday Howell Mountain 18 (smoke taint) come to mind. Did these wines just fall through the cracks?

Sorry to hear you weren’t a fan of those two wines! Feel free to reach out to our member services team at help@wineacces.com about any unsatisfactory wines and we’ll be sure to credit your account.
To provide some perspective on our NDA Wines process, we lab tested the Yesterday for smoke taint multiple times (when we secured the wine and after bottling) and there was zero smoke taint detected.

We also had the wine team taste it again after seeing it mentioned in the forum and did not detect any smoke taint. As always, we want to be sure you’re happy with your purchase so if it didn’t meet your standards then happy to help.

One of our upcoming NDA’s is a Cab Franc under the Star Treatment label. For my money, it’s an incredible value—really well balanced and more powerful than I would expect of a Cab Franc. It’s being offered this weekend and we’ll be sure to drop the link here when it’s live!

[larry schaffer]

Hey Joe. Mind putting your ITB info in your signature line please?

Cheers

[MICHAEL C R O M W E L L]

What a great deal, picked up some great wines at great prices!

[Kevin Patrick]

Yesterday Howell Mountain 18 (smoke taint) ... Did these wines just fall through the cracks?

Not to "thread drift" so we can pick this up in the Wine Access thread but I have consumed 6 or 7 bottles of Yesterday Howell Mountain between two different buyers and there is no smoke taint in these bottles.

I even went so far as to serve one blind to a group of extremely knowledgeable consumers (both a Napa winemaker and winery owner amongst the crowd) and the consensus was no smoke taint. I did not tell anyone what I was looking for in their experience with the blind only that they be brutally honest and critical of the wine. The wine performed so well that multiple people took down information on the bottle in hopes of sourcing more, however futile that may be at this date.

I write this because the narrative of "smoke taint" and this wine needs a wider discussion (and refutation in my opinion) as many consumers like myself have had nothing but stellar experiences with that wine.

Could there be bottle variation? Maybe. But to say this is a bottling of smoke tainted wines is inaccurate.

[Now back to looking for aged Musar to pop up on Wine Access ...]

[Mikko Tuomi]

If you let me know what you like, I'm happy to help make some recommendations!

Last thing I bought was 2012 Chateau Musar.
Do your offers stack by the way? I also have an offer from Amex.

[Mikko Tuomi]

On the lower end, Bedrock OVZ and Guigal St Joseph. Also Laherte Freres

Thanks! Bought a couple Laherte Freres, also 2018 Bibi Graetz's Testamatta Magnum for $200 less the discounts was not a bad deal.

[Theodore Smith]

Question on the add bottles to shipment offer. While I have seen this feature in the past, and the new feature now, my hold up has always been when I add wines to the order it doesn't take into account that a coupon was used for original order. For instance, recently I made and order with a "happy anniversary" 12% off coupon. If I add bottles to that order will it take 12% off the new bottles as well. If not, it would be a GREAT feature to add to incentivize purchase. Plus I rarely make a purchase without a coupon whether it be a wine access coupon or an AMEX offer.

[Rohit B]

Yesterday Howell Mountain 18 (smoke taint) ... Did these wines just fall through the cracks?

Not to "thread drift" so we can pick this up in the Wine Access thread but I have consumed 6 or 7 bottles of Yesterday Howell Mountain between two different buyers and there is no smoke taint in these bottles.

I even went so far as to serve one blind to a group of extremely knowledgeable consumers (both a Napa winemaker and winery owner amongst the crowd) and the consensus was no smoke taint. I did not tell anyone what I was looking for in their experience with the blind only that they be brutally honest and critical of the wine. The wine performed so well that multiple people took down information on the bottle in hopes of sourcing more, however futile that may be at this date.

I write this because the narrative of "smoke taint" and this wine needs a wider discussion (and refutation in my opinion) as many consumers like myself have had nothing but stellar experiences with that wine.

Could there be bottle variation? Maybe. But to say this is a bottling of smoke tainted wines is inaccurate.

[Now back to looking for aged Musar to pop up on Wine Access ...]

