I am quite partial to the odd glass of wine or two, but I will admit that I actually know very little about wine. I am not a wine snob and I tend to drink whatever is on offer and once I find something I like I stick with it, so when Le Petit Ballon Wine Club got in touch with me and asked if I would like to try their festive wine subscription box I thought well why not!
The idea behind the company is that Master Sommelier Jean-Michel Deluc has carefully selected all the wines on the site so all you have to do is subscribe and wait for your wine to arrive!
I was sent two rather nice bottles of wine, one white and one red (which is great as I love white wine and my husband is rather partial to red!).
The red was Bindi Sergardi La Boncia 2016 Chianti, and the white was Chateau des Bois Macon Milly-Lamartine 2015, which are both wines I have never tried before. Also included in the box is tasting notes for both bottles and this is where the box really shines for me. As someone who is clueless about wine these cheat sheets are a brilliant idea.
On these sheets is information about the estate the wine comes from, suggestions for food to pair with the wine and tasting notes. There is even a guide as to how long the wine can be kept for (2022 in the case of these two bottles but with Christmas on the horizon I doubt they will last that long!!).
What appeals to me is the easy to understand, jargon free way these notes are presented making it ideal for those like me who don't have a great knowledge of wine.
Also included in the box is a little magazine called The Gazette which features recipes, tips and even wine trivia!
Should you wish to try the service it works in the same way as most subscription boxes in that you can choose to skip a month or cancel at any time. For the box I received the monthly cost is £24.90 and there is an option for a more expensive box at £39.90 per month aimed at those who are more knowledgeable. In order to find the wines that you will enjoy there is a wine profile for you to fill out which then helps to suggest wines that would be best suited to you.
Should you wish to buy more bottles of the wine you have been sent then these can be purchased via the website and subscribers get a special lower price for each bottle.
With Christmas fast approaching it also worth bearing in mind that you can gift subscriptions to the wine lovers in your life!
Overall I like the idea of this box as it has introduced me to wine I wouldn't have considered before and for will appeal to those who are just discovering wine and also to those who have more knowledge.
Bottoms Up and Chin Chin from me!
