"A Wine Club - What Great Idea"

I had been talking about starting a wine club for some time now. My idea was to get a group of people together to try wines. Similar in nature to a book club, everyone would provide a little bit of information about the wine they provided and we could discuss the taste or whatever else came to mind. Every time, I would mention it to someone, they would say, "A wine club, what a great idea. Make sure to let me know when you meet." Secretly, I think I wanted someone else to start it and invite me. Or maybe that someone else was already in one and would invite me along. But, alas, I it never happened.

I consider myself a bit of a novice when it comes to wines, so I thought starting something like this would force me to learn a bit more about wine. Also, it would give me the opportunity to do what I like to do best, host gatherings for my friends once a month.

With the new year and new year's resolutions and such, it was time for me to get busy and get something going.

So I proposed the following to a group of friends:

We meet once a month at my place for the first few months and then branch out to other people's homes later down the line. Each couple brings one bottle of wine. If you are flying solo, you may split the cost of a bottle with someone else.

You should learn something about the wine you are bringing. For example:

Who is the winemaker?

Where is the wine from?

What grape is used?

What make this wine unique?

Etc.

What you spend on a bottle of wine is up to you. Nobody should feel obligated to spend a lot of money. One of the best glasses of wine I ever had was served out of an unmarked jug into a juice glass in Sienna, Italy and probably cost me about $2.

I have a list of themes for these wine tastings. Everyone is welcome to add themes to the list. We can draw at the end of each gathering to decide what we are going to taste the next month. Here are some of the themes I have in mind:

Dessert Wines

South American Wines

European Wines

Texas Wines

Rosé (don't moan too loud, Rosés are hot in some circles)

Sparkling wines (not necessarily Champagnes)

Italian wines (something other than Tuscan)

Eastern European

Portuguese Wines

Wine from some random place you have been (I actually have a bottle of wine from a winery in Michigan)

Wines from Down Under

Wines that go great with Mexican food

A grape you have never heard of

I am thinking about trying this function on a Sunday night. That gives you something to look forward to on Sundays other than work on Monday. Remember, this is all about learning about wine, not about drinking so much that you feel bad the next day. If after the meeting, we decide a different night is better, then we will move it.

In addition to providing space for the gathering, I will provide bread and various dipping sauces. That way you can tell what the wine would taste like with a variety of accompaniments. If we get hungry, we can always order a pizza or go out to dinner after the tasting.

So, let's start with something really easy. Please join me on Sunday, 28 January at 7 p.m. for our first gathering. This month's theme is: California reds. See, I told you it would be easy. Pick out whatever you want to try; it can be from Napa, Sonoma County, Monterrey County, Santa Ynez Valley, etc, It can be a Cabernet, a Merlot, a Pinot Noir, Shiraz, whatever. It is just a tasting.

Sounded like a good idea to me. Unfortunately, not many people were able to come for the first gathering. However, that was ok with me. It still gave me an excuse to clean up my home, prepare some food, and actually make an effort to learn something about a bottle of wine.

For food, we had a green salad, some really good soft French cheese (Delice De Bourgogne), toasted walnuts, roasted peppers, bread, water crackers, and a yummy artichoke dip one of my friends provided. I also served various dipping sauces so we could try to see if the taste of the wine would change on the palette with different flavors. And I would be remiss if I did not mention that I also served some chocolate.

To be continued.

Next posting... The wine tasting notes from the first meeting of my new wine club.