Wine Club

Ten Broeck Mansion Wine Club

Our wine club is on hold for 2021 due to COVID-19 regulations.  Thank you for understanding.

Did you know that the Ten Broeck Mansion is home to America’s oldest privately owned continuously operating wine cellar?

Since the 1840s, rare, fine wines have been stored in the cool, dry room in the Mansion’s cellar. Thomas Worth Olcott purchased the home in 1848 and installed the cellar to house the family’s collection. During the frequent social gatherings and parties hosted by the Olcotts, guests such as 8th president Martin Van Buren would imbibe selections from the impressive stores. When Prohibition hit in 1920, the bottles would have been protected from the law and grandfathered in, but fear of losing the prized collection led his son Dudley Olcott to seal off the room, still stocked with Bordeaux and other European wines dating to the 1860s.

The Albany County Historical Association received the Mansion as a gift from the Olcotts in 1948. The wine cellar remained difficult to access for decades, protecting the famed Olcott collection. Faced with financial troubles in the 1970s, the ACHA was considering selling the Mansion when a worker discovered a false wall in the cellar and revealed the incredibly valuable collection. The sale of still-drinkable bottles helped to relieve the ACHA’s financial pressures by raising $100,000.

Raise a glass to history and join the Ten Broeck Mansion Wine Club. Gather with like-minded history-lovers and wine enthusiasts for a one-of-a-kind experience. The club meets in the cellar of the 1798 mansion four times a year to sample seasonal wines selected by guest sommeliers. The wines will be paired with small appetizers. Members will have an opportunity to purchase bottles of the sampled wines through Capital Wine on Lark Street.

Want even more of a discount? Become an ACHA Member first by clicking here, then sign up for the Wine Club under the special membership rate. Your support goes directly to supporting mission of the ACHA and Ten Broeck Mansion.

Your support of fundraisers such as our Wine Club ensures we may continue our educational mission as a community-centered museum.  Thank you.