Wine producers avert your eyes! I plan to spend about 50% less money on wine this year, back to my 2016-2017 level. My two Eurocaves are filled to the brim and there are certain varietals I am not drinking often, yet keep buying, such as cabernet sauvignon. I won’t buy any more Cab until I start drinking it!
This is what I look at every year - a comparison of what I’ve bought that year and what I’ve drunk. I posted mine over in the cellar reduction thread. It is very revealing, and helps me buy in ways I’ll ultimately find more satisfactory.
For this year, I hope to keep my buying levels in line with 2019, which was a big reduction for us. I resolve to identify and drink up (or toss) wines I fear might be over the hill. I also plan to make a list of single, inexpensive bottles that have been sitting there, which I never seem to get excited enough to choose, and drink those down. These are mostly left from days when I was experimenting more, buying mixed cases to try, which I rarely do anymore. I’m sure they will be pleasurable still, and yet do their best work by providing me with a slot for something else!
Start drinking my not insignificant stash of 2001 German Rieslings that I had intentionally kept to age but keep forgetting about.
Where do you live?
I am just shooting for buy less. I was doing pretty well last year until October, when all hell broke loose.
The compromise you suggest is one that is readily available. I’m just still angling for the full Monty showcase. That’s going to require some sort of income windfall in the first half of the year. Unfortunately, I have to admit that my plan is not very practical. In order to make it a glassed wall or even glassed double door opening that connects to the living room, I’d have to add a beam to the wall as it bears the second floor and roof, move an exterior door to the garage, move the water heater, and modify a part of the hvac. Being a G.C. makes that and the entire project less painful, but it’s a cost tripler.
Same for me on both accounts. I’ve got a plan for what I’ll continue to buy, what I’ll drop, and a limited allocation for trying new things.
We’ll see if I can stick to it.
Vote in November.
Drop my last remaining list. I dont want to be tied into buying the same wines every year and I am enjoying more diversity.
Bolded same for me (though not +250 for 2019) . . . looking at my consumption patterns for last two years and will try to align purchases more closely to actual consumption with goal of +0 (+/-10) for net consumption on year. Is going to require some difficult calls on reducing mailing list purchases I think . . .
Buy less overall wine than 2019. Continue to be patient aging my collection. Less trips to Napa this year will definitely help me achieve this goal. There will be some tough no buys on mailing lists just trying to scale back.
Steve, those were all great goals but this one jumped out at me. I know I could certainly do better in this category. Thanks for sharing
Reminds me of a classic Mitch Hedberg line: “I plan to live forever. So far, so good.”
I used to drink wine. I still do, but I used to, too.
O, ye unfaithful!
Up to 6.5 days, still no purchases.
Master of my domain.
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- Drink more than I buy. I bought 314 bottles in 2019 but only consumed 154.
- My average bottle price crept up from $36 in 2018 to $56 in 2019. I want to get it back down to under $35.
- Get my cellar down from 449 bottles to ~300 bottles. If my 2020 consumption matches my 2019 consumption, this pretty much means I’m not buying anything this year.
- Don’t buy any $100+ bottles that I haven’t previously tasted (or am familiar with the producer enough to know it’s worth it).
Buy/drink more Champagne.
Buy more Kabinett. I love Kabinett.
Sell some Burgundy unicorns I am too scared/unwilling to drink and use that money to buy more middle of the road, very enjoyable Burgundy. I don’t have a big cellar and have no desire to so this will help in better overall drinking.
I resolve to “drink no wine before it’s time”.
Yes, restraint can be difficult, as seen here:
I’ll occasionally drink a wine before its time ITNOS. For those that are already well-aged, it’s time anytime. Even breakfast for a PX over pancakes or Champagne with caviar with creme fraiche.