New Year Wine Resolutions 2017

[Ian S]

I like your relative weighting!

[Willard]

- Buying was somewhat reduced in 2016 and will be this year also, so need to continue improved discipline in buying wines I really want rather than get distracted by discount deals.
Some success, only discount deal I've got was a case of Plantagenet Riesling but mostly for immediate drinking requirement.

- Continue exploring Italian wines in more breadth, and get some more Piedmont wines into the cellar.
Limited success so far, have got a few lowly Piemont wines for short-med cellaring (Benevelli, Allesandro di Natale). Haven't had the budget for any Barolo/Barbaresco cellar buys, budget mostly gone to Pinot. Tried a few more Etna wines, but made it to no other regions.

- Start to explore German Riesling.
Complete fail, not a single bottle.

- Buy more Pinot.
Success here, higher motivation given the warmer months - it's basically all my wife and I have been drinking on the red front. Also great pickings from 2015 Yarra. Been drinking some, will cellar some for a few years. Bought some De Bortoli, Stonier, Coldstream Hills, Mac Forbes, Hoddles Creek, Mayer, Oakridge.

- Write, and post, more tasting notes to try to improve note-taking skill.
Fail

- Hopefully can fit in a few more offlines this year, might try to organise one for late Feb...
Well, booked in for attendance at Bris offline in March, try to arrange another myself later.

Will

[Ozzie W]

Quality over quantity. Cut down on number of purchases, but raise the bar.

For 2016, average cost per bottle = $72
For 2017 to date, average cost per bottle = $125. Bottle count for Q1 2017 to date down 46% compared with Q4 2016.

Balance the Chi in my cellar. Bottle count of Pinot Noir exceeds Shiraz.

Shriaz = 23.9%
Pinot = 21.7%
Bottle differential = 47. Chi should be balanced before the year is out.

Drink as much wine as apparently all my friends and family think I do!

Consumption rate the same as Q4 2016.

[Ian S]

Now 1/2 of the way through the year - has the focus been good? I must admit I referenced this thread before the most recent purchase

I found last year's detailed look pretty successful in focusing buying on what I wanted, not what was a great price, a grand name or just more of what I already had enough of. An intentionally limited storage capacity is essential for me in containing what I buy, but also helps focus the mind!

So here's this years 'shopping list'. I won’t get everything and I will buy other stuff, but will avoid buying a mixed case unless the majority of the case is on the list. I might update the list if my interest shifts - no point in being stubborn . Some stuff is also more hopeful than realistic – not typically available here or price-inflated if it is, or in the case of the Primo, only available in half case sizes - not ideal for the Primo Sparkling Shiraz where I seem to be the only fan amongst friends / family.

Aussies & NZ (In relative priority – the lower ones being case fillers more than a justification. More included here than I intend to buy, to allow a specific focus for the Auswine forum)
• Delatite Riesling
• Primo – Moda, Joseph SRS, or anything else from them
• Alkoomi Wandoo if still made
• Houghton Jack Mann
• Explore Aussie Nebbiolo (just had the Stephen Pannell to date)
• Te Mata Elston for populist Chardonnay fix, but also Church Road reserve if ever available for the full butterball experience.
• Tahbilk Marsanne / 1927 vines Marsanne
• Explore ‘new’ trends but with a hard focus on the more elegant / radical end of the spectrum
• Wynns Black Label CS
• Wendouree Shiraz / Mataro
• Woodlands Margaret
• Best’s reds
Zip, nothing, Zilch, nada, etc. The Elston is the one I do need to remedy and the Jack Mann almost happened but I got distracted by other wines. Some of the others are listed more in hope than expectation that I'll see them


