He’s obviously a talented and funny guy, but we like to think that the talismanic properties of the tastevin propelled him to victory!

Remember, it can work the other way:  member Randy Boyles lost his OFFICIAL TASTEVIN last May.  Ten minutes later, he caught gingivitis from a chewable toothbrush purchased from a vending machine at Detroit Metro Airport.¹ Don’t let this happen to you.
¹This is a dramatization based on a true story. The names and facts have been changed to protect the innocent.

159!

Varieties tasted so far (in order of appearance):

1. Viura (synonym: Macabeo)
2. Malvasia (synonym: Malvasia Fina)
3. Grenache Blanc
4. Chambourcin
5. Tinta Roriz (synonym: Tempranillo)
6. Touriga Franca
7. Touriga Nacional
8. Malvasia Istria
9. Refosk (synonyms: Terlano, Teran)
10. Cabernet Sauvignon
11. Merlot 10:40 AM EST
12. Coda di Volpe
13. Regent
14. Negroamaro
15. Primitivo (synonym: Zinfandel)
16. Freisa
17. Feteasca
18. Babich
19. Lasin
20. Plavina
21. Codega
22. Rabigato
23. Donzelinno
24. Viosinho
25. Arinto
26. Falanghina
27. Vermentino di Sardegna
28. Trebbiano
29. Grechetto
30. Montepulciano
31. Cannonau di Sardegna (synonyms: Grenache, Garnacha)
32. Nero d’Avola
33. Sagrantino
34. Incrocio Manzoni
35. Susumaniello
36. Riesling
37. Sauvignon Blanc 2:23 PM EST
38. Grignolino
39. Malbec
40. Norton
41. Syrah
42. Verdelho
43. Chenin Blanc
44. Tinta Cao
45. Tinta Amarella
46. Petit Verdot
47. Petite Sirah
48. Gwass
49. Resi
50. Himbertscha
51. Humagne Blanche
52. Amigne de Vetroz
53. Lafnetscha
54. Petite Arvine
55. Heida
56. Eyholzer Roter
57. Humagne Rouge
58. Gamaret
59. Cornalin
60. Koshu
61. Picpoul (syn: Folle Blanche)
62. Prosecco
63. Tocai Friulano
64. Verdicchia Nera
65. Moscato
66. Nebbiolo
67. Treixadura (syn: Trajadura)
68. Godello
69. Loureira (syn: Loureiro)
70. St. Laurent
71. Cinsault
72. Viognier
73. Negrette
74. Gruener Veltliner
75. Vidal Blanc
76. Assyrtiko
77. Garganega
78. Rousanne
79. Marsanne
80. Pinotage
81. Albarino
82. Pinot Noir 7:56 PM EST
83. Müller-Thurgau
84. Feteasca Regala
85. Dragon Eye (aka Longyan, a native Chinese varietal)
86. White Feather (aka Baiyu, aka Rkatsiteli)
87. Vignoles
88. Muscat Canelli
89. Chardonnay 9:22 PM EST
90. Gamay
91. Mourvedre
92. Cabernet Franc
93. Aglianico
94. Pinot Meunier
95. Carignane (syn: Carignan)
96. Prieto Picudo
97. Vilana
98. Graciano DING DING DING DING!!!!!! Lori puts us over the top at 10:35 PM EST
99. Mazuelo
100. Arinto
101. Moschofilero
102. Harslevelu
103. Kekfrankos (syn: Blaufrankisch)
104. Corvina
105. Covinone
106. Tinta Negra Mole
107. Bukettraube
108. Semillon
109. Muscadelle
110. Grapello
111. Marzemino
112. Barbera
113. Procanico
114. Trincadeira
115. Aragones
116. Souzo
117. Alicante Bouschet
118. Pinot Gris
119. Airen
120. Palomino
121. Pedro Ximenez
122. Mavrodaphne
123. Xynomavro,
124. Agiorgitiko,
125. Carmenere
126. Tannat
127. Pecorino
128. Rondinella
129. Molinara
130. Marselan
131. Auxerrois (the white one and not a synonym for Malbec)
132. Gaglioppo
133. Bosco
134. Albarola
135. Parellada
136. Xarel-lo
137. Lagrein
138. Traminette
139. Edelweiss
140. Vespolina
141. Dornfelder
142. Neuberger
143. Bastardo
144. Mencia
145. Zammarica
146. Verdello Tinta
147. Serodio Tinta
148. Welschriesling
149. Romorantin
150. Obaideh
151. St. Pepin
152. Insolia
153. Teroldego
154. Torrontés
155. Symphony
156. Sangiovese
157. Savagnin
158. Poulsard
159. Trousseau

Deborah and I have kicked off the our 4th Birthday today in London with a 1998 Marques de Murrieta YGAY Rioja Gran Reserva Blanco, a traditionally styled white Rioja. A slightly sherryfied, golden-hued, nutty, complex and delicious wine. It also scored us 3 grape varieties: Viura (synonym: Macabeo) 90%, Malvasia (synonym: Malvasia Fina) 5%, Grenache Blanc 5%.

This evening we’re going to join Paula Sindberg at her giant Swiss wine tasting. We’ll be toasting the anniversary there with Heida (Païen), Cornalin, Resi, Lafnetscha, Gamaret, and Gwäss (obscure Swiss grape varieties!).

