Wine Century Club turns one

Longstanding visitors to this site may remember my earlier article about the Wine Century Club, an organisation for those who have tasted wines made from at last 100 different grape varieties. Since then its founders Deborah and Steve De Long have unaccountably moved from New York to London and send the following report on their activities:

If you’re drinking a Buttafuoco*, Dzhani*, or Ehrenfelser* chances are you may be a member of the Wine Century Club. To join the club, which celebrates its first birthday today, you must have tasted at least 100 different grape varieties. It was founded a year ago by Deborah and Steve De Long for adventurous wine drinkers everywhere.

Just as the world of wine grapes is ever increasing, the club is also expanding rapidly. It began with 33 and now has 109 members form all over the world, including Finland, Georgia (USA and former USSR),
Germany, Spain and Brazil. At the present rate of growth (330%), the club will surpass the readership of the Wine Advocate in five years and the population of China in just 12 years [Hmmm – JR]. Part of this growth was fuelled by the introduction of the first local chapter of the Wine Century Club, Vino Cellars 100 in Williamsburg, VA. Thanks to Heather Hatcher (Chapter President), Bill Bean (Chapter VP) and Paul Luchsinger (Chapter Secretary) and all its members for their initiative in what should be the first of many local chapters.

To find out more about the Wine Century Club, go to
www.winecentury.com
or email the club president Steve De Long at
steve@winecentury.com

See also Steve's recent contribution to your turn on the subject of the misuse of the word 'varietal' in place of the word 'variety'.