Year end always seems like a good time to take stock of the wine cellar and think about how you might want to change your approach in the up coming year. I’ve been at this wine hobby this for a long time so there is no need for a radical overhaul. I do though plan to make some minor changes to my buying strategy.
1) Buy more wines from Spain – Wines like El Nido Clio and Alto Moncayo are right in my wheelhouse and are a great value to boot. I’ve never undertaken the task of studying and tasting the wines of this great country. That needs to change.
2) Buy more wines from Italy – Can you have too much Felsina, Fontodi and Marcarini in the cellar? The wines of Italy pair exceptionally well with the cuisine I love to cook and are underpriced in my opinion. They are also under represented in my cellar.
3) I don’t plan on buying many French wines with the exception of my favorite CdP’s from the ’11 vintage. I have little interest in the current vintages of Bordeaux and Burgundy in light of increased prices. On top of that I have stocked up on past vintages from both of these regions. I will always continue to look for great values like the ’11 Puech-Haut.
4) I will carefully scrutinize all my mailing list purchases. Only those providing exceptional wines at fair prices will continue to get my dollars.
5) The ’12 vintage in California is shaping up to be exceptional. This will be the year to splurge on Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.
6) Further immersion into old vine Zinfandel from the treasured vineyards of California. Producers I intend to focus on include Joseph Swan, Limerick Lane and Martinelli.
As I alluded to earlier – nothing radical here, just some fine tuning. I suppose I am fortunate that the wines that inspired me twenty years ago still inspire me today. How do you plan to change your wine buying strategy as we head into 2014?
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Newish to wine. I have worked my way through a lot of WA wines, and started into OR pinots. Plan to experiment with CA zins and pinots, which is a little easier now that I’m on Turley’s list! I glanced through Limerick’s website, and they look like an interesting winery to try…
Turley is on the cutting edge right now. Super wines.