My dog Bacchus

This big softie has a smile that'll melt your heart! 

I have an 11 year old yellow lab named Bacchus

Yes, we named him for the God of Wine in Roman mythology. However, if you know anything about Roman mythology, you know that Bacchus was pretty much a party boy and a wild child. This dog is the complete opposite of his mythological namesake.

He pretty much sleeps all day. He's like a canine Koala!

Bacchus doesn't like to lick people's faces. Mom and dad call him a 'gentleman,' because he basically keeps to himself and doesn't do anything to upset anyone. When he was younger, he used to sit up straight if you came up to him while he was laying down. But anymore, he'll just roll over for a belly rub every time you see him.

Although Bacchus won't lick anyone's face, he always licks mine when I'm petting him, because he somehow senses that I like it.

One time, Bacchus kept nipping at my hands, and I had no clue what to do

I was a little girl, and Bacchus was still a puppy. It had snowed outside and I went out to go sledding. It was Bacchus' first winter, and he loved to play in the snow. He was jumping all over the place and running as fast as his stubby little legs could carry him. He chased me all the way down the sledding hill and followed me back up it.

There was just one problem: Every time I'd get to the bottom of the hill, Bacchus would start running back and forth in front of me, and nipping at my hands! He nearly destroyed my gloves doing it. For some reason, he was very intent on putting his little mouth on my hands and running all over the place.

Not going to lie, it hurt a little bit. He was doing it so much every time I was at the bottom of the hill, that I had to go inside. He just wouldn't stop nipping my hands! I ran inside, got all my snow gear off, and told my dad, "Hey, we need to do something about Bacchus biting my hands! He wouldn't stop nipping at me while I was sledding."

My dad just started laughing. I mean, looking back on it now, it is pretty funny, but at the time, I was confused. My dad proceeded to tell me why Bacchus had been so intent on biting my gloves off.

You see, my house is very cold in the winter, and the best way to heat it is by wood stove. So my dad goes out every winter and cuts wood about once a week to burn in the stove. He always takes Bacchus and Maddie with him. Well, when he goes woodcutting, he puts his work gloves on.

When Dad comes out in the Garage, he slips his gloves on, and then he roughhouses with the dogs a little bit. They love that playtime with Dad. Then, after he puts on his gloves, and lowers the tailgate on the old truck, the dogs go on an awesome adventure with Dad to the woods to run and play and find small animals to chase while Dad chops wood for the stove.

So, when Bacchus saw my gloves, he thought it was time to wrestle, and play, and go on an adventure. He kept nipping at me because he wanted me to realize, "Hey! You have those fun paw things on that mean its time to play! So why aren't you playing with me!?"

After hearing that, I couldn't help but laugh too.

Keep it Classy, Keep it Country,
Gretta Patrick <3

Have any funny dog stories you'd like to share with me? Comment below!

If you're bored, does that mean you're boring?

It's a well known saying, only boring people get bored

So does that mean, on those days where nobody is around, you don't have any work to do, and nothing is on TV. And you're bored. Then that thought crept into your mind, "I'm bored. Does this mean I'm boring?"

Well, I've been thinking, and the answer is no.

There's a reason behind your boredom

It could be that you've literally never had nothing to do. If you're a generally busy person, you're probably used to having zero down time. If you're someone who has every day packed from dawn till dusk, then having free time is just... weird.

This free time that you're not used to is what's making you bored. This doesn't make you a boring person. On the contrary, you're quite the opposite of boring.

Most of the time, you're out there making great things happen in the world. Whether you're a blogger, a journalist, a chef, a school secretary, a nurse, or an economist; most of the time your life involves a lot of interesting things. Some free time - that is so uncharacteristic in your daily schedule - does not make you a boring person. It just means you're bored. Simple as that.

Your actions define you. Your boredom doesn't

What you do with most of your time is what makes you a unique person. What you do with the time you are bored makes you.... in need of something to do. Just because you can't come up with something to do when you normally would be doing a million other things doesn't mean you're boring.

You're not boring. Unless you're Star Wars Episodes I-III movies, then you're not boring. Promise!

