Wine from Scratch: Out with Old Wine, In with New!

I don’t know about you, but I have a tendency to purchase too much wine. In truth this can be both a blessing and a curse. On one side, I always have plenty of wine on hand for any occasion, but then I miss the opportunity to try new things because of my abundance of wine already sitting around at home.

The Holidays provide a great opportunity for “out with the old, in with the new” when it comes to your wine collection. Parties and entertaining allow you to polish off those lingering bottles from spending sprees past, and crack into some of those aging greats.

This is especially important in my house because I have a tendency to forget about aging bottles that need to be consumed. Some people have the time and effort to track dates, growing season reports, and the balance/body of a specific wine in order to insure age-ability, but I’m not one of them. I like my wine fresh and vibrant, normally preferring to drink a bottle within the first few years of its life, not after extended aging.

Besides assisting in the consumption of old bottles, the holidays also provide the opportunity to try new, unexplored wines and varieties. For example, if you’re dying to try a bottle but can’t commit to buying it for yourself (just another bottle for the collection) then pick it up as a gift for an upcoming holiday party or dinner. After all, ‘tis the season to be merry, which means that the wine should be consumed that night, giving you a chance to try it.

Through copious amounts of celebration this holiday season you should be able to put a good dent in your collection, depending on the number of bottles and your capacity to party. Then, just before the big day, Christmas or New Years, you’ll have the space for some new bottles to enjoy or save for the upcoming year.

Note, post Christmas sales also provide a great opportunity to pick-up some quality wines at special values. So party now, celebrate later, and ring in the New Year with some delicious new wine. Cheers!

** Marcus Pape has worked in media and design for over 10 years with an extensive background in all forms of visual communication. As a proclaimed vinophile Marcus hopes to leverage his abilities to inspire interest in wine, recently launching WineCHATr.com – an online resource for the growing wine community, where both popular wine bloggers and businesses come together to connect and share information on wine.