Happy Friday,

I hate to say it, but wine can get boring.

And yes, that’s coming from the guy who talks about wine every week.

But for me, wine rarely feels routine.

That’s because I practice 3 strategies to keep my wine experiences new and exciting.

So, if you feel your wine journey flatlining, these techniques will put more life in your glass.

Be like Ron Burgundy and tell everyone how into wine you are.

1. Tell People You’re Into Wine

Outside of snobs, wine people love other wine people.

When you tell someone you are into wine, you watch their eyes light up.

That’s because, everyone has a wine story.

• It’s a honeymoon.
• It’s a special bottle from their grandpa
• It’s a brother’s ex-girlfriend who makes wine in South Africa.

Wine is about connection, and don’t forget to use that ability to discover new wines from other people’s wine stories.

Dodge your favorite wines and find the unexpected in the same wine region.

2. Zig Where Others Zag

Everyone loves an underdog. So, you should seek the also-ran of your favorite wine regions.

These wines are criminally underrepresented in wine shops, but still available. So part of the fun is seeking them out.

Check out these 3 underrated white wines in predominantly red regions.

Côte-du-Rhône Reds ➡️ Try Their Whites Wines

The inexpensive ones are typically blends of Marsanne, Rousanne and Viognier. They smell and taste wonderful, and have less acidity than typically whites.

Bordeaux Reds ➡️ Try Sauternes and White Bordeaux

Sauternes is a fantastic sweet, dessert wine and my favorite way to finish a meal.

White Bordeaux is typically a blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Muscadelle. Again, these have a bit lower acid than traditional Savy-B and tend to be light and flowery.

Piemonte Reds: Barolo and Barbaresco ➡️ Try Moscato d’Asti and Gavi

Moscato d’Asti is not just for grandma. Lots of acidity, some bubbles and sweetness and loads of aromas. It’s a great summer treat.

Gavi is a wine region that makes delicious white wine from the Cortese grape. You’ll see bottles labeled Gavi, Gavi di Gavi or Cortese di Gavi. Italian wine is hard.

Search fo under-represented wines in stores and on wine lists. There’s magic in the little guys, and you’ll be rewarded.

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You deserve a break from the ordinary wine experience. Treat yo self!

3. Reinvent Your Wine Experience

Changing your wine routine can awaken your senses and help you experience wines as new again.

Here are three simple ways to change your wine experience.

Temperature Check – The 15 Minute Rule

If you’re keeping your reds on a rack in your house and your whites in your fridge, they are too warm or too cold.

Chill your reds for 15 minutes and take your white wine out of the fridge for the same amount of time before enjoying.

Take Your Favorite Wine Out To Dinner

Leave home, pay the corkage fee and enjoy your favorite wine at your favorite restaurant. It will heighten the experience and get you off your couch.

S-Factor

Instead of firing up Netflix and gulping down your bottle, remember some of the S’s before each taste.

See – Look at the color of the wine.

Swirl – Spin it in your glass to release the aromas

Smell – Stick your nose it and get a whiff

Swish – Coat your entire mouth with wine. Covering your taste receptors.

Honestly, it’s hard to do all of them each time when starting. So focus on just one to slow down your experience.

Now say it 5 times fast: SeeSwirlSmellSwish

Three Techniques to Keep Wine New and Exciting

1. Talk about your love of wine
2. Try lesser known wines from famous wine regions
3. Get out of your routine and mix up your wine experience

Do these regularly and wine will never be boring.

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This Week’s Free-Run Juice

• free-run juice is a wine term for the grape juice that comes from their own weight prior to pressing. These are weekly tidbits that came out from my own wine reading.

Durand – Worth The Squeeze?

The vast majority of us aren’t opening old wine bottles on the regular. Ability to age and long-term storage are after thoughts for beginning wine drinkers.

But, there will come a time when you’ll fail to open a stubborn cork on an older bottle of wine.

The Durand is a great gift that a wine lover might never need, but it’s like insurance.

If you can’t afford the $145 price tag, then you should at least buy yourself a great wine key and an ah-so wine opener.

Andre Mack Tastes Celebrity Wines

Andre Mack has one of the best approaches to wine on the internet. He’s super knowledgeable, and I’m incredibly impressed with how much wine information is in this video.

Like I say, understanding wine marketing is an important factor for wine beginners.

So, let Andre guide you through the traps of some of these bottles with famous faces behind them.