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CamX Wine Review-Mega Value Over Pricey Label

CamX Wine Review

This CamX Wine review is about the new venture from esteemed Napa/Sonoma wine broker and entrepreneur, Cameron Hughes. His mission – mega value over pricey label! (…and, here’s a link for $25 off your first purchase!)

This CamX Wine review is part of our ongoing exploration of different discount wine sellers, highlighting the unique offerings from CamX Wine. Our focus today in this CamX Wine Review is its origin story, place in the market, and, VALUE!

In our CamX Wine Review, our goal is to give you an idea of the quality and pricing of these amazing wines.

A CamX Wine review starts with the man called Cam

Cameron Hughes has a dedicated fan base amongst Napa/Sonoma wine aficionados for many reasons – long history in the business, excellent palate, relationships with premier growers, winemakers, and wineries, everything which makes him the perfect “insider” for those of looking for high “QPR” (quality to price ratio) in our purchases. He’s been at bat in the arena before – some hits, some misses – but we think he’s hitting it out of the park with his new venture, CamX Wine!

His first venture, Cameron Hughes Wine, put him on the map over 20 years ago, selling high quality, surplus wine at huge discounts, but under his own label, to retail giants such as Costco. After a long run, Cameron Hughes Wine went into bankruptcy in 2017 and was purchased by Vintage Wine Estates (which, unfortunately and unrelatedly, went bankrupt in 2024).  When discussing the bankruptcy, growing too fast, too much debt, and relying on a singe customer (Costco) are top of the list of lessons Cam learned, according to this San Francisco Chronicle article.

…which, as a segue, is actually a piece about Cam’s next venture, De Negoce Wines. Named for a French term for a wine broker, negociant, this 2020 venture came on the scene in Covid year – with tasting rooms closed downs, wineries needed to offload surplus inventory, and us “shut ins” were buying prodigious quantities of alcohol. The core of the business was still “mega value over pricey label,” (buying surplus wine and selling it under his own label), but with two savvy twists – going exclusively “direct to consumer,” AND, offering huge discounts for customers willing to purchase “futures,” paying for the product before it’s bottled (a model used extensively in France, especially for exclusive Bordeaux’s). The prices offered ($10/bottle for Napa/Sonoma cabs, for example) quickly caught on and built his fan base, along with avid online communities vouching for the “QPR” (quality to price ratio) of the product.

To fully appreciate the concept, we’re providing this pretty comprehensive CamX Wine Review.

As we delve into the CamX Wine Review, you will see how this brand stands out in a crowded market.

Through our CamX Wine Review, we will provide some examples of the sumptuous offers and ridiculous discounts available.

We discovered DeNegoce mid 2023, and fell in love with the concept and product – we actually feature them as one of our “go to” online wine sellers in this write-up!  (and, here’s a link for $25 off your first purchase over $99, better than the welcome gift of 15% off without the referral code if you’re buying a case, which you’ll want to do because there’s free shipping on a case 😉 )As many have discovered, the downside of finding a source of great value, limited quantity offerings is a compulsion to over-purchase, and we are certainly on that “guilty” list. What few people if any knew is, by early 2023, Cam had sold 51% of his interest in DeNegoce to the new owner of Martin Ray Winery, Courtney Benham, and in early 2024, Martin Ray Winery had 100% of DeNegoce. (While we don’t find $10 Napa Cabs anymore, +/- $25 a bottle for the REALLY GOOD stuff works for us, and we still use and recommend DeNegoce for online wine purchases).

In the upcoming sections of our CamX Wine Review, we will highlight some of the great offers we’ve taken advantage of

Our CamX Wine Review will guide you through the pricing structure and how to get the best deals (hint: best deals are before it’s bottled!)

Stay tuned for our complete CamX Wine Review, and be sure to take advantage of $25 off your first purchase!

We appreciate your interest in our CamX Wine Review. Cheers to a great wine experience!

Don’t forget to get your coupon for $25 off your first purchase of $99 or more at DeNegoce here!

…and finally, the actual CamX Wine review!

