So I’m doing a story looking at all the wine clubs out there. Even though it’s a great gift idea and thus timely, it’s really for selfish reasons that I’m doing the piece. I’ve wanted to join a club for almost a year and rather than just sign up for a winery’s out of art and/or allegiance (Bonny Doon, Clos Du Val), I figured I should join one where they scour the globe to find me the best deals and introduce me to new wines. Two have risen as my favorites: Wine Thieves’ in Lafayette for it’s affordability (their premium club is under is $30) and they’ve introduced me to the best Spanish Cava I’ve had: Segura Viudas. It’s $6. The other is Bottlenotes, a Palo-Alto based Web site that has a whopping 9 clubs tailor made for all kinds of palates. The latter definitely has the hip factor working for it — a bunch of young Stanford MBAs launched it and, unlike most clubs, you can focus on a region, or meet with people like a book club or just get seasonal stuff (sparkling around this time of year, Vermentinos and other crisp whites in the summer, etc). Bottlenotes is a big more expensive but when compared to the other clubs, it’s pretty average.

So I continued my wine bar discovery over the weekend. I’m trying to hit one every week. It’s a great ritual. Saturday night was Cav Wine Bar and Kitchen. Weird location. Not exactly the Loin nor the Castro, just somewhere in the middle on Market. Where Yield was barebones and arty, and Parea was cozy and Mediterranean, Cav is modern and minimalistic. It’s the slickest of the wine bars, but not even like Nectar in the Marina, which is sleek and still comfortable. (Amazing the difference that ‘ick’ vs ‘ee’ makes). I had a Vermentino from Corsica, France, as I was curious to see what that region produces. It was nice, typical, medium-bodied with a lychee nose. I had it with a little hamachi and sesame seed tapa. I’m all for small plates, but this was no plate, more like a saucer of hamachi. The red I had was more interesting than the white: It was a Dolcetto, all earth and blueberries. The list isn’t as long as Parea’s nor as diverse (no Greek, Turkish or Indian wines). So far, my friends and I concur: Of the new wine bars, so far I like Yield the best.

I had a great wine last night. It was a Pierre Morey, the highly-regarded biodynamic winemaker in Burgundy who also heads up the cellar at Domaine LeFlaive. The 2003 Monthelie is 100% Pinot Noir and smooth with ideal structure (the alcohol level is also an ideal 12.5%, at least for me). It retails for $33, which I’m happy to pay for a Pinot. You can get it at Coit Liquor on Columbus St. in SF, or Swirl on Castro, whose inventory is about 40 percent biodynamic. By the way, Jenny came back from a business trip in Denver where she went WINETASTING. She noticed that many of the grapes came from Lodi (hello, that’s because Lodi has magic soil), but brought me back a merlot that’s predominantly Colorado grapes. Yes, I’ll let you know.

Continued my goal of hitting every wine bar in the City. This weekend, we hit Parea, a wine bar and cafe on Valencia and 19th in the Mission district. Parea’s all about the Mediterranean vibe: yellow, blue and red walls with Greek and Turkish music piping through speakers. Of their wine book (yes, the wine list’s a book), you’ve got your usual whites and reds from France and the U.S., with a smattering from New Zealand, Australia, Portugal, Germany, Austria and Spain. A good two pages, however, is devoted to Greek wines, and grapes we’d never heard of. Equal selection of whites and reds. I had a (get ready) Hatzimichalis Naoussa 1999, which is made of 100% Xinomavro grapes. This is a dry red wine, light-bodied (to me, others would call it medium-bodied) and closer to a Nebbiolo than a Pinot Noir. I found it too tart (more cherry than dark berry) for my liking but am looking forward to trying other Greek wines. Yield is still my favorite wine bar. This weekend, I’m going to Cav.

So now the scientists are telling us that Resveratrol, a compound in red wine and grape skins, can also make those little mice run twice as far without collapsing in exhaustion. So this potential fountain of youth compound that was already proven to reverse the effects of obesity in mice now also gives them endurance. To quote France’s Johan Auwerx of the Institute of Genetics and Molecular and Cellular Biology: "Resveratrol makes you look like a trained athlete without the training.”

Oy. Last I checked me, Hugh Johnson, my Italian drycleaner and everyone else I know who drinks a lot of wine does not look like my roommate Gavin, who IS a professional athlete and has zero body fat. We all have at least a pooch belly from too much wine, and all the trappings gastronomique that come with it. Listen, I’m not knocking science, but, if you notice, we keep on tapping into things that have been known for centuries. It’s the same with cacao. The Mayans used it for healing and stamin; Casanova for even more. It’s widely known that ancient poets and gnostics used wine for enlightement and zillions of other things. But we have to throw a new scientific sticker on it and a marketing phenom is born. Taken out of the context of mice physiology, I just hope people don’t use this as an excuse to not exercise or worst, abuse drink too much. It’s a far different and more complex world we live in than the labriynth those mice occupy.

So I’m doing a story on all the different wine clubs out there. From BevMo! to the ones online, at food and wine magazines and wineries. Anyone got a favorite? Post it here, email me at jyadegaran@cctimes.com or call me at 925-943-8155. Thanks!