I'm glad you guys have had good experiences. I do think there is a significant "roughness" that cannot be attributed to tannins. It is also extremely well documented that Hershey Vineyard in 2018 had smoke taint (as other Howell Mountain sites). If Dana doesn't make a Hershey 18 because of smoke taint, and Yesterday HM 18 is from Hershey...well, you can do the math.

[Joe Fisch]

i cant find mouton or bevan.....where do u guys find those?

Unfortunately these sold out already! However we do have two 100-point Chateau Margauxs being offered tomorrow, a 2009 and 2010 – we will drop the link in this chat as soon as they are ready so you can get early access. Not sure if you were looking for other first growths or Pauillac specifically but we are really excited about the Margauxs.

While we are out of Bevan, we have really been loving Sire who does an amazing wine from Houyi. As you may have seen, Nine Suns / Houyi Vineyard was just acquired by Realm so it could be a great one to secure as it’s tough to tell what will happen with the property!

https://www.wineaccess.com/catalog/2018 ... 7cde97450/

As promised, here are the 2 100-point Margaux's available for sale:
https://www.wineaccess.com/catalog/2009 ... fba470ee4/
https://www.wineaccess.com/catalog/2010 ... 1fef9a544/

[Joe Fisch]

Question on the add bottles to shipment offer. While I have seen this feature in the past, and the new feature now, my hold up has always been when I add wines to the order it doesn't take into account that a coupon was used for original order. For instance, recently I made and order with a "happy anniversary" 12% off coupon. If I add bottles to that order will it take 12% off the new bottles as well. If not, it would be a GREAT feature to add to incentivize purchase. Plus I rarely make a purchase without a coupon whether it be a wine access coupon or an AMEX offer.

Thanks for your feedback! I’ll pass it along to my team. Right now, the Wine Berserkers discount is good on all purchases through 7/28 so it will apply to, not just your initial order, but all purchases after that. If you ever have any issues with an order or discount, please don’t hesitate to reach out to help@wineaccess.com and they’ll take great care of you.

[JOwen]

Hate to jump-on the Yesterday Howell train, since it's not the topic at hand with this thread, but since it was brought up...

I actually did something similar to Kevin Patrick, but had markedly different results. I poured a bottle blind to a group of 3 Sommeliers (level 1, but still) and an honest-to-goodness winemaker w/ legit resume...and all agreed there was smoke taint. Given the differing experiences expressed here, however, AND the fact that my first 1-2 bottles showed zero signs of the flaw, I'm firmly in the 'bottle variation' camp on this one.

The great news - and kudos to your team Joe - is that the WineAccess customer service team stepped up and took care of it with their typical white-glove professionalism!

Now, about that Musar...?

[Jeff L]

To those of us in NY, ground delivery only takes 1 day according to the site. Given the quick timing do people feel that ice packs are a consistently reliable solution to allow for shipping during summer heats? Or should I still hold it for milder weather?

So I ordered Tuesday. Shipped late last night I think and arrived today to NJ. There was one cold pack in the box. The neck of the bottle was warmer than I’d like but the middle to bottom third all seemed room temperature and not warm. Def not hot.

For the price of the Mouton I’d have loved another ice pack but my gut says all is fine. Funny thing is I’ll never know as I’m letting it age…

[twright]

I placed an order with a delivery set for next week. Will the order be combined into one order and one credit card charge if I buy a few more bottles now? I’m also coupon clipping and am curious how this will work with amex offers

[T. Melloni]

I placed an order.

Bunch of enablers! All of you!

[Todd F r e n c h]

For those asking about NDA wines, there's one posted in Commerce Corner

viewtopic.php?f=7&t=190029

[Milton Hudson]

Well I wanted to order, but you don't ship to Alabama, even though it is legal. There is a licensing process, but it isn't necessary.

The process is simple, you ship to the ABC store nearest my house, they sign for it, I write them a check for the tax and away we go. Simple and for me it guarantees the wine doesn't spend time on the truck and is stored in the air conditioning until i pick it up. Your form is set up for billing and shipping address so it is easy. I actually wrote the procedures, got them passed and created the form for the ABC unit some 30 years ago.

