"40 Things Every Wine Lover Should Do," Decanter

In the recently arrived August issue of Decanter (my favorite wine magazine), Margaret Rand wrote a fun article, "40 Things Every Wine Lover Should Do."  Here they are. 

1. "Learn to decant" This is an easy one.

2. "Buy some mouth-blown Riedel glasses (and then drop on)...Now, you've got four instead of six and you begin to wonder if maybe you could make do with something cheaper.  There's a great feeling of liberation when you've smashed some of your most treasured stemware."

3. "Marry a winegrower...You have to like living in the country."

4. "Drink wine from your birth year"

5. "Make love in a vineyard" (Do I have your attention?) "German vineyards might be perilously steep; parts of Chateauneuf du Pape would be uncomfortably stony." She bet on the "sheltered corners" of Burgundy.  I can't speak from experience, unfortunately, but I can see the possibilities.  Of course, this would likely arouse the ghosts of those long ago Cistercian monks.

6. "Dine off of fois gras and Chateau d'Yquem"

7. "Drink first growth from a plastic cup with a takeway" (movie "Sideways")

8.  "Visit Vega Sicilia" Most famous wine estate in Spain....Fort Knox is easier to get into.

9. "Drink Madeira from when Marie Antoinette was on the throne of France (or at least when Victoria was on the British)"  Or when Calvin Coolidge was President.

10. "Pick up fossils in a Chablis grand cru vineyard"

11. "Go to a charity wine auction"

12. "Watch the races on the beach in Sanlucar de Barrameda"  Back to the horse again.

13. "Drink Gruner Veltliner by the half-litre at a Buschenschank"

14. "Start a wine club"

15. "Stay at Les Crayeres in Champagne"

16. "Eat grapes from a great vineyard"  Be careful

17. "Do an architecture-and-wine tour of Rioja"

18. "Try Essencia from Tokaj"

19." Take the train from Oporto to Pinhao"

20. "Take a wine tour by camel in McLaren Vale" I know at least one take on this one.

21. "Tread Port grapes in a Lager"  Lucille Ball beat us to it.

22. "Sabre a bottle of Champagne"  A how to video is in the movie "Bottle Shock."

23. "Do a wine course...."

24. "Buy wine direct from a wine estate's cellar door"

25. "Drink vintage Port young, with pudding"

26. "Take a helicopter tour of a wine area"

27. "Try Ice Wine..."  That's not ice in a glass of wine.

28. "Run the Medoc marathon..."  "lots of wine and oyster shops en route."  Are there any finishers?

29. "Recognize a corked wine and argue (successfully) with the sommelier"  Been there, done that.

30. "Breakfast on top vintage Champagne." Now were talking

31. "Plan a dinner party solely around the wines"

32. "Visit the cellars at Chateau de Beaune"

33. "Work a vintage"  Be careful what you ask for.  Oh! My breaking back.

34. "Have lunch at the Factory House" (in Oporto)

35. "Drink wines made from vines older than you."

36. "Buy a case in primeur" (futures)

37. "Discover the Loire Valley castles and vineyards by bike"  High on my list.

38. "Get lost in Pomerol"  Getting lost anywhere is never a problem for me.  

39. "Go kangaroo-spotting in the Hunter Valley"  Cool!

40. "And...drink your best bottles"  This sounds obvious, but better to drink too young than too old. 

Now, there's the "Decanter" 40.  What would you add to the list?  Please share, but keep it printable.