New Year Resolution

I, for one, am tired of making New Year resolutions which hardly are still being honored up by the time the Super Bowl is played five weeks later. So, here this thought.

First of all, to many of these “resolutions” are of the NOT variety. I shall NOT eat as much. I shall NOT drink as much. Or the one, many years ago, caused the number 7 to have line through it (in most countries, but not in America) when Moses was writing the ten commandments and on number seven God said “Thou shall NOT covet thy neighbor’s wife” and all of the folks at the base of the mount yelled, strike it, strike it! Now you know why the number 7 normally has a line through it.

Seriously, why not be pro-active this year on your resolutions? Instead of saying NO you will not do something, say something positive and follow up. Much easier and I think, more rewarding. So here is our short list.

Based upon our review of attending fifteen wine festivals in 2009, our #1 resolutions, if we were you

1.    Attend a wine festival; at least one in your area and one that involves a weekend stay

2.   Try a bottle of a grape varietal that you have not tried before

3.   Open and drink a “sparkling” for NO good reason at all

4.   Visit a winery when you are traveling but not in CA, WA or OR

5.   Help us build the best web site about wine festivals

        a. Email us with forthcoming wine festivals you

            read about

        b. Join us by writing a blog about a wine festival

            you attended

        c. Add to our list (coming soon) of enjoyable

            cheap wines

        d. Patronize restaurants that have dropped their
      corkage fees

Well, there you have it. Including the sub-sections, you have nine positive things you can resolve to do in 2010. We leave you with one resolution to make on your own to round the list to a perfect 10. 

2009 Wine Festivals

Here at winefestnews.com we have had the enormous privilege of attending over two dozen wine festivals around the USA in 2009. Let the record show, there is no such thing as a bad wine festival.

Some fests are low keyed and probably not up to the ritzy standard of the Naples Winter Wine Festival ($7,500 for a couple is the going admission price!) On the other hand, all do raise money for charity and with the proper frame of mind are a hoot.

Let’s say you decide to take the plunge in 2010 and take in a wine festival NOT in your immediate backyard. First, figure out when you wish to get away for the weekend or maybe even a longer stay. Second, take a look at our web site so you can pick out what wine festivals are happening around the country and the world for that special weekend. As a footnote, we had almost 300 wine festivals listed on our site in 2009. (Remember, we distinguish a wine festival from a wine event by the length of the time. A festival is more than one day and, of course, an event is only one day.)

As in most things in life, the earlier you plan and book the more you will probably save. We saw many festivals sending out Christmas emails with super discounts for tickets to their festival if bought as a present during the holidays. We give you link to each wine festival at our site, so jump over and see about tickets and recommended hotels. Select the seminars, dinners and tastings that fit your budget and desires and book them. Reserve the hotel and make those airline reservations. Save money for cabs since you really don’t wish to drive during a couple of days of great wine tastings.

So you are now ready to attend an away wine festival. From our experiences in 2009, those that are low keyed and still lots of fun, but allow more time to roam about and do other things around the location would be the likes of those in Washington DC, Stowe, Taste of Miami, Bodega Bay and Hudson Valley.

On the other hand, our local SW FL Wine & Food Festival is a jammed packed festival, but because it happens in the height of our tourist season, it is equally delightful to plan a few extra days and take in the great sunshine and attractions in Southwest Florida. This would also be great advice should you decide to attend the Sarasota festival up the road from us down here in Naples.

Of course, we would certainly say that the likes of Charleston in So Carolina, the Central Coast festival in California, NOWFE in New Orleans and the San Diego festival are over the top. Not only can your days be filed with merriment, but plan on a least a day to recover your stamina when you return from the likes of these.

Winery Tasting Room of the Month