[Targeted] Amex Offer: $30 Back on $100 (x3) at Wine Access

Wine Access is back with a new iteration of a popular offer:

$30 back on $100+ which can be repeated three times.

Expires 10/29/2022.

I saw this on one of my wife's Personal Platinum cards, but not on my cards.
She hasn't gotten this offer before and I had, which makes me think this is perhaps targeted to accounts that haven't had the offer before. But who knows.

How to Maximize

1. Buy eGiftCards

To lock in the savings and avoid overshoot, buy $100 eGCs (affiliate link):

Wine Access eGiftCard

The eGCs arrive instantly and can be combined for future orders.

2. Use a referral for new accounts

Get $50 off your first $150+ order through referral

This is my referral link. Thanks in advance of using it.

3. Try stacking with a coupon

Wine Access does promo codes a little differently than other retailers. Rather than having promo codes that float around, they tend to send targeted emails out on your birthday and such. When you click on the link in the email, the offer is attached to your account. So sign up for an account and hope for the best.

What to Buy

I haven't bought from Wine Access lately, but I've got an order in for some new arrivals. I'll look to get back to some "Fresh Off the Truck" reviews when those arrive. 

One notable recent winner is the 2017 Keller Estate La Cruz Pinot Noir. Familiarity with this one goes way back for me. Long-time readers (really long time) will recall my fondness for Zepaltas Pinot Noir. Ryan Zepaltas burst onto the winemaking scene with a 95 point Wine Spectator rating for his 2005 Zepaltas La Cruz Pinot Noir.

Besides tracking down Zepaltas Pinot Noirs, meeting Ryan, and interviewing here on the site I also visited and tasted at Keller. Their Pinot Noirs are fantastic, and the 2017 Keller La Cruz Pinot Noir shows very well. At $30/btl with these stackable discounts, it's one to try. Compare at $52 at the winery.

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May 2022 Stackable Savings at Total Wine

A new month brings new deals, and it looks like Total Wine is making a push with three deals that are potentially stackable depending on where you live and what's enforced:

• Online shopping portals (online, certain states only)
• Citi Offers (targeted, activation required)
• AA Simply Miles (targeted, card-linked program for Mastercards)

Online Shopping Portals

There are two listings for Total Wine on Cashback Monitor:

• Total Wine
• Total Wine & More

It never much occurred to me to check shopping portals for Total Wine since I think of it mostly as a brick & mortar store. 

But looking at their offerings with fresh eyes it looks like they also offer:

• Delivery (to some addresses, presumably near stores, from $5.99)
• Shipping (presumably to states where they operates stores but when you're far from a location)
• In-store pickup (not all products are available to order for in-store pickup)

All of these should qualify for portal cashback, though I haven't tried personally.

Check the fine print on the shopping portal of choice.

Looks like Top Cashback is 10% at the moment.

Citi Offers

Some Citi credit cards are targeted for $20 back on $100 or more. This offer should work online or in-store. If you don't see it on desktop, check in the Citi mobile app.

Activation required.

It's said to be available only in these states (unclear whether it's enforced):

AZ, CA, FL, MD, MN, MO, NV, NM, NC, SC, and VA

Offer ends 5/22/2022.

AA Simply Miles

American Airlines Simply Miles is a card-linked program that's separate from the AA shopping portal. It works by linking any Mastercard credit card to your AA Simply Miles account, which in turn is linked to your AAdvantage account. Purchases should then automatically earn AA miles.

This should work online or in-store.

Since it's card-linked it should be stackable with the offers above.

The current offer I see is 930 miles for a purchase of $100 or more.

It's said to be available only in these states (same states as the Citi Offer):
AZ, CA, FL, MD, MN, MO, NV, NM, NC, SC, and VA

Offer ends 5/22/2022.

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Wine Spectator Grand Tour 2022: $100 Off VIP Tickets

Dates are set for Wine Spectator Grand Tour 2022:

• Las Vegas Saturday, June 4
• Washington, DC Friday, June 10
• Florida Saturday, June 18

Direct Link

Reviews of past Wine Spectator Grand Tours:

• Boston 2011
• Chicago 2013
• Dallas 2015

It's great to see these events coming back. They're pricey but the best way I've found to develop a relatable frame of reference for many of the world's benchmark wines from important categories.

Get $100 off VIP Admission with code: CELEBRATEMOM

General Admission tickets are $275.

VIP Admission costs $375.

VIP gets you in an hour earlier than General Admission which provides a chance to try wines from the more popular tables with shorter lines.

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Review: Tasting Menu w/Paired Wines at I Carracci in Bologna, Italy

We're just back from a week in Italy, where we split time between Sorrento/the Amalfi Coast and Bologna. The Amalfi Coast was beautiful as you'd imagine but Bologna really stole the show.