Here it is from the state....
Is there any way to purchase wine that is not available in Alabama directly from a winery for personal use?
Wine that is not available in Alabama may be purchased directly from the winery as long as it is for personal use only. Complete the Direct Import Authorization Form and give it to the winery at the time of purchase.

The wine shall be ordered and paid for by the purchaser--including prepaid freight charges. A copy of the authorization form should be shipped along with the wine. The shipment shall be consigned to the purchaser in care of the ABC Store designated on the authorization form. Upon arrival at the ABC Store, the purchaser will be contacted and upon payment of Alabama taxes, the purchaser may assume possession thereof.


Here is the link that clarifies the regulation.
Frequently Asked Questions | Alabama ABC Board
https://alabcboard.gov/about-us/faq

[Guillermo M]

Well I wanted to order, but you don't ship to Alabama, even though it is legal. There is a licensing process, but it isn't necessary.

The process is simple, you ship to the ABC store nearest my house, they sign for it, I write them a check for the tax and away we go. Simple and for me it guarantees the wine doesn't spend time on the truck and is stored in the air conditioning until i pick it up. Your form is set up for billing and shipping address so it is easy. I actually wrote the procedures, got them passed and created the form for the ABC unit some 30 years ago.

Here it is from the state....
Is there any way to purchase wine that is not available in Alabama directly from a winery for personal use?
Wine that is not available in Alabama may be purchased directly from the winery as long as it is for personal use only. Complete the Direct Import Authorization Form and give it to the winery at the time of purchase.

The wine shall be ordered and paid for by the purchaser--including prepaid freight charges. A copy of the authorization form should be shipped along with the wine. The shipment shall be consigned to the purchaser in care of the ABC Store designated on the authorization form. Upon arrival at the ABC Store, the purchaser will be contacted and upon payment of Alabama taxes, the purchaser may assume possession thereof.


Here is the link that clarifies the regulation.
Frequently Asked Questions | Alabama ABC Board
https://alabcboard.gov/about-us/faq

Just curious, how would they know it's "directly from a winery" which I guess is true as to the NDA wines but not the other wines they sell?

[Max S.]

I don't think WineAccess is considered the winery. Most of the descriptions note them coming from a winery, thus they'd be excluded, no?

[Joe Fisch]

Yesterday Howell Mountain 18 (smoke taint) ... Did these wines just fall through the cracks?

Not to "thread drift" so we can pick this up in the Wine Access thread but I have consumed 6 or 7 bottles of Yesterday Howell Mountain between two different buyers and there is no smoke taint in these bottles.

I even went so far as to serve one blind to a group of extremely knowledgeable consumers (both a Napa winemaker and winery owner amongst the crowd) and the consensus was no smoke taint. I did not tell anyone what I was looking for in their experience with the blind only that they be brutally honest and critical of the wine. The wine performed so well that multiple people took down information on the bottle in hopes of sourcing more, however futile that may be at this date.

I write this because the narrative of "smoke taint" and this wine needs a wider discussion (and refutation in my opinion) as many consumers like myself have had nothing but stellar experiences with that wine.

Could there be bottle variation? Maybe. But to say this is a bottling of smoke tainted wines is inaccurate.

[Now back to looking for aged Musar to pop up on Wine Access ...]

I'm glad you guys have had good experiences. I do think there is a significant "roughness" that cannot be attributed to tannins. It is also extremely well documented that Hershey Vineyard in 2018 had smoke taint (as other Howell Mountain sites). If Dana doesn't make a Hershey 18 because of smoke taint, and Yesterday HM 18 is from Hershey...well, you can do the math.

We unfortunately can’t reveal where the NDA wines are from, but do take the same precautions as other wineries by sending all of our NDA wines to the lab for testing. Meaning, if a winery won’t offer that wine, we won’t either. That’s about all I can say since we aren’t able to comment on where our NDA wines are sourced from and where they’re not. But, as always, if you are not satisfied with a bottle you purchased from us, we will absolutely credit you back.

[Joe Fisch]

Well I wanted to order, but you don't ship to Alabama, even though it is legal. There is a licensing process, but it isn't necessary.