Keep it Classy. Keep it Country,
Gretta Patrick <3

5 Great summer reads

Great books to curl up with on a hot day under a shady tree. 

With summer comes more time to be in the sun, and the days are longer. During those extra daylight hours, one thing I particularly enjoy is reading a good book on my patio while drinking a huge mason jar of iced tea. 

Book 1: The Mermaid's Mirror

This book by L.K. Madigan tells the story of a young girl and her struggle as she finds out that she's half mermaid. If you're going anywhere near a beach this summer, I highly recommend this book. 

Book 2: Dream Lake

This book is about a strange ghost who changes the life of the man who buys the house he inhabits. He and the ghost end up helping each other to a better life, or afterlife. Oh, and there's a pretty nice love story in this one. 

Book 3: P.S. I Love You

This book, I will warn you, is very different from the movie adaptation, but the book is just as good if not better! All the heartache and the entire love story is still there, and it's a great light read. Just don't expect Gerard Butler and Hillary Swank's rendition to come to mind while reading. Okay, maybe only Gerard Butler will come to mind. Not going to complain about that! 

Book 4: Wuthering Heights

Ahh Wuthering Heights. Emily Bronte's heartbreaking love story of the rough and wild Heathcliff and the social climbing Cathy. This book will cost you a few tears, but it's a classic that will stay in your heart forever! And it's the perfect book for a rainy, stormy day. 

Book 5: A Midsummer Night's Dream

I just had to put this one in here, because I love me some Shakespeare! This book is one of the comedies, so it won't break your heart like Romeo and Juliet would, but it's got all the iambic pentameter and literary groundbreaking themes of any other Shakespeare. This one can be read in an afternoon, and there's even a pretty decent movie adaptation with Kevin Kline, Michelle Pfeiffer and Stanley Tucci.

Keep it Classy. Keep it Country,
Gretta Patrick <3

What's your favorite summer book? 

Look like a million with little effort

How I look like I tried when I actually got up 10 minutes ago

** Disclaimer: I'm not endorsed by Batiste Dry Shampoo. I'm being 100% objectively honest about this product.

How to go from bed to fabulous in only 10 minutes!
Also, does your dad bring you coffee in bed? No? I guess that means mine's the best! 

First thing you do: get dressed in something that's comfy and cute. Heaven Bless yoga pants!

Next, you do this fun little twisty thing with your hair. Don't forget the dry shampoo. Today I'm using my favorite brand: Batiste. That stuff sucks up all oil like it's its job!

Don't forget to use dry shampoo on days you don't wash! 

The finished product

Finally: Face. You just swipe on some tinted moisturizer, some eyeliner on your upper lids, and some mascara and voila! you look like you actually tried.

Finishing touches: adding a cute scarf can make anyone look put together. And you accomplished this look in only 10 minutes!

On that same note: Scarves are the most awesome accessory ever. Just look at these great outfits made so much better by adding a scarf! 

P.S. Heaven bless maxi skirts also. They're the sweatpants of skirts!

Keep it Classy. Keep it Country,
Gretta Patrick <3

What ACTUALLY happens when you try to make a 1-hour skirt

One hour skirt actually takes more like three 

I made skirt C. Although easy, it does take more than 1 hour as the package claims

When you go into a craft store, and you see those patterns that say, "1-hour skirt," or, "It's so easy!" you think, hmm, I have an hour, I can totally make a skirt in that amount of time! But by the time you get everything cut out, ironed, the instructions read, and you start to sew, an hour has already gone by.

I suppose it could take an hour for some people, but I'm a perfectionist. And the adorable skirt I made actually took more like three hours. Still impressive, but there are some things I like to do that take a little more time than just throwing a skirt together in an hour.