Once you’ve caught up on the Cameron Hughes story, you will probably understand why his fan base was surprised and delighted when CamX Wine officially launched in July 2025 (here’s that $25 off first purchase link again). Same “direct to consumer” sales model with big savings on “futures,” we are obsessed, again! (Seriously, when an email shows up announcing a new futures offer – always the best deal – our initial reaction is “freakin’ Cam,” because they are almost always irresistible,  between CamX Wine and DeNegoce, we have years of supply purchased!)

Cam discouraged shipping during the summer months, and the majority of shipments are just going out new (October 2025), but the early cases we had delivered exceeded expectations for “QPR” (freakin’ Cam!), One note of

CamX Wine Review
CamX Wine review plus links to $25 off coupon

caution – these wines, particularly the red wines, need a couple months to settle in the bottle, at least (bottle shock is real) and, the “big” reds, are going to continue to integrate and mature for years. In fact, many of the really bold reds take a lot of decanting time (hours to days) to even be pleasant to drink now, indicating maturation will continue to bring out the delicious. We have sadly learned this to be true with our DeNegoce stash – those bottles which we’ve managed not to drink the past year or two are moving from “good” to “awesome!”

I’m dwelling on the big reds here, but I should mention there are also great “ready now” varietals, too – we are halfway through a case of a lovely $12/bottle Chardonnay, and are astounded. We were in Sonoma recently, and would absolutely stack this next to any $50 to $60 Chardonnay we tasted!

Pro tip – get on the CamX Wine mailing list. The best prices are available when the product is still at the “futures” stage – a few months from shipping. Prices do go up after the wine is in the bottle and available to ship!

Also, some explanation on the pricing listed on the website – case prices are always the best price per bottle, six packs are usually $1/bottle or so more, and 3 packs are around $2/bottle more than the case price. For some reason, they’ve chosen to list the total price of the 3 pack, so when you see “From $59,” that’s the total price of the 3 pack, and you’ll see 6 pack and 12 pack prices when you click on those numbers.

Don’t forget to get your coupon for $25 off your first CamX Wine order at this link!

Cheers!

 

 

 

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Is Underground Cellar Out of Business?

Underground Cellar back in business, like a Phoenix rising

Is Underground Cellar out of business! Nope! It’s been reborn! Underground Cellar

Underground Cellar back in business

has emerged from the blood, dust and ashes of the original Underground Cellar. Those of us involved in the Underground Cellar bankruptcy and the aftermath were incredulous that someone would pick up and resurrect a brand that was figuratively pilloried, tarred, feathered and run out of town by the angry villagers, but it happened.

…and by all accounts, things are going to be okay!

(if you want to give them a try, here’s a link for $50 off first purchase)

Underground Cellar is NOT out of business, just reborn! (and the “origin story” is juicy!)

The original Underground Cellar was the brain child of Bay Area entrepreneur, Jeff Shaw who wanted to bring “gamification” to online wine purchasing. When first launched in 2014, “gamification” was a magnet keyword for attracting financing – adding a “gaming” element to attract the first generations raised with video games (Gen X and Millennials), as they matured and, hopefully, became a wine buying demographic. The game was “get more than you paid for,” simply – groups of wines at a variety of prices, from very low to very high, were posted as a collection. Using the value of the lowest priced wines, the customer would select a  number of bottles to purchase, and hope that, of the bottles purchased some would be upgraded.

For those entering the wine world, labels and vintages presumably were less important than exploration and the possibility of “scoring” a high-priced wine with the low price ante.  Sounds fun, right – buy six $25 bottles, maybe get 3 $25’s, 2 $50’s, and perhaps, Valhalla, the $500 collectible? AND, very importantly, Underground Cellar stored your wine, at their cost, at their facility, for free! You could ask for it to be shipped at any time, and shipping for a case was free, so you could purchase 2 or 3 bottles at a time and have them shipped down the road.

Sadly, although the premise had promise, the original Underground Cellar was still not making money after 8 years (for a variety of reasons), but continued to bank on finding new funding as a “start-up” each time the money ran out. (This links to our roller coaster ride with the original Underground Cellar.)

