Insider Tips of the Century

· After the WCC in April identified Georgetown University professor Henry Richardson to us as the District's sole member, we learned of a few members who live outside the city limits -- such as wineseller Maj Capps, described on Calvert Woodley's Web site as "the guy you ask about grape varietals no one else has heard of" -- or who have moved to the area from elsewhere, such as Calvert Woodley's William Holby. Although the WCC doesn't track members' ages, it's a good bet that, at 23, Holby is one of the club's youngest members. One of his favorite discoveries has been the dry, crisp 2004 Horton Vineyards Rkatsiteli ($14) from Virginia, a white we've enjoyed with lighter salads and seafood.

· Richardson is still, as he puts it, "chipping away on my second century -- up to 184" grape varieties tasted, 24 more than in April. His most recent favorite? A Callet from Mallorca, Spain. His passion for discovering new ones is unabated as he enthusiastically reports having just learned that eRobertParker.com reviews are searchable by all the obscure varietals that Parker and his collaborators have ever discussed.

We warn that the quest to experience new grapes can become addictive, even after you hit the 100-grape milestone. We loved tasting the 2005 Fortitude Frediani Field Blend Napa Valley ($24), a blend of Charbono, Carignane, Petite Sirah and Valdiguie grapes that is full of black cherry, plum and spice flavors, balanced by tannin. Ditto the 2005 Quinta do Crasto Douro ($21), a velvety Portuguese red with a hint of smoke. Both won us over recently for their food friendliness with red meat, not to mention their collective ability to add another grape or two to our life lists. And if Moschofilero isn't a grape you've sampled yet, the 2006 Moschofilero Boutari ($17) is a delicious introduction.

Armed with this week's insider advice -- including checking out other indigenous Slovenian grape varieties such as Malocrn, Ranina and Zelen -- you could easily close out the summer by hanging your parchment WCC membership certificate on your wall.

Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page are the award-winning authors of "What to Drink With What You Eat." They can be reached through their Web site,http://www.becomingachef.com, or atfood@washpost.com.