It's often a week where people try to start their lives fresh again.
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Remove those old habits, quit smoking, start running, go to the gym.
Normally those ambitions are buried in the bottom of a draw by February along with the new active wear you thought would be a great idea for that little extra spark of motivation.
It doesn't all need to be about shedding kilos and reading books, upping your wine game can be just as important.
Don't forget what you do know about wine just keep your mind open to new ideas and revisiting old ones.
Visit a cellar door
The amount of people in Orange who haven't bothered to ever visit a local cellar door is astounding.
Autopilot appears to be the trend as people just head to Dan Murphy's for convenience and their good old trusty Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough, New Zealand.
Sure you may have tried some of the local offerings a few years back, but things have changed dramatically recently, Orange is becoming bigger and better than ever before and there are some new producers who definitely need trying.
Go to another wine region
Obviously dependent on lockdowns, but its important to remember that Australia has a plethora of other wine regions to discover. Its a day trip to Mudgee, spend a weekend in the Hunter Valley or even visit the Nations Capital and learn there is more than ScoMo and roundabouts.
As borders reopen and hopefully stay that way a trip interstate to some completely different areas is almost a must.
When you find those wines you absolutely love get the winery to ship it back to your home as opposed to taking up room in the car.
Try a fancy glass
This is a big hurdle for people to get their head around. Its wine, it doesn't matter what glass it comes from, it all tastes the same.
The amount of times I have heard that line is infinite.
The fun part is taking the exact same wine and putting it in two completely different glasses and then blind tasting a non-believer.
If you're looking to upgrade your homes glassware look to Riedel, Plumm, Speigelau or Zalto for some remarkable offering. The right glass for the right wine can make an incredible difference.
Try the same varietal from two different regions
Do you always buy the same varietal from the same region?
For your next dinner party still grab your favourite, but perhaps also try the same varietal from another region as well.
Don't show your guests which wine is which and see which one they prefer. You may find a new favourite and learn a few things on the way.
David Collins is the restaurant manager and sommelier at Charred, he has been studying wine and the wine industry for several years and will write a wine column for the Central Western Daily every second week.
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