Wine Bottles on Shelf

New Year’s Resolution? Drink less, Drink Better

Laura on 5 Jan 2015

This year’s New Year’s resolution should be to “drink less, drink better”. Here are four ways that could help you change the way you drink, and four wines that will start you off on your new journey.

Changing the way you drink

Choose a wine to drink at home that costs the same as you normally pay in a restaurant - for £20 to £30 you can pick up something exceptional that you can serve alongside a romantic home cooked meal.

How much would you pay for a bottle of celebratory Champagne? Use that as a guide to get a more interesting bottle of something without bubbles next time you want to push the boat out.

Form a wine club with friends – bring along your best bottles so you can share and take notes. Alternatively, everyone can chip in for that single expensive bottle. Remember that a 175ml glass of wine can be £6 in a bar these days – swap four of those for a nice £25 bottle to drink at home

Enrol on a wine course and learn about new wines – the art of wine tasting means you slow down and appreciate the smells and flavours of wine, making every sip a new experience.

Four fabulous wines

Our Fine Wine specialist Tom has hand-picked some cracking wines that will fit the bill when you fancy trying something outside your usual everyday-wine budget:

White:

Domaine Jaeger-Defaix Rully 1er Cru Rabourcé Domaine Jaeger-Defaix Rully Premier Cru 'Rabourcé'
"Fabulous value white Burgundy from a passionate producer, that could easily be mistaken for Chassagne-Montrachet."

Reichsrat Von Buhl Erste Lage Deidesheimer Mäushöhle

Von Buhl Maushöhle Riesling 2013
"The dry Rieslings of Germany's Pfalz are not to be missed, and this one, from a 'Premier Cru' vineyard, is a corker.  Exceptional winemaker, Mathieu Kaufmann, left his top job at Bollinger because he wanted so much to make wine for the great Pfalz estate of von Buhl."

 

Red:

Domaine Gilles Robin Crozes Hermitage Cuvee Alberic BouvetCrozes-Hermitage 'Cuvée Albéric Bouvet', Gilles Robin
"We defy you not to love this: Silky-smooth, with complex spice and vibrant fruit aromas and flavours, this is a quintessentially elegant wine."

Heartland Directors' Cut Cabernet Sauvignon, Langhorne Creek Limestone CoastHeartland  Directors' Cut Cabernet Sauvignon
"Intense, powerful and complex, while at the same time finely-balanced; exceptional old-vine fruit and Ben Glaetzer's winemaking mastery combine in this phenomenal wine."

 

And if you really want to push the boat out, and can stretch to just under £30, why not try this:

Chateau Mille Roses, MargauxChâteau Mille Roses Margaux
"This is exceptional value for Margaux, and delivers exactly what this famous village near Bordeaux is known for:  wines with beautiful gentleness and classic balance, yet which display astonishing complexity and length of flavour.  More famous châteaux charge more, and frequently disappoint - but Mille Roses is a bargain!"

Cheers to a Happy New Year!