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WineAccess – Canada's Wine Magazine

The people over at WineAccess, were kind enough to do a feature on the WineCollective!


“How they go about this, though, makes the Collective different from other wine clubs. The idea started when Bryksa was writing wine reviews for Reading For New Times magazine and the magazine was constantly asked where they could find each week's wines. After taking that concept and doing some market research, the Wine Collective was started, delivering wine to the door of members. After all, how could it get any easier to find these wines than to have them show up in your mailbox?”

Wine Delivered To Your Door by Mary Beth Tucker – WineAccess.

Fun!


Who likes parties?

With the wine almost here, and the first batch of deliveries primed to get out the door; we are thrilled to be letting you know that WineCollective is throwing its kick off party. Here are the details, mark your calendar:

When: Sunday April 19th, 2009
Time: 1 – 5 pm
Who can come: You, your family, friends, even your arch nemesis's if you are trying to patch things up.
Where:
Cork Fine Wine, Spirits and Ales
Beacon Hill Shopping Centre
11668 Sarcee Tr NW
Calgary, AB
Contact: 403.648.9094







Map to Cork

*Download the iCal event, and automatically add this to your calendar.

If you are a member, or still on the fence, come down and tip a glass with Adrian and David. Bring your taste buds πŸ˜‰ …meaning your gustatory repertoire as well as your good friends, get it? We sincerely hope you can join us so we can put some names to faces and get to know you. There will be some wine, nibbles, conversation and chances to win some great prizes.

Take care and we hope to see you in the flesh on April 19th.


Less than 30 hours left!

News from the Collective
March 30th, 2009

Snow? Spring? Wine!

There's only 30 hours left to subscribe to the very first delivery from the WineCollective. The official cut-off for the April delivery is Tuesday March 31st, at Midnight (MST). So if you've been on the fence about joining, now is the time to take advantage of our launch prices.

Jacques Cartier
Normally $42.50, now $35!

Padawan
Normally $85, now $75!

Indulgence
Normally $145, now $135!

Find out more about each package on the site.

We've got some really exciting wines to share with you this month, so don't hesitate and join today!

Also if you're already signed up (awesome!), you can earn points by inviting your friends!


Phone Number Issues – Fax Tones

Over the weekend, we noticed that the phone number that we provided for WineCollective was apparently forwarding to a fax number. We contacted our telephone service provider and have notified them of the issue and they are working on a resolution. If you need to get in touch with WineCollective, please send an email to thecellar@winecollective.ca until this phone problem is resolved.

Thanks for you patience.

David and Adrian

*Our new number has now been updated 403.648.9094, sorry for any inconveniences!


2006 Bordeaux – Arriving soon

Glass o' Bordeaux

After coming off the amazing vintage from Bordeaux in 2005, the 2006 vintage is going to have some huge shoes to fill. Most of the wine pundits of the world have spoken and stated that consumers should look to the 05's before the 2006 vintage, but at what cost? The wines from 2005 were bought at and now priced at pre-recessionary prices, making them out of reach for most consumers / collectors. The 2006 wines should be price adjusted / corrected, making them more accessible for the non millionaires of the world. Although most won't be ready for the next 3-5 years, the 06 vintages will start to filter into stores over the next few months. Keep your eyes open for these at your next visit to your local market.

Check out coverage from Decanter here.



Canadians Insatiable Thirst for Wine

Ok folks, here it is, proof is in the pudding. Canadians are officially winos and there is apparently no stopping us! Check out the link below to get some of these facts:

– Canada has become number 6 in the world as far as the largest importer of wine.
– From 2003 to 2012, we are poised to polish off just over 1 billion bottles of wine. Not a typo, 1 BILLION bottles.

Its posts like these that makes me excited about the opportunity to help Canadian consumers learn and experience more around the wines they are drinking.

Special thanks to Julianna Hayes for her recent blog post.

http://vineliving.blogspot.com/2009/02/study-suggests-canadians-becoming…


News from the Collective – March 10, 2009

We have been hard at work over the past couple of weeks, refining the experience and are ready to take the wraps off the brand new WineCollective website.

A few small changes since we last chatted:

1) Shipping is now inclusive in all packages. We know how much it sucks to be surprised by unexpected charges during the checkout process and we said, “Be gone with them”. Now, packages start at $42.50, which is a tremendous deal (actually cheaper than we had originally planned). During the month of March, free shipping will be offered, so be sure to sign up and tell your friends because this offer is only good until the 31st.

2) We have built a loyalty points system into the WineCollective, that rewards you for being a member. We will also be rewarding you further if you contribute your ideas, thoughts (commenting on the blog) and when you refer friends.

If you have any questions during your experience, please feel free to email us at cellar@winecollective.ca or give us a call as we would love to hear your from you.

Launch Party

Clear your calendars folks. As promised (and trust us, this is one of our favourite parts), we are going to be throwing a launch party later this month. We'll keep you posted on the details. Lastly, something to think about, for the member who has the most points and decides to come, there may be a special thank you waiting!

Looking forward to our first shipment in April, hope you are as well!


California Wine Fair

I was stoked to represent WineCollective.ca at the California Wine Fair on March 4th at Hotel Arts here in Calgary. We were accompanied by our good pals from Cork Fine Wine, Liquor and Ale and we got to try several outstanding wines from such producers as Darioush, Stag's Leap, Heitz, Signorello, Cuvaison. We are very excited to be able to source some of these wines for WineCollective. I also discovered a producer by the name of Fortress Vineyards that have some stunning wines….look for them at your next market visit.

If you get a chance to go to a show like this and like wine, do it. It is worth it to be able to try some amazing wines that you might not normally try.

Top Wines of the Show:

Fortress Vineyards Novateur
Justin Savant
Marimar Estates Pinot Noir
Signorello Seta
Stag's Leap Wine Cellar Artemis
Heitz Martha's Vineyard
Heitz Trailside


WineCollective.ca set to launch March 10, 2009

We have been working hard in anticipation of the launch of WineCollective.ca on March 10th, 2009, which means first packages shipping in April. WOO HOO! We plan on having four distinct packages starting at $42.50 (including shipping) and we hope you are as excited as we are about the launch. As a gift to early adopters, we are offering free shipping for the first month! Take advantage of this special offer and tell your friends, as it expires March 31st, 2009.

Showcased at Calgary Demo Camp

The founders of WineCollective.ca David Gluzman and Adrian Bryksa had a chance to demo and talk about the concept of the WineCollective.ca with a large group of Calgary’s tech enthusiasts at Seven Resto-Lounge in downtown Calgary on February 24th. We received amazing feedback, great suggestions for new and exciting features and tons of support. WineCollective.ca also wants to thank the Democamp organizers for allowing us to demo and for their support. If you didn’t have the chance to see us in person, check out some coverage of DemoCamp#13 on YouTube.

Cork Wine and Spirits and Reading For New Times as partners

We’re thrilled to announce retail and media partnerships with Cork Wine and Spirits along with Reading for New Times magazine. Cork Wine and Spirits is one of Calgary’s, newest and hottest wine retailers, and the WineCollective is super pumped to be working with them. If you get the chance stop by their store, say hi to Chris and Joe and tell them you are from the WineCollective.

Cork Wines and Spirits

11668 Sarcee Tr. NW (Near the new Costco)

www.corkwine.ca

While you are patiently waiting for the March 10th launch, check out some wines that Adrian has been reviewing over on Reading For New Times. These reviews will give you an idea of the types of wines which you can expect to see as a member of the WineCollective.

Looking forward to raising a glass with you all in a few weeks!