Shake Up Your Wine-Drinking Routine!
It’s said that most people cook the same six or eight recipes time and time again. And I’d bet my bottom buck that many wine lovers fall into the same sort of rut, routinely reaching for the same varieties and brands of wines when they’re at the wine shop, grocery store, or buying online.
So as we enter the New Year (Happy January 1, 2009, by the way!), I’d like to propose you shake up your wine-drinking regime. Here are six tips to add variety and spice to 2009. . .
Try a new varietal once a week. We all know and love Chardonnay, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon. But what about some of those unsung heroes such as Grüner Veltliner, Austria’s best-selling white wine? Or Rhône varietals such as Roussanne, Marsanne, or Mourvedre? Or interesting reds such as Tempranillo, Lemberger, or Dolcetto? Consider adding these to your repertoire.
Sample wines from a region unfamiliar to you. California Cab is a standard bearer, but why not head up the coast and try a robust, reasonably priced Cabernet Sauvignon from Washington State? Same with Chardonnay. . .experiment with Oregon Chardonnays (elegant wines that normally aren’t heavily oaked) or Washington Chards (which run the gamut from unoaked to creamy and mouth-filling).
Embrace wines from around the world. Take a trip across the globe and try a refreshing Vinho Verde (literally--“green wine”) from Portugal, a Super Tuscan from Italy, or a sassy Shiraz from Australia.
Buy high-quality wine glasses. It’s common knowledge that a good wine glass can enhance the wine-drinking experience. Riedel, Spiegelau, and Schott Zwiesel are respected makers, whose glasses are designed in special shapes for each varietal so that the sensory notes of each wine are enhanced. Also consider Eisch Glaskultur’s Breathable Glasses. Tall and sturdy--even dishwasher safe--the glasses purportedly aerate a wine in just 10 minutes equal to what it would take to accomplish within two to four hours in a decanter.
Think inside the box. Boxed wines, bota-box wines, cask wines, premium-cask wines--whatever you call them--have gotten a bad wrap through the years, but have seen great improvement lately. With reasonable price points, environmentally correct packaging (less recycling), and long lives (up to 30 days after opening), these wines present a wonderful alternative for everyday drinking or for those who (for health purposes) want just a single glass of wine with dinner.
Rethink organic wines. These wines were also maligned early on, and rightfully so, as they were often thin, bitter, and plagued by off flavors. Today, thanks to improved grape resources and production techniques, some of these wines stand head and shoulders with their non-organic counterparts. And like boxed wines, they are gentler on the environment.
Of course, by now I hope you are inspired to create your own wine-drinking innovations for 2009. Cheers to a medley of fresh, creative wine options in the New Year!
Photo by Ingrid Pape-Sheldon
Suzy on January 01, 2009 at 04:29 PM
I love these suggestions! Finally, a New Year's resolution I can keep!
Suzy on January 01, 2009 at 04:30 PM
I love these suggestions! Finally, a New Year's resolution I can keep!
Mike on January 01, 2009 at 04:56 PM
Two years ago we (my wife and I) joined a wine club. That has rolled your first three suggestions into one easy package. (Well, it's only two bottles a month, so not a new one every week.) Lots of new varietals and regions from around the world. Plus we get in to the wine tastings free (held weekly, we go about 1/2 of the time), where we have found even more variety.
RPM on January 01, 2009 at 05:29 PM
This post isn't exactly bad advice, but I think that for most consumers, their wine education would be better served by developing a deeper understanding of the grapes they're already familiar with and learning what it is they like about them before venturing so widely.
The risk with the approach suggested here is that instead of building a systematic understanding of one's palate and wine, one will have a hodge-podge of good and bad experiences that are not integrated and, therefore, do not help the amateur build an informed palate.
Jim Breed on January 01, 2009 at 07:18 PM
Another good idea is to go to wine tastings. My wife and I go to CVS in Kansas City every Friday night. They offer tastings of about 12 bottles each time. We have not purchased a bottle that we haven't tasted in a long-long time. Plus, you get to meet people with similar interests and discuss the wine.
Lucas on State Line has a Saturday tasting as well.
Sir Rodney Bingham on January 01, 2009 at 07:18 PM
I prefer to drink my Maddog 20-20 right out of the bottle, if you will. Glasses are for sissies!
Chris V on January 02, 2009 at 08:09 AM
Nice post!! For me, and I think for many others, half of the fun of wine is tasting and discovering new ones.
W.E.M. on January 22, 2009 at 02:01 PM
Let me add one more to Braiden's list....Torrontes! The first time I tried this Argentian white, I thought it tasted like a Viognier wanna-be. But the I got a hold of Crios by Susana Balbo--YUM. A bit floral, like a Viognier, but its the racy streak that's exciting. I'm looking for more Torrontes...if anyone knows of any, please post!