Your 2026 Wine Challenge
12 wines. 12 months.
What if your goal for 2026 was to drink more wine?
Quite the opposite of the usual Dry January push that happens this time of year, but hear me out.
When I say drinking more, I don’t mean doubling your usual quantity. (Because I’m in my thirties and I’m oh-so-over hangovers.) I mean drinking more types of wines. What if the challenge was to drink more thoughtfully? What if you dedicated this year to expanding your palate—and your mind?
Be honest with yourself: how many times have you perused a wine shop and felt frustrated that you couldn’t understand the labels? Wouldn’t it be nice to open a wine menu and finally know what to look for and order a bottle confidently?
This is what this challenge is meant to do. Over the course of twelve months you will try twelve new bottles of wine that you’ve (hopefully) never tried before. Each month I’ll publish an explainer on that wine diving even deeper so you can learn a little more about it as you sip at home.
All you have to do is find the listed type of wine each month! Head to your local wine shop, or you can order a bottle online. The producer and vintage (year) do not matter for our purposes; just grab what’s available to you in a price range you are comfortable with.
Can’t find the wine? I’ll provide links each month to make ordering easier!
The Wines for 2026
Here’s a list of the wines we’ll be diving into, divided by each month of the year! Feel free to save this image or save this Substack post for future reference.
January: Crozes-Hermitage (Northern Rhône Valley, France)
February: Blaufränkisch Rosé (Austria), or Lemberger Rosé (Finger Lakes, NY)
March: Pouilly-Fuissé (Burgundy, France)
April: Txakoli (Basque Country, Spain)
May: Etna Rosso (Sicily, Italy)
June: Pétillant Naturel “Pet Nat” (Any kind!)
July: Rias Baixas (Galicia, Spain)
August: Sciaccarellu or Corse Rouge AOC (Corsica, France)
September: Jurançon Sec (Southwest France)
October: Spätburgunder (Germany)
November: Gigondas (Southern Rhône Valley, France)
December: Franciacorta (Lombardy, Italy)
Take your own cellar notes
Once you have the bottle, here are a few of the questions I like to ask myself when I’m tasting a new wine:
What did I like or not like about this wine?
What particular flavors am I getting? Fruits, veggies, flowers, minerals, baked goods…try to identify five!
What does this type of wine remind me of? Have I had something like it before?
What kind of food would I pair with this?
Questions about what you’re tasting?
You can always comment on a post, or reach out to me via the Substack app! Subscribers can hop in the group chat and ask any questions they want. Consider me your pocket sommelier—I’m here to help!
