New Year Wine

Is the expected wine to have Champagne, or a sparkling wine - is this the traditional beverage that has been handed down over the generations?

Once again, as I always say - whatever goes! Its your wine, your money and therefore you choice. Personally I absolutely love champagne in the right atmosphere and the correct type. My personal favorite is the Taittinger Comptes de Champagne (spelling open to correction), which I had the opportunity of tasting and savoring on numerous occasions - by virtue of my position as one of the sommeliers aboard a large cruise liner. Funnily enough I still do not drink that much champagne or sparkling wine, but given the opportunity I will definitely have some of that. I have found a very interesting and helpful website to help search for your favorite wines, and based upon the 1998 vintage of the above mentioned I saw that the availability of this wine starts off at $99. For whatever you might be looking for this site might help Wine Searcher for any wine you may be battling to get hold of.

Perhaps this might be a bit dry for you, in which instance you would be suggested to go for the semi sweet (or what might be termed demi sec). And if you choose to stay with the Asti then go for it!!!

Drink what you want, when you want, just enjoy it and drink responsibly! Bring on 2009, all the best to everyone.

Questions

Please pose any questions that you may have, if I cannot answer immediately I will research the question and as qualified answer as possible...

Don't be afraid

Wine is not the reserve of the wealthy or the aristocracy.....

Wine is meant to be enjoyed by all, and one is not limited to what the experts call correct matching and food and wine pairing. The main idea is to find a wine that you enjoy and then find the food that goes well with that, or even not. The point is you are paying for the wine, so you might as well enjoy it!

Too many people are afraid of being seen as uneducated in terms of, but instead of trying they tend to shy away and never truly discover the joy of wine. Wine is meant to be enjoyed and there is a wine for any occasion and to suit any palette. You will never know unless you seek that wine and once discovered you will be able to enjoy it and share with it others.

If you are new to wine, take your time and start with something simple and progress to the more complex wines, enjoy the journey because it is a lifelong quest and there is something new to learn everyday. Most importantly is to savor each and every sip....