Toast to 2025 + 10 Wine Resolutions Worth Sipping On

As December winds down and a new year begins, it’s a fantastic time for toasting to a fresh, new start and brand-new adventures—both in life and in your glass. Whether it’s discovering a wine region you’ve never explored, choosing a cocktail that uses a spirit you know next to nothing about, or simply stepping out of your bubble of comfort zone, the joy of trying something unexpected is what keeps life (and your palate) exciting… and don’t forget to bring Shall We Wine with you!

Just the jump from 2019 to 2025 alone probably feels like a big jolt and you may feel like you’ve lived 100 lives since then, but remember that even when the road gets bumpy, there’s always something worth celebrating. Here’s a roundup of 10 wine resolutions to cheers to the end of the year and the phenomenal year ahead of us! Let’s honor curiosity, exploration, and all the delicious surprises waiting to be uncorked:

Switch Up Your Go-To Cocktails with a Seasonal Twist
Turn your tried-and-true classics into seasonal stars by adding an ingredient well-suited for the season. Check out resources like the Seasonal Food Guide to get some inspiration for what to look for in your area. For example, this winter you could think of blood orange Margaritas, rosemary-infused Gin and Tonics, or spiced apple or even pomegranate Old Fashioneds. It’s the same cocktails you’ve come to love—just dressed for a different occasion.
New Year, New Sips: Discover What’s Next
Expand your palate and shake things up. Explore wine regions you’ve never tasted or know little about—trade your favorite French bottle for the evening and look to Australia or South Africa or something domestic to the USA (and all in-between), swap your typical Chardonnay selection for Sicily’s vibrant volcanic whites. Do a deep into Languedoc, and beyond. Try global sips like smoky Mezcal, floral Shochu, robust Calvados, or honeyed Mead to bring a fresh twist to your home bar. The key is doing something different!

Looking for a place to start? Check out the SWW Holiday Gift Guide for stellar picks and our continued blog updates for the latest suggestions. Make sure you’re signed up for the Shall We Wine newsletter for the most up-to-date picks and to receive your own FREE SWW Baller On A Budget Sparkling Wine Guide.

Our holiday gift guide is a fabulous place to start

Commit to Pairing Wine with Weeknight Meals
Don’t save the wine for weekends! That Tuesday night takeout (like a night like this) or random Wednesday lasagna bake deserves pairings just as much as a holiday feast. A zippy Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Noir with the quick weekday air fryer dinner or something sweet for that fun little dessert binge can turn an ordinary meal into a mini celebration. Or, you can ditch home altogether and venture to a local restaurant for a casual dinner with lovely wine options (like this one) or pick a comforting BYOB spot to try any of these wines.

Check out our latest feature on WGN’s Spotlight Chicago

Host a Blind Wine Tasting Party
Gather friends, brown bag a selection of bottles, and test your taste buds in a blind tasting. It’s a fun way to disregard labels (and preconceived notions) while learning what you really love—spoiler alert: price tags might surprise you. Dig deeper and even theme the party! Some ideas to get you started: a Women Trailblazers theme, Eco-Friendly Sips theme, or even a Just Rosés theme. Like the saying goes, the world is your oyster!

Tip: If you’re super indecisive like yours truly and want to take the guessing game out of choosing a group of wines to start with, you can look at our many SWW selections from the newsletter, blog, and so much more (you can start here with these baller on a budget friendly finds). Or, you can go all in and have your shop pick for you! Many of your local wine shops are already familiar with people wanting to host parties like this. Give them a (reasonable) price range and any other parameters you might think of, and they’ll bag up the selections for you so even you yourself don’t know what the wines are.

Upgrade Your Pour Game + Stock Your Home Bar with Essentials
Ready to level up? Take your wine and cocktail game up a notch with the right tools and glassware. A Burgundy glass brings out rich aromatics, while a flute keeps your bubbles effervescent—because great wine deserves a proper stage. Stock your bar with essentials like bitters, quality mixers, fresh citrus, and versatile spirits to stay ready for impromptu guests or solo happy hours. Want to create the perfect setup but don’t know where to start? This is a great place to start for the essentials. If you need help brainstorming for a celebratory reason, here’s some fun wines to pair along right with them!

Take a Deep Dive into a Single Grape Variety
If trying to learn too many things at once seems overwhelming, pick one grape at a time and explore its many expressions. Dive into Riesling’s spectrum, from dry to sweet, or discover how Syrah changes from the peppery Rhône to the fruity depths of Australian Shiraz. You’ll learn how terroir and winemaking styles transform the same grape. You can even do a side-by-side comparison of different price points.