Italy (in no particular order)
• Try more Cascina degli Ulivi, esp. their Gavi
• La Biancara. I loved the Masieri red I tried from them, so try some others but another bottle of the Masieri on order
• More Timorasso
• More Fumin
• Vino Santo from Trentino
• Taurasi, but avoiding high oak/alcohol
• Foradori (Teroldego, or any of their others) :) (6 of the Foradori Teroldego)
• More Antoniolo Gattinara and Ghemme/Gattinara from Torraccia del Piantavigne (but open to other producers) an old Berteletti & current Travaglini Gattina (Franchino & Travaglini & Vallana on order). Honorary mention to a Donnas, Carema and Vespolina, the latter two picked up in Torino.
• Try another Lacrima Morro d’Alba
• Drei Dona and San Patrignano from Emilia Romagna (some on order - Magnificant, Cuvee Palazzo & Pruno)
• Hauner Hiera (plus other wines from them) (Another Hiera picked up in Torino and another red from them on order)
• Explore off the beaten track regions / grapes x quite a bit. Definitely expanded my horizons.
• Tiefenbrunner Feldmarschall (to explore ageing it)
• Occhipinti reds + explore other Etna producers not pushing oak / alcohol Just the Frappato for now, others may follow.
• A bottle or two of Brachetto
• Cantine Del Notaio reds, rose or sweet wine
• Vino Nobile di Montepulciano (bad show Ian - why do these always drop out of the basket?)
• Isole e Olena Syrah


ROW and generic (in no particular order)
• Keep the Ch Lamartine Cahors topped up, including the odd magnum
• A little more Pinon sparkling Vouvray
• A little more Madiran / Bandol or similar from Southern France
• Traditional / Rustic Gigondas
• Keep drinking sweet wines, and backfill esp. in halves sort of doing ok, but I feel a 'halves' order is the next purchase.
• Occasional German Riesling, ideally with a little age and continue tentative interest in German Pinot Noir I'll cheat here and include a South Tyrol Pinot Noir
• More halves, including fizz
• Keep exploring Spain & Portugal – perhaps including some Buçaco red :) x lots. Buçaco white purchased, plus a couple of bottles of Colares, and quite a bit of Bairrada, some Dao, Douro, Alentejo and Algarve. One rioja, but still eyeing up Tondonia reservas
• LdH 2005 Rioja reserva reds
• Musar Rosé
• Any interesting mature wines, but not too many over-mature :) x lots, but I think I need stop the buying of very mature / over-mature wines. I like the experience, but it's not so popular at home
• Grab 2-3 other left-field natural wines to explore the genre a little more My 1st Pet Nat bought!
• The odd purchase off the beaten track e.g. Greece, Romania, Slovakia A fancy Chilean Carignan

In addition, a couple of bottles of Cornas which should always be on my buying horizon, a Chianti, a roero red and a Chinon, plus a Guigal Cotes du Rhone for the Wine Pages 'Palate Calibration exercise (PCE) where people buy a bottle, write a tasting note, plus answer a few simple questions, sending the form in to be collated and discussed.

So overall not brilliant (nor awful), but this is proving useful to focus my buying[/quote]

[Ian S]

So 2017 draws to a close, and on the basis an order is en-route to arrive before the year end, so included below, let's look back at whether we stuck to our resolutions. For me:
Aussies & NZ
• Delatite Riesling
• Primo – Moda, Joseph SRS, or anything else from them
• Alkoomi Wandoo if still made
• Houghton Jack Mann
• Explore Aussie Nebbiolo (just had the Stephen Pannell to date) An interesting basic style nebbiolo from Casa Freschi - fair for the price & might seek out their fancier bottling.
• Te Mata Elston for populist Chardonnay fix, but also Church Road reserve if ever available for the full butterball experience.
• Tahbilk Marsanne / 1927 vines Marsanne
• Explore ‘new’ trends but with a hard focus on the more elegant / radical end of the spectrum Adelina Shiraz/Mataro, a newish producer aiming for lower alc%
• Wynns Black Label CS
• Wendouree Shiraz / Mataro
• Woodlands Margaret
• Best’s reds
Almost nothing. The Elston is the one I do need to remedy and the Jack Mann almost happened but I got distracted by other wines... though I wonder if I would now be as concerned as Sam about delivery - I can't remember if it was the same outfit. Some of the others are listed more in hope than expectation that I'll see them on these shores. Next year this will be a bit more realistic.


