New Year's Wine Resolutions 2009

It's time to make your 2009 wine resolutions. (image from chicagoweekendfun.com)

Last year I resolved to read more wine books, get to know the wines of Italy, drink 100 different grape varieties, dabble in champagne, and make dessert wines more of a habit and less of a special occasion.

I didn't do too badly. I did launch the Wine Book Club, which started out with great participation and trickled down to a regular handful of die-hard, well-read oenophiles. (I'll have a WBC announcement on Thursday, for those of you who are wondering what's up.) I finished my Wine Century, drank some grower champagne, and enjoyed myself enormously as I explored 11 Italian wine regions. I bombed on the dessert wines, though. I was trying to lose weight, too, and the dessert wines were a few calories too many!

So what are my resolutions for 2009?

1. More Italy. Those in the know realize that Italy has more than 11 wine regions--it has 20. I'm having too much fun to stop now. Besides, we haven't reached the Piedmont, the Veneto, or Emilia-Romagna yet! So there will be more Italian wines in 2009, beginning with the Valle d'Aosta in January. As always, I love getting tips and recommendations since I'm an Italian wine novice.

2. 46 Degrees North. I've realized this year that my ignorance of wine regions is not limited to far away places. So, I'm going to learn more about Washington State wines this year, and will be leaning on my friend and fellow blogger Catie, the Wild Walla Walla Wine Woman, for advice. Sometimes, we forget that American wine is not just about California. It's even easier to forget this if you live in the Grape State, as I do.

3. Wine Travel. My trips to wineries this year have reminded me that there is nothing--nothing--that increases your knowledge and enjoyment of wine as much as actually going to a winery or vineyard and seeing where the grapes are grown, talking to the people who make the wine, and then tasting some of it. I'm going to try to make a few more wine trips this year. I definitely want to go back to Paso Robles, maybe I'll get myself to Washington, and my experiences in Napa this summer and fall have convinced me that I have a lot to learn about that region's microclimates. I also hope to take a winehike with the Winehiker.

4. Some New Features on GWU$20. An author has to keep growing, and a blog has to keep changing, if it's going to stay fresh. In the past few months, I've felt the need to change things up a bit here at the blog, and I thought long and hard about what to do. I'll be adding new recurring features to help give the blog some focus and provide additional variety. There will still be tasting notes, travel features, news and opinion pieces--but there will also be some new things such as "Adventures in the Cellar," and an approach to having wine on Friday nights that will help you trim your budget without feeling deprived. I'm hoping to convince some friends to come by every now and again and taste their way through a bunch of wines with me so that we can explore the subjectivity of taste, too.

I hope that you keep enjoying GWU$20 as much next year as you have this year. The number of subscribers and readers has grown , and I'd like to see that continue. What are your 2009 Wine Resolutions?

Waving Goodbye to 2008

Since we're waving goodbye to 2008, and I'm a historically minded wine blogger, I decided to dip into CellarTracker! and see what it told me about my year in wine. (photo /wave by striatic)

I tasted more than 400 wines this year, and was pleased to discover that my average cost for a bottle was $15.17--up only .86 since last year. The most valuable wine I drank was a 2003 Vincent Girardin Echezeaux. Mercifully, it was a gift. Even better, it was AMAZING. In the same seven day period that I sipped my Echezeaux, I also had my least expensive bottle of wine: the NV Zonin Primo Amore Juliet. At under $5, it was a pleasant, bubbly treat. That juxtaposition of a fabulous Burgundy and a fun, frothy wine somehow captures exactly what GWU$20 is all about.

I bought wine all over the place this year, but I was happy to see that my favorite wine retailer (no surprise here, really) was my local online wine retailer, domaine547. This was followed by my favorite local wine store, Pasadena's Chronicle Wine Cellar. Rounding out my top three--and a departure from previous spending habits--was direct purchases from wineries. In retrospect, I feel good about my decisions to support local businesses and wineries. In a touch-and-go economy, it's all the more important.

Finally, I looked at what it was that I drank in 2008. I was astonished to see that I tasted more Chardonnay than any other wine. CHARDONNAY? I'm not even aware that I'm all that excited about Chardonnay, but I guess the proof is in the numbers. I'm drinking it without even realizing it! Pinot Noir came in #2, followed by Sauvignon Blanc (I really would have thought that was #1), White Blends, and finally (my weakness) Red Rhone Blends.

Have you taken time to review your 2008 wine habits? Tune in tomorrow for my 2009 wine resolutions.

Sangiovese: Something for Everybody

Sangiovese is one of those grapes that may actually suffer because it's so versatile and mutable. Soil, climate, winemaking technique--each shapes the wine in the bottle. This is true of all grapes, of course, but it's somehow more evident in a cheerful, acidic grape like Sangiovese. (image © Cephas Picture Library)

To finish up with my exploration of Tuscan wines, I tasted three different bottles filled with the juice of Sangiovese grapes--and I was astonished at how distinctive each wine was.

The 2006 Cantine Da Vinci Chianti (available for $10-$13), for example, was a simple Sangiovese with shy aromas and flavors of cranberry and sour cherry. The wine wasn't terribly complex, but it would be terrific with pizza or pasta, and has good QPR.

The 2007 Rocca di Montemassi Le Focaie (available for just under $20) was very different. It was made from grapes grown outside the Chianti zone in Maremma, and had cherry and chalk aromas and flavors that turned sour on the finish. It will appeal to traditionalists, who like their wine focused and restrained. I liked it because it wasn't trying too hard to be a big wine. I'd try this with some rosemary-grilled chicken, or a piping hot bowl of minestrone. Very good QPR.

The 2007 Castello d'Albola Chianti (available for under $15) showed yet another side of Sangiovese. Its full, rich plum and sour cherry aromas gave way to a similar spectrum of flavors wrapped up in a gorgeously rich and velvety texture. This wine was supple, smooth--everything you are looking for in a Chianti and never find. Especially not in one that costs under $20. Try it with a juicy steak, some flavorful sausage, or roast pork. Excellent QPR.

There's a Sangiovese for everybody, no matter what your taste in wine. After my two month exploration of Tuscany, I think that what's true of the grape is true of the region, too. From simple everyday wines to opulent Super Tuscans, this is a region that I'm glad I got to know better.

Full disclosure: I received these bottles as samples.

Happy Holidays

Happy Holidays!

Posts may be a bit erratic this week and the next given all the festivities, so I appreciate your patience during this busy time of year.

Today on Serious Grape: Budget Bubbles

Sparkling wine and the holidays just seem to go together. (photo by Gaetan Lee)

There are a lot of excellent, affordable choices in the market right now that will add a little bit of festive cheer to your celebrations.

This week on Serious Grape, my weekly column on Serious Eats, I've pulled together a buying guide for budget bubbles. All the bottles listed are widely available and affordable, so there's no excuse.

Go out and get yourself some sparkling wine. Even if you drink a glass by yourself after crawling back from the mall, you'll feel more of the spirit of the season.