“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…

The skinny on ClubW: their curators taste though hundreds of wines (now that sounds familiar!) and choose selections each month for the members. When you sign up with them, you fill out an online Palate Profile to help their system hone in on wines to recommend to you from their selections, based on your own tastes add recorded in the profiler (that’s the part I want to explore in the giveaway). As a member, you then get three bottles of your choice each month, shipped to your door for $39 (plus $6 flat shipping).

Here’s the skinny on the giveaway:

• Head over to ClubW.com and fill out their six-question “Tell us about your Palate” profile questionnaire (I did it, it will take you about 30 seconds, and that’s if you’re a slow reader).
• See what selections it gives you based on your answers, then come back here and leave a comment with your thoughts on how it pegged your drinking preferences, and which of the wines it picked would be the most interesting to you.
• You have until Sunday, May 12th at 8PM ET to leave a comment, after which I will randomly draw a winner from the commenters. The winner will be announced on 1WD on May 14th, at which time we will also share the exclusive discount code (which you can use if you didn’t win but still want to get signed up with ClubW to numb the pain of defeat).

To be eligible to win, you also need to be able to comply with all of the ClubW terms and conditions (so those living in Communist states like mine are almost certainly ineligible, I’m afraid, as are those of you who are under 21 – what the hell are you doing reading a wine blog if you’re under 21, by the way?!??).

How did ClubW do for me when I filled out the questionnaire? Not too shabbily at all. I’m most intrigued by its pick of Empordalia Sinols Blanc from Spain, which I’m guessing it matched up to me based on my love of all things citric. I’ve not had it yet, but now find myself having a serious hankering for it.

Cheers – and good luck!