Dreadnought Wines Introduces "The Bacchus Bunch" – The Pittsburgh Branch Of The International Wine Century Club!
For 30 years, Mike Gonze and Dreadnought Wines have represented boutique wineries from around the world, and have introduced wine lovers to a broad range of varietals. A varietal, is of course, a grape. Most folks have sipped a Chardonnay, a Merlot, a Cabernet or a Riesling. There are still many people out there who don't understand that those names aren't just a type of wine, but they are the names of the specific grapes used to make that wine.
But how about a Buttafuoco, Dzhani, or Ehrenfelser? These are grape varietals that may be more familiar to serious wine aficionados.
Several months ago, Dreadnought Wines discovered an international club for people who seek out different wines and grape varietals called The Wine Century Club.
To join the club, which celebrated its 1st birthday on Friday, March 17th, one 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 from 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. Part of this growth was fueled 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.
The newest Chapter will be here in Pittsburgh with "The Bacchus Bunch" at Dreadnought Wines in the Strip District.
For most people, becoming a Wine Century Club member means starting a quest. It is the very rare wine drinker who can sit down with the application and be able to check off 100 grapes with ease. But although the task of reaching 100 may appear daunting at first — and for most potential members, reaching the goal will indeed require some work — it can be very fun and rewarding.
For many years, Dreadnought has been introducing wine lovers to different grape varietals at their 1st and 3rd Friday wine events at their shop at 2013 Penn Avenue. And now this regular event series, as well as the many classes offered, can lead potential Bacchus Bunch members toward their goal of reaching 100 grapes!
The first step for most potential members will be to simply check off those grapes that we have all drunk for years: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir; Chardonnay, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc... grapes that Mike Gonze would classify among the "Classic Varieties". One needn't think about specific wines and vintages that have been tasted. These are grapes we all KNOW that we've tried.
After that, simply reading down the list of grapes on the application form may jog the memory about many more wines. Depending upon where one has lived and traveled as a wine drinker, we'll all likely remember more grapes we've had. Perhaps they're not popular now, at least as varietals (some will remember the days when one would see French Colombard, Grey Riesling, and even Green Hungarian on shelves in the US), but they are wines we have tasted nonetheless.
At this point, you can begin the process of hunting for new grapes to try in stores and on wine lists. But there is another step one can take to potentially add a number of additional grapes. These would be called "discovered tastes." Think about the wines you've drunk that don't list any varietal names on the front of the bottle (and probably don't have any on the back label either). Ever enjoyed a crisp Muscadet? Sipped on a bit of Marsala? Had a Spanish sparkler like Freixenet? Tried Mateus Rose? If so, you could easily add Melon de Bourgogne (Muscadet), Catarratto Bianco and Grillo (Marsala), and potentially seven other grapes for Freixenet and Mateus (the producers list the grapes on their websites)!
Participants in the Bacchus Bunch will be given an 'application' that lists well over 100 grape varietals. Members will mark the varietals they have tasted (and don't worry...there are blank spaces for varietals not listed). Once they reach the official 100 tasted, they will send their completed application to Dreadnought Wines, who will submit the application to the International Club. Once accepted, members will receive a dynamite certificate welcoming them to the international club, and the new member will be honored with a fun evening of pomp and circumstance at Dreadnought, involving grapey crowns and togas, along with the presentation of their certificate.
Of course, the completed applications are accepted completely on the honor system. Should applicants lie about the varietals they've tasted...well...may the curse of Bacchus curse their palates!
Dreadnought is proud to be a part of the Wine Century Club, and welcomes wine lovers to participate, and best of all it's FREE. For more information, interested potential members can call Dreadnought Wines at (412) 391-1709, stop by one of the First and Third Friday Wine Events, or just visit the store at 2013 Penn Avenue in the Strip District (across the street from Penn Mac) Monday through Saturdays, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.
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