It’s a great reason to region hop in terms of wine sips. Try different wines of the same grape from alternative wine regions. Chenin Blanc from South Africa vs. France. Riesling from the United States vs. Germany. Not only is it great for discoveries which can be more bang-for-your-buck, but you might also fall in love with a wine you could have sworn you hated! Don’t nix a wine category altogether after one bad experience. You might learn something.

Bucket-List Wines + Destinations
Dream big this year—whether it’s Sonoma, Tuscany, or the Douro Valley, there’s nothing like sipping wine where it’s made. Think Napa, Paso Robles, Valdobbiadene, Vinhos Verdes… and so many more! If international travel isn’t on the menu, plan a domestic flight (or a road trip if you’re nearby) to wine country for a taste of adventure.

What I love about food and wine is the magical ability to transport you to another place. While we might dream of frequent globe-trotting, our wallets often have other plans. But that doesn’t mean we can’t indulge in some culinary escapism. If hopping on a plane or car isn’t in the cards just yet, you can still savor the flavors of far-off lands by tasting your way through them.

Reduce Waste by Using Leftovers Creatively
While we aim to finish every bottle, sometimes it’s not feasible. Got leftover wine? Use it to elevate your kitchen game: make a sangria, create a vinaigrette, or simmer it into a rich reduction for sauces, splash it into risottos for added depth, or transform it into a sophisticated wine jelly to spread on cheese boards. Red wine adds boldness to beef stews, while white wine brings brightness to seafood dishes. Feeling sweet? Poach pears in it or make wine brownies for stunning desserts. No wine deserves to be forgotten. Sustainability never tasted so good.

Think Beyond the Traditional Wine and Food Pairings
Don’t limit your beverage knowledge to just one approach—explore how art, technology, fashion, or even music can enhance your drinking experience. Not to mention thinking beyond the grape and the bottle itself, and to look at broader stories, including those surrounding inclusivity. Shall We Wine also has had some unforgettable experiences pairing wine with art, like our events at Museum 21c. Check out our events for inspiration, like this one or this one, or fashionable events like sipping while shopping at chic spots like Veronica Beard Chicago and MITC Studio. Making time to reconnect with one another and gather is priceless. It’s all about blending culture, style, and inspirational glasses of wine!

Before Regine’s book Searching for Cloves & Lilies: The Wine Edition became a reality, it started as a concept pairing wine with poetry. The poems serve as a canvas for wines and song selections, mirroring the soulful complexity of the verses. Each pairing captures the range of emotions—triumphs, vulnerabilities, and hope—that resonate through the poetry.

Pledge to Elevate Your Beverage Game… Then Let SWW Play Point
Shall We Wine will be your guide. Even if you happen to pledge to drink a little less, we can pledge to be more discerning about our drink choices. Quality over quantity! Invest in the wines, spirits, and all in-between that can really make your taste buds dance—that’s where we come in! Shall We Wine is here to give you the scoop on exclusive wine + spirits events, expert recommendations, curated luxury travel, and dynamic conversations that go beyond the bottle. Originally a pandemic-born community, Shall We Wine Social Club came back by popular demand this year. This isn’t your average membership—it’s a lifestyle. Ready to toast to something extraordinary? Join the Shall We Wine Social Club today!

The upcoming year is one of renewed optimism. So whether you’re toasting to the memories of the last year or ringing in the promise of a new one, there’s no better way to celebrate than with a glass in hand and a smile on your face. Let’s continue to celebrate fun and exploration, for both casual drinkers and dedicated aficionados. Go at your own pace and don’t let a wine bully tell you otherwise! Brush off unsolicited opinions about wine and be ready to dazzle the confident, baller on a budget way.

Much like updating a wardrobe—focusing on staples, adding new pieces, trying out new outfit combinations—enhancing your wine and spirits experiences involves similar elements. Keep your glass half full, no matter what life pours your way. It definitely helps to have some goals in mind and to look forward to something!

Thank you so much SWW Tribe for being an integral part of our small business’ journey. We truly couldn’t do it without you. Cheers to fresh beginnings and unforgettable pours!

N.Y.A New Year’s Messages

We say goodbye to 2024 and welcome the sparkling possibilities of 2025 in a not-so average way. Pick a New Year’s toast (or a few) from the cards below to share with your friends and loved ones, because the best way to start 2025 is with a little laughter, love, and, of course, superb wine!