original cynk

Inspired by an article in the SF Chronicle, I cajoled some friends into trying out a “wine club.” It wasn’t too hard- I promised copious amounts of good wine and good company. The ensuing event went way beyond all our expectations. Not only was the wine club a blast for all who came, it also became our favorite way to learn about wine, such as which varietals each preferred to the subtleties within each varietal. Here’s the deets on how we set it up if you’d like to try it out yourself:

The setup:

1. Select a varietal and a price limit for your wine club session (for example, chardonnays that are less than $30).
2. Invite up to 12 guests.
3. Have each guest bring (1) 1 bottle of wine within the price range, (2) 1 plate of wine-paired food for 12, and (3) $10.
4. Have on hand 24 paper bags for wine bottles, tape, a marker, and a spittoon.
5. An extra you can also have on hand is a “control” bottle, i.e. the cheapest bottle of the varietal at Trader Joe’s, such as Two Buck Chuck.

The party:

1. When a guest arrives, have them put their bottle of wine in a bag and remove all foil. Plus, put everyone’s $10′s in a pot.
2. Tape each bag so the neck shows, mark each bag with a unique number, then pop the corks.
3. Round 1: Drink! Eat! Be merry! Have everyone taste each bottle (small pours- so everyone can taste at least twice), and score which is their top 3. The spittoon will come in handy to make sure everyone can get through all the tastes.
4. Have each person grab a bottle and stick it under the table. Shuffle bottles around, then have everyone stick a bottle into a new bag. Bring the newly bagged bottles above the table, tape, and mark each bag with a unique letter.
5. Round 2: Drink more! Eat more! Be more merry! Have everyone taste each bottle again and score which is their top 3.
6. The Unveiling! Once everyone’s done tasting and is thoroughly trashed off their rocker, rip the bags off each bottle and figure out which letter and number corresponded to what wine.
7. Tot up the scores, giving 3 points for each #1 rating, 2 points for #2, and 1 for #3. The top scoring wine’s owner gets the pot!

Other things you can do during the tastings is guess which wine in the first round was what wine in the second round, which bottle was the “control,” and the price actually paid for each bottle. Also, afterwards, try comparing the professional wine ratings, such as Wine Spectator’s or Robert Parker’s, with your own. For my wine clubs, rarely has the most expensive or highest professionally-rated bottle of wine won- more often than not, the Two Buck Chuck reigns supreme, such as this photo testifies from our Sauvignon Blanc session, with the wines ordered left to right by score.

However you set up your own wine club, I’m sure you and your friends will have a jolly ol’ time. Cheers!

My favorite wine-tasting event of the year is finally upon us: the Family Winemakers of California tasting in Fort Mason. The focus here are the small family-owned wineries throughout the state, which include the tiny places that don’t have tasting rooms or even a paved driveway. There’s a great variety of wines as well, and with over 300 wineries pouring, I usually focus on one varietal and hit as many names I can’t recognize as I can. Last year I did Pinot Noirs (bring on the Sideways jokes, I really do love the stuff!), and the 2004 Elke Pinot Noir still stands out in my memory as my favorite wine of all time. The Elke wines are made by Tom Farella, who has his own label, so look for the Farella booth and you’ll find someone from the Elke family pouring there too. Cheers!