Posts Tagged ‘wine journal’

Do you know what you want on your 2012 wine list? It can be a tough choice – especially if you don’t ever plan what you intend to drink this year.

Indeed, many people don’t ever bother to plan with a list. Rather, they end up drinking whatever bottle suits them at the time. There is nothing wrong with picking up a bottle whenever you feel like it, but a wine list can be extremely useful if you are interested in trying new vineyard vintages or flavors you have never experienced before.

Start by obtaining a wine journal so you can better chronicle your 2012 experiences. Do some research – if necessary – to find out which wines you want to try this year and how and where you will have to obtain them. You can fill out your wine journal early with the names of the wines and other small pieces of information. This way you have your list handy and you know which bottle to try next. As you sample bottles, you can add in additional details like aroma, flavor, and more.

Lists are extra handy because then you’ll know which bottles you have tried and which you didn’t particularly like. That way you won’t have to worry about accidentally buying the same bottle again!

Looking for ways to keep track of the bottles you’ve enjoyed? A wine journal is exactly what you need in order to remember which vineyard made the best merlot and which chardonnay simply did not work with your swordfish dinner. There are several ways you can keep a wine journal. You could buy a blank journal and create your own format as you try different bottles, or you can purchase a journal made specifically for wine lovers.

Moleskine makes Passions journals tailored to the loves that people have. Their wine journal is an excellent way to keep track of your wine, allowing for places where you can record all sorts of notes, include pictures, and customize it in various different ways.

Kevin Zraly is all about wine. It’s a larger book with more room for larger pictures and space for writing. Great to keep at home, but because of it’s size and hardcover design, it’s not really made for traveling.

If you want something even smaller than the Moleskine, the Little Black Journal of Wine is a good choice. The elastic band keeps it shut and you have plenty of different note areas you can write in. Because of its smaller size, you may have to write smaller to get all your thoughts in!

So, what did you drink on New Year’s Eve? There were plenty of choices, to be sure. No doubt wine fans enjoyed a lovely bottle of bubbly Champagne. Other people chose their heartfelt favorites, be it a bottle of Merlot or Chardonnay. Did you make sure to have a toast? Did you sing “Auld Lang Syne” and raise a glass?

Well, now it’s a new year, so what kind of wine should you drink in 2012? There are several ways you could go about choosing and perhaps finding some new favorites in the process.

Get a wine journal. Last year, if you didn’t have a wine journal but enjoyed several bottles of wine, then this is an excellent way to track your samplings. That way you’ll know which bottles were excellent and which didn’t suit your fancy.

Look into local vineyards. Going to the store and buying a few bottles is nice. Visiting a local vineyard, having a tour, a tasting, and then buying a few bottles is even better! Likewise, you’re supporting a local business which is always a plus.

Afraid to try something? Try it. You never know, and besides, what do you have to be afraid of? If you have friends that enjoy wine and realize you’ve picked a bottle you don’t like, host a game night and let everyone else drink it up while you enjoy their company and have a great time.

Wine tasting can be a simple matter of enjoyment.  You visit a vineyard, taste some wine, decide which one you like the best, perhaps purchase a bottle, and return home to enjoy a bit of the vineyard in your dining room.  But for other people, wine tasting isn’t just about enjoying a good bottle.  It’s about discovery and knowing more about wineries and their creations.  It’s about what you taste in each mouthful.  That’s precisely where a wine journal can come in.

Wine journals vary in their style and how they are set up.  Most, however, will contain many of the same elements for you to record:

Date

Location

Wine Name

Producer

Vintage

Appearance

Aroma

Taste

These may be organized into different recording methods, from having boxes to check to allowing you lines to write on.  Take some time perusing different wine journals to decide upon the one you like the most.  Remember, you should also choose one that speaks to you; how portable do you want it?  How do you want to record your wines?

A wine journal can be an excellent way of remembering wines you loved and which ones simply didn’t work out for you.