The grape unknown: Society members will study no wine before its time

Wednesday, May 8, 2002 | 8:27 a.m.

For more information about the Las Vegas chapter of the American Wine Society call Chairman Albert Guber at 655-3669 or e-mail guber@sprintmail.com.

Did the pinot noir have a smoky aroma, or was there a hint of damp earth or strawberries?

Was the taste fruity, spicy or buttery?

Was the color light red? Overall was the wine from the Kendall-Jackson winery charming, elegant or robust?

At a recent meeting of the Las Vegas chapter of the American Wine Society, representatives of the Kendall-Jackson Winery in Sonoma County, Calif., brought samples of the winery's pinot noir to a tasting seminar.

For some, wine is a passing interest. For others, it is a passion.

Those passionate about the fruit of the vine are not so much interested in the alcohol content of their favorite pinot noir or chardonnay as they are about the taste, nose (aroma) and color.

And, of course, there is the social aspect sharing the interest with friends.

"You can buy a nice bottle of wine, go home and drink it by yourself," said Albert Guber, chairman of the Las Vegas wine society. "But there is more satisfaction if you are with friends, sharing the wine."

Guber says interest in wine is increasing in the United States. Among the reasons are publicity over the health benefits of wine, and also the realization that wine and food enhance each other's taste.

"Look at the number of people touring Napa Valley (California)," Guber said. "They are going there because they enjoy that environment, the ambiance."

The American Wine Society, based in Rochester, N.Y., was founded in 1967, initially to share information about the making of wine. Today the AWS's objective is to educate members about all aspects of one of the world's most sophisticated beverages.

The 37-year-old Guber, eager to share his interest in wine, established the Las Vegas chapter of the society a year ago in March. The group has grown to 76 members who meet monthly at Lee's Discount Liquor on West Lake Mead Boulevard at Tenaya Way.

About 40 people close to the room's capacity attended the meeting in which Kendall-Jackson brought samples of pinot noir.

"If all of the members showed up at the same time, we would have a problem," Guber said. But it's a problem Guber would be glad to address. He's happy to see so many others share his interest in wine.

"I grew up around wine making," Guber said. "My father has been an amateur winemaker in Pennsylvania probably for 30 years, since I was young. At some point, he got involved with the American Wine Society."

Guber learned a lot about the making of wine from his father, but his deep appreciation for the beverage didn't begin until after graduating from college, when he joined the AWS. He's been a member for about seven years.

"We didn't have a Las Vegas chapter," Guber said. "A year-and-a-half ago I went to a fall national conference, and that gave me the energy to get this thing going here."

Meetings generally are some kind of seminar intended to increase members' knowledge of wine.

Guber said representatives of such wineries as Kendall- Jackson are happy to conduct the sessions for free.

"It's good public relations for them," he said. "And the seminars are what make us unique. The American Wine Society was founded on the principle of promoting wine appreciation through education."

Guber has a hand in choosing the topics of the seminars.

"I try to get them to focus on something unique, such as looking at the uniqueness of different geological areas and how they contribute to the makeup of the wine," he said.

Wine school

Many wine clubs are merely social gatherings where members drink wine and have a good time. The wine society has aspects of such groups -- members become friends and enjoy sharing their knowledge and their wine -- but in some respects the organization is a boot camp for prospective wine connoisseurs.

Or a place for connoisseurs to expand their knowledge.

"We have very structured presentations," Guber stressed. "The education is what keeps the members interested."

Members may, for example, break a chardonnay down to its various components, such as sugar content and acidity.

"A month ago representatives of Banfi, a winery in Italy, were here and we studied the components of their high-end red wines," Guber said.

At one seminar, given by the J. Lohr Winery from California's central-coast region, representatives presented 50 aromas, such as blueberry and other fruits.

"We smelled the aromas and then we smelled the wines and tried to reference the wines to what we had smelled earlier," Guber said.

The club's membership ranges from beginners, who have little or no experience in the art of wine tasting, to sommeliers, the person at a restaurant who is responsible for selecting the wine list.

"The biggest perk of the club is that we are able to taste all the wines," Cindy Heller, the club's treasurer, said.

Heller has been with the club almost from the beginning. She developed an interest in wine while stationed with the U.S. Air Force in Germany for six years. While there she traveled around Europe sampling wines from various regions.

She said she joined the club for the education.

"The flavor, the color, the aroma -- the challenge is in matching it up with the foods and desserts you eat," Heller said. "If you match them up properly, they enhance each other's flavor."

At a recent blind test, in which the wines' labels were covered, Heller said she was able to determine the type of wine based on color, aroma and flavor.

"I was almost on target on all of them," she said.

Before joining AWS, Heller said, she would not have been so accurate.

"It's an interesting and inexpensive hobby," she said.

Wine and dine

Jim Stanfill, general manager of Black Mountain Country Club in Henderson, also is passionate about wine.

He said he was considering conducting wine seminars at his club when he learned about the budding local wine society.

"I was at the second or third meeting," Stanfill said. "I liked what I saw."

Now he is on the board of directors for the club and chairman of special events. The next event will be the second annual wine dinner at the Black Mountain Country Club.

"We want to try to expand people's knowledge of both food and wine," he said.

Stanfill said he decides what wines he wants at the dinners and gives the list to the chef, who plans the meal around the wines.

A different wine is served with each course, beginning with hors d'oeuvres and champagne; white wine with appetizers; red wine with the main course; and port wine with dessert.

Stanfill, who was born and raised in Las Vegas, gained an early appreciation of wine.

"I grew up in an Italian family," he said. "Wine was a staple. There was always a big jug under the sink."

He and a couple of his uncles make wine for their private consumption and for gifts. They call it "Angel Wine," after his grandmother, Angeline.

"I have a passion for wine, but very little education in the subject," he said. "I surround myself with knowledgeable people."

Stanfill said many members of the wine society join for the social aspect, "but they leave with a good deal of knowledge."

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