PASADENA, Calif. (September 3, 2019) — The original Wine of the Month Club® has retained McCue PR as their agency of record to help tell the story of the company’s 40-year history and legacy as the country’s first monthly wine subscription service.
“Wine of the Month Club is the only second-generation retail wine club out there. My dad came up with the concept in 1972 and I joined him in the business in 1988,” says Wine of the Month Club owner and wine buyer, Paul Kalemkiarian. “We’ve literally shipped millions of bottles of wine of thousands of different brands around the country and have customers who’ve been with us 30 years. As the only wine-by-mail club with that kind of legacy, we needed a PR partner like McCue to help us tell our story and understand our own brand.”
Kalemkiarian — known by colleagues and customers as “Paul K.” — has professionally tasted more than 100,000 wines during his career and personally curates the monthly wine selections for each of the various clubs that the company offers. His hands-on approach is one quality that differentiates Wine of the Month Club from other wine subscription services that utilize algorithms or inventory programs to determine wine shipments.
“Paul is Wine of the Month Club,” says Michelle McCue, founder and president of McCue PR. “He is the person that tens of thousands of subscribers trust to guide them through the complexities of selecting great wines at a great value, whether they’re just starting to explore wine beyond the supermarket or already feel confident in their wine knowledge and preferences. Given his expertise and unique legacy in the wine businesses, we are excited to work with him and confident that his story is one that will interest both consumers and the press.”
About Wine of the Month Club
Founded in 1972, the Original Wine of the Month Club® began in Los Angeles, California as the creation of innovative wine shop owner and first-generation immigrant, Paul Kalemkiarian Sr. “Paul Sr.,” as he’s now known, owned and operated Palos Verdes Wines and Spirits, a premier wine shop in the LA/Malibu area. Kalemkiarian initially conceived of the idea of a monthly wine subscription service to fulfill the needs of loyal Palos Verdes Peninsula customers who had moved out of the area. This idea quickly evolved into Wine of the Month Club, the first wine-by-mail company in the country.
Nearly 50 years later, Wine of the Month Club is owned and operated by Kalemkiarian’s son, Paul Kalemkiarian Jr, known as “Paul K.” Paul K hand selects the wines for each club every month, just as his father did before him. While the quality and value have remained consistent throughout the company’s history, customers can now conveniently order and customize their subscriptions online, choosing from a variety of clubs such as the Classic Series, Vintners Series, Limited Series or regional and varietal-specific clubs such as Napa, Bordeaux and pinot noir. Each shipment comes with a newsletter including information on wine history, food pairing tips, and more, and is backed by a money-back satisfaction guarantee. More information is available online at wineofthemonthclub.com.
About McCue PR
McCue PR is a global leader in brand storytelling for the destination, hospitality and wine industries. Since 2009, the agency has built iconic brands through strategic storytelling, engaging content and next-generation PR programs. McCue’s bi-coastal reach and passion for places and palate have made it a trusted partner for tourism, wine, hotel, restaurant and culinary brands across the nation and around the globe. Through a strategic mix of earned, owned and paid media, McCue delivers tangible results to clients and serves as a go-to resource for journalists and brands seeking information, stories and partnerships. More information about McCue PR can be found at www.mccuepr.com.
