Chef Michael Mina To Launch Home-Delivery Wine Club

If you're anything like us, finding the perfect wine takes a lot of trial and error. Walking into a liquor store can oftentimes elicit a sense of panic — there are hundreds of wines from all over the world and pretty much no direction from the kid sitting behind the counter. Whether you're getting roped into buying overpriced bottles of wine because you like the look of the label, or just give up and walk out with Yellow Tail, it's never an easy task finding a wine that suits your happy hour needs. Luckily we've found a little solution to this problem — enter Michael Mina.

The Michelin-starred and James Beard Foundation Award-winning Mina, chef and proprietor of 18 restaurants across the country, is launching the Michael Mina Wine Club and online boutique. "There's a movement among wine drinkers away from high-octane, overly ripe wines, and toward the kinds of wines we serve in my restaurants: bright, balanced bottles made to complement food," Mina said in a recent press release. "The Michael Mina Wine Club is a way for me to extend the connection with our guests, and to provide them with hard-to-find selections from renowned vintners and cutting-edge newcomers from around the world."

The wines are hand-selected by Mina and his group of sommeliers, lead by wine director Rajat Parr. Mina's wine club includes four shipments per year, each containing six cuvées selected from small yet passionate vintners. The wine club offers two price levels: Hidden Gems ($120 per shipment) and Wines of Consequence ($300 per shipment). A recent press release from Mina explains that each shipment includes detailed tasting notes and winery stories, sommelier and chef features, and home-cook-friendly recipe pairings inspired by dishes served at Mina Group restaurants. When asked what his inspiration for the wine club was Mina responded, "[The wine club] is a way for me to connect with our guests, who are a kind of extended family to me, beyond my restaurants. This program will bring a part of the Mina restaurant wine experience into members' homes by sharing some of our favorite wines and the dishes we love to pair with them."

The introduction of a wine club might be a little out there for new wine drinkers, but it's arguably one of the best ways to introduce yourself to new wines from around the world, as wine clubs do the work for you by selecting wines that are both interesting and affordable. It's almost guaranteed that joining a wine club means you will be exposed to some of the best wines available. Michael Mina and his wine club take away the stress of a liquor store and deliver the wine to your doorstep with no hassle. The best part of joining is the benefits one receives from becoming a member. There are wine tastings, discounts, pairings, events, classes... the list goes on! If you're a new wine drinker eager to gain more knowledge, the ideal way to start is with an informative and developmental wine club like Mina's.