On Friday, June 9th, the Wine Century Club celebrates its 7th anniversary by holding a worldwide all day event. Members throughout the world are challenged to taste unusual wine varieties. The goal is for the little over one thousand members to taste wines produced from over 314 different varieties of grapes. The 314 mark is the number of different grape varieties the previous membership tasted on an anniversary date. These wine enthusiasts won’t be drinking Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot or Chardonnay. Instead they’ll search out varieties such as Aglianico, Piedirosso, Falanghina, Greco and Sagrantino.

Kathy and Terry joined the Wine Century Club in 2009. All one has to do is taste wines made with 100 different grape varieties. The task is easier said than done. It took us two years and travel to over 300 wineries to hit the 100 varieties level. What’s even a greater challenge is the Doppel Level, 200 different varietal grapes. Since 2009 we are just a couple grapes short of that level.

The task is not arduous, it just takes awhile. The task of tasting 100 different grape varieties is also for those that have a more open mind when it comes to wine. When our children were growing up, we gave each of them a National Park’s Passport book. Whenever we visited a National Park they would get the park’s stamp in their book. It was a very short fun activity that chronicles their journey. The Wine Century Club is similar, however you can use their application to record the different grape varieties.

The vast majority of club members are from the United States with over 1000. I find this odd since the Europeans have it much easier. There are several countries in Europe that have well over 100 different grape varieties in their country. It is more of a challenge in the United States. If you haven’t started to record the wines you have tasted on your wine journey, consider downloading the Wine Century Club application. Membership is free. It may help to motivate you to open the door to wines made from new grape varieties.

Cheers,
Terry