The process is simple, you ship to the ABC store nearest my house, they sign for it, I write them a check for the tax and away we go. Simple and for me it guarantees the wine doesn't spend time on the truck and is stored in the air conditioning until i pick it up. Your form is set up for billing and shipping address so it is easy. I actually wrote the procedures, got them passed and created the form for the ABC unit some 30 years ago.

Here it is from the state....
Is there any way to purchase wine that is not available in Alabama directly from a winery for personal use?
Wine that is not available in Alabama may be purchased directly from the winery as long as it is for personal use only. Complete the Direct Import Authorization Form and give it to the winery at the time of purchase.

The wine shall be ordered and paid for by the purchaser--including prepaid freight charges. A copy of the authorization form should be shipped along with the wine. The shipment shall be consigned to the purchaser in care of the ABC Store designated on the authorization form. Upon arrival at the ABC Store, the purchaser will be contacted and upon payment of Alabama taxes, the purchaser may assume possession thereof.


Here is the link that clarifies the regulation.
Frequently Asked Questions | Alabama ABC Board
https://alabcboard.gov/about-us/faq

The state of Alabama actually just opened up a permit process for DTC shippers recently, which would circumvent the need to ask customers to fill out a form, drive to an ABC location, and write a check.
Our application process is nearly complete, so we plan to open up our shipping to Alabama customers soon. Stay tuned!

[Joe Fisch]

While you're here, any chance for 20+ year-old Musar to pop up in the near future?

We always hope for a great allocation like that! Unfortunately those wines don't have a lot of inventory left. But we're checking with the supplier to see if we can get any more of the past vintages. We'll be sure to let you know if we do!

[Milton Hudson]

Well I wanted to order, but you don't ship to Alabama, even though it is legal. There is a licensing process, but it isn't necessary.

The process is simple, you ship to the ABC store nearest my house, they sign for it, I write them a check for the tax and away we go. Simple and for me it guarantees the wine doesn't spend time on the truck and is stored in the air conditioning until i pick it up. Your form is set up for billing and shipping address so it is easy. I actually wrote the procedures, got them passed and created the form for the ABC unit some 30 years ago.

Here it is from the state....
Is there any way to purchase wine that is not available in Alabama directly from a winery for personal use?
Wine that is not available in Alabama may be purchased directly from the winery as long as it is for personal use only. Complete the Direct Import Authorization Form and give it to the winery at the time of purchase.

The wine shall be ordered and paid for by the purchaser--including prepaid freight charges. A copy of the authorization form should be shipped along with the wine. The shipment shall be consigned to the purchaser in care of the ABC Store designated on the authorization form. Upon arrival at the ABC Store, the purchaser will be contacted and upon payment of Alabama taxes, the purchaser may assume possession thereof.


Here is the link that clarifies the regulation.
Frequently Asked Questions | Alabama ABC Board
https://alabcboard.gov/about-us/faq

The state of Alabama actually just opened up a permit process for DTC shippers recently, which would circumvent the need to ask customers to fill out a form, drive to an ABC location, and write a check.
Our application process is nearly complete, so we plan to open up our shipping to Alabama customers soon. Stay tuned!

Thanks for the reply. We really don't mind picking it up there though as they get the delivery in the morning and it sits in the a/c of the store. I'll look forward to when you can ship though...

[Jay $$ Winton]

What exactly is your shipping policy to Delaware? PM if necessary please. Thanks!

[Theodore Smith]

Just curious...went to go take advantage of the Bastile Day promo along with adding to my past 3 bottle order with the new shipping feature and noticed a service fee?? Am I wrong or is this new? What exactly is the "service fee" for?

[Aleks V]

Just curious...went to go take advantage of the Bastile Day promo along with adding to my past 3 bottle order with the new shipping feature and noticed a service fee?? Am I wrong or is this new? What exactly is the "service fee" for?

Saw this too, but at $3 on a $200 order wasn’t a huge deal to me. The free shipping is very generous and coupon stacking makes for some super solid deals. Great service as well, so while I don’t often buy from WA I’m always happy when I do.