New Year's Resolutions

Have you set your New Year's wine resolution yet? Check out the wine goals of the Love Wine Team, from drinking better to revisiting wine of our past...
 
Kevin Store Manager
My aim for 2019 is to drink better and consume less, broadening my horizons with blends that have not excited me in the past. As you get older, your pallet changes and I would like to revisit some of the wines that previously haven’t elevated my senses. Bordeaux-style blends (Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot based) from the New World from the likes of New Zealand, South Africa, California and Chile tend to be slightly sweeter than classic French blends due to the climate and the ripeness of the fruit. I will continue to search high and low for some new Bordeaux-style blends from the New World that don't show as much sweet fruit character, and also try previous offenders to see if they can change my opinion. Why Bordeaux-style blends from the New World you ask?  Wines from Bordeaux are often made to be enjoyed when they have been cellared for a number of years, they can be too high in tannin, acidity and fruit in their younger years. Similar wines from the new world are much more approachable when young and older vintages are often a lot more approachable in terms of cost too. I do love expensive wines however the bank account does not! Nor the Missus!
 
Alex Marketing 
Being rather new to the wine world, my main wine resolution for 2019 is to drink as many different wines as possible and avoid going back to my firm favourites. Now you may be scoffing behind your screens as you read this but hear me out... The aim isn't to drink as much wine as possible, but try to explore as many different wines as possible. I want 2019 to be a year of exploration and research. My plan is simple, just don't buy the same wine twice. On top of this, I want to increase my studying of flavour profiles by noting down the flavour characteristics of each wine I taste, something which I have been too relaxed with in the past #WineAnorack.
 
Vicki Operations Manager
I have set out a few, not particularly gruelling, new year resolutions for 2019. First of which is to cook more from-scratch meals at home, in particular, dishes that I have not yet cooked before. Naturally, this does require preparation and an investment of time so it would only be right to also explore the various wines that can be matched with these carefully prepared meals and in turn discover wine pairings outside of my current go-tos’. The theme of this resolution will be to enjoy better meals at home paired with better wines, on a more regular basis as opposed to eating out and reap the health benefits attached to this. The second of my resolutions is to plan in some trips where I can immerse myself in the wine and food culture  of the region, top of my list being Puglia. Puglia, the heel of Italy’s boot, offers an eclectic mix of cultures, is less of a tourist hot spot in comparison to Tuscany and is the most attractive coastal region offering some of the most delicious wines in the world! It’s a resolution no-brainer!
 
Chris Managing Director 
This year, like every year, maintaining good health is on the top of my list of resolutions. Dry January is all the rage in our current clime, but I’m going to drink smarter and look out for lower alcohol, minimal intervention and Organic wines instead! An 8% German Riesling can be as much as half the ABV in comparison to some big bold reds. I’m also most definitely going to drink less but better! So I’ll be spending much more time in our tasting room picking out some of our more unique gems.
On top of that, as much as it pains me, I’m going to make a concerted effort to go on more wine trips to producers! I didn’t manage to get away enough in 2018 but trips to Napa Valley the previous year and South Africa the year before showed me just how beneficial getting out there and experiencing everything first hand can be. Where would you like to see us go in 2019??
 
So what is your resolution? We would love to hear them down below in the comments!