Members please mention the wines(s) you’ve tasted today in the comments below. Don’t forget to list the grape varieties in each wine – no matter how small a percentage – so we can update the running total above.

Early in November each year, an inquisitive bunch of wine industry folk gather in Mildura to examine and appraise the latest crop of wines made from non-mainstream or alternative grape varieties.

In 1999 when Stefano de Pieri and Bruce Chalmers started the Sangiovese Awards which, have developed to become the Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show, the few alternative varieties that most people in the wine industry had heard about were some of the Italian varieties such as Sangiovese & Nebbiolo. In less than a decade we have seen the emergence of varieties such as Viognier, Pinot Gris and Tempranillo into the Australian wine drinking public’s cognizance.

The 2008 wine show had 581 entries, down slightly from the 626 in 2007, with the Mayford 2006 Tempranillo taking out 3 trophies including Best Wine of the Show. Tempranillo entries were strong this time, with 43 entries over the two classes, divided into 2007/2008 Vintage and 2006 and Older. The older class being considerably the better one with wines having had more time to settle down and become more complex. The judges commented that many of the wines in the 2007/2008 class had good fruit but were over-oaked. It will be interesting to see these wines again in 12 months time at the next show, to see if they develop over that time like their predecessors have.

Other Trophy winners were Tahbilk 2004 Marsanne which won the Trophy for Best White Wine of the Show as well as the trophy for Best Commercial Volume. The Trophy for the Best Italian varietal was taken out jointly by the Dal Zotto Arneis for the white wine and the David Hooks 2006 Barbera for the red wine.

By far the largest numbers of entries were the 93 wines entered in the four Pinot Grigio classes, with Gold Medals going to Trentham, Taltarni, Yarra Burn and Hentschke. This was followed by the 64 entries in to the two Viognier classes where the gold medals were won by Haan Wines Hanenhof 2008 Viognier and Geddes Seldon Inn 2008 Viognier.

One of the positives in the main white wine classes was the increasing number of Albarino & Fiano wines entered. Whilst there weren’t many medals handed out for these two varieties by the Judges, their progress is exciting and these are two varieties to watch with great interest over the next few years, in my opinion.

In the red classes the largest number of entries was in the Sangiovese classes. Again like with the Tempranillo the older class – 2006 & older significantly outperformed the 2007/2008 class- 2 Gold Medals to Nil.

The Nebbiolo class had 22 entries, of which the Gold Medal winning S.C. Pannell Adelaide Hills 2006 Nebbiolo was a stunning wine.

One of the low points of the show was the decline of Petit Verdot, not only were the number of entries down by more than 50% from the 2005 Show to a mere fourteen entries, but also across the two classes, the judges only awarded two Bronze medals and commented “ Petit Verdot’s strength is as a blending component” . By comparison the Lagrein Class had three Bronze medal winners out of nine entries.

In the Durif class 10 out of the 20 entrants achieved Bronze medals and 2 achieved Silver medals. In my opinion the wines from De Bortoli, 919 Wines, Rutherglen Estate and Morris are showing the way forward.

Again the Zinfandel class with 15 entries was strong and showing much progress in the handling of this variety other than one or two overly sweet wines.
The two most exciting classes to me were 19 (other medium bodied varieties & blends) & 20 (other full bodied varieties & blends) were there were a plethora of different varieties and more significantly blends made from a number of varieties. I am convinced that the future of alternative variety reds is destined to be in blends rather than straight varietals.

Whilst good-great varietal wines such as the Brown Bros Carmenere, Rimfire Touriga National, Symphonia Tannat and Hugh Hamilton “The Oddball” Saperavi will carve out a niche for themselves in this crowed wine world, I am convinced that it is the blends such as Heartland Wines Dolcetto & Lagrein, Pindarrie ‘Bar Rossa’ Tempranillo/ Grenache/Shiraz, Symphonia Wines Quintus Saperavi/Temp/Tannat/Merlot/Cab & Yalumba Hand Picked Tempranillo/Grenache Viognier which will make a bigger and longer lasting impact on the wine drinking public. The blend option allows the winemaker to have greater consistency from vintage to vintage and they are therefore less likely to disappoint/confuse their customers.

Wines made from Alternative varieties have made much progress in the last decade.
The question is, which alternative varieties will come to the forefront in the next decade? It will be interesting to watch the progress over the next ten years and see which names become as well known as Pinot Gris, Viognier, Sangiovese and Tempranillo have become over this decade. My tips are Albarino, Fiano, Tannat and Saperavi.

New member and wine educator Kelly Magyarics wrote a piece for the Wine Enthusiast: 100 Bottles of Wine on the Wall. It’s about her experience in becoming a member – a good read even if its title is a play on the most mind numbing song of all time.

And today in Bloomberg, there’s an article – Exotic Grapes, From Aglianico to Zweigelt, Now Make Trendy Wine – by Elin Mcoy, their wine columnist and author of The Emperor of Wine: The Rise of Robert M. Parker, Jr., and the Reign of American Taste. It features our very own Don Romano who makes a good case for adventurous wine drinking!

Last but not least, thanks to Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page for pointing out that DC member Henry Richardson was quoted in William Safire’s On Language column in the New York Times. And if you missed Andrew and Karen’s last article on the club in the Washington Post, you can check it out here.

Pictured: Wine Century Club Members Maj Capps, left, and William Holby

Two of our most famous members, Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg, have written another excellent article on the club.

To read it, please go to the Washington Post website.