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{a la carte} By Robert Bonina, VP Food & Beverage, and Richard Adatto, Cellar Master Uncorking the WAC Wine Club S Tasting the promise and peculiarity of Europe's best vintages whites or reds, rosés or Rieslings, the WAC Wine Club has something for you. tep inside the WAC Wine Club's cellar. Here you'll find more than 500 bottles, including some of the best vintages in the world. Whether you prefer The club focuses on educating its members and devel- oping their palates through tastings and food pairings. Its mission is to educate on all things wine. If you can crush it, age it and drink it, we probably have something to say about it. In particular, we focus on wine from the Old World, especially Europe. As such, we have developed one of the best private club cellars of French and Italian wines this side of the Atlantic. The cellar gives club members an opportunity to put away wine in consistently ideal conditions, ensuring proper aging and, when the time is right, tasting. The wine club purposefully purchases and cellars wine for tasting presenta- tions many years into the future. The club's cellar committee has created a four-year consumption plan that allows for the purchase of high-value vintages many members wouldn't buy—or could not find—on their own. Our meeting this month, for example, will feature Premier Grand Cru Bordeaux wines such as Chateau Lafite-Rothschild from the Pauillac appellation and Chateau de Ségure, Chateau La Tour de By and Chateau Palon— great wines many people can only dream of tasting. Other meetings in the next couple of years will un- cork white Burgundy, Barbarescos and Chateau de Beaucastel. With 70 members, the WAC Wine Club is one of the more popular clubs within the WAC. It was founded in the fall of 2002 and originally car- ried a maximum membership of 59. That later increased to 70. The club typically remains at or very near its maximum membership, and a waiting list is kept as needed. The club meets six times annually, on the second Thursday of January, March, May, June, September and November. In addition, the club hosts an assortment of socials, including an annual party and road trips to some of the region's most popular cellars. Many club members also have taken the Court of Master Sommeliers' intro- ductory class and become budding wine stewards. WAC members can get a taste of the Wine Club by at- tending one of our meetings as a guest. Interested members should email Robert Bonina, Vice President Food & Beverage, at rbonina@wac.net. Whether you're starting to learn your way around wine The club's or you're a seasoned pro, the WAC Wine Club just might be for you. cellar committee has created a four-year consumption plan that allows for the purchase of high- value vintages many members wouldn't buy—or could not find— on their own. 12 | Washington Athletic Club Magazine | AUGUST 2012 KATE BALDWIN