In April 2023, an investor pulled the plug, and, came up with a novel legal concept to try to recoup their investment – they claimed the wine Underground Cellar was holding for customers was actually part of the assets they held as collateral for the funding. Underground Cellar had to go bankrupt, in part to protect customers interests in the wine.

The bankruptcy court was not a friend to Underground Cellar customers. It played Solomon – to force a settlement agreement, it suggested to both parties that their claims might hold sway with the court, and eventually, an agreement was reached between the parties. We, the unwitting customers, had a choice of abandoning the wine being held or paying an additional 20%  premium to the investor (as I recall) of our purchase price) to release and ship the wine. Moral of the story – possession really is 90% of the law, always take possession!

If Underground Cellar is NOT out of business, how did it emerge from bankruptcy? Underground Cellar is making a comeback, and fans of fine wines have reason to celebrate! After navigating through bankruptcy, the company has restructured its operations and is ready to offer an exciting selection of wines once again. With a focus on enhancing customer experience and quality, Underground Cellar is dedicated to bringing you the best in wine discovery. Cheers to new beginnings and delightful sips ahead!

From the bad blood and ashes, a very reputable wine manager – Wine Country Connect – purchased the remnants of Underground Cellar, primarily trademarks, proprietary algorithms for the upgrades, and digital assets. It seems a big risk – the original Underground Cellar had lots of bad PR (some valid, some exaggerated) before the bankruptcy – but Wine Country Connect has revived it, lock stock and barrel, as they say.

So what they fixed is –

  • Eliminating “possession” risk by eliminating the holding option. As travelers, it was a dream come true having a seller cellaring option, but, it turned into a nightmare. The New Underground Cellar ships all purchases within a few days after purchase – shipping is free for a case and a flat $10 for anything less than a case, as of this fall 2025 writing,
  • Adding business acumen to the operations, hopefully ensuring viability! Time will tell, but Wine Country Connect has 20 years in the logistics and fulfillment business in the Napa/Sonoma region (they handle logistics for our newest online wine seller recommendation – CamX wine, too!) We did not know the original Underground Cellar team personally, but there were “tells” it was a vanity project with too little management depth – the offerings and “come on’s” always seemed to feature Jeff Shaw and members of his team in Italy and France!

The jury is still out on the overall value proposition – some people have been disappointed with their upgrades, and, of course, the posted retail value for the wines being offered is the price offered at the winery, not what third party retailers sell the wine for – but, if you enjoy discovering new wines, it can be a fun adventure!

If you’d like to give them a try, here’s a link to $50 off first purchase!

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De Negoce Review and De Negoce Referral Code!

Update October 2025

Unbeknownst to many, there were significant ownership changes at De Negoce, which we discuss more fully in this subsequent post.  Martin Wray winery purchased a controlling interest in 2023 and in 2024 bought Cameron Hughes out. Now that the new team has been in place for awhile, we’re still really pleased with the service and offerings. It’s a conundrum for us having two quality private label purveyors in the niche – DeNegoce and now CamX Wine, but only because it’s hard to constrain our purchases!

This De Negoce review shares our experience with this private label from well-known negociant Cameron Hughes (Negociant? Think “negotiator,” a wine merchant/) TL;DR – so far, we’re very happy with the quality, value and customer service, if you’re willing to sacrifice the “prestige label.” (Use this link for $25 off first purchase of $99 or more).

Why a De Negoce review?

There are many discount wine sellers (see our short summary page), but, in our experience, you’re often still “paying for the label” (i.e. paying a premium for the fame-factor of the winery).  We decided to try a private label, and ran across De Negoce, (pronounced “duh nuh gos,” roughly), a negociant label from Cameron Hughes.

What is De Negoce?

Cameron Hughes is the mastermind behind the concept. (Update – now owned by Martin Ray winery). Having made a name for himself as a negociant with 20 years experience, he began a private label, Cameron Hughes wine, for unbottled, surplus wines from well-known wineries. He did have to sell the Cameron Hughes private label brand (yes, Cameron Hughes wines is no longer owned by Cameron Hughes), and he’s refined the concept at De Negoce wines.

