If Dry January is too daunting, try drinking less but better

Dry January isn’t for everyone. Some people effortlessly go cold turkey, spend a month evaluating their habits, and emerge as beautifully enlightened swans on Feb. 1 (with their taxes already filed). But others find a zero-sum approach punitive or unrealistic, and wish for other ways to reset their relationships to booze.

Fortunately, another movement is rumbling throughout the wine world: Drink less, but better. It’s a strategic way to reexamine the role that wine plays in our lives — and its impact on our wallets — all year long. The concept predates the U.S. surgeon general’s recent advice to put new health warnings on bottle labels and reassess recommended consumption limits, but it certainly aligns with a more moderate approach to consumption. And, thanks to the low- and no-alcohol movement, which helpfully cleaves drinks culture from all-out inebriation, investing in quality over quantity has never been easier. It’s addition by subtraction, and arguably the most fun anyone has doing math.

Whether you commit to asking sommeliers and salespeople detailed questions to find bottles you’ll love, or politely decline the drinks you don’t want, this is how most pros approach wine. “I see drinking less but better as happy partners,” says Thea Merl, a buyer and partner at Nido Wine Shop and Market in Washington, D.C. “It makes conversations about wine more intentional.”

It can help us drink better wine, too. With looming tariffs, lingering inflation, and the grim sight of our post-holiday bank balances, many of us want to be deliberate about spending. That’s all the more reason to save our hard-earned cash for the quality wine we really want, rather than frequently buying mid bottles out of habit or social obligation.

Besides, most people pay premiums for things they find meaningful. In a 2023 poll, grocery shoppers who favored organic produce were willing to spend up to 49% more for it. Similarly, in a 2024 survey, respondents said they would spend nearly 10% more on average for products that reflected their values. By recasting wine as something to be savored, rather than glugged, we might be willing to spend more than the average of $14 per bottle (per BinWise beverage software company).

“Wine isn’t just alcohol,” says Chris Tanghe, the director of education for GuildSomm, a wine trade nonprofit. “It has an amazing ability to recreate on a chemical level aromas that are present in other things, and collects them into this one beautiful beverage that you can contemplate, not just kick back to get buzzed.”

Even if you’re not pondering the chemical structure of what’s in your glass, drinking less but better nudges us to make deliberate choices. Let’s say you meet friends at a bar and there’s a lackluster array of wines on the happy hour menu. Instead of chugging two forgettable glasses, you could peruse the full wine list to find something you really love, and then luxuriate with one carefully chosen pour.

Thankfully, the path to top-shelf moderation is smoother than ever thanks to the rise of sober and sober-curious culture. Social norms and expectations about who should drink and when are shifting, and that helps everyone feel more empowered to decide what is right for them. This isn’t separatist or fringe behavior, either. According to Nielsen data, 82% of people who buy nonalcoholic beverages also purchase alcohol.

Putting the drink-less-but-better mantra into practice is easy. Here’s how to get started.

Drink in community.

To taste several different wines without committing to an entire bottle or glass, make it a team sport. Invite friends over, and encourage everyone to bring a bottle.

“It spreads the cost around a little bit, and you get to learn from other people’s perspectives,” says Rafa García Febles, general manager of Momofuku Kabawa in New York City, set to open in February. “If you’re going out with the mission of drinking less, this is a way to do it and still feel like there’s a bounty.”

Find an (offline) expert.

“Rather than jumping on your Vivino app and buying the top-rated thing, go to your local restaurant or retail shop and ask questions,” says Tanghe.

Tell the sommelier or salesperson what you’re having for dinner, or show them photos of wines you’ve enjoyed in the past. (Seriously.) These sorts of IRL conversations eliminate digital distractions, such as bulk shipping deals, and give you useful lingo to find wines you’ll love next time.

Buy a wine stopper.

Pick up an inexpensive stopper and never again feel the pressure to finish a bottle simply because it’s open. I like Rabbit Stoppers ($10 for a 4-pack), but anything with a base made of flexible, airtight rubber will keep your wine fresher longer than reusing a traditional cork or even screw top bottles. If you especially love sparkling wines, use Le Creuset’s Champagne Crown Sealer (my favorite, but a bit of an investment at $50) or the less expensive Cuisinart Champagne Stopper ($7.99) to preserve the integrity of your bubbles.

Skip a round, or take the night off.

No explanations needed. When you feel like drinking again, you can pour something delicious in your glass. The world is your oyster — and, when the mood strikes, it would pair beautifully with a nice chablis.

• Emily Saladino is the associate managing editor of Wine Enthusiast.