In the spirit of the New Year, I thought I would share with you some of my personal goals — well, personal wine goals — that I resolve to achieve in the New Year.
Many practitioners of psychology suggest that in order to give your resolutions a greater chance of success, you should always state your goals in the affirmative. So here goes.
Resolution No. 1: I will use the right glass for the appropriate style of wine. The size and shape of the bowl, as well as the type of glass used in manufacturing, make a huge difference in extracting the true quality of wine.
For example, aromatic red wines require a large bowl that tapers to a medium opening, giving the wine room to come into contact with air. White wines, on the other hand, feature a smaller bowl and use a thinner rim to take advantage of the more subtle nature of the style. But cleaning up the fancy wineglasses can be a pain, so we are going stemless this year.
The ‘O’ Series from Riedel uses the same bowls found on traditional long stem glasses. And since they’re stemless, they fit great in the dishwasher. While traditional stemware is beautiful, I am content to enjoy more wine in the right glass with less aesthetics. I just bought a set of four Riedel ‘O’ series Champagne glasses that were on sale online for about $45. Bowl designs for most other varietals can also be found in this no-stem lineup.
Resolution No. 2: I will drink more wines from Australia and New Zealand. Ever since my trip Down Under, I have been impressed with the that value many of these Southern Hemisphere wines represent. Besides, every time I open a bottle it will remind me of the amazing people I met along my journey.
The Margaret River region in Australia is cradled by the Indian and Great Southern oceans, which translates into a gentle maritime climate of cool winters and warm, dry summers. This idyllic swing of temperatures provides wonderful conditions for the 2016 Domaine Naturaliste “Rebus” Cabernet Sauvignon. Aromas of dark cherry, violets and forest undergrowth entice the olfactory nerve, while flavors of blackberry, dark plum and licorice reward the tongue. Notes of cocoa and vanilla play out on an elegant finish. $35
Resolution No. 3: I will try to sample more organic wines. Life is too short to drink bad wine, and there are a lot of wines that are not only good, but produced in a good way, without man-made pesticides or fertilizers.
So this new year, I will search for potentially lesser-known, but organically grown and produced wines a little more often, just for the heck of it.
Drinking the 2018 Te Whare Ra Sauvignon Blanc from the Marlborough region of New Zealand actually counts as a two-for-one resolution, since it’s not only from New Zealand, but also produced from organic grapes grown on Anna and Jason Flowerday’s property (I had the pleasure of interviewing Anna for the Vine Guy podcast). Fragrant aromas of grapefruit, ripe nectarine and lemon-lime zest dominate the bouquet; the palate features mouthwatering flavors of passion fruit, guava, nectarine and gooseberry on a finely texture frame buoyed by bright acidity. $20
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