1. I iron the paper patterns. You read that right. I feel kind of like the butler who irons the newspapers on Downton Abbey. But This allows them to lay perfectly flat on the cutting table. 
2. I set up a big ironing table. I do this by laying a towel on a fold out picnic table. This lets you iron lots more surface area than a traditional ironing board. 
3. I read the entire instructions and make sense of them before I start. 
4. I'm a huge proponent of being extremely careful when you cut out patterns. That means, you double check them to make sure they're facing the right way, you memorize where the notches are so you don't miss cutting one, and you check the grain arrows to make sure they're all facing the same direction. 
5. I sew very slowly. Fast sewing is okay if you're a seasoned seamstress, but my theory is slow and steady wins the race, because if you sew slowly, your seams are straighter, and the seam ripper doesn't get as much use. 
6. I iron everything. Even if the instructions don't tell me to iron a seam, I iron a seam. 
7. I fit it to myself. I'll take a couple of minutes while constructing something to make sure it fits. If it doesn't, I'll take in the sides or something. This adds a bit of time. 

But if you take the time to do the above steps, the results are worth the extra work! 

And midi skirts are really in right now!

Keep it Classy. Keep it Country,
Gretta Patrick <3

How to curl your hair with a flatiron

A lot of women get confused at how to curl their hair at all!

...Let alone with a flatiron. It may sound like an oxymoron, but I promise, you can curl your hair with a flatiron. In fact, it's super easy!

It's one of the most simple methods of curling one's hair and it's a darn shame that more women can't do this. So I put together a short tutorial on how to do this. Just look at the before and afters!

 Before: stick straight and poofy

After: beautifully curled

Watch the tutorial and see for yourself 

It really is easy. I hardly ever use a curling iron anymore. 

Quick Tips

If you have heavy hair, like I do, don't use any hair products, as product will just weigh your hair down. 

Snowballing from the last tip, only use a little bit of hairspray, and make use of the spray & shake method shown in the video. 

Do your hair in layers, and keep the already curled hair separate from the hair that has yet to be curled. Like so: 

Keep it Classy. Keep it Country! 

Gretta Patrick <3

My Dog Maddie

Hello. My name is Maddie. May I lick your face? 

I have a nine-year-old chocolate lab named Madeline, or Maddie. 

Or Mad-dog, or Madd-Maddie, or Mad Dog 2020, or whatever else you may call her. She's a cutie, she's a weirdo, but she's pretty much the greatest!

Maddie should have been named Shadow, because she's always following everyone around. She follows my dad out to the barn to work on cars. She follows him to the garden. She follows me on my runs. She follows mom around when she's watering the plants, and she even drinks straight from the hose when mom waters plants. She's like a little, brown, dog-shaped shadow.

She has to lick any exposed skin. Heck, she'll even lick your knee through the holes in your jeans. I have no idea why she does that, but she does. If I sit on the ground, or do yoga in the back yard, she puts her face in my face, and licks it. In fact, in that picture, she was coming up to me to lick my face.

Maddie's Story

One time, Maddie hid behind the barn for a whole day.

My dad owns a vineyard, see more on that here. And every year, we have trouble with birds in the vineyard. We've tried all kinds of things to get the birds to stay out of the vineyard and stop eating the grapes: We've hung pie tins from the vines so the noise and flashes scare them away, we've  even hung old CDs from the vines.

The craziest thing we've tried, is my dad walking out into the vineyard at 5:00 a.m. and shooting a 12 gauge shotgun in the air to scare the birds away. Effective: in both scaring away birds and waking everyone in the house up.

Our older dog, Bacchus, a yellow lab, loves when Dad shoots the gun. That means that he has something to retrieve. On the off chance dad actually hits one, Bacchus runs out into the vineyard, nose down, looking for something to retrieve. Most of the time, to no avail.

Maddie isn't quite so courageous as Bacchus. The first time the bird situation was so bad that Dad had to pull out the shotgun, Maddie followed Dad and Bacchus into the vineyard like the little shadow she is, and as it turns out, did not like what she heard.

As soon as the gun went off, Bacchus ran after the hypothetical bird that would never fall to the ground. Maddie, on the other hand, ran straight for the hills. She did not like the sound of the gun one bit. Strange because labradors are supposed to be good hunting dogs.

Dad didn't immediately notice that Maddie was gone. In fact, I got home from school that day and we still couldn't find Maddie. Nobody knew where she went! We went out and called her name over and over but nothing. We had begun to worry that Maddie had gone really far away. We were worried.

