Annually, more than 40% of retail wine sales occur in the months of November and December. When one factors in holiday gift giving, parties, and general merry making, this robust figure begins to make sense … or does it? I sometimes wonder what people, and especially ardent wine drinkers, consume the rest of the year. Unfortunately, the answer is all too clear.
Most wine drinkers are on a budget and are understandably afraid to take a chance on an unfamiliar label. Consequently, they resort to purchasing inexpensive commercial brands of wine on sale. On rare special occasions they’ll splurge and buy an expensive bottle of wine with some degree of name recognition. Sadly, that expensive bottle of wine will likely be too young for present consumption, yet it will be consumed within a week of purchase. In essence, most people drink a label and a price tag and end up paying too much or too little for wine that fails to impress. Moreover, they deprive themselves of the many fine, affordable wines on the market that lay next to a label that everyone knows and can pronounce. In truth, fine wine can occasionally be had for as little as $10.00/bottle, and there is no shortage of outstanding offerings that sell for $15.00-$50.00 per bottle. These undiscovered treasures come from all over the world, and yes, indeed, their names will likely not be on the tip of everyone’s tongue. That’s a good sign. So this New Year, my sincere wish is that every wine drinker branch out to discover that hidden treasure.
A Votre Santé!
Don
November presented me with some especially tough choices. I really enjoyed the 2005 Croze Cabernet Sauvignon (November’s other feature), but since 
Meanwhile, Pasanau’s 2008 Ceps Nous sheds a new light on Priorat, a wine that is enjoying considerable favor at the moment. Priorats are full-bodied Spanish wines that offer tremendous flavor, but they can at times be tough and brooding, especially when young. Conversely, Ceps Nous offers our members an authentic Priorat experience without having to wait years for enjoyment. There is a certain sophistication in Ceps Nous, too, that is absent in many other Priorats. Moreover, the 2008 Ceps Nous will continue to improve in bottle for years to come, which excites me.