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Everyone seems to make goals this time of the year, so I figured - why not make some fun wine goals too?! So in today's episode, I'm chatting my top 3 recommendations for ways you should mix up your wine life in 2021. I also chat about the health and nutrition side of wine since everyone seems to make a resolution to eat healthier or lose weight in the new year and this doesn't necessarily mean cutting wine out completely. So let's get started by talking about some fun wine resolutions for 2021.
1. First up, I want to challenge you to try a wine again that you've had in the past, but didn't like.
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- If you've been listening to some of my previous episodes, then you know that the food you're eating or other situational factors like the time of year and weather can all impact your perception of a wine. Maybe you didn't like it last time because you were eating spicy food and the wine just didn't quite mesh well. Or maybe you had just finished a cup of coffee and there was a little residual acid on your palate. Try this wine again because you may actually love it….or at least appreciate it for what it is!
2. Next resolution for the new year is to try a wine you've never heard of! We all know about Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, but have you heard of Grenache? Or what about one of the below:
Viognier, Nebbiolo, Gamay, Cabernet Franc, Gewurztraminer, Lambrusco, Torrontes, Valpolicella
It's great to be adventurous and try something new!
3. My third challenge for you is to try a dessert wine. These are the wines that most people forget about 99% of the time. Everyone remembers red, white, and sparkling… but there are so many tasty dessert wines out there! Port, Sauternes, Sherry, Vin Santo, Ice Wine, and my personal favorite Tokai, which is a sweet dessert wine out of Hungary. And these are just a few of the many options!
- These wines are naturally very very sweet, so you have to think of them a little differently than you would a normal white sweet wine like a Riesling. They are going to be thicker and have a lot of residual sugar. They pair perfectly with dessert obviously, but they are delicious on their own as well.
- They also make amazing pairings with cheeses, so if you aren't a big dessert fan, you can still enjoy balancing the sweet wine with savory! And if you've already tried a dessert wine and you didn't like it, try a different one! They're all a little different, so it's great to try a few of them to see what you like.
Just to share some of my personal goals with you all for 2021… as a new small business, I have so many goals to create new and exciting content that you all find useful, valuable, and fun! The Wine CEO is here to help you all on your wine education journey, so I want to focus on creating great content for you guys! I want to create more videos on useful wine topics as well as do some live wine review videos! I also want to explore the world of orange and natural wines a bit more, which we'll talk about in a future episode!
So lots of goals, but these are some big ones that I'm really excited about! In a perfect world, I would also love to be traveling again so that I can take you all to some beautiful wine regions, but we'll see what the world has in store for 2021!
Now I also want to chat about wine and health. A lot of people make New Years resolutions about health - wanting to lose weight or maybe eat healthier. Well we all have a bit of a hangover from 2020 😂. This year was extremely stressful and I think we all had a lot of free time at home with little to do….. no judgement, I was there too! So since most folks drank more this year than most years past, I think a lot of people may be looking to cut back on alcohol consumption in 2021.
But before you cut it out completely, there are actually some health benefits from wine! A lot of studies show that wine can actually decrease your risk for heart disease. And for many, drinking a glass of wine can help relax and reduce stress, and we all know that stress and anxiety can cause some pretty serious health issues. Now that being said, I love wine, but I am a proponent of everything in moderation…. The American Cancer Institute recommends that men drink no more than 14 drinks per week and women drink no more than 7 drinks per week.
And if you are a daily wine drinker, I recommend that you stick to bold red wines or acidic white wines as these dry wines will have less sugar (it doesn't mean that you never enjoy a fruity rose or sparkling wine, but for nightly drinking, keep in mind that these wines tend to have more sugar....sometimes up to 30g of carbs from sugar - so definitely a decent amount if you're trying to watch your nutritional intake!). A glass of wine usually has 100-140 calories, so if you're trying to count calories, it's good to plan in advance the number of glasses you're going to let yourself enjoy tonight. And my number 1 recommendation is to be sure to drink lots of water before, during, and after drinking to make sure you don't get dehydrated as this will cause your headaches and hangovers. A lot fo folks think it's the sulfites, but it's not…..it's just dehydration or cheap wine with fillers, so save up for the good stuff, drink it in moderation, and stay hydrated!
For more amazing wine content, be sure to check out my website thewineceo.com or sign up for a virtual wine tasting with yours truly by emailing me at sarah@thewineceo.com Thanks for listening!
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