By Elliot Awin
Being the birthday month of both Mike and myself, aside from the fact that we’re avid indulgents in balance, January has never been dry in the Awin households.
Labelling months in aid of a cause has become rife - Movember, Decem-beard, Stop-tober, Veganuary, Prune (OK, I made that one up).
These (almost; 29.53) arbitrary periods of between 28 and 31 days represent little today, so finding a theme/goal/meaning for them can be a great way to make them a little more meaningful. Of course raising money for a charity, supporting a cause, or to kick start a habit months such as this can be beneficial; but the question remains, are these practises continued or effective?
I often use our local butchers as an example of wholesome retail - both nourishing for the body and mind. Only sourcing local, grass fed, grass finished meat - sustainable, quality and tasty! It could be said that they are expensive; I would ask to what scale this is being observed. Yes, compared to a discount supermarket the meat costs a greater monetary sum, but what is the REAL cost of both? By this I mean the cost to one’s health and the environment. Cutting out meat for a month for Veganuary, but returning to an unsustainable, environmentally costly, (perhaps) less healthy omnivorous diet is surely less beneficial than reducing meat consumption by 8.3% (1/12) on average throughout the year. This way you can support your local, independent trade throughout the year.
If we must give January a name - we’d like to go with Try-January. Here are 4 wines you may not think to pick up without an introduction.
Casas del Bosque Late Harvest Riesling
Division Chenin Blanc Inonde
Mouchão Dom Rafael White
Hahndorf Hill Blueblood Blaufrankisch
Image credit: Nathan W Pyle, Instagram 1 Instagram 2 & More