Happy Holidays! It’s that time of year again. Most of us make long lists of nearly impossible desired changes in our hopelessly imperfect and resistant-to-change minds and bodies. As a wine drinker and wine blogger, I thought I’d make a list that most of us can keep, while having some fun. I will be sharing my progress at the end of each month. The following are a few of my wine lovers New Year’s resolutions:
- Try a new wine varietal every month. I am already on this quest, but with many, many more to try (thankfully). If you want to do this methodically, consider downloading a list from the Wine Century Club. You can check off each varietal you try and keep a running tally. As an extra incentive, once you reach 100 different wines you are eligible to join the Wine Century Club (NO this is not like the Mile High Club-it’s for WINE LOVERS). I am actually starting this one early. I got a jump start last night with a great Aglianico (from Italy) and plan to enjoy an Orange Wine (Arancio from Turdo Vineyards & Winery). Both are pictured above. I will talk more about these two next week (along with a few others). While I will emphasize the NJ wine varietals, I will choose these varietals from a more geographically diverse world of wine.
- Drink better wines (without spending more) by drinking a little less, but occasionally shelling out a tad more for a little better wine. Of course paying more does not mean you will get a better wine, so do your research, ask around, check ratings, etc. Shop at large outlets like Total Wine (in most states) or Wine Library (NJ) which offer large discounts on their wines. If neither are available close to you, consider ordering online, where you can do price comparisons and some offer free shipping with a case or larger purchases.
- Do a blind wine tasting or host one. This is a fun thing to do with friends who enjoy wine. It is also a great way to sharpen your tasting skills, while enjoying wine and friends.
- Do a vertical tasting (trying bottles from the same winery with multiple vintages-perhaps from three successive years) or a horizontal tasting (trying the same year of a specific wine from three or more different wineries). The latter might be easier to do if you are not a collector or don’t have a fairly extensive cellar. While you can certainly do either by yourself or with a significant other, it can be more fun with a small group. You will also have the added advantage of multiple points of view and varied palates.
These are just a few simple and fun resolutions, specifically focusing on wine. I am personally adding a few health-related resolutions for myself that are indirectly related to the consumption of wine. If you think these might be helpful and you are not already doing these things, you are welcome to join me:
- Drink more water. I know you hear this one all the time. But do you do it? I know I need to drink more water and … drinking wine (or any alcohol) dehydrates you. Water not only hydrates you, but helps your liver do its job. I want to keep my liver happy!
- Exercise more. Wine obviously has calories (and sugars). Exercise helps burn calories and better metabolize sugars and alcohol.
Think of it this way: Keep your liver happy and you can keep drinking wine…and that helps keep you happy!
Ok. No more. I promise. But I’d love to hear your wine lovers New Year’s resolutions and any new wines you discover and love.
Happy New Year! Cheers!
Coming attractions:
- Some suggestions for unique or less common NJ wine varietals-to help with resolution #1 (please share yours).
- A revisit to Balic Winery
- A revisit to G & W Winery
Tried a New Jersey wine lately? Visited a NJ winery recently? Share your experience here. Like what you read and see here? Consider subscribing and getting your weekly pour of NJ wine right in your inbox. No runs. No spills. No errors (that I know of).