Before my parents started calling the neighbors, I decided to walk every inch of the 17 acres of our property looking for Maddie. I walked all over the back yard, behind the tree line, and I came up on our old, fallen down barn. I called out, "Maddieeeee," and there was the little brown dog. Ears stuck straight up, bounding around the side of the rubble. She ran, full force, (and Maddie can run fast) straight to me and was so happy to see me! She had been hiding in the barn wreckage the whole day. It was just before dark when I found her, and she'd been there since 5:00 a.m.

Nowadays, she doesn't get scared quite that much by the sound of the gun, but she does get really shaky every time the gun goes off. It takes a bit of hugging and some belly rubs, but she'll be back following everyone around quite quickly.

Coffee time with Gretta No. 5: Simplifying

How to Separate the, "I Wants," from the, "I Needs

Hello beautiful readers, here's video number five in my Coffee time with Gretta vlog series. I have an awesome topic for you guys today, so take a listen.

I wants vs. I needs

Learning the difference between a want and a need is crucial to living more simply, which I have been trying to do for the last couple of years. I've been getting rid of clothes, I've been trying to scale back my spending, and the most important part of this process is getting rid of the phrase, "I need that," unless it's a legitimate need.

You don't need the pair of booties. You want them. However, you do need to buy groceries this week.

You don't need the $15 bottle of wine if you can't afford it. You do need the carton of milk.

You don't need a dog. You do need a new winter coat because your current one has a hole in it.

You don't need a new pair of running shoes. You do need a pair of shoes to wear in your sister's wedding.

It's those things that most of us need a little help remembering.

What's something you can cut out of your life? Comment below.

Keep it Classy. Keep it Country,
Gretta Patrick <3

Gettin' Comfy

We all know what it's like to "get comfy" in a relationship

And you all probably just rolled our eyes at that saying.

Getting comfy can be good... in some ways, but in more ways than some, it can be very bad. Why? Because it forces the relationship to lose the spark.

Tell me, what happens when a person sits down on the couch, stays there a while, and gets comfy? That person is no longer motivated to do anything. Do you see where I'm going here? Getting comfy can be, well, comforting, but it does nothing for our motivation, and it's exactly the same in relationships.

People can get comfy in their relationships. It's so easy to do. You love him, you know he's going to be around all the time, you start taking some of the little things he does for granted, you get comfy, and pppphhhhhhhh.

That was the spark. Fizzling out.

How do you get that spark back in a long term relationship? 

You start dating again. Sometimes it takes a rough patch. In extreme cases, it takes a break or a break up to realize just how comfy you got, but once you realize it, you've got to do something about it, or things will end for good.  You may not realize right away just how downhill things are going, but once you hit a certain point, BAM! You're snowballing down a cliff and you can't hold on to anything.

Dating

So how do you avoid that? Like I said, start dating again. You don't have to text your boyfriend how much you loved your chipotle burrito bowl. You don't have to text him about how hard your class was today, and you certainly don't have to text him constantly throughout the day.

Texting

Text him the big things, and leave the small, or otherwise funny stories for when you see him. It will save you from texting him every. little. thing. you do during the day, and you'll only be able to tell him the things that stick out in your mind when you do see him. Whether that's at the end of the day, or at the end of the week, however much you want to see each other.

Consider his feelings, and he'll return the favor

Another thing about actually dating your boyfriend, when you were first dating, were you afraid to hurt his feelings? Yes, you were. Because you were so afraid to lose him at that point. When you get the idea in your head that he isn't going anywhere, you stop being afraid to hurt his feelings. You start nitpicking, and nagging.

Be afraid to hurt his feelings. You want him to be nice to you, so be nice to him. Don't be so quick to point out the "You never do this's," and "You never do that's," because they're so arbitrary! If you constantly argue, you're taking him for granted, because you're taking for granted that he'll always be there for you, no matter how much you nag on him.

Well girls, the nagging and fighting pile up, and eventually he's going to get fed up and weighed down.  Who knows what'll happen then? Do yourself a favor, and check yourself before you wreck yourself, or worse, wreck your relationship.

You are you and I am I. And in the end, if we end up together, it's beautiful. 

That's one of my favorite quotes from Boy Meets World.

