Thanks again to everyone who participated in the ClubW.com giveaway, and special thanks to ClubW.com for offering up the loot! The giveaway is officially closed, and our randomly-selected winner is…

Jeff Eckles!

Jeff noted that he’d like to try some of the wines on offer from ClubW, specifically the 2007 Chateau de Mattes-Sabran Dionysus Corbieres, the 2012 Banyan Creek Gewurztraminer
and the 2009 Domaine de Milliere VDP Vaucluse Rouge. And so now he’ll get the chance to do that (for about $0.00, I suspect).

For those of you who aren’t Jeff, but are interested in checking out ClubW.com, they are also offering a discount code to you for being a 1WD reader (and yet, most of you benefitting from that will have paid me $0.00 for all of my work in reporting wine to you all of these years… the irony!). The code is “4111wine” (minus the quotation marks, naturally) and comes with a $13 value for signing up (basically one free bottle of vino). To redeem the code, just access ClubW.com from here and enter 4111wine into the Voucher/Referral box when checking out with your order.

Enjoy!

While we’re together here, I’ll also take the opportunity to report on a few 1WD-related happenings (humor me, okay?)…

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“It’s the tiiiiiime, for the seeeeeaaason of… giveawaaaaaaaaaays….”

It does indeed seem to be the season of giveaway action here on 1WD, and this week we’ve got another one; I’m teaming up with ClubW.com to giveaway one month’s free subscription to their wine club (that’s three bottles, or about $50 worth)! We’ll also be announcing a discount code next week (so that those who play along and don’t win won’t have to wail and gnash their wine-stained teeth).

Living in the Communistwealth of Pennsylvania, I’m unable to indulge in activities that threaten the stability of the state, such as receiving a wine from a wine club. But make no mistake, I adore our enlightened Harrisburg dictators! Honest! Please, don’t bulldoze my home!

Anyway, ClubW.com happens to be one of the wine clubs that I wouldn’t at all mind checking out, given that their wine curators have picked some very interesting selections, all of which are $19 or under. The ClubW selections include capable, off-the-beaten-path producers like Colorado’s Infinite Monkey Theroem (remember them? I do, because they impressed me when I tasted their wares in CO last year), as well as other wine brands that I’ve been following for a little while now, like Tuscany’s Poggiotondo, and Yarra Valley’s Innocent Bystander (headed up by Giant Steps pioneer Phil Sexton). They also have wines I’ve liked from John Duval and Casas del Bosque (the latter of which really kicked ass in `07 with their Private Reserve blend).

One of the most interesting aspects of ClubW.com is that it offers you subsets of their selections based on a taste profile that you fill out before signing up for the service. So, in this giveaway, we’re going to explore, in practice, how it works…

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This week, I’m teaming up with NobleWorksCards.com to give away a set of ten wine-themed cards (valued at around $30)!

As will surprise none of you who know me, several of the cards push the envelope (ha!… okay… sorry…) on safe-for-workness, all are wine-themed, and all of them are amusing. The pack includes handfuls of funny birthday cards, humorous get-well-soon cards and a smattering of cards that could be used for Valentine’s Day or as greeting cards. Basically, you’ll find something in the pack that fits the bill for one (or more) of your wine-geeky friends or family.

The entire Card Pack can be viewed at the following links: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 (yes, I know those are small, but I wanted to squeeze them in without making the post two thousand words; look, do you want a chance to win something or not?!?).

Here’s how the giveaway will work:

• Check out the cards using the links above, and let us know in the comments which is your fave (and why).
• On Tuesday, April 30 at 8PM ET (5PM PT), I will randomly choose a winner from the commenters.

It’s that simple; but you also need to be a fully-evolved home sapiens living in the continental U.S. who is of legal drinking age to be eligible to win (sorry, Cro-Magnons)!.

As for my fave to kick this off (and no, I’m not eligible to win): it’s a bit crude of me (ah, you expected nothing less!), but I’ve got to go with this one as my personal favorite (there’s just a part of it that, deep down, actually rings poignantly true… in a sick sort of way).

Cheers – and good luck!

This week, I’m teaming up with southern-born author Corinne Van Houten to give away a copy of her Carneros wine tour CD.

The CD (remember those? don’t worry, an audio file version is also in the works) is an engaging introduction to the Carneros region, highlighting the history of (and providing current tasting/visiting tips for) eleven wineries in the area that straddles both Sonoma and Napa valleys. For my money, Carneros is one of the few areas in Napa where Pinot Noir has a shot at über-specialness (and let’s not forget that on the Sonoma side, a stunning Carneros Pinot made Dude’s Top 10 MIW list for 2012).

Corinne’s CD is aimed at beginners (and/or those putting foot-to-dirt in touring the area), but aside from gifting possibilities there’s ample fodder within Corinne’s CD for the geekier among you who have yet to visit Carneros: it includes $40 worth of tasting coupons, and a map for each winery mentioned). In terms of the winery players, Bouchaine, Ceja, Cline, Domaine Carneros, Homewood, Larson Family, McKenzie-Mueller, Robledo, Roche, Schug and Truchard Winery all get profiled on the CD (several of these producers I’ve personally yet to visit, but now have a hankering to see – and taste – after hearing Corrine’s descriptions).

To be eligible to win, you need to live in the continental U.S., and be a 21+ years old carbon-based life form consisting mostly of water. You also need to leave a comment on this post telling us all about your fave wine tour (and/or tasting spot) – doesn’t matter where, I’m just curious who’s doing it right. On April 9th at 9PM ET/6PM PT, I will randomly select a winner from the commenters.

Cheers – and good luck!