It's almost June - what shall we Focus on?

[Robin Garr]

And no Mencía? I mean sure, I can see leaving out Bogdanuša or Chardonel, but Moschofilero? Really? Žlahtina, Acolon, Cabernet Cubin, sure, but no Chambourcin? For diacritical reasons alone, I could see leaving Parč and Pošip off the list, but Romorantin?

Maybe someone oughta start a 700 Club?

I'm almost positive I saw Mencia go by when I was cutting and pasting the list.

To clarify, let's not be hatin' on the Wine Century Club. The list is an example! The Club (which is just about as casual in its rules as this forum) is open to any recognized variety. "Other" covers a lot of ground.

Added: Oh, and Romorantin was served at a club dinner I attended in NYC.

To clarify, let's not be hatin' on the Wine Century Club. The list is an example! The Club (which is just about as casual in its rules as this forum) is open to any recognized variety. "Other" covers a lot of ground.

Who's hatin'? I sure wouldn't want to ever claim that I could make an exhaustive list of grape varieties, that'd be a nightmare!

I'm up to 131 myself, though I only count bottles where it is either varietally labelled or predominant in a blend, and I've got plenty of blank spaces for the varieties they do include on the Century Club list.

This is a great idea for the Focus. I stumbled upon the Wine Century Club list a few years ago, and it inspired me to try a lot of lesser known wines that I might have otherwise passed over. Although it's getting a bit harder to find a wine locally that at least contains a grape that I haven't tried before, this will give me some added motivation to find something new and interesting.

Go figure - of the four grapes from that list that I cannot positively check of as having had even as part of a blend, one is Ruby Cabernet. That seems like it should have been an easy one. Any suggestions for a good Ruby Cab that isn't terribly expensive?

Go figure - of the four grapes from that list that I cannot positively check of as having had even as part of a blend, one is Ruby Cabernet. That seems like it should have been an easy one. Any suggestions for a good Ruby Cab that isn't terribly expensive?

Hi Andrew, apparantly it is grown extensively in South Africa. Dickerson Vinyards stll produces a reserve one in Napa for about $30. I'm with you and wish it was more available.

I don't see Huxelrebe on the list. Is it an acceptable variety for June focus?

Of course. Even the Wine Century Club sheet has blank lines for grapes they don't have pre-listed. Huxelrebe is one, Regent is another. Then there's Ehrenfelser, Siegerrebe, Ortega, Albalonga, etc. Heck, even Rieslaner is missing!

Also the following grapes from which I have had excellent wines - Grillo, Caricante (white Sicily), Cornalin, Humagne (red Swiss), Amigne (white Swiss) and Mencia (red from Bierzo Spain, now getting quite a following).

Hi Andrew, apparantly it is grown extensively in South Africa. Dickerson Vinyards stll produces a reserve one in Napa for about $30. I'm with you and wish it was more available.[/quote]

Hi Carl - Thanks for the tip on Dickerson. I'll keep an eye out for it. Haven't come across any South African Ruby Cabs yet.

Had my hopes up for the Jura. There are some really good, under appreciated wines there -- not just the Chateau-Chalon. But then I really liked the Alsace feature. Thanks!