It's also a great piece of advice for relationships. Don't be afraid to take your own time away from him. Especially if you two don't live together yet. This is extremely hard for girls to grasp, but you don't have to see your man every day. He's going to get fed up with you. If you live together this is different, but trust me, giving yourself some "me" time, can really help you find yourself in your relationship.

Getting lost in your love may sound romantic, but it just isn't. If you get lost in your love, you lose more than yourself, you lose the relationships with your friends and family.

In a relationship, you need more than just each other, you need friends and family. So do yourself a favor, tell your boyfriend that, hey, I'm taking a weekend at home this week, and next week I'm taking a girls weekend. Oh, and I'm visiting my sister this weekend, and trust me, you'll still find time to hang out.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder and the more time you spend doing your own things, the more you'll look forward to being in his arms again. Plus, you'll be a lot happier because you're spending time with all the people you love, not just one of them.

Keep it Classy, Keep it Country,
Gretta Patrick <3

How do you keep your spark in your relationships? Tell me in the comments below!

Coffee time with Gretta No. 4: Tech Detox

How turning off can seriously de-stress your life

Good morning loves! I'm so glad you joined me so bright and early for today's coffee time with Gretta! Today I'm doing a coffee time post in my pajamas for a very good reason. Watch and see! 

Don't be turned off by the title of this post. I'm not going to tell you to give up your phone for three days. I'm simply going to tell you how turning off your technologies - all of them - can help you get the one thing that keeps you de-stressed throughout your day: Sleep. 

How long do I have to detox? 

Really, I try to turn all technologies off for about an hour.  I read here that you should turn off your technologies from sundown till you go to sleep, but in the winter, it's sundown for what feels like most of the day! So I think turning off your technologies for an hour is much more doable than for multiple hours. 

So I can't use my phone at all?

I never said that! If someone calls, you, then answer it. It must be an emergency if they're calling an hour before bedtime. If someone texts you you can reply, but really it's the flickering lights on your cell phone screens and computer screens and TV screens that messes with your sleep patterns. What you don't want to do is aimlessly scroll through Facebook for hours directly before laying down, because that's when you run into problems. For me, it takes me twice as long to fall asleep when I mess with my phone right before bed. 

Tips for de-toxing

A couple of things I like to do are to put my phone charger in the kitchen. That way my phone isn't even in my room to wake me up. 

I also like to completely turn my computer off. I know that if I'm already tired, flipping the computer screen up may be easy, but to my sleepy brain, turning it on and waiting for it to power up is super unappealing. 

Read a book

Also, instead of turning on the TV or something before bed, I like to read a book. You all know I've been reading the bible lately, and for sleepy eyes, the bible is the perfect sleep aid. However, I also noticed that in college, reading anything would make me instantly tired. Then it hit me: If reading can make me want to nap in the library during the day, then it can certainly help me unwind at night. So besides reading scripture, what better way to fall asleep than with... The Great Gatsby, or Wuthering Heights, or Great Expectations, or even Twilight! (Not ashamed). 

 
 

How do you like to get ready for bed? Comment below! 

Keep it Classy. Keep it Country, 

Gretta Patrick <3

A Happy Mint Julep Day how to!

Hey, I just realized that today is mint julep day!

I’ve never had a mint julep, but doesn’t it just make you think of Jay Gatsby and the Kentucky Derby and the old south barbecues? They sound fabulous! I mean, I love mint! So let’s give this a try

The Recipe.

To make my mint julep, I did what every 21^st century girl would do, I googled it! This cute little blurb popped up! And I did exactly what it said.

So easy, right? 

The verdict.

Mint juleps are strong! I mean, it’s bourbon, sugar, water, and mint leaves. I won’t lie to you, my mom and I are both wimps. We had to water ours down, but with some water, they’re just right for sipping after a long day of work! (Or before work, if you’re a blogger)

My dad’s wasn’t watered down at all, and he actually wanted another once he finished his first! I’m not quite, shall we say, tough enough to drink basically straight bourbon.

I think we shall become a proper, mint julep-drinking, group of pseudo-southerners. Okay, we’re such wannabes.

