Welcome to 2009 wine lovers! Today, I’m taking the pledge! Not to go to the gym or to lose 10 pounds, or to (heaven forbid) limit my consumption of adult beverages.

No siree, I’m resolving to go where no wino has gone before. To explore new galaxies of wine appreciation, to sip the most obscure Romulan elixir, and to set a course for bacchanalian bliss!  So, get on board, loosen up and be prepared to toss wine convention to the wind.

Okay, so maybe that’s a bit over the top, but I would like to start 2009 off with some New Year’s wine resolutions that you might find some value in too.  Introspection can provide a powerful wake-up call and my wine -related modus operandi reveals that I have fallen into an alarmingly predictable pattern when it comes to the beverage we all love.

So here are some vows for the New Year.

1. Drink more white wine with dinner.  I seem to have fallen into a pattern of using white wine almost exclusively as an aperitif to get my palate ready for the “real” (can you spell red?) wine that will accompany that shank of  wolf pancreas I’m having for dinner.

2. Explore the wonderful world of German riesling and pledge to drink these wines with dinner too. There are two primary problems Americans have with German wine:   the labels on the wines are written in German – a language that seems to require each word to have at least 15 letters; riesling tends to be sweet and (some of us think) sweet wines are for amateurs, or for those who prefer to sip their beverages under a bridge.

3. Vow to match wine with good old American  meals such as meatloaf, macaroni and cheese, beans and weenies and even spam or other food-like products, especially those containing trans fats (after all, the healthy qualities in wine mitigate the bad effects of such artificial additives, don’t you think?). 

4. Explore the more obscure regions of the wine world for quality inexpensive reds and whites such as those produced in the Navarro region of Spain, Apulia in Italy, Mendoza in Argentina, Virginia in the US and Central Otago in New Zealand.

5. Compile a top 50 list of great wines under $20 a bottle. One of the benefits of the wrecked world economy is that when disposable income becomes tight, supplies of wine will surely exceed demand and wine prices will plunge. And just maybe some of those new outrageously over-priced “trophy” wines will find their way in next year’s blend of Two Buck Chuck.

6. Heap praise or criticism on restaurants based upon their wine pricing. There is absolutely no excuse for wine prices to exceed two times the retail cost of a particular wine. Actually, some restaurants price wine at 1.5 times retail, but they’re about as common as feathers on a goat.

7. Drink more sparkling wine. I’m just like the rest of humanity when it comes to sipping bubbly:  I need a special occasion such as birthday, holiday or wedding to uncork a sparkler. I’m making a pledge to sip sparkling wine at least once a week  It’s easy and inexpensive (there are a huge number of wines under $15 a bottle) and sparkling wine goes especially well with salty or spicy foods such as chili, Thai cuisine and even popcorn.

So there you have it. My wine resolutions for the new year. 

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. I can tell because many of the people I know are calling asking me to suggest a wine gift or two for the special people in their lives.  Even though I probably won’t be considered  “special” enough to benefit from my own advice, I do experience a kind vicarious enjoyment in being a part of this process.

So today, I’ll share with you some gifts I would love to have this holiday season,  and hope that you will pass these ideas along to my family and friends. Of course, depending upon your bank account, you can spend just about as much as you choose on wine and related gifts. However, my budget is not unlimited so we’ll stick with gifts you may acquire for under $100. 

Let’s begin with wine.  Here are some bottles that should please the palate of just about every sipper: Read the rest of this entry »