There are five days to New Year’s Eve, and perhaps some wine lovers among us are still deciding which spicy wine to say Hello to 2021 and goodbye, to hopefully, until 2020. For most of us, that turn of the calendar year couldn’t happen soon or soon enough.
So let me cut to the chase, and be quick about it.
I’ll start with the three main endings of blind taste that my husband and I set up a few weeks ago along with two other couples in our pod during COVID, all of them enthusiastic wine buyers with a particular curiosity around on Champagne and spicy wine. We tasted six sparkling wines and, although I was the only one who knew the order, logos and price points of the samples, each of us pointed out our options for too long.
getty
Favorite one, of course? Grande Cuvée 168th Champagne Krug ($ 180), with Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve as the second favorite ($ 50). Tasters identified the 2014 Domaine Carneros Extra Brut from Taittinger ($ 35) as the most attractive curved ball in the lineup, especially since it was from California rather than France and because it was an old bottle It was very fashionable with a little age. I can confirm that the tasters in the group were looking for and buying each of these three wines afterwards, for the various reasons you would expect: it was unique and unexpected , or it was the right price point, or it was a very special bottle for eagerly awaiting an event, or it was a combination of all three.
These three wines, and all three of these reasons, are a very reasonable place to start as you choose a spicy wine or two to brew on New Year’s Eve. Here are three more considerations to keep in mind when wine lovers decline in 2020.
Leading 2020 Takeaway, Part One: NA Drinks as an Option
Since Thanksgiving Day at the end of November, I’ve been posting a #wineaday option on my Instagram page that is somehow speaking of an important event this year in the world of wine, no matter what. that on mourning the premature death of a winemaker or recognizing the global impacts affecting the industry, from COVID to wildfires to tariffs. (The last post of the series is scheduled for December 31. I promise it will be Champagne or another spicy wine.) From the beginning I allowed non-alcoholic beverages (or NA) as an alternative to some these days, “partly to the point of changing their consumption partly and partly because the staying power of the weird movement has proven itself in 2020. The success of UN drinks itself is a topic worth considering, especially for an industry with alcohol at its heart. ”
That’s all to say just because it’s New Year’s Eve, and just because traditionally when we open a few bottles of wine, that doesn’t mean you have to. You have options. And, as I discovered through the #wineaday series, there were some very imaginative and wise ones at that.
Leading 2020 Takeaway, Part Two: Messenger Service as a difference
With such a large percentage of wine purchases moving online this year, retailers and windai themselves have had to build their game in terms of e-commerce and messenger service. For the most part, that has been good news for consumers. If you’ve developed a relationship with store or winery employees this past year to go the way to fulfilling your requests, consider showcasing your value this week with a special, more affordable purchase. usual.
Final note on price points
It won’t take long to realize that price points for Champagne and some high-flavored flavored wines can be high and, this year more than most, wine budgets may be tighter. You will want to get the most value for your money. Here’s a tip for the language or specifications to look out for when choosing a New Year’s Eve drink from the Champagne region itself: Récoltants Manipulants, which make Champagne using only grains grown in the wines- their own gardens, and Coopératives Manipulants, which are large groups of Champagne growers who gather their resources to achieve economies of scale and still make great wine.
If you have trouble finding that brand, ask your reseller who is targeting a courier service (see second point above).