13 Wines I’d like to become better friends with in 2016 (aka Wine Goals)

Eat less.  Move more.  Drink something new. Ta-da!  My goals for 2016.  They may not seem like much, but that’s my design.  I don’t make resolutions — they’re a waste of time for me.  You learn a lot about yourself as you get older, and I know I’m not good at resolutions (me, and Garfield).  I just don’t see the point in spending a bunch of mental energy making a list of things I know I won’t really do.  Instead, I try to write-down a few small, reasonable goals.  They’re not especially measurable, but they’re reasonable.  Ish. Eat less, move more.   After the excesses of the holiday season (I tossed the rest of the fudge yesterday because I. just. can’t. anymore), I feel like I need a kale cleanse and a personal trainer.  But I know that won’t happen.  So . . . eat less, move more.  I purged the cookies from the house (even the ones I hid from the kids).  And I’m pretty good about going to the gym.  Though I’ll probably opt-outside for the next couple of weeks so I don’t have to compete with the resolution crowd for a treadmill.  After that, the gym will taper back to the regular early morning crew — me, the guy who reads the newspaper (the whole newspaper) while he bikes, the woman who has a really weird (and probably unhealthy) relationship with the spin bike, and Walter White (OK, he’s probably not really Walter White, but I might know where you can score some Blue). Drink something new.   I’ve been studying for my CSW (Certified Specialist of Wine) exam, and as I wade through the material, I’ve been making a list of wines I’d like to become better friends with in 2016, aka Wine Goals:

1. Crémant.  Because Champagne doesn’t have the monopoly on Bubbles.
2. English sparkling wine.  Because climate change.
3. Central Otago Pinot Noir.  Drink outside my Pinot comfort zone.
4. Loire Valley.  The whole valley.
5. Sherry.  Put sticky notes everywhere so I stop forgetting about it.
6. Village level Burgundies.  Find some more that are kind-ish to my wallet.
7. Portuguese whites.  This needs to happen more often.
8. South African Steen.  If for no other reason than it sounds really cool to say I’m drinking Steen.
9. Barbera, Barbaresco, and Chianti.  I have zero of these in my cellar.  Zero.  I know, it’s embarrassing.
10. Sassicaia.  Just so I can say I’ve tried one.
11. Clare Valley Riesling.  It’s OK to step outside Germany once in a while.
12. Norton.  Find one I like.
13. Pick up the phone and call Merlot.  We were friends once, we can be friends again.

I’m pretty sure my wine goals are going to be a lot more fun (and maybe even more reasonable) than my eating and moving goals.  What about you?  Any Wine Goals for 2016? Salud!