New Years Resolutions

Forget about traditional New Years resolutions: As wonderful as they sound today, they lose their luster, for most of us, somewhere around brunch on January 1st. Who, after all, can really follow through on their vow to eat healthier in the face of New Year’s day brunch? And that gym membership you swore you’d purchase this year? Well, maybe it can wait till bathing-suit season is a bit closer at hand…

So forget about those unkeepable promises for the new year; instead, focus on something you’ll actually want to keep.

Drink better.

Now, after all, is the time to make the vow to drink more broadly, with a more open mind, a more willing palate, and a wholehearted acceptance of the three key rules of wine consumption:

The wine world is a big place; explore wines from all parts of it.

Great wine often comes from grapes you may not be familiar with; don’t shy away from unusual or unfamiliar varieties.

And don’t ever assume that you know what to expect from a specific producer or region; change happens all the time, and smart consumers will embrace it.

If you follow these rules—if you allow them to provide a framework of sorts for your vinous decisions from here on out—then I promise that your wine life will be far richer, and far more rewarding, than it ever has been before.

The hard part, though—as always—is knowing where to start.

Personally, I can think of no better place (especially this time of year) than Champagne. As readers of this blog know, I visited the region this past September during the harvest, and spent a week tasting the wines and speaking with producers. I cannot stress enough how impressed I was with both the quality and the range of styles.

Indeed, now is the time to branch out and start exploring the region as a whole. Whatever you buy, though, go beyond your usual comfort zone: Champagne is a far more nuanced, and far more finely mapped, region than most people realize, and the range of wines coming from there is just astounding.

It’s also a great idea to re-familiarize yourself with producers you thought you knew. Of all the affordable wines from California that I’ve tasted in the past year, few have surprised and impressed me quite as much as Blackstone. I had the chance to sit down to lunch with winemaker Gary Sitton this past summer, and his passion for wine, and his desire to express the unique terroirs that his grapes are grown in, are infectious.

The Blackstone Sonoma Reserve Chardonnay 2007, for example, incorporates fruit from four specific vineyards in Carneros, the Russian River Valley, and Sonoma Coast, and showcases all the rich, warm characteristics you’d expect (brown butter, almonds, lovely fruit), as well as a sense of minerality and energy-held-in-reserve that you may not have. And the 2006 “Rubric” bottling, with its grilled graphite, red plums, chocolate, minerality, and spice, is a marvel at a great price.

Grape varieties to keep your eyes open for in the coming year and beyond include bright, often very gently perfumed Albariño from Spain, particularly Rias Baixas in the North West of the country; Torrontes, with its typical notes of melon and flowers, from Argentina; white Rhone Valley varietals like Marsanne, Roussanne, and Viognier from France and California and Australia; Zweigelt, Blaufränkisch, and St. Laurent, the excellent red Austrian grapes that I reported on here several months ago after my trip to the wine regions in the East of the country; the wines of Long Island; the new generation of high-end whites from Italy’s Alto Adige; and the list goes on.

Here’s the point: There is no longer any excuse to drink the same as you always did, no matter which direction your tastes run in. And this time of year, with all the days off from work and the many large meals centered around the holiday and New Year’s celebrations, offers the perfect excuse (as if you needed one!) to start exploring.

Plus, promising to venture off into the ever-growing world of wine is infinitely more fun than resolving to go to the gym more in the new year.

This, indeed, is one New Years resolution you’ll actually want to keep.

(Note: This blog post has been adapted from a column I recently wrote for Affluent Magazine.)

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Holiday Wines: Thanksgiving Edition

Last week, as part of my trip to California, I made an appearance on "View from the Bay," the afternoon talk show on ABC 7 in San Francisco. The segment, which focuses on unusual wines for the holidays, is below, and includes two wines that are available right here at Wine Chateau, the Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc - Viognier and the ForeFront Cabernet Sauvignon.

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The Wines of Sicily

At the grand opening of Wine Chateau’s beautiful new store in Piscataway, NJ, last weekend, there were a number of spectacular wines available for tasting. From Cakebread Merlot to Spanish Quarter Chardonnay - Albariño to Polkura Syrah and seemingly everything in between, the entire world of wine was there.

Today, though, I want to focus on the wines of Sicily. I’ve written about them here before, but this seems like a good time to consider them again. Two of my favorites last weekend were the elegant Vignali Roccamora “Carlo Alfano” Nero d’Avola – Merlot 2007 and the powerful, lush Tinazzi No. 3, a blend of Corvina, Primitivo, and, yes, Nero d’Avola.

Both of these wines amply demonstrated the range and drinkability of this great grape of Sicily, as well as the different styles in which it’s being produced.

There’s a greater range of excellent wines coming out of Sicily right now than there ever has been before, and exploring what the island has to offer is a journey that will both surprise and delight you.

For a bit more on Sicilian wine, click here for a video that Wine Spectator recently posted. It provides a quick, easy glimpse of today’s Sicilian wine industry.

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Holiday Weekend Wine

As we head into the holiday weekend, this is the perfect time to talk about the versatility of wine. Because despite the fact that the 4th of July is typically considered a beer-ier occasion—hot dogs, hamburgers, potato salad, and the rest—I’ve always had better luck pairing my lazy summer days with grapes than grains.

Now don’t get me wrong: I love a cold, crisp beer in the summer’s heat. But given my druthers, I’d take a cool rosé or a bottle of cold, sweaty-glass Vinho Verde every time. Because the truth is that fun, interesting white wines—from Godello to Verdejo to Albariño to all kinds of other things that might not be terribly familiar—offer all the pleasure of cold beer and bring to the table (so to speak) a whole range of pairing options (not to mention unexpected flavors and aromas, too) that you otherwise wouldn’t have.

And those wines are just for lighter dishes and drinking on their own. Just because it’s 4th of July weekend, after all, doesn’t mean that you can’t indulge in something a bit more hearty. Ever tried spare ribs and Zinfandel? Or slow-cooked pork and a Tempranillo-based blend? Or Malbec and a burger? (And if you’re lucky enough to find really fatty ground meat, spring for a Cahors—it’s based on the Malbec grape, but its relationship to its Argentinean sibling is analogous to the one between, say, a gently prepared slice of veal and a grilled rib-eye. Think of Cahors as Argentinean Malbec’s older, brawnier brother.)

Even traditionally wintertime wines have a place this weekend. My favorite trick is to throw a bit of a chill on a bottle of ruby or tawny port—just a couple of degrees; too much and it’ll taste terrible—and pair it either with whatever chocolate- or nut-based dessert you’re enjoying (chocolate pecan pie and dried fruit would be great alongside a tawny), or even (it’s a holiday weekend, after all) a good, spicy cigar.

It’s Independence Day: Celebrate your right to drink what you want this holiday weekend, regardless of beer’s traditional role. And there’s no better way to do that than with a great selection of wine, friends and family, and, hopefully, clear skies and warm temperatures.

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