We aren’t just another wine club - we provide our club members with everyday wines along with a daily blog full of great wine information. Our articles are full of wine news, pairing suggestions, restaurant reviews, and party tips designed to help wine buyers ranging from complete novices to experienced drinkers looking for the next best bottle. Sure, we want you to purchase a membership to The South Beach Wine Club, but we also want you to stop by every day to see what's on our minds. And once you're here, we hope you comment on what you read.

The club is designed for those who like to enjoy wine every day and those who know that wine helps make a party great - no matter what size! But who has time to make that extra trip after work to the wine store, trolling through endless bottles of wine? You should spend your time enjoying the wine, so we pick great bottles at great prices for you. No more guess work!

We keep it simple - 3 different tiers: 2, 4 or 6 bottles per month.

The price is listed in the total price - no hidden shipping costs at check out.

Customize your shipment to be all reds, all whites, or a mix - because you never know.

Perfect gift for those busy friends who always like to have a bottle of wine around.

Regularly updated blog to provide you with helpful party tips, wine suggestions, and pairing ideas.

What’s outside is your key to what’s inside a bottle of wine. The labels tell you essentials like the producer, the grape type, alcohol content, growing region and more.

Why is a wine’s place of origin so important? It starts with the French concept of terroir. Literally the French word for soil, terroir (tehr-WAHR) refers not only to the type of soil in which grapevines grow, but other factors that can influence the character of the grapes, including climate, wind and altitude. Those products made outside of name-protected regions may be of high quality, too, but they will not be the same as those that hail from within a name-protected region. That’s why, by law, such products must be called something else – sparkling wine rather than Champagne, and Meritage rather than Bordeaux.

The French started their Appellation d’Origine Controlee (AOC) system in 1935. The system has evolved over the years, and now wine with an AOC designation must meet strict criteria for seven categories that include everything from the patch of land on which the grapes are grown to the maximum yield of grapes per crop. Since 1979, all wines under consideration for AOC status must be approved by a tasting panel. Other countries have followed suit. In 1978, America launched the American Viticultural Area (AVA) system. Unlike France, America’s system is limited to geography, but it ensures, among other things, that a bottle labeled Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is made predominantly from grapes grown in Napa Valley. There are now more than 200 recognized AVAs in the country.

When it comes to wine, the tricky thing with the AOC/AVA system is that an appellation can also be carved up into many sub-appellations. For example, in France, wine can be from Bordeaux in general, or from one of its sub-regions, such as Pomerol, St. Emilion, Graves or Medoc. In America, a region such as Napa Valley also has its sub-regions, including Oakville, Stags Leap, and Yountville. Wines within a designated region are likely to share basic characteristics. After trying several, you can decide whether or not it’s worth your while to sample more wines within that region.

For example, perhaps you have been disappointed by Pinot Grigio, but a friend serves you one that exhibits a depth and finesse you’ve never before enjoyed in this wine. Grab that bottle and take a really close look. Try a few more Pinot Grigios from that region, and if you like them, you’ll know that’s generally a style of Pinot Grigio you’ll enjoy. Another example would be to try a variety of Cabernet Sauvignon including one from the general area of Sonoma, Napa Valley and another from a sub-region such as Rutherford or Oakville. Then, throw in a Cab-based wine from Bordeaux, perhaps from the Medoc and Graves appellations. You’ll then be able to get a better handle on what region produces the varietal in the style that best suits you.

There’s no need to memorize exactly what the designations on wine bottles mean. Simply know that if you spot them, they’re an authentic link to place and, in most cases, standards and tradition. From now on, start casting a keen eye to where your favorite sips come from. Soon, you’ll start developing a new appreciation for what goes into making the world’s great wines. Here is the cheat-sheet you’ll need:

•    AOC (Appellation d’Origine Controlee), sometimes abbreviated to AC: the French system of geographically based wine regulation. Literally, “Controlled Appellation of Origin,” this system ensures that wines labeled by a particular region are, in fact, grown and produced in that region. In France, a wine labeled with AOC must also follow other guidelines, such as the varieties of grapes in the wine, the minimum alcohol content and winemaking practices.

•    DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata): the Italian version of the French AOC system. DOCG is a second, higher designation for Italian wine, with even more demanding laws.

•    DO (Denominacion de Origen): the Spanish version of the AOC system. DOCa is a second, higher designation for Spanish wine.

•    DOC (Denominacao de Origem Controlada): the Portuguese version of the AOC system. Portugal was the first country to implement such a system, in 1756.

•    AVA (American Viticultural Area): an American system that controls the geographical names used on labels. Unlike the French AOC system, however, the AVA system does not regulate other matters, such as grapes used, alcohol content and winemaking practices.

North Carolina has 88 wineries, and the number increases every year. Small farmers who once depended on tobacco are switching to grapes and returning wine to its former position in Carolina’s economy. In the early 1900s, North Carolina had 25 thriving wineries, more than any other state, and led the nation in wine production until 1909, when its citizens voted to go dry.

