Learn the Secrets of The Wine Society

Charles Saunders was happy enough working as a rocket scientist, engineering such things as the joystick design used to land a Saturn IV missile on the moon.

But his inner wine hobbyist finally took him over, launching what has been a satisfying second career as a leading wine expert and proprietor of The Wine Society, an unusual little shop tucked in a strip shopping center along Amherst Street.

"The average life of a store like this is about three years. We've been here for 20. We're unique in many ways," said Saunders, during a recent tour of the little store with a big reputation for excellence.

There is a motto among Wine Society members, which actually helps the uninitiated understand what goes on here: "Taste everything. Vote on the best. Don't worry about the rest."

Distilled to its simplest form, the mission of this group of wine connoisseurs is to focus on discovering the best wines available. Saunders carries only the wines deemed the best of the best by the group, which meets regularly for tastings.

"Nobody makes a better Merlot than this guy, in this country," said Saunders, lifting a bottle from the rack and twisting it in his hand to read the label. "You've got to go to France if you want anything better."

He won't say the name of the wine aloud. It's secret. For real. Much like Vegas, what happens among wine society members stays among wine society members – and membership costs $30. It's a fairly simple but required process for access to all that Saunders and his fellow chevaliers know.

"We're serious about our pairings. We're low key and we're stealthy. We are on a quest to find the perfect wine for every dish we know," said Saunders, who goes on to point out the perfect wines he's discovered for oysters, roast chicken, and scallops.

He's even discovered the best wine in the world to pair with crab rangoon from , the Asian restaurant around the corner from his shop.

"No other rosé will go with their rangoon like this one, from Oregon," Saunders says, pointing to another top-secret bottle in the rack.

Once you are a member, Saunders guarantees you will never have to drink a bad wine again. Membership also comes with access to regular newsletters and Wine Society activities, as well as admission to wine classes, which move you along, from connoisseur to oenophile, to cellar master and wine master status.

The shop is headquarters for Les Chevaliers du Grand Vin, an international wine society founded by Saunders with more than 8,000 members worldwide, who participate in tastings, dinners at area restaurants and vineyard travel tours.

"We're the most active wine society on the World Wide Web. We hold more event than any other group," says Saunders, as much a matter of fact as a point of pride.

Just then a couple enters the store. They make a beeline for Saunders, and hand him a piece of paper.

Carol Hayward has been here before – the last time she needed expert wine advice.

"My husband's making paella for a dinner party and we wanted the perfect wine," said Hayward. The last time I was here we told him we were making a fisherman's stew, and the wine he gave us was just perfect."

Saunders strokes his chin as he looks at the piece of paper. On it, Hayward has written the name of the wine she purchased a year ago for the same dinner, which she never got around to serving. She wants to know if it's still what he recommends.

Saunders asks what the main ingredients are, and Bill Hayward explains the dish, composed mainly of chicken, rice and saffron.

"This," he says, heading for a bottle of Spanish wine. "It's phenomenal. It's macho," he says, handing over the wine – which shall remain nameless. It's $21.99.

"I"ve been coming here for several years for advice because he's so knowledgeable," said Carol Hayward of Saunders. "We mostly drink wine rather than cocktails, and although I have a basic understanding of wine, he's the expert. In all these years, we've never gone wrong with his recommendations."

To find out more about The Wine Society, to see April's "Wine of the Month," or for membership or class information, go to www.winesociety.us.