Bologna and the Emilia-Romagna region probably aren't in the Top 10 tourist destinations in Italy, but perhaps that's why it's such a pleasant place to visit. It's devoid of tacky souvenir stands and shops, thriving with young professionals and students, and has a vibrant enough economy to support outstanding restaurants and international retail. 

Especially if food & wine is a focus, I think Bologna is one of the best cities in Italy to visit.

I Carracci Restaurant

There are dozens of fabulous casual al fresco dining options in Bologna serving up local specialties like Tortellini, Mortadella, and Ragu Bolognese.

For an elevated take on these classics and more, we enjoyed our meal at the I Carracci Restaurant is within the Grand Hotel Majestic gia Baglioni. 

It's a fine dining experirence; a bit old-school, with higher-end wines decanted by candlelight for example, but it's been a very long time since we've enjoyed a meal as much so I thought I'd write up here. Especially to remind myself which wines we tasted so I can try to find them here in the US.

Starter: Mortadella, squacquerone cheese and tigelle bread

Pairing: Cantina Paltrinieri Grosso (white Lambrusco) (wine-searcher)

We enjoyed a bunch of white Lambrusco prior to this, so it was nice to try a local sparkling white wine to get things started. Looks like their "Radice" bottling might be easeir to find than "Grosso" in the US.

[click photos to enlarge]

The dish was a fun little starter that introduced the Mortadella flavor and the delicious creamy Squacquerone cheese as well.

First Course: Tortellini in Capon Broth

Second Course: Tagliatelle with Bolognese ragù

Pairing: Vallenia Terre Rosse Emilia-Romagna Cabernet Sauvignon (wine-searcher)

I was impressed with their dedication to staying local with this delightful, well-balanced Cabernet Sauvignon from Emilia. Looks like it's not imported to the US which is a shame because I bet it's relatively affordable and outstanding with an appealing combination of pure fruit kissed with just a touch of oak influence.

This pure rendition of Tortellini en Brodo with its perfectly cooked pasta, flavorful meat filling, and complex broth was amazing and satisfying. The perfect accompaniment to a rainy evening.

The Tagliatelle with Bolognese ragù was outstanding, and probably the most carefully scrutinized dish of our trip. Sweet Basil in Needham has an amazing take on Bolognese, but the classic here in Bologna is simpler. Very meat driven. Very little sauce. Very delicous. The supporting pasta was off-the-charts perfection.

A dish we enjoyed elsewhere in Bologna and replicated upon returning home was Tortellini with Bolognese Ragu. It's hard to go wrong with any of these combinations.

Third Course: Veal cutlet Bolognese style with rosemary potatoes and friggione

Pairing: Fattoria Paradiso Vigne Delle Lepri Sangiovese Superiore Riserva (wine-searcher)

I'm sufficiently stuffed and "under the ether" of an amazing dining experience at this point, but I thought this was another winner. Eataly Boston scores points for carrying this one when very few other retailers in the US do.

Perhaps not the most Instagram-worthy entree, and I probably didn't need any more food at this point, but this was a terrific dish as well.

Dessert Course: Multiple

Pairing: Umberto Cesari Romagna Albana Passito "Colle Del Re" (wine-searcher)

Here's a fun label to decode.

Producer: Umberto Cesari

Location: Romagna Albana DOCG

Name of the Wine: Colle Del Re

Passito is a type of Italian wine made from dried grapes. This is a dessert wine, but Amarone is another example of a wine made from dried grapes that's not a dessert wine.

This wine was stunningly delicious but unfortunately hard to find in the US. Apricots and honey are backed with vibrant acidity to keep it clean. Gorgeous. Here's a link to it on the winery website. Here's a Romagna Albana Passito they have at Eataly Boston.

The tasting menu costs 95 euros per person.

Plus 60 euros per person for generous pours of four wines.

Full menu here.

Bottom Line

Bologna is an amazing destination for food & wine. I heartily recommend spending some time there, especially if you've already visited the more famous destinations in Italy.

It was so nice to sit down and enjoy an evening of fine dining, especially internationally after a long period of not traveling. The food in Italy is so regionally distinct, delicious, and approachable. I Carracci is an outstanding high-end fine dining experience.

Eataly's wine selections here in the US is impressive (they also have a location in central Bologna in addition to FICO Eataly World just outside of Bologna). Take something as simple as Lambrusco: How many do they carry at Wine.com and Total Wine? Like zero decent ones combined.

For more thoughts on Bologna food & wine see this post on Instagram.

And for Bologna-area highlights including a visit to Pagani Automobili see this post.

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