The “tweak” he added, (which helps with the business’ cash flow) is adding a “futures” model – for new bottlings,  the customer pays for the wine before it’s bottled. Pre-subscribing the bottling allows De Negoce to offer huge discounts for those jumping in first. However,  the discount comes with  many unknowns, including:

  • purchasers are relying entirely on the credibility of the bottler (in this case, Cameron Hughes) for a fair representation of the wine’s potential and value. Because of important non-disclosure requirements from the winery, only general descriptors – year, AVA, varietal(s), sometimes vineyard – can be disclosed, along with subjective tasting notes.
  • customers only have an approximate date for the bottling and shipping, and,
  • the wines do need to be laid down for weeks or months to settle (the “bottle shock” effect).

Our De Negoce review preliminary verdict

We are still relatively new to them, so this De Negoce review will be updated periodically, but, after maybe 10 purchases, we have been impressed with the value and quality of the wine. In fact, De Negoce has become our primary and preferred wines source! (We’re not people who care about the label 😉 )

October 2025 update: We’ve purchased dozens of cases from De Negoce – all have been great value, a couple were not as bold as we like, but still excellent.

We’ve cracked open some Cabernet Sauvignon’s and Syrah’s from regions and AVA’s we know fairly well (Napa 🙂 ), and, in our estimation, we’d expect the wine to retail at 3 times the price or more.  We’ve also experimented with some Australian wines – Cabernet Sauvignon’s from Barossa and Coonawarra, and have been really blown away by the quality and price – the Coonawarra was $13 a bottle and easily rivals a $50+ Napa Cab, in our opinion, and we’re drinking these without any aging! (We have been experimenting with various overnight decanting techniques – even just opening the bottle the night before makes a surprising difference!) October 2025 update: we’re no longer seeing any international wines from De Negoce – plenty of California inventory, I suppose!

If nothing else, do sign up for their email list! One of favorite ways of purchasing has been through email special offers, such as a case of Sonoma (DryCreek) Cabernet Sauvignon at $12/bottle, with free shipping.  Honestly, damn good wine, and obviously the price makes it “every day” friendly!

It’s not without “misses,” though – we did have an Australian GSM which was a little too harsh, in our opinion. To be fair, aging in the bottle would likely even it out, but, we don’t have the luxury of cellaring wines. (Note: these are wines from the “bottle shop,” – individual bottles held in inventory after the initial “futures” sale and bottling.) We have ordered some wine on the “futures” program, at serious discounts, so we’ll see how that goes. October 2025 update – again, no recent international offerings.

As mentioned previously, with a private label, revealing too much information about the source of the wine can be a “sue-able” offense, so you’re basing your buying decisions entirely on the year, varietal(s), AVA, and sometimes vineyard name, along with tasting notes.  That’s not a lot of information – no independent reviews or other independent source to rely on – so there is a “leap of faith” associated with the discount. However, with our purchases to date, we have found the tasting notes have been fair and relevant (as opposed to over-hyped and tortuous), and, it’s been a fun adventure.

We’re looking forward to more experiences with them, which of course we’ll share in a De Negoce review update.

De Negoce referral code for first time purchasers

Well, they’ve been monkeying with their referral program and it doesn’t appear to be working properly at this time. However, if you go directly to their website – DeNegoce.com – you should get an offer for 15% off your first purchase, not too bad for already discounted, really good quality wine!

Better news, instead of 15% off first purchase, you can use this link for a coupon for $25 first purchase of $99 or more.

 

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Wine.com review – Best in class for gifts

Wine.com review

With their “StewardShip” program – $59 annual fee for unlimited free shipping – and transparent shipping/delivery info, Wine.com leads the field for wine gifts. Our Wine.com review highlights what, in our experience, is this discount wine seller‘s edge in the competitive world of online wine sales. Click here for $30 off your first order Wine.com promo code! (Wine.com’s “Give $30, Get $30” referral program!)

Note: we are, frankly, perplexed by the number of extremely negative wine.com review posts. Wine.com has entirely met or exceeded our expectations. Looking at the content of some of the negative wine.com reviews, it seems many of them are rooted in shipping issues. Maybe we’ve just been lucky, but we have learned a lot about the potential pitfalls of wine shipping, which we will address later. T

here are also complaints about long wait times or lack of responsiveness by customer service. Our experience has been entirely positive – timely responses and satisfactory adjustments when needed. Obviously we hope your experience is five star, as ours has been, but, do take note of some our shipping comments if your relatively new to online wine purchasing.

