69 Responses to “4th Birthday International Tasting Extravaganza”

1. Marshall Goldman says:

   May 8, 2009 at 9:34 am

   Albert Mann Auxerrois Vieilles Vignes. I love Alsacian whites, as they are excellent company with many foods. This is the only 100% Auxerrois which I have had, and after my first bottle several months ago I rushed back to buy as much as was available. Highly recommended. Go ahead Steve, add this varietal to your list!

   Cheers
2. Dale Cruse says:

   May 8, 2009 at 9:55 am

   Congratulations on four great years! Here’s to many more!

   In your honor, I wrote about the Wine Century Club anniversary at http://www.drinksareonme.net and tasted some gaglioppo!
3. Bill Goldstein says:

   May 8, 2009 at 10:14 am

   Congratulations and Happy 4th! My wife and I had 2004 Bisson “Marea” Cinque Terre DOC. The importer’s website says it was a blend of Bosco, Vermentino, and Albarola.
4. Marlene Rossman says:

   May 8, 2009 at 1:03 pm

   Congrats! We had Lagrein (red) from the Alto Adige and a Traminette (white), a Gewurztraminer hybrid from NY State
5. Jim and Patricia says:

   May 8, 2009 at 1:11 pm

   We had a varietal called Edelweiss from Snus Hill Winery in Iowa. We purchased it while we were up there for a volleyball tournament for our daughter. It had a lot in common with a Germanic style Reisling made in an off-dry style. If any of you live in Iowa, or pass through there, check out a store in Ames called Iowa Wine Cellar. We racked up almost a dozen new varietals there.
6. Jameson says:

   May 8, 2009 at 2:10 pm

   Steve,

   Had a lot of wine last night with some friends:

   07 Loosen Riesling QBA
   07 Ricard Le Petiot Sauvignon Blanc
   05 Petit Paris Bergerac (Merlot/Cabenet Sauvignon)
   07 Sperino Rose (Nebbiolo/Vespolina)
   05 Frick Pinot Blanc
   06 Grange Tiphane Montlouis (Chenin Blanc)
   06 Guillaume Pinot Noir
   04 Sperino Uvaggio (Nebbiolo/Vespolina/Croatina)
   02 Turley Old Vine Zinfandel

   It occurred to me after tasting all these wines that it really doesnt matter what the varietal is–wine is either good, or it’s not.
7. Kenneth Harris says:

   May 8, 2009 at 3:07 pm

   Great job! However I must point out that #91, 92 and 122 were duplaicted from earlier in the list…and that Treixadura (#67) and Trajadura (#102) are synonymous…By my count that makes 137.
8. Kenneth Harris says:

   May 8, 2009 at 3:08 pm

   I mean 136!
9. Greg Teese says:

   May 8, 2009 at 9:07 pm

   Not too unusual – we had a Gruner (already listed @ #74). Congratulation on 4 years of expanding palates!
   Charter Member – Aiken SC “Wrath of Grapes”
10. Bernie Knollinger says:

    May 9, 2009 at 1:38 pm

    We celebrated with a bottle of the Schlumberger Sparkling Welschriesling.
11. Mark and Diane Freeland says:

    May 9, 2009 at 9:46 pm

    Our sommelier at the Gramercy Tavern in Manhattan recommended a Romorantin varietal from the Loire Valley. It came from a sub-appellation of Cheverny in the Tourrane region. Romorantin has vibrant acidity and the fruit/minerality is extraordinary.

    Mark and Diane Freeland
    Baltimore, Maryland
12. Jeff Grossman says:

    May 11, 2009 at 12:40 am

    On the 4th Glorious Day, I attended a Verset Cornas vertical with a bunch of NYC wine geeks. We did have a few other bottles to start and to close, so we got in a few grapes:
    chenin blanc
    syrah
    viognier
    riesling

    I think the viognier might raise the count!

