Wine: Clubbing together

The Crossings Awatere Valley Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2009 $18.99. Photo / Babiche Martens

Joining a wine club is a great way to meet like-minded people and learn about the subject.

It's a nippy Tuesday night and I've gone undercover at a suburban bowling club. I'm not there to scope out the green, rather to see for myself what goes on at one of our numerous independent wine clubs. By the end of the evening, I've been warmly welcomed by the club and many of its convivial members and tried wines from a new boutique winery which I'd never heard of before.

From formal affairs to the more casual gatherings that make up the majority of wine clubs today, there's one to suit the tastes of all wine lovers. Most meet once a month, often soliciting just a modest fee, and some even offer free trials for anyone considering signing up.

Tastings led by winemakers and distributors are regular fixtures at most wine clubs. "All clubs look to presenters that can bring along wines that aren't in general distribution, ie in the supermarkets," explains David Corlett, president of the North Shore Wine & Food Society. "They also all tend to organise vineyards visits and other events outside their regular club nights."

Canvassing the opinions of a number of wine club members, guest speakers from outside the mainstream were valued by many. "It's allowed me to meet people involved in the industry and allowed me to taste and purchase wines at a reasonable price from vineyards that one rarely has contact with," says one.

"We find country-themed evenings a great success including recent tastings of a range of Spanish wines with matching tapas and a tasting of Argentinian wines held at a South American restaurant," notes Richard Thorogood, president of the Titirangi Wine & Food Society.

Some clubs boast their own well-stocked cellar to dip into. "Over the years we have built quite an extensive cellar with wines purchased from visiting presenters," says Andrew Martin of Wine Club Taupo. "We feel this is an advantage we have over more commercial-orientated, store-run wine clubs, in that this cellar is available for all club members to enjoy at our functions. We're often able to offer vertical tastings of the same wine from a particular producer over many years."

Gone are the days when wine societies were highbrow haunts and the preserve of men: modern clubs are now largely open to those from all walks of life and levels of wine knowledge.

There's also the social side to wine clubs, which many appear to enjoy, both on the club nights and special events that many clubs also host.

"It's a potentially cheap night or day out with some laughs and great wine and you get to meet some lovely people too," comments one.

If you've been toying with the idea of joining a wine club, "absolutely do it", urges Jane Giantoutsos, who joined the North Shore Wine & Food Society as a novice wine drinker with her husband four years ago."It's such a fantastic way to learn more - both from presenters and fellow members and also from the fact that as you taste more wines, you begin to notice the differences, the details, the characteristics," she says. "We received great advice the first night we attended when we talked about wanting to learn more about wine tasting. So far, it's worked well for us."

TOP DROPS

ARCHETYPAL AWATER
The Crossings Awatere Valley Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2009 $18.99
Classic Awatere sauvignon characters of grass, slaty mineral, blackcurrant leaf and zesty grapefruit leap from the glass of this racy and elegant example from the Crossings. (From Advintage, Glengarry, Scenic Cellars, selected supermarkets.)

MODERN RIOJA
Luis Canas Rioja Crianza, Spain 2007 $27.99
Rioja used to be known for lashings of oak rather than fruit, but times have changed and this is great example of the modern styles now coming out of the region. It's silky, fresh and packed with fresh and bright strawberry and cherry fruit, with just a suggestion of sweet oak from the 12 months its spent in barrels. (From La Barrique, Point Wines, La Vino, Arawa Wines.)

POISED PINOT
Rockburn Central Otago Pinot Noir 2008 $40
Another wonderfully poised and silky textured pinot from Rockburn with tangy cherry fruit, fragrant florals and a spicy, savoury and slightly smoky undercurrent. (From Glengarry.)