Why I said, "No!" to Dry January

I keep wondering about the confluence of a few things this past month, among them, the convergence of what feels like a world on fire with the observation of Dry January.

There are a number of reasons I have typically jettisoned embracing Dry January, but this year the tumult in the world order ranks newly and highly among them. The words of CNN journalist Kaitlan Collins in a recent social media post resonate: January should come with a warning label. Hear, hear. The mere thought of forgoing wine this past month felt like the cruelest of jokes concocted by puritanical teetotalers.

But I have also typically rejected Dry January because it feels like a corrective action for having done something wrong over the previous 11 months – namely, the overconsumption of alcohol.

There is no doubt that many people who drink too much alcohol benefit immensely from taking a break from imbibing. And maybe that break even opens an aperture to reconsider falling back into that same pattern as February commences. It’s a worthy challenge that can benefit some people.

But as I gathered with friends for dinner in late January and three of us shared an impeccable bottle of Napa Cabernet from a favorite producer – thanks Charles Krug – to accompany our grass-fed filets, that bottle of wine was also an incredible accompaniment to some quality time of friendship and laughter and sharing.

The new wave of anti-booze evangelism has its place, but like the door-to-door evangelists that show up at my home and disrupt a beautiful weekend afternoon, please go away. The stressors of life are a bit too much as of late and if I choose to enjoy a glass of quaffable rosé in the afternoon or a glass of opulent red burgundy with the braised short ribs over which I labored for many hours, please let me be. I am celebrating existence in the midst of what at times feels like existential dread. Or in better moments, relishing in frivolity and the love of dear ones over elevated sustenance.

At the same time, there is an undeniable and demonstrable shift in consumer preferences toward low- and no-alcohol cocktails, wine, beer, and spirits. We ought not deny it, and we certainly shouldn’t cast shade on those producers seeking to create new products that respond to consumer preferences. In fact, specifically for wine, failing to respond in some way to this monumental shift would be folly given the precarious state of the industry.

But as a wine lover, I don’t want to push wine out of my life for a month because some study generalizes about alcohol consumption, failing to appreciate the nuances of different types of alcohol. For example, plenty of competing studies demonstrate the health benefits of drinking a glass of red wine each day. But it’s on me to drink responsibly and in moderation, recognizing this is easier for some than for others.

And so… Dear Dry January… sayonara. And as we usher in February, and celebrate Valentine’s Day, allow me to participate in my own permutation of evangelism and recommend a few wines that I fell in love with and offer for your consideration. May they sustain you and lift you up, dear readers, in these tempestuous times.

As always, Salud!

Charles Krug 2023 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

This is truly one of the last great values to be found when it comes to 100 percent Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and frankly, it’s a conundrum as to how they can continue to create such a stellar bottling year after year at this price point. However, we ought not complain. I recently found the 2021 vintage at a local grocery (with an impeccable wine buyer) for just over $30 and the 2023 vintage is available at charleskrug.com/shop for $42. It has also become a favorite of restaurant wine programs as a by-the-glass option, delivering the Napa pedigree but way above the price point.

Fruit from five of the Mondavi family’s estates in Yountville merge wonderfully in this wine, which of course can be cellared away, but really is meant to be drunk upon release. Opaque and deeply hued in the glass, aromas of ripe blue and black brambles emerge as do hints of oak, eucalyptus, and forest floor. On the palate, restrained tannins with layers of that same fruit and judicious aging in used French Oak deliver exactly what you want from a Napa Cab. Enjoy with friends and a perfectly prepared Steak Frites – as I did in the above referenced dinner!

McCollum 2023 Heritage 91 Rosé

A new-to-me producer in 2025 was Oregon-based McCollum Heritage 91 when they poured at the annual Santa Fe Wine & Chile Fiesta (and on whose Board of Directors I serve, for full disclosure). McCollum Heritage 91 was founded in 2020 by professional basketball player CJ McCollum along with his wife Elise and while he was still playing for the Portland Trailblazers (McCollum currently plays with the Atlanta Hawks).They established an early partnership with Adelsheim Vineyard and in 2021, the couple purchased a 318-acre vineyard in Yamhill-Carlton AVA of the Willamette Valley.

The 2023 Rosé is not your average rosé. A deep salmon color hints that we have some prolonged skin contact with 100 percent Pinot Noir fruit from the Chehalem Mountains. Aromas of strawberry and a bit of earth on the nose, flavors of tart pomegranate arils, cranberry, bursting ripe strawberries, and bright acidity with a long finish, this was easily one of my favorite rosés of 2025. Enjoy on its own or a perfect match to stand up to a shrimp cocktail with a piquant, spiced cocktail sauce.