    We had Cornas wines from three makers (mostly Verset, of course) over nine vintages:
    2000 – Verset
    1999 – Verset
    1998 – Verset, Clape, Allemand “Reynard”
    1995 – Verset
    1994 – Verset, Clape
    1993 – Verset
    1991 – Verset
    1990 – Verset
    1988 – Verset

    We drank the wines from young to old.

    The 2000 is too young to drink yet; it smelled of earth but it also still had very primary blueberry aromas and was a tad sour.

    The ’99 drank well but the ’98 was better, showing that blend of red fruits, black olives, earth, and sticks that is so attractive in Cornas syrah. The Clape and Allemand ’98s were silkier, and less funky, but opinion was very divided.

    The ’95 was the first “wow” wine, with real complexity on the palate, some real maturity, well-integrated acidity, and a taming of the funk. Still, the wine was criticized by some as leaving their mouths puckered with tannin.

    The ’93 was better than the ’94, somewhat to our surprise, but both fared badly by coming onstage after the ’95.

    The ’91 would have been a great thing if it hadn’t been corked. (I couldn’t detect it but several others called it. A bottle of 1997 Verset, brought for the event, was very obviously corked.)

    The ’90 was a big disappointment to me. It was too roasted and swivel-hipped to be a great wine.

    The ’88, however, ended the vertical on a high note: This was another “wow” wine, a happy blend of secondary and tertiary scents.

    Happy Anniversary to Steve and all the Centurians!
13. Steve Somermeyer says:

    May 12, 2009 at 12:42 pm

    I’m a couple of days late but the Speedway kept me occupied here in Indy. Hopefully to add to your Anniversary total, I tasted 2 of the wines I help make at Chateau Thomas here in Indiana: 2007 Teroldego (Lodi) and 2007 Vidal Ice Wine (Ontario). We’re one of the few American wineries (5 that I’m aware of) that make Teroldego.

    Cheers and Happy Anniversary!

    Steve Somermeyer
14. Paul Davis Kramer says:

    May 13, 2009 at 2:18 am

    I had to paste the list into a spreadsheet, sort it, and read the interesting collection of grapes.
    I get 153, with the two duplicate entries.
    Unless you want to add in the Argentine white I had
    later in the evening, Legado – Torrontes.
    And a short pour of a dessert wine, made from Moscadello di Montalcino, (Muscat Blanc).

    cheers to all from Fairfax, Virginia.
    Well done!
15. The Wine Century Club » Blog Archive » 154 Varieties in a Night says:

    May 13, 2009 at 11:35 am

    [...] 4th Birthday International Tasting Extravaganza May 13th, 2009 154 Varieties in a Nightby Steve De [...]
16. Bob Latham says:

    May 13, 2009 at 12:21 pm

    I’m also a little late, but it’s never too late for a rich and fruity wine. A local grocery store here in Virginia had real buffalo steaks on sale and I couldn’t resist having one in celebration with an Argentinean Malbec: 2007 Antis Malbec Reserve (92% Malbec, 8% Cabernet, 60-90 year old vines). What combination could be more “new world” (except, of course, wines from native “new world” grapes)? Paul, thanks for the suggestion, I too saved a copy of this list for new wines to explore. Thank you Steve for starting this club and elevating the importance of diversity in wine.
17. Happy 4th Birthday Wine Century Club | De Long Wine Moment says:

    May 14, 2009 at 6:01 pm

    [...] strong – celebrated its 4th birthday last Thursday. To mark the occasion, members worldwide tasted 159 different grape varieties. The list includes serious obsurities such as Himbertscha, Incrocio Manzoni and [...]
18. Paulo Enes says:

    June 18, 2009 at 9:53 am

    In your list “Arinto” shows up twice ( in nº 25 and again in nº 100)!
19. Paulo Enes says:

    June 18, 2009 at 9:55 am

    Have you tasted “Alvarinho” from Portugal?