Italy (in no particular order)
• Try more Cascina degli Ulivi, esp. their Gavi
• La Biancara. I loved the Masieri red I tried from them, so try some others but another bottle of the Masieri bought
• More Timorasso
• More Fumin
• Vino Santo from Trentino
• Taurasi, but avoiding high oak/alcohol
• Foradori (Teroldego, or any of their others) x 10
• More Antoniolo Gattinara and Ghemme/Gattinara from Torraccia del Piantavigne (but open to other producers) an old Berteletti & current Travaglini Gattina (Franchino & Travaglini & Vallana on order). Honorary mention to a Donnas, Carema and Vespolina, the latter two picked up in Torino.
• Try another Lacrima Morro d’Alba
• Drei Dona and San Patrignano from Emilia Romagna x 7(Magnificant, Cuvee Palazzo & Pruno, plus an Avi)
• Hauner Hiera (plus other wines from them) (Another Hiera picked up in Torino and another red from them )
• Explore off the beaten track regions / grapes x quite a bit. Definitely expanded my horizons.
• Tiefenbrunner Feldmarschall (to explore ageing it)
• Occhipinti reds + explore other Etna producers not pushing oak / alcohol Just the Frappato for now, others may follow.
• A bottle or two of Brachetto
• Cantine Del Notaio reds, rose or sweet wine
• Vino Nobile di Montepulciano (bad show Ian - why do these always drop out of the basket?)
• Isole e Olena Syrah
Plenty more bought. Overall a pretty good success rate, though I really do need more Fumin and some VNdiM. 2018!!

ROW and generic (in no particular order)
• Keep the Ch Lamartine Cahors topped up, including the odd magnum
• A little more Pinon sparkling Vouvray
• A little more Madiran / Bandol or similar from Southern France
• Traditional / Rustic Gigondas
• Keep drinking sweet wines, and backfill esp. in halves sort of doing ok, but I do need to order more
• Occasional German Riesling , ideally with a little age and continue tentative interest in German Pinot Noir I'll cheat here and include a South Tyrol Pinot Noir
• Keep exploring Spain & Portugal – perhaps including some Buçaco red x lots. Buçaco white purchased, plus a couple of bottles of Colares, and quite a bit of Bairrada, some Dao, Douro, Alentejo and Algarve. Two rioja, plus Tondonia halves, vinho verde 'discovered'.
• LdH 2005 Rioja reserva reds
• Musar Rosé x3
• Any interesting mature wines, but not too many over-mature x lots, but I think I need stop the buying of very mature / over-mature wines. I like the experience, but it's not so popular at home
• Grab 2-3 other left-field natural wines to explore the genre a little more My 1st Pet Nat bought and good enough to rebuy! Nothing too weird, but I'm enjoying what I try x3
• The odd purchase off the beaten track e.g. Greece, Romania, Slovakia A fancy Chilean Carignan, but at only 8 countries represented in 2017 buying, perhaps a little too narrow.

Overall Portugal (via a trip, some purchases there, plus some having returned), has been a major focus this year. Spain still remains Rioja + Mencia grape. I'd like to venture further, but fear out of control oak and alcohol from Priorat etc.

[Mahmoud Ali]

So 2018 draws to a close ....

Oh dear, I seem to have missed a year. Better make a resolution about cutting back on my drinking.

[Chuck]

Completed most of my resolutions - discovered new single malts but only had a few cuban cigars. Having one on Xmas day with nephews.

[Ozzie W]

Quality over quantity. Cut down on number of purchases, but raise the bar.

Grade: B
Comments: Purchases in 2017 down 34% compared with 2016. Average cost per bottle up 42%. Total amount spent on wine down 9% (not intentional). Would have liked to take it up a notch further but crazy prices for Burgundy are a hindrance.