The “TLDR” of our Wine.com review

Wine.com has an impressive inventory of wines and spirits, offered at good and sometimes great prices. With their StewardShip program, a $59 annual fee gets you free shipping on any size order nationwide, making ordering for special occasions or adult gift-giving affordable and easy. You can sort through their inventory by numerous filters, including ratings and percent savings on deals. Customer assistance – including product suggestions – is available via live chat, phone or email, and the site shows when to expect products to be shipped. Wine.com does not have the most aggressive pricing on the internet, but our comparative shopping experience is that their prices are good, and sometimes great for sale items.  With their “give $30/get $30” referral program, you can try them out with $30 off your first order with this link    (NOTE: Shipping is $15.95 for the 1st bottle and $2.15 for each additional bottle – about $40 for a case – if you’re not subscribed to the StewardShip program.)

They also offer a personalized wine shopper experience – the Picked by Wine.com personal sommelier curated wine club. (Picked by Wine.com review below)

The full version of our Wine.com review:

The Concept

Wine.com bills itself as “…the World’s Largest Wine Store.” Whether hype or fact, we’ve been impressed with the extensive inventory, and the broad spectrum of price points — from $10 to multiple thousands. When we’re searching for a wine, it’s a rare occurrence not to find it on their website, but obviously no business could stock every wine from every vineyard. (It’s our understanding they store and handle fulfillment from their own facilities,) Their pricing seems competitive with other online wine sellers, as well as brick and mortar retailers, such as Total Wine and More. With a special section for “Great Deals,” we continually explore and add to our list of favs. Their “$59 annual price for unlimited shipping” StewardShip program, makes wine gifts (and spirits) affordable and easy. (And here’s $30 off your first order with their “Give $30/Get$30” referral program.)

Features We Like

  • Wine Ratings. The “pro” ratings for the wine (if available) are easy to find, right under the wine title as you scroll. Wine.com has also added “customer reviews,” in addition to the pro ratings, with a consolidated customer score and number of reviews right under the pros numbers. (An aside, w)e find, for our palate, we’re more aligned with customer reviews than we are with the pros, and we’re looking forward to that customer database expanding.)
  • Search options and filters. Many kudos for the easy to use search filters! They start with a category of searches – varietal, region, discover, gifts and spirits. In particular the “discover” and “gifts” categories have a number of useful  suggestions for exploring, You can search by type of wine, country and/or region, deals, ratings, and curated lists, and then within those categories, filter again by price, savings, ratings, etc. Pretty cool!
  • “When will it be delivered?” transparency.  First site we’ve run across which tells you, while you’re shopping, when it can/will be shipped. For our experience, we’d rate Wine.com’s communication about processing and shipping as excellent. Some things to consider: 1) Wine is shipped via FedEx. Even with expedited shipping, the wine will end up in a truck which is not temperature controlled. In extreme heat or cold, the wine will degrade, significantly. If there is extreme heat or cold between or at the origin and/or destination, the shipment will be delayed, and the length of the delay will be unknown. 2) An adult signature is required at the destination. Period. Even when we’re home, we’ve missed deliveries – stepping outside at the wrong moment, taking a phone call and not hearing the door, etc. We now ship choose ship to a local pickup location, for ourselves and for gifts. The location is usually a nearby Walgreen’s, Safeway, etc., where it will be held (in a climate controlled environment) for 7 days, and picked up when convenient. It’s so much less stressful than spending a whole day trying to make sure not to miss the delivery!
  • Customer service. We’ve dealt with many wine clubs that are Monday-Friday email only customer service. In our experience Wine.com has really stepped up it’s customer service, from the shopping experience through delivery. Live chat is available for fifteen hours daily for general or wine specific questions and recommendations/ Plus, there are real live people who answer a phone, (other negative Wine.com review posts to the contrary, we’ve never had a problem getting through), and email is an option, too. (Note: the “live chat” screen is a big and obtrusive pop-up, but there is a minimize icon.)
  • No minimum, free shipping for a flat $59 annual fee. Shipping charges are a big deal, for the vendor and the customer. Many sites offer free shipping for case or dollar minimums, but what if you just want to try a bottle of something, or send a friend a couple of bottles as a gift? Wine.com’s solution is StewardShip, $59 annually, unlimited free standard shipping. ($15.95 for the first bottle, $2.15 per additional bottle without it.) For us, it’s the StewardShip program which differentiates Wine.com from many other excellent discount wine sellers. (Note: the program is an annual auto renew – don’t forget to turn it off in your account settings or call customer service if you choose to opt out.)
  • “Give $30/Get $30” referral program. A little extra incentive is always appreciated! 🙂 Wine.com’s “Give $30/Get $30” referral program offers new members $30 off your first order using this link (they do ask for an email and a consent for the referral program, but you do get the $30 Wine.com promo code immediately). We get a $30 credit when you use our code, and,  when you refer your friends, you’ll also be able to gift them a $30 Wine.com coupon and receive a $30 credit.

