By Malcolm Jolley

The Long Way Home is an impressive, rich, and powerful yet lean wine, like a long-distance runner. Crisp and citrus with food-friendly acidity, but tempered with a luxurious touch of custard cream.

Hearty seasonal dishes invariably pair well with wine, both important components of winter survival. But some dishes don’t just go with wine, wine goes into them as well.

The news of the wine world coming into 2024 is grim. Luckily, the wine industry is remarkably adept at change. Trends come and go. And so does technology and new techniques.

Like any natural process, though, Damp January can be helped along. Here are three strategies to further reduce the mass of alcohol molecules circulating around the body between now and the end of January—or whenever you’d like.

There are no pictures of pretty winos, or pretty wine labels, or, for that matter, pretty words, that can make up for a swallow of a good gulp of wine or a clink of glasses with an old friend.

Holiday shoppers should take note that the new edition of The Oxford Companion to Wine is an ideal present for those curious about wine, including one’s self.

Brunello di Montalcino is one of Italy’s “Big B” success stories. The resurgence of the Brunello clone of the Sangiovese grape in this small wine region has never slowed down—demand continues to outstrip supply and prices rise correspondently.

Xavier arrived in Provence in the 1990s as an outsider. He was from the North of France and had worked in Champagne and Bordeaux. He wasn’t a farmer by training, or even the son of a farmer; he was (is) a scientist. Not held back by tradition, he is happy to experiment.

Life is short and the list of wines is long. If you prefer to drink white with dinner once in a while, or every time, then know you are in good company and of sound reason. 

Five wines well worth seeking out: 2019 Charles Baker Riesling, 2020 Quinta da Boa Esperança Aristo Branco, 2019 Quinta do Cardo Tinto, 2019 St. John Claret, and 2019 Boulevard Napoleon Carignan.