Happy New Year.
It's been a while since my last post, which I think was just after the summer holidays. A lot has happened since then. I've become a student again, the puppy is less puppy-like, I've shared some great bottles of wine and I've had a significant lottery win.*
Autumn, Christmas and New Year have passed in a blur that I struggle to remember. Not because I drank too much, I'm just getting old and even remembering what I had for breakfast is a challenge nowadays.
It's been a busy old time and January is always a natural month to take stock. Since this time last year, I've become a dog owner, I've been to new places, I've embarked on an apprenticeship (with my day job), I've watched my kids become young adults, I've seen the northern lights, laughed a lot and tried to stay as healthy as possible.
From a wine perspective I've hosted lots of events, tried countless new wines, visited new vineyards, purchased wisely (and unwisely) and learned so much more.
Hardly any of these events were planned out in advance. So, as we start 2025, I can't wait to see what the next 12 months hold. I don't have a grand plan. I have a day job that pays the bills. I have a family that I love spending time with. I have a real passion for wine, that takes me to surprising places.
A regular conversation around the dinner table with my gang of four (the dog's not learned to talk, but we're hopeful) is what we'd do if we won the lottery. It's a brilliant conversation that never goes the same way and we all have different priorities. We'd have to do the lottery for this to become a reality, but I genuinely believe that a £5m windfall wouldn't change me at all. I'd still have a family I'd love spending time with. I'd still have a real passion for wines which would take me to surprising places. I'd ditch the day job obviously.
Talk often turns to money, because that's what drives so much of the world. I'm very lucky. I have a job, which keeps a roof over my family's head, pays the bills, puts food on the table and allows us to experience new things. My wine job funds my wine habit. It allows me to visit cool places (this spring I'm heading to Porto/the Douro for a few days) and buy some nice wines.
But if money was no object - would I really be spending it on the most expensive wines in the world? Would I be sipping Petrus with my Sunday roast or chugging Solaia with my Oso Buco? Probably not to be honest.**
Wine for me is about sharing. It's not me sitting alone in an exclusive restaurant exploring the bottom of a wine list. It's about trying something new over a meal with family. It's about matching a wine so perfectly with the food that it doesn't matter what it costs. It's about opening something you've saved until it's ready to drink and being rewarded for your patience.
The idea when I started out with this blog was to steer readers through best of the supermarket offerings: to point out great bottles that are sitting alongside your go-tos. But that's not really what's happened. There are plenty of people all over Instagram who do that job far better than I can. It's their job so they've plenty more time to craft zippy videos to influence your drinking habits. They get invited to the tastings because they have worked hard to develop a following which people trust. I spend a lot of time with wine, but it isn't my 9-5 and I need to make sure I get the roof/bills/food thing nailed before I craft quirky videos about the latest Aldi Bordeaux (which are usually pretty good).
For me, instead, this site has turned into a bit of a cathartic exercise. It's a chance for me to reflect: a process of self-examination and to put down in words what wine means to me and what I think it is really all about. I tried some amazing wines in 2024 and I can't wait to try some amazing wines this year. So make your New Year's Resolution to try something different. Try January. Not Dry January. Please don't talk to me about that. It's not big, funny or clever.
Here are a couple of recommendations from me - if you're interested.
Aldi always do some really good wines. I tend to stay away from the 'dupes' which try to imitate famous, more expensive wines. Some are pretty good, but I don't like wines trying to be something else. I just prefer them to be what they're meant to be. That's why I'd recommend this Cairanne. Look for indicators of quality such as the AOC classification here. People were banging on before Christmas how close this is to Chateauneuf-du-Pape, but that's not why you should try this wine. You should try it because it is what it is meant to be. It's a deep, spicy red with plum and blackberry flavours. It's a Rhone typical blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre with a splash of Carignan for sharpness. It was on offer for less than £4 in the run up to Christmas but is still good value at about £8.50.
We've been drinking quite a bit of this Kiwi Sauvignon Blanc recently. I bought some for my wife's birthday in October and we liked it so much that I got some more for Christmas. It's really refreshing and full of unforced fruit. What I mean by that is that it doesn't feel like you're drinking Um Bongo and the acidity doesn't hurt the back of your throat like a lot of wines at this price. It's really balanced and fairly light in alcohol at 11% so it slips down nicely. I've just checked and it's currently sold out on the Wine Society but, at under £7 a bottle, I'm not surprised. Keep an eye out for when it's back in stock.
*one of these facts might not be true. I'll leave you to work out which one.
**obviously if you're reading this and are looking for someone to share a bottle of Cheval Blanc, I'm more than happy to swallow my principles as well.
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