Wine tourists visiting the Yadkin Valley often begin in Winston-Salem, a city rich in historic and cultural attractions. In this region, where bootleggers outrunning federal agents have been replaced by race car drivers, visitors can find corporate-style modern wine-making facilities, mom-and-pop operations, fruit wines galore, wineries specializing in Native American grapes and even wineries with direct links to NASCAR.

Racing team owner Richard Childress poured a track-full of his NASCAR earnings into Childress Vineyards, creating an Italian wine estate in the Piedmont, which is what North Carolinians call their robust central region. His winery near Lexington is a destination for NASCAR fans, as visitors can view memorabilia of Childress’s years in racing. The winery is also the unofficial gateway to the Yadkin Valley.

From Childress Vineyards, it’s a short hop to RayLen Vineyards on Route 158 near Mocksville, set atop rolling hills and marked by its distinctive crow’s nest rooftop. It’s a down-home spot where visitors relax on rocking chairs and pack the lawn for the Spring Oyster Roast and the Summer Full Moon Band Jam.

Westbend Vineyards, a little farther north on 158, is the region’s oldest winery. A showcase wine estate, it’s particularly large in contrast to the Valley’s smallest winery, Hanover Park, which is a few miles west off Route 61 and is run by former teacher-artist Amy Helton and her husband, Mike, who both fell in love with wine on a trip to France. Hanover Park, which makes fewer than 2,400 cases annually, produces highly regarded Chardonnay and Viognier and Michael’s Blend, a Meritage-type wine.

There are many other wineries along the way, but one fitting final stop is Shelton Vineyards in Dobson, in the northern extreme of the Valley. Here, wine lovers can enjoy the North Carolina version of their favorite grapes: Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Petit Verdot, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah, and Viognier.

The Biltmore Estate, near Asheville, is an attraction to be seen, but should be reserved for another day. It is located in the westernmost part of the state and therefore merits a visit when your travels take you out that way. A magnificent showplace with great gardens and historic houses, its winery is visited more frequently than any other winery in the nation, attracting more than a million wine fans annually.

California wine country is a sight to be seen, and the wine produced there is pretty good too.  North Carolina may be a decade or two behind California in notoriety, but taking a tour of NC wineries is certainly something that any wine lover can enjoy. Of course, the bright Carolina blue skies aren’t bad either.

Blended wines are hardly new. Bordeaux is traditionally anchored by Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. In Tuscany, Chianti is rarely 100 percent Sangiovese. France’s Chateuneuf du Pape can meld as many as 13 grapes. Consider the unassuming blend of Red Truck, a tangy, berry-rich California red that debuted with the 2002 vintage. Featuring six grapes of disparate origins (Syrah and Mourvedre from the Rhone, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc from Bordeaux, Pinot Noir from Burgundy, and the French hybrid Alicante Bouschet), Red Truck is a veritable kitchen-sink blend.

Similar examples of “splendid blendeds” have been cropping up with eyebrow-raising frequency over the past decade. They are emblematic of a growing trend toward creative, no-grapes-barred blending that is particularly evident in New World wine regions. Indeed, what sets these new-wave wines apart from traditional Old World blends is that the combination of grapes is not driven by agricultural practicality. Back in the day, if you will, the focus of European winemakers was rooted squarely in the vineyard, where producers first had to determine which varietals grew well in their particular soil and climate. Then, if several grapes could enhance one another when blended, so be it.

But in most New World regions, growing conditions are simply more hospitable, so more types of grapes grow well in the same general area. At the same time, modern technology has made the transportation of grapes and bulk wine much easier. Factor in the overload of Chardonnays, Cabernets, and Merlots fighting for shelf space and it’s no wonder that current-day vintners are trying new tricks with old grapes.

California isn’t the only hotbed of crossover blends. Australians stir up crisp whites from half Semillon, half Chardonnay and sturdy Shiraz-Cabs. Italian vintners have found new dancing partners for Sangiovese. But the trend of splendid blended wines is especially strong in California, where it can be seen as a natural step in the state’s rapid evolution. Beginning in the 1980s, California vintners began to imitate the European winemakers, even spawning the nicknames Meritage (for Bordeaux blends) and “Rhone rangers,” for wines using Rhone grape varietals. Imitation, however, has been shifting steadily to innovation, leading to the current upsurge in unorthodox blending.

The apparent laundry list of varietals on these new-wave blends can be misleading. Despite their diverse recipes, the taste profiles of many splendid blendeds priced under $15 are remarkably easygoing. By design, many are inherently fresh and fruity, with little of the earthiness commonly found in Old World wines, and with smooth textures that scream “Drink me now!” Higher-priced splendid blendeds (such as Opus One), however, will usually be rougher in texture, more obvious in structure (tannin and acidity) and more intense. Apply similar logic to creative white blends: lower-priced examples will be loaded with fruit, while pricier ones will deliver more body and complexity.

The bottom line is that for these blends you should expect the unexpected because the synergy of the varietals creates wines whose sum is greater than their parts.