When it comes to wine, it can be easy to focus on education and use facts, legality, and tradition in your approach. What does a particular grape variety taste like, or what should it taste like? What laws govern wine of a certain style or from a certain place? What defines “quality” in a wine? How do I know if a wine is good? It is important, though, not to lose sight of another aspect of wine: a creative expression of personal taste. Wine can occupy a magical space, facilitating the exchange of ideas, bringing people together in fellowship around the table, and, in doing so, binding people together in community.
Oenoverse (“oeno” is Latin for wine) is a new wine club concept from Blenheim Vineyards that was designed to pair community and discussion. Every two months, members receive wines chosen by a rotating wine enthusiast or wine professional, appointed for their knowledge and their ongoing support of Blenheim Vineyards—and that’s just the beginning.
Tracey Love, the director of marketing and events at Blenheim, says that Oenoverse is different from traditional clubs because it aims to be “experiential.”
With every membership, entry for two people is included for an in-person tasting event led by the person who selected the wines. “Our intention is ensuring that Blenheim is an inclusive space where everyone is welcome to enjoy, share, and learn about wine,” she says. “The goal is to share a platform that invites the community together with the focus of wine and conversation.”
Reggie Leonard, who has hosted similar events, will serve as master of ceremonies at each tasting. With Oenoverse, Leonard, the associate director for career connections and community engagement at UVA’s School of Data Science, combines an expertise in community engagement with his burgeoning passion for wine. He describes the new club as “inclusive by design” and a “collective experience,” rather than the traditional club member pick-up, where you get your wine and retreat to your respective corner or friend group. “You’ll definitely make new friends and have new reference points for wine after attending a club event,” he says.
PK Ross, well-known for Splendora’s Gelato and Not Your Sweetie Chocolates, led the discussion at the club’s kickoff event in April. Ross sees the opportunity to change stereotypes and to empower people who may view themselves as outside the traditional wine community. “I like that I could be wildly wrong about these [wine and food] pairings, and that Oenoverse makes space for conversations to start… I think casual wine drinkers could learn to take more chances in the wine aisle if they had a safety net of ‘you have your own neural pathways. You can talk about wine however you want.’”
Love explains that space is the limiting factor as things get started. “We are hoping that the Oenoverse stays a manageable size because we’d prefer the in-person tasting events to stay intimate, but will adapt depending on whatever happens,” she says. “We can expand to the tent or offer a virtual option if we need to. The more the merrier!”
At the same time, when your founding principles are community, inclusivity, and diversity, growth seems almost inevitable. Leonard is careful with his words. “So far, it’s a Blenheim thing,” he says. “The idea…is transcendent enough to expand to more regional wineries, and it even has the legs to be a far-reaching club with chapters. Hopefully, in seeing conversations led by members and leaders of various communities, more of our community can see themselves being a part of the Oenoverse.”
As Love frames it: “We all have work to do pushing the wine industry to be more inclusive and diverse. This is one small step towards growing our wine community.” More information about the Oenoverse wine club can be found at blenheimvineyards.com/oenoverse.
Gather, drink, and think
These special guests lead the upcoming Blenheim Vineyards’ Oenoverse club conversations.
May/June: Titus Green, sommelier, wine judge, wine rap, wine tasting events
July/August: Tasha Durrett, wine lover and founder of Black Women Who Wine
September/October: Matt Harmon, winemaker and CEO of Harmony Wine
November/December: Jason Becton, wine professional and owner of Mariebette and Petite Mariebette