I'm usually not much for New Year's resolutions, but, looking back on my wine drinking patterns for 2013, I'm going to make an exception this year.
So let's get to it:
1. Drink less domestic and French wines and try more from other countries - especially Italy.
It seems like I always reach for domestic or French when it's time to select a wine. It's a rut I kind of got in this past year. The eye opener for me was when one night when we were having steak, I selected an Argentine Malbec - it was fantastic. So why do I typically go for Bordeaux or Cabernet?
Rut.
Now Italy makes some amazing white and red wines. And the styles are so varied, I could spend all year drinking only Italian wine and not get bored.
Really.
I'll be writing more about Italian wine regions and varietals in future blogs.
2. More domestic sparkling wine and less Champagne.
I love Champagne! But, I don't always like Champagne prices. Yet I continue to pay them. That's about to change this year - more often than not. Domestic sparkling wine producers are making excellent wine, at $20 - $40 less than Champagne. Some favorite producers: Schramsberg, Argyle and Iron Horse.
3. Choose more diverse whites (in other words, less Chardonnay).
I love white wine as much as red, and drink it year round. And when I select a white for quaffing or with a meal, it is typically a domestic or French Chardonnay.
Another eye opener: we were having raw oysters and red snapper. Gotta have white with this meal. So instead of Chardonnay, I selected a Sancerre - a Sauvignon Blanc from Loire, France. It was perfect.
Now I know I'm back in France, and I also have "resolution #1 to deal with, but, so what.
This year: more Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris and Pinot Grigio, Pinot Blanc, Riesling, Viognier and more.
4. Buy some white wines to "lay down".
I have a pretty fair collection of red wines, some from the 90's and early 2000's as well as current vintages. Whites? I buy em and I drink em. Many whites benefit from aging, including Chablis, White Burgundies and French and German Rieslings.
So this year: more discipline in holding white wines.
5. On special occasions, visit the Balaban's Library of older wines.
I've been at Balaban's about 6 months now. I've always known about the great food, and I knew of the Library of aged wines collected from the early days of Balaban's.
But, Holy Cow!
The wines in our Library are absolutely amazing - great wine from all over the world from the 70's, 80's and 90's to the present day.
I could spend all day in the Library just being with these wines.
Now, you're probably starting to think I need to go to therapy or something.
Maybe.
But I do know this. For anniversaries, birthdays and other special occasions, I'm going to be buying a special bottle of wine from the Balaban's Library.
Chances are very good that you will be reading about the progress of these resolutions throughout the year.
Here's to great wine drinking in 2014!
Tom
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