The idea for this article popped into my head following a conversation during the day and as it is past 2am I'll try to keep it short(ish) else I won't finish it and I won't post anything! Here goes....
During the week, I often feel like enjoying a glass of wine - this is especially true after a stressful day at work. However, before I really got savvy about my wine buying I used to stare at my wine racks saying "not tonight, that's too expensive". The majority of my wine collection was always expensive stuff I had seen and bought or coveted and bought; none of it stuff that one could just open on a whim.
Because of this I began another wine rack just for "weekday wines". I refuse to use the term "quaffing wine" when describing these as I absolutely 100% abhor the context in which it is always used. You shouldn't just buy wine because it is cheap and alright...no matter how much you spend on a bottle, it should be because you want THAT bottle. Drinking wine can be sheer joy or a form of punishment and I submit to you that if you just think before buying, then it can always be the former...
If you are a student and all you can afford is the cheapest bottle from the corner shop then fine. But if you are an adult with a paying job then you should think that you deserve better. If you usually buy wine at £4 a bottle...spend a couple or a few pounds more and buy something better. Go to your local independent wine merchant or wine retailer and ask for help. If you are reading this then I shall assume you have the internet! Read read read! Get on YouTube and watch videos about choosing wines, read books!
Anyone who knows anything about wine now started off knowing nothing!
Do when it comes to buying wine for during the week you need to think about what you like and what you might like!
What I mean is; for example you know the weather is set to be hot, make sure you have a fresh summery white or rose in the fridge ready to go. If it's set to be cold or gloomy, have a couple of nice comforting reds in your rack to chose from - this way, you can come home and have a glass.
I hate the feeling of fancying a white wine and knowing there won't be one already cold at home; so I always keep at least 1 in the fridge, and I'm the kind of guy that always has a bottle of champagne in there too! (Sometimes the celebration is something as simple as opening a bottle of champagne). But because white wine is such a pain to always have cold, most of my weekday wines are red.
If you are going to start your own "weekday rack" I would recommend getting at least 12 bottles initially and then top up as you go along.
2 - Spanish reds
2 - French reds
2 - Australian reds
2 - New Zealand Sauvignons
2 - New/Old world Chardonnays
2 - Sparkling wines
I will cover this subject further in part II which I will write as soon as I can!