Personalized wine shopper – our Picked by Wine.com review

Well, mini-review 🙂 Wine.com recently began exploring the realm of personalized shopping experiences. If you’re familiar with and like online personal shopper programs such as Stitch Fix in the clothing arena, you’ll appreciate Wine.com’s “Picked” wine club. (There’s a limited time $50 promo code at that link – PICK50. You’re welcome!)

Pick a delivery schedule (from monthly up to every three months), a per bottle price range (as low as $15/bottle), choose reds, whites or mixed collections, answer a few questions about wine preference, and you’ll be assigned a real sommelier to select 6 wines for your first delivery (free shipping, of course). As you rate and comment on the wines, your personal somm gets to know your palate better, and future shipments will be more finely turned to your personal preferences, all delivered to your door. No more spending time glossy-eyed in front of the thousands of wine choices at your local liquor store!

We hope our Picked by Wine.com review is helpful. We do feel it’s a great concept for people interested in exploring new wines and simplifying the experience. (And, for a limited time they’re offering $50 off your first shipment – use code PICK50). Picked by Wine.com offers great flexibility – you can pause your delivery, change your mix of reds and whites, upgrade or downgrade price points – and, there’s a 100% satisfaction guarantee! (They will credit you for any bottle that misses the mark on your next order.) Of course you can cancel at any time.

Wine.com review summary

If you’ve read any of our other discount wine sellers reviews, you’ll note we usually find some aspects of the business “miss the mark.” Again, we’re perplexed by the many negative Wine.com reviews on the web, but, our only negative critique of Wine.com would be they don’t have the most aggressive pricing on the internet.  With the $59 annual fee for free unlimited shipping, easily sortable database, excellent customer service and product suggestions (in our experience), you might just find Wine.com replacing many trips to your brick and mortar retailer!

We’ve found all the discount wine sellers and online wine merchants we like fill a niche for us. For deals, we like Last Bottle (particularly during marathons – read our Last Bottle review here and save $10 on your first order)  We don’t use them as frequently,, but WTSO.com (Wines Till Sold Out) is worth checking out, too. For times we’re feeling adventuresome, we “roll the dice” with Underground Cellar – here’s our Underground Cellar review, and don’t forget to use our referral code to get $50 off your first order!

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Napa wine tasting, the smart way!

Napa wine tasting

Napa wine tasting is a “bucket list” trip for some, and an annual (or more often!) treat for others, for good reason! The Napa Valley is one of the most highly recognized appellations in the US. Only 4% of all California wine comes from the prestigious AVA – Napa wines are about 0.4% of the world’s wine production.

Premium pricing is, of course, a consequence of limited supply – not that the premium is due solely to restricted supply. Napa grapes are also prized because of the ideal soil and climate conditions for a number of grapes, most notably cabernet sauvignon. Its worldwide reputation also means the 400 wineries in Napa (many of them boutique) have become a destination for world wine enthusiasts.

Napa wine tasting

So, yes, Napa wine tasting and Napa wines are expensive, BUT, there’s a smart way to enjoy the Napa wine tasting experience, AND have more money to buy the wines you’ll be craving!/p>

We’re a big fan of wine passports, and in our experience, Priority Wine Pass is hands down the way to go.