Fiddle Dee Dee. Cheers.

Keep it Classy. Keep it Country, 

Gretta Patrick <3

Tried the recipe? Comment how you like it! Or use #ChiCountry and let me know how the taste test goes! 

How I became a wino: my journey through the vintages

Lately I've been writing a lot of posts about wine. 

That would make sense to those people that know my family.

I'll explain: My parents are pretty much winos. They own a restaurant with possibly the biggest, most extensive wine list I've ever seen. The wine cellar in our basement is as big as a bedroom - if not bigger. My dad owns a winery and vineyard. My parents drink things like Shiraz, Zinfandel, Sauvignon Blanc, Malbec, and Chardonnay (that simply cannot be oaky). I repeat: My parents are winos.

For those of you who know me, however, you know that for the past couple of years, I've been a sweet wine, vodka lemonade, and appletini person. Hardly the type who drinks wine on a regular basis.

In the past couple of months, I've been trying different things. You can even read this post on the red wines that I like. I've tried some kinds of scotch, and to my surprise, I like it! I've been trying different kinds of gin martinis, and I've found I like them dirty - with lots of olive brine. However, the thing I'm most interested in trying is wine.

My three favorite wines. Stellina Di Notte Pinot Grigio, CK Mondavi White Zinfandel, and Sante Pinot Noir

**Disclaimer, for those of you who don't know diddly about wine, the spectrum goes from sweet to dry (Sweet to non-sweet or bitter).

What's the big deal about 'nice' wine? 

Here's my opinion. A, "good," wine is something that a person who has developed a taste for dryer wines thinks is outstanding. That's why the wines cost so much.

However, an amateur wine drinker, who buys Barefoot on sale whenever he or she can get it is just throwing their money away trying to impress someone if they buy a bottle of wine over $50.

Wining on a regular basis

Since I started drinking wine, I liked the sweeter stuff. But as a couple of years went by, I started to realize that those rieslings and moscatos started to taste... syrupy. Almost too sweet! So I started drinking dry riesling. My favorite is Relax.

After a while, relax started to taste too sweet. So I went to the experts to find a new go-to: My parents. They said that I'd probably like a white zinfandel or a pinot grigio. Guess what? I did.

And that's where I am. I'd be lying if I said I haven't tried any other kinds of wines. I got into red wine, and found I like Pinot Noir. I tried Merlot, and found it was way too dry for my taste, and it just tastes a little bitter. I tried some of my dad's wine, A Westbrook Cellars, and I found that I like the white he makes, Two Girls, and that the red he makes, Chambourcin, is too dry and bitter for my taste.

I tasted some different kinds of chardonnay and found out what, "Oaky," means. I tasted zinfandel and found out what, "legs," are in wine terms. So the only way to become a wino is to taste, taste, taste. In other words, you have to wine on a regular basis.

Keep it Classy. Keep it Country,
Gretta Patrick <3

What's your favorite type of wine/drink? Or do you even drink? Comment below!

Face of the day: Everyday smoky

Today's face of the day is a look I like to call: Everyday Smoky. 

It's all in the eyes and the lips. I used a combination of Mary Kay products, Physicians Formula, and my favorite underexposed beauty product, Vaseline, to achieve today's everyday smoky look. Just look at that smolder ^^

The eyes: 

I used the Physicians Formula Classic Nude eyeshadow pallet to create the smoky eyes. I only used the three colors to the far right of the pallet. They were like a pink-ish blush color, a silver, and a deep grey.

*Just a note about the Physicians Formula eyeshadows, they'e amazing! In fact, all Physician's formula products are top notch, especially for those of use with sensitive skin! Also, it's a great nude eyeshadow pallet if you don't want to spend upwards of $50! It's only $11.95.

I brushed on the pink-ish blush color onto my upper eyelids, swept the silver onto my eyelids, and used the deep grey very sparingly, with an angled eyeshadow brush, on my creases, and in a large sweep above where my eyeliner would go.

The liner is Mary Kay eyeliner in Steely. I've been trying a new thing lately where I only put eyeliner on the upper side of my eye, not the lower. I really like how natural it makes my eyes look: Not so high-schooly. Much more grown up.

