Wine Books

The Wine Century Club and Other Resources For Wine Drinkers

The Wine Century Club

When I first heard about The Wine Century Club, my immediate thought was “I hope that The Wine Century Club is nothing like the Century Club for beer.” For those that don’t know, the Century Club as it applies to beer refers to a drinking game where a hundred shot glasses of beer are downed by participants over the course of a hundred minutes, leading to the digestion of way too much foam and the side effects that often come with such debauchery/stupidity. Yes, I’ve done it. Why? College.

Thankfully, The Wine Century Club has nothing to do with downing extreme amounts of wine in an allotted time. It’s a club for those who have managed to taste 100 different grape varieties. The club’s website offers an application/checklist that can be downloaded listing 100+ varietals, plus room to write in varietals that are not on the list.

A few of the blogs that I frequent had mentioned The Wine Century Club, so one day I decided to investigate. I visited the club’s website and within ten seconds had decided that this was my kind of quest. I decided to start my count from the time that I started WineSpeak USA in mid-January and have now checked off 24 different varieties. It helps that all varietals included as part of a blend can be checked off. This past weekend I drank a Rhone blend with Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Cinsault, and Counoise.

Once you have checked off 100 varieties from the list, send the completed form back to The Wine Century Club. Upon verification, the club presents it’s new members with a certificate.

Trying 100 varieties is no easy feat and there are likely several varieties on the list that may leave knowledgeable wine drinkers scratching their heads. That’s part of the fun of the quest to become a member. It presents a great learning experience, a difficult but obtainable goal, and most importantly, a fun, unforgettable wine journey.

Wine Lessons: Ten Questions to Guide Your Appreciation of Wine

I happened upon Clara Orban, the author of Wine Lessons: Ten Questions to Guide Your Appreciation of Wine, while visiting a winery in Southern Illinois. Clara is a professor of Italian and French at Depaul University and a certified sommelier. She also happens to teach Geography 350, a/k/a the World of Wine. I found it very interesting that the course was classified as a Geography class. Perhaps an ode to terroir?

As a professor of Wine Appreciation, Clara became very familiar with the common questions asked by students new to wine. Her book answers these questions, such as “What is terroir?” and “Is syrah really shiraz?”, in an unpretentious voice that speaks to new wine drinkers rather than bashing them over the head with technical jargon. Also included in Wine Lessons are interesting accounts of Clara’s time spent with Old and New World wineries (one of which was Kite Hill Vineyards) and some unforgettable personal anecdotes, including the fate of the family’s 1933 Chateau Margaux. Another interesting component is the pullout sections in the back of the book, that can aide readers while ordering wine at a restaurant or buying wine glasses.

Wine Lessons is available for purchase on Amazon. It’s an excellent book for beginning wine drinkers but also has plenty to offer for the more advanced. Also, if you happen to go to Depaul University, you would be absolutely crazy not to sign up for Geography 350.

Voice of the Vine

Voice of the Vine is a free monthly e-newsletter put out by Washington State University with articles on viticulture and viniculture in Washington and the Northwest. I’ve recently subscribed and it looks to be a great resource, delivered right to your email. Did I mention it was free! For those interested in checking it out, here’s the link.

Posted on May 7, 2012 by Nick in Wine Books, Wine Column Leave a comment

Highly Recommended Wine Books

The most important and the most enjoyable component of building a wine education is tasting a large variety of wines and developing your palate. If you want to truly broaden your wine knowledge, however, you can’t just stop there. The books listed below have had a profound impact on my understanding and appreciation of wine and I highly recommend them to anyone that wants to further their wine education.

The Wine Bible, written by Karen MacNeil

The Wine Bible is a terrific guide for beginners but thorough enough to be a helpful resource for the more experienced. The book begins with a basic introduction to tasting and evaluating wine. Other notable topics includes a comprehensive list of the grapes used to make wine and tips on buying, storing, aerating, and decanting wine.

The most valuable resource inside is the in depth look at the major wine growing regions of the world, complete with maps, local winemaking laws, and information regarding notable producers in the respective regions. MacNeil does a great job of personalizing the book with fun, interesting anecdotes and providing readers with an easily approachable and unpretentious guide to the world of wine.

Judgment of Paris, written by George M. Taber

If you’re interested in the history of California wine and the tasting event that put the US on the world’s wine map, this book is a must read. Written by George M. Taber, the Time magazine reporter that covered the famous 1976 wine tasting event that pitted California wines against France’s best, the book gives the reader a sense of the Napa Valley before it was a big time wine region.

Judgment of Paris provides an account of the rise of Napa institutions such as Chateau Montelena and Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars. What I found most interesting were the stories of the people that have had such an influence in the California and consequently the American wine industry. Pioneers such as Andre Tchelistcheff, Mike Grgich, Lee Stewart, and Warren Winiarski are truly inspiring figures for any wannabe winemaker.

Without a doubt, this book is one of my all time favorites. Taber’s simply a great storyteller and the rise of the Napa Valley is a great story. The American wine industry is forever indebted to him, as his Time article played a huge part in the industry’s rise and success. I was very excited to find Taber on Twitter- you can follow him at @GeorgeMTaber.

The University Wine Course, written by Marian W. Baldy

As the title might indicate, this book is actually a college textbook on wine appreciation. I know that I said college textbook, but hold on, stay with me! Baldy provides an in depth view of the sensory evaluation of wine, a/k/a “is this wine good.” Also included are chapters on the production of red wine, white wine, and fortified wine. Baldy also touches on the subject of grape growing and vineyard management.

Other cool features of the University Wine Course include quizzes to test your wine knowledge, tasting diagrams, and various tips and tools to set up home tastings. This is not the ideal book for beginners, but when you’re ready to tackle some of the more technical aspects of wine, buy this book. If I would have had college courses like this, I definitely would have gone to class much more often.

Note: As I was flipping through these books today, I couldn’t help but notice that Robert Mondavi’s approval was stamped on each one: on the front cover of the Wine Bible, on the back cover of the University Wine Course, and in the foreword of Judgment of Paris. I wanted to write about Mr. Mondavi and I took this as a sign that maybe next week is the time to do it. Stay tuned!

Posted on January 30, 2012 by Nick in California, Wine Books, Wine Column Leave a comment