My 2014 Wine-olutions !

Do you make New Years Resolutions? I like the idea of them as long as they are realistic… and involve wine!

In 2013 I had a moment of craziness and decided to aim to taste 365 different wines in 2013. I’m proud to say I did it, learnt a lot (I’m especially good at curing the wine-flu now!) and met some very cool people through it. However I must admit that there were some trying times throughout the journey when I wondered why I was doing it.

Despite the fun of 2013 I’ve decided to take it down a notch, even though I can now successfully write a tasting note, entertain a group of people and prepare a dinner party simultaneously I’m in the mood for quality over quantity!

So this year I’m aiming to drink the good stuff. No I’m not meaning only $100 wine. I’m meaning drinking the stuff I like and enjoy. I want to celebrate my palate. If I’m feeling like a $10 bottle of plonk after a long day at the office I’m going to do it and by darn it if I feel like a bottle of vintage Cristal Rose Champagne I’m going to find one and drink it.

I get sick of friends and family telling me I won’t like a certain wine because it’s what they call ‘cheap’ – honestly who cares, if you like it drink it!! Taste is what matters to me. Plus I’m a strong advocate of the fact that life is seriously too short to drink wine “Robert Parker” or “James Halliday” likes. Drink what you like and celebrate it!

I do have a second wine-olution this year and that’s to master the art of sabrage. Sabrage is the technique of opening a bottle of Champagne with a sabre (sword). Sabrage began just after the French Revolution by Napoleon’s army whose weapon of choice by the light cavalry was the saber. As Napoleon said “Champagne! In victory one deserves it; in defeat one needs it”. I couldn’t agree more! Keep tuned, there’ll be video blogs soon on my training to become a Champagne sword master!

Have a fantastic wine-filled-2014 everyone!! If you have any wine-olution’s of your own for 2014 please share them by commenting below!!