Balance the Chi in my cellar. Bottle count of Pinot Noir exceeds Shiraz.

Grade: A
Comments: Cellar now at 24% Pinot, 21% Shiraz. Mission accomplished!

Don't buy wines just because they're on special.

Grade: B
Comments: I've been hitting delete rather quickly for most of the wine marketing emails that hit my inbox. Still cave-in on the odd occasion.

Drink as much wine as apparently all my friends and family think I do!

Grade: C
Comments: I attended more wine group functions in 2017, but private consumption about the same as last year.


Now need to think about my resolutions for 2018. Watch this space!

[Ian S]

So 2018 draws to a close ....

Oh dear, I seem to have missed a year. Better make a resolution about cutting back on my drinking.

Oops! Will correct

[Ian S]

Good results Ozzie

I think the 'specials' trick is to ask yourself whether it was something you were really tempted by before, or one of any number in a similar style that you were already contemplating buying. Often it's a case of a wine / wine style that is already over-represented in the cellar, so the price becomes almost immaterial, as it's something that's not needed.

[via collins]

"Completed most of my resolutions - discovered new single malts"

Please share results with class Chuck.

[George Krashos]

My 2018 wine resolution is simple: start drinking the older stuff. There are no "special occasion" wines when they have simply become too old. The scary thing is 1996 vintage wines are now 20 years old. Drink up.

-- George Krashos

[Craig(NZ)]

1. Buy more over delivering cheapies.
2. Pig out on 2013 reds while there are a few still remaining
3. Support my favourite wineries

[rens]

Stay way from Barossa Reds and cellar some more Italian varieties whilst sticking to the budget.

Well, well

Barossa purchased in 2017 was exactly zero.
Italian wine purchased as a percentage of the total in 2017 was 29%.
60% of purchases last year were still Australian with the bulk of those from Marius.

A very contented outcome, there.

For 2018, I would like to continue buying some more Italian wine and look seriously at some more German Rizzers.

[Mahmoud Ali]

Completed most of my resolutions - discovered new single malts ...

Please share results with class Chuck.

Yes, please do. My interest in new single malts has taken an uptick since the formation of a Whisky Club in Bangladesh where contributions are preferred in lieu of payment. Currently in hand are three whiskies awaiting my next visit to Dhaka. By request from the chief organizer by a Sullivan's Cove single malt from Tasmania, and by my choice a Connoisseur's Choice Inchgower and Killkerran Cask Strength.

Mahmoud.

[winetastic]

Following Ian's format...

Keep my purchasing focus on Piedmont and Etna. (30 bottles from Piedmont ranging from quaffers to upper end aged Barolo, 6 single cru Passopisciaro)

Buy more Pinot. (3 bottles of Punt Rd)

Cellar some Champagne. (4 bottles of Jérôme Prévost, making up for lack of quantity with quality there imo)

And like every year, drink better wine.

End of year update time.

Keep my purchasing focus on Piedmont and Etna - As far as wines for the cellar go, 68 bottles from Piedmont, 15 from Sicily, 115 total, not bad. Almost all of my "buy to drink tonight" wines were Langhe Nebbiolo, Etna Rosso or Champagne / similar.

Buy more Pinot - 17 bottles for the cellar, not bad. Mostly Mac Forbes.

Cellar some Champagne - No additions in second half of the year, fail mark.

Drink better wine - An A+ mark here. No idea what I am going to do with a bunch of mid-priced mature aussie wine now...

[Ozzie W]

No idea what I am going to do with a bunch of mid-priced mature aussie wine now...

Got the same issue. I'm planning to drink mine. Not concerned about my Aussie Pinot or Cabernet. However, at the rate I want to drink my Aussie Shiraz, I've got 25 years worth of drinking!

[winetastic]

No idea what I am going to do with a bunch of mid-priced mature aussie wine now...

