New year wine resolutions

WINE TALK
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For me this year it is more about the people than the wine.

I am going to stop inviting people to tastings who pull no-shows without any advance warning or apology after the fact- especially those who no-show to events where there were waiting lists.

I am also going to stop reaching out to people- notably in NYC- who seem miss the days when I would come to table with things they could never possibly taste otherwise, and are less interested in the present when I can still bring nice things commiserate with other offerings on the table but refuse to be the sucker who always brings the really, really good stuff. The funny thing is that the most generous people (notably some of my fellow Acker dinner attendees) have also been the most welcoming when I came back after the tough times ended. These are the times when you find out who your friends are.

This is also the year when I move forward with my own plans with friends in the wine appraisal and consulting realm- the showdown here with a certain someone and that person’s little band of harpies, and the private reaction it generated from within the business, gave me the path and partnerships I needed to move forward. Hence the ITB now showing in my signature. It will be a nice way to keep my hand in the business in a part-time manner for the long term.

In 2019 I plan to be more picky about wine people who attend tastings I co-host- I am tired of people showing up with heat damaged bottles with Premier Cru tags on them and people who show up with the cheapest bottle on the table but the biggest stories about what they have in their cellar.

Also in 2019, I plan to share even more of my best bottles with people who know little about wine, but can appreciate it, or who are just getting started in wine. It is always more pleasant to open a bottle that everyone can just enjoy, without discussions about what it cost, or why they can’t get it too etc. etc. etc.

I have made a lot of good decisions about the wine cellar over the past decade- but it would appear on many occasions I have been a damn fool when it comes to people.

22

Never stop exploring and learning : always be eager and humble to learn.

Never stop sharing great wines and make new friends!

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Tom,
I don’t know if it was your intent, but you sound incredibly bitter. I hope that wine plays a more positive part of your 2019.

My resolutions include:

  • purchase much less, especially wines that I prefer with significant age. I love barolo and enjoy bordeaux, but actuarial tables tell me to stop.
  • attend more offlines
  • aspire to be among the most generous at every offline I attend
  • really appreciate the opportunities I have to drink excellent wine, and don’t worry at all that more and more great wines are beyond my financial comfort zone
  • focus on the above point whenever I drink from my modest stash of burgundy
  • have more “special occasions” with friends and family, and open great bottles
  • finally become a dues-paying member of WB

Happy New Year!
Peter

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  1. Drink less.
  2. Drink the wines in my cellar that are in need of being consumed.
25

FYP.

Happy New Year, Paul.

26

That resolution is already in place, and I’ve kept to it. [cheers.gif]

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Not intended as such. It has been a great year in the wine world for me including meeting a lot of new people and finding a new path for my appraisal work and I expect that to continue. I am just enjoying doing a little cleanup is all. Bitterness would be wasting time.

Enjoy your resolutions and I will enjoy the benefits of mine. May we both have our wishes. Happy New Year!

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Tom,

I hope whatever happened in the past with people at offlines doesnt change who you are. You have been one of the most helpful person on this board for me.

Happy New Year!

29

Good one. We planned to do that this week, but we both got sick.

Soon though.

I am going to try and focus on the few gaps in the cellar. There are some things I like where I do not own much.

30
  1. Drink more riesling, especially mature riesling.
  2. Look for more mature bottlings of regions I want to explore further (Champagne, Rioja, Tuscany).
  3. Give Bordeaux another try.
  4. Buy less zinfandel (with the exception of Bedrock).
  5. Less quantity, more quality.
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Focus more on quality over quantity. And, more importantly, do it with friends, both old and new.

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  1. More French and Italian Wines than Cali
  2. Quality over Quantity
  3. Maturity over youth
  4. Less dependence on Vivino Ratings
33
  1. Age more Champagne, stop just buying and drinking it.
  2. Read more of Frank Murray’s Champagne notes, and try the new (to me) producers.
  3. Drink with friends and Beserkers. Drinking solo in isolation in the country gets a little boring.
  4. Visit this forum more often, because it inspires me to have some wine…and laugh :wink:
  5. Don’t let my cortisol and other health woes take over my world. My health issues are getting better, even if it doesn’t feel like it sometimes.
  6. Try more domestic (US) producers.
  7. Resume my oddball grape based wines journey.
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  1. Continue to taste taste taste!
  2. Start a NYC tasting group
  3. Only buy mature/older bottles
  4. Be OK committing a little infanticide in the pursuit of knowledge (Eg 2013 barolos)
  5. Trim some excess wine bottles
  6. Go to Paulee and get smarter on short listed producers
  7. Taste through major Sauternes producers
  8. Continue reconciling pending deliveries
35

See, there’s the problem. You need to get away from the City and go elsewhere in the State where there are real authentic winelovers with no modus operendi…


Is this “a thing”?

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FIFY:

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Thank you Y Lee for your kind words! Happy New Year.

Markus- I was just venting a bit. I have tons of great NY fellow wine lovers I have tasted with for years. Just venting a bit about some difficulties over the past couple of years.

On the PC thing- yes, a big problem. Towards they end they did a lot of covering by buying damaged or questionable product that no one else would touch- ie on the cheap. I have not seen any real issues with counterfeits, but heat damage- big time. And it goes with a pattern. Lots of collectors who go for price without considering provenance build questionable cellars. I won’t appraise them, I won’t help broker them, and I do not want to taste out of them either.

Most PC wine has generally been fine- but the later you get in terms of acquisition date leading up to their going under, the bigger the risk.

38

Haven’t actually had Scherrer before.

I already started this year by cancelling my Hartford Family zin club membership. Love the wines, but gotta make some cuts.

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Says the guy who sings the praises of Acker at auction. Doth thou protest too much.

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Not “Don’t post after a long night of drinking”? [cheers.gif] [wink.gif]