I had planned a short post about my new year's resolutions, but given that mine are hideously unoriginal (eat less/move more/shout only when absolutely necessary) I point you to Potty's declarations of intent. I love them, especially the one about chocolate and wine, where she suggests a little of the good stuff is usually better than lots of the rubbish alternative. The point of my blog (says me, rather grandly) is to help anyone who's interested buy better wine and get good value for money. Actually, the point is to be Dorothy-Parker-pithy and talk about me but wine comes a close second.
Current white in the fridge: Cowrie Bay Chardonnay 2010, £5.99, Waitrose
How did I not know about this wine until now? For a start, you need sunglasses for its look-at-me yellow label. Inside the bottle is a bright, tropical fruit-like Chardonnay from the Gisborne region in New Zealand's North Island. You might possibly get more fruit flavours eating Carmen Miranda's hat, but not much. I bought a couple of bottles for a lunch we had with friends in that wonderful in limbo time between Christmas and New Year and it was loved by all. Annoyingly, they drank it all too, so I've topped up. A gorgeous January gem.
Current red on the side: La Citadelle Cotes du Rhone Villages 2008, £9.99, Boutinot
Sablet is a little town in the Cotes du Rhone region (Sablet is also on the label) and is home to this wine before it moved to mine, in a bottle. Made from a blend of Grenache Noir, Syrah and Mourvedre and aged in oak for up to 18 months, this is a really lovely red with soft blackcurrant fruit and gymnast-supple tannins (the teabag-like stuff that gives wine backbone and makes you suck your teeth a little or a lot depending on how big the tannins are). Put it with lasagne and you have yourself the culinary equivalent of a cuddle.
Happy New Year xLabels: 2008, 2010, Chardonnay, Cotes du Rhone, France, Gisborne, grenache, Mourvedre, New Zealand, red wine, Syrah, Waitrose, white wine