This weekend, Michaela and I hit Yield, that new wine bar in the Dogpatch ‘hood. The nook of Potrero Hill was totally dead except for Yield, which serves only organic, biodynamic and sustainable wines. We walked in and people had brought Amici’s pizzas or were eating  small plates the wine bar sells to accompany their wines. It was a totally kick back and mellow vibe. We took one of the last tables and stools in the barebones place. Ever since I researched biodynamics, I’ve been hooked. They just taste the way they should. I don’t know how to explain it, just go out and buy a bottle of Ceago Vinegarden or Marc Kreydenweiss and you’ll understand what I mean. Now its trendy enough to merit its own bar. We talked to the staff and they change their menu weekly, which sounds like a lot but you have to understand that most of France’s (I can’t vouch for Italy or Germany) vineyards maintain some level of organics. Tradition means something there. 100 years ago, everyone made wine this way.

At Yield, just to give you an idea, there are 22 reds on the menu from all around the world and half are available by the glass. They also have whites, sparklings and dessert wines. Now, on to what we tried:

Michaela, who works for French winemakers, has been obsessed with Languedoc wines of late. She got the ‘04 Mas Du Petit Azegat, Languedoc-Roussillon. It was an amazingly rich and smooth blend of grenache, syrah and mourvedre. Yum.

Forever partial to sparklings, I had to try the Patrick Bottex La Cueille, Bugey Cerdon, Savoie, France. I was intrigued by the description of strawberry and mint, but found the wine too sweet. Like Nerds, Michaela said. But the staff was kind enough to let me taste the wine, rather than spend $13 on a glass.

Eager to learn more about South African expressions, I settled on an earthy Cabernet from coastal Fairvalley. Boy, talk about green. It was like a veritable bell pepper salad in my mouth. I usually like my cabs smoky and dark, but this was so fresh I couldn’t resist.

Hands down, a fabulous and down to earth wine bar experience. You need to check it out. www.yieldsf.com.

So I talked to Carole Meredith, the retired geneticist now at Lagier-Meredith in Napa. She knows more about obsure varietals than anyone. She said the butterscotch grape is most likely wild or a seedling of another grape. If Olde Lockeford wishes, they can send a sample to UC Davis for testing, to determine exactly what it is, and maybe even get to name it! I’d do that, but I think Mr. Litchfield, the winemaker, has his hands pretty full, what with running Vino Piazza and all. It’s his brainchild, and it’s fantastic. 

So I talked to Don Litchfield, the winemaker at Olde Lockeford Winery, about the mysterious butterscotch grape. He doesn’t know the name, but he’s got a cool story about it. He knows an 80-year-old, fifth-generation grower who found this particular vine growing along a river and up an oak tree in Lockeford. He tasted one of the white grapes and it was pure butterscotch. So he grafted it onto Reisling and sold it to Don. Don aged the wine in toasty American oak barrels and added a yeast that enhances that butterscotchy flavor. Hence, Wild CA Butterscotch Wine. It’s only $12, off-dry and light-bodied. I highly recommend it. Call them at 209-727-9770. Meanwhile, I’ve got a phone call in to retired geneticist Carole Meredith about the grape.

John Rittmaster of Prima is hosting their Second Annual Evening in Piemonte this Thursday (tomorrow) and they still have a few seats available. Like last year, the evening will be divided into two separate events. The first will be a tasting of contemporary wines from the region with the suppliers on hand and special one-night-only pricing in place.

The second is a dinner featuring a selection of mature Barolo alongside an elegant expression of Piemontese cuisine. Admission for the first event, which runs from 5:30 to 7p.m. is $48 and includes tax and tip. Seats at the dinner are $395 and all-inclusive. I know it’s expensive, but if you have the money, treat yourself! RSVP for either event by calling 925-935-7780.

            A Sampling of Wines at the Tasting:

            2005 Matteo Coreggia Roero Arneis

            2005 Vietti Roero Arneis

            2005 Tintero Moscato d’Asti

            2005 Villa Giada Moscato d’Asti

            2005 Cascina Ca’Rossa Birbet

            2004 Aldo Marenca Dolcetto Dogliani ‘Suri’

            2004 Massolino Dolcetto d’Alba

            2005 Albino Rocca Rosso di Rosso

            2004 Giovanni Corino Barbera d’Alba

            2004 Vietti Barbera Scarrone

            2001 Travaglini Gattinara

            2001 Antoniolo Gattinara 

            2004 Guido Porro Barbera

            2000 Vietti Barolo Castiglione

            2001 Guido Porro Barolo Santa Catarina

            2001 Massolino Barolo Serralunga 

            2001 Giorgio Rivetti Barbaresco Gallina

            2001 Azelia Barolo Bricco Fiasco

            2001 Scavino Barolo Carobric

            (list tentative)

            And for Dinner!

            2005 Matteo Coreggia Roero Arneis

            2001 Vietti Barbera La Crena

            2001 Rivetti Barolo Campe

            2000 E Pira Barolo Cannubi

            2000 Mascarello Barolo Monprivato

            1993 Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Cru Gallina

            1993 Angelo Gaja Barbaresco Cru Costa Russi 

            1993 Giovanni Corino Barolo Cru Giachini

            1990 Paolo Scavino Barolo Cannubi

            1974 Borgogno Barolo Riserva

            1967 Antoniolo Gattinara Riseva 

            1952 Borgogno Barolo Riserva

            2005 Moscato TBA

            (list tentative)