Pays for itself in as little as 1 tasting in Napa! Pay only $49 for Priority Wine Pass when you use coupon code WINERY!

Wine passports are the smart way to enjoy Napa wine tasting!

Wine tastings in Napa are routinely $45, $50, $75 AND MORE per person. The math is pretty easy – whether it’s a two for one offer (order two tasting flights, pay for only one) or a complimentary tasting (yes, Priority Wine Pass has a number of wine partners offering a free Napa wine tasting – check the website for current offers, some are limited time or seasonal only!) the math is easy!

Use coupon code WINERY on the Priority Wine Pass site for $20 off at checkout, and pay only $49 for one year of wine tasting! At $45 and up for a Napa wine tasting, you’ll pay for the pass the first time you use it! And, Priority Wine Pass has almost 400 winery partners, all across California, Oregon and Washington wine regions!

(New to wine passport programs? We have a couple more general posts – What’s a wine passport?  or, Confused about wine passports?)

Learn more about why we love Priority Wine Pass!

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Nov 2023 – Underground Cellar Review – Bankruptcy, Action Required

Underground Cellar Review

Underground Cellar Shut down, Underground Cellar Bankruptcy

Very sad news for all customers with inventory being held by Underground Cellar – after 10 years of operation, they ceased operations April 24, 2023 and have filed for a Chapter 7 bankruptcy. We were customers for five years and suffered through their many operational issues, but were particularly shocked as things seemed to have been going smoothly on the customer side for the last year or more.

VERY IMPORTANT UPDATE – ACTION REQUIRED!!!

The short story – customers can elect to pay fees (21% of the amount you paid) plus shipping (full retail – $35/case local up to $100/case east coast) and have their wine delivered, but you must act by December 8th! LastCallCapital.shop is handling the distribution to customers – log on ASAP if you are interested!

Background –

Briefly, a lender claimed the customer-purchased inventory had been pledged as collateral, and was fighting to claim it all. Some customers formed a group and hired an attorney, and both sides decided it was better to agree to “split the baby” themselves rather than risk the bankruptcy judge ruling against them and ending up with nothing. So, yes, it is galling paying an additional 21% of what you paid (and if you pay by credit card, you pay the 3% credit card fee), and the shipping fees are full on retail, but if you have some good buys, you might want to consider it.

Bummer being in the crosswinds, but lesson learned (again), take custody of what your purchase!

(Updated March 2022)

Enjoy gaming experiences, but wondering, is Underground Cellar legit? Check out this Underground Cellar review, based on our 4 years experience. Their business model is a basic one – purchasing select inventories of close-out wines.  The “unique selling proposition?” Continue reading “Nov 2023 – Underground Cellar Review – Bankruptcy, Action Required”

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How much does wine tasting cost?

Love wine? How much does wine tasting cost?

Wine tasting is a great way to open your taste buds to new and exciting experiences. So, number one question – how much does wine tasting cost? Short answer – free to $75 and more per tasting (FYI, that $75 number is pretty standard for a higher end, Napa wine tasting)! Have no fear, we’ll also cover some tips to stretch your wine budget – we love saving money on tastings so we can purchase more of the wine we love! Continue reading “How much does wine tasting cost?”

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Pleasant Bordeaux Varietals at Midnight Cellars, San Luis Obispo County, Wine Tasting

Midnight Cellars in San Luis Obispo County wine tasting

Family-run Midnight Cellars offers “true to character” Bordeaux varietals for San Luis Obispo County wine tasting.

After our stop at Castoro on our Paso Robles wine tasting tour, we decided to check out Midnight Cellars. This small (8.000 cases annually) family-owned operation is also in Templeton, and is also part of our central coast wine passport, Priority Wine Pass. As we drove in, we felt Midnight Cellars’ “locals” vibe — not the exclusive, off-putting sense, but the understated, friendly feel you get in agricultural regions. Continue reading “Pleasant Bordeaux Varietals at Midnight Cellars, San Luis Obispo County, Wine Tasting”