Not concerned about my Aussie Pinot or Cabernet. However, at the rate I want to drink my Aussie Shiraz, I've got 25 years worth of drinking!

Precisely.

[Ian S]

No idea what I am going to do with a bunch of mid-priced mature aussie wine now...

Got the same issue. I'm planning to drink mine. Not concerned about my Aussie Pinot or Cabernet. However, at the rate I want to drink my Aussie Shiraz, I've got 25 years worth of drinking!

In a way I got lucky:
a) keeping cellar size constrained, means there were never that many, and what there was often got drunk too soon
b) My tastes started diversifying ~ 15 years ago, and with a significant drop in Sterling in that period, my previous Aus (plus NZ) focus has dropped from ~ 80% to 13%. Probably still a decade or more drinking there, as these are mostly cellaring wines and so it's easy to just nibble away at the stash. NZ now a paltry 1 bottle and 2 half bottles.

From a personal perspective, it took me a while to realise that the wine critics like Barossa / McLaren Vale (and similar) Shiraz much more than I do.

[Chuck]

"Completed most of my resolutions - discovered new single malts"

Please share results with class Chuck.

From memory:

Yamazaki 12YO
Aberlour 16YO
Macallam 18YO. Nice juice
Aberlour A'bunadh- 61% abv (rocket fuel!) and a little harsh
Glenmorangie Nectar d'Or
Glenmorngie 10YO. Good entry level stuff
Oban 14YO
Macallan 12YO
Dalmore 12YO
Aberlour 12YO. My go to drop. Reasonably priced.

Tried a few heavily peated stuff. Just don't get it. Like drinking scotch in a bushfire.

Had a Romeo and Juliet cigar at Xmas lunch yesterday. Nice stuff.
Carl

[Hunter]

Cellar some Champagne. (4 bottles of Jérôme Prévost

Jerome, what are these sparklings like ? Ive heard about them but yet to try.
Ta

[via collins]

Like drinking scotch in a bushfire.

Burn baby! And mostly agree with you while laughing.

Sorry it's taken 3 months to respond - timely though as I am about to head out to grab a single malt, and shall take your Abelour 12 yrs advice.

I've found Glenfiddich 12 and 15 to be superbly reliable. And cannot speak highly enough of the local drop, the Starward. They're doing all kinds of funky products now, but their standard model brings a big smile to the dial.

[Mahmoud Ali]

I made no new year resolutions but had in general resolved to cut back on buying and to start drinking more wines from my cellar, in particular to make long overdue inroads into the low to mid-priced wines I had previously cellared for everyday drinking. I was not entirely successful in the buyiing department because a number of bargain basement wines crossed my path, in particular port and champagne.

On the whisky front, despite having a good number of scotch bottles, I still returned home from Australia with two bottles of scotch that, very unusually, was less expensive in Sydney than it was in Canada. My whisky preferences more than leans towards virtually nothing other than scotch. Here my tastes run the full gamut, from the sherried to the peaty, including distinctive, distillate-centred, clean malts. There is a time, place, and mood when choosing which scotch to drink.

Cheers ................... Mahmoud.

[winetastic]

Cellar some Champagne. (4 bottles of Jérôme Prévost

Jerome, what are these sparklings like ? Ive heard about them but yet to try.
Ta

Stern when young, for my tastes a cellaring style. If you drink a relatively recently disgorged bottle you can see quality in spades, but perhaps you wont be smashing down several glasses quickly.

Both GW and MB describe it as "Vinous", which really sums it up.

[Hunter]

Thanks winetastic. Didnt think i was going to get any help with all this scotch talk
Seem hard to track down. Might have to wait until next release.
Cheers

[Mahmoud Ali]

Thanks winetastic. Didnt think i was going to get any help with all this scotch talk

Are ye spillin' for a fite matey! Whots rong wi' a wee draam on a wi'nturs evenin', speshilly after tastin' a lot o' wiene an' yoor not in a mood fer poort.