Redwood Wine Club broadens oenophiles’ horizons

Like the varietals which members savour during monthly meetings, Redwood Wine Club has a rich vintage. It formed three decades ago, and as Blenheim imports and exports oenophiles, the group has aged like, well, the fine wine of its affinity.

Currently at 45 members, the club has room to grow – namely, the room in the Redwoodtown Tavern where its tastings take place. Membership has reached as high as 90.

A presenter comes each month – on Tuesday (9 June), Eva Pemper is scheduled – and curates a selection of wines to sample. Kerry Neal, who manages Bottle-O Redwood on site, procures enough bottles for members who wish to buy what they try. The discounts she gives them make the $20 annual subscription and $5 tasting fee a bargain.

“We try wines from all over the world which we’d never have access to,” noted Delphine Lee, president of Redwood Wine Club. She joined a decade ago and has headed the board the past quadrennium. Kerry, Secretary Margaret Gosney and Treasurer Hilary Lundon made last Thursday’s board meeting.

Margeret started coming six months after the club first met. She remembers early on when members would “car rally” for, essentially, cellar-door crawls.

“Things have just changed now [that people] just want to go to one place,” Margaret shared.  “It was hard to sort of adjust to that, but now I can understand it’s probably the [better] way now.”

Redwood Wine Club meets on the second Tuesday each month at 7pm at Redwoodtown Tavern. Email [email protected] for more details.