The lips: 

I used Mary Kay Nourishine Plus lipgloss in Sweet Raisin. It's an old tube of it, but these suckers last for years! In fact, this is the same lipgloss I wore to my Senior Prom. Yep, I still have it.

The cheeks: 

The finishing touch of today's look is a little tip I use to highlight my cheekbones. I have fat little chipmunk cheeks, so any kind of highlighting other than pink blush is a welcome change.

I used Vaseline and dabbed it slightly over my makeup to highlight the tops of my cheekbones. It gives them a nice natural look I think.

Hardly noticeable, but just subtle enough to give my cheeks a POP! 

If you try out this color scheme on your face, I'd love to see it! Post in the comments, or put it on Twitter or Instagram with the hashtag #ChiCountry so I can see it! 

Keep it Classy. Keep it Country, 

Gretta Patrick

** Full Disclosure: I used to sell Mary Kay, but no longer have an affiliation with the company besides just loving their products. I have no ties to Physicians Formula or Vaseline either. 

Club W review

The wine club for finding what you like. 

I've been a member of Club W for the last few months. The gist of the program is this: You sign up for this wine club. It's kind of like a wine-of-the-month club. However, it's for people like me. It's the wine club you join if you don't know what kinds of wines you like (besides Barefoot Moscato and... any kind of Moscato... and not Chardonnay, or most red wines)

So you sign up, then you take a quiz on what you like to eat and drink, then they match you up with wines they think fit those tastes, and they call it a, "Palate profile." Then, you pick 3 or more wines  at $13 a bottle for your, "Wine box," that they send right to your door, so long as you're there to sign for it.

If you don't pick your own wines month to month for your box, they'll send you four wines that they think you'll like. Which is what I had them do for a while, since I have no idea what I'll like.

Now, I'll be upfront with you and tell you that I've decided to cancel my membership to Club W. However, I will be nice, and tell you the good points of the program before I tell you the bad.

The good of Club W

First of all, the concept is good. They send you wines that they think you'll like to take the guess work out of getting into wine.

The first box I received was delicious wine.

It got me to realize that the region where the wine is from is the important thing about finding which wines you like. For example, I really like red wine from Chile, and anything from New Zealand. So figuring that out was a good first step in becoming a bonafide wino.

They allow you to skip the month unlimited times without getting charged. And I've skipped a lot of months.

The bad of Club W

The price: when you're in college and can get a bottle of wine from Trader Joe's for $5 or less,  $13 a bottle seems like way too much.

I don't think they really took my palate profile into account. I got sent all these dry white wines, and as I've stated above, I really like Moscato, and I'm recently getting into Pinot Grigio. I got sent some Zinfandels, and some really dry Pinot Grigios, and some wines that just said, "Red," or, "White," wine on the label. That was very vague since it didn't help me figure out what kinds of wines to stay away from. So in a sense, Club W didn't help me figure out what I liked or disliked as far as wine types. All I figured out was that I didn't like what Club W was sending.

Most of the wines are sold exclusively on Club W. So you can't even go out and buy a case of a wine that you drank and liked. Unless of course you fill your box with it from Club W.

When you rate the wines you drink, they update your palate profile accordingly. However, the only thing you can do is rate it on a scale of one (bad) to five (good). I would have liked to enter reasons why I didn't like it, so that they could update things accordingly. For example, I'd like to say, "This wine is too dry," or, "This wine is very heavy," or something that is actually helpful in altering my profile. A 1-5 ranking simply doesn't give enough information in my opinion.  For that reason, consulting a friend who really knows wine is better than the Club W system.

You can't order less than three bottles a month, so for someone who wants to save money, ordering $39 worth of wine I don't really want to drink, every month, is just a completely unappealing concept.

Since you have to be there to sign for the package, and since I'm in college, I knew that getting the wines sent to my apartment wasn't going to work, so I ended up skipping the month most of the time.

What's the verdict?

Although the concept of Club W is good, I'm afraid it gets a resounding thumbs down from me.

Keep it Classy. Keep it Country,
Gretta Patrick <3

What's your favorite wine? Comment below!