As the new year dawns with bright promise of a clean slate, I took a few days to think about resolutions.

Not the “eat more vegetables/work out more” sort. But rather, what sort of resolutions can I make in my wine-drinking world?

After asking my Twitter friends online and realizing many have the resolution of “drink more bubbly,” here are six resolutions and goals for my 2011:

1. Drink an obscene amount of cabernet franc.
I love this varietal. I love how it combines power and finesse and ends up with sexy control. It’s round, full and handsome, yet has this sophistication and gentleness that surprises and thrills me every time.

2. Keep exploring Virginia and Washington wine.
I had the good chance to try these wines last year and, while I consider my education sorely lacking (there’s not a lot of Virginia wines available locally…), I am really intrigued and excited by what I’ve tasted. I think both regions are producing absolutely delicious juice and I desperately want to get to know more of their wines.

3. Attend Wine Bloggers Conference #11 in Virginia July 22-24.
This is a huge blogger-fest held every year celebrating wine bloggers. I have made so many great connections online with my wine friends and I can’t wait to meet – and raise a toast – to these new friends IRL (in real life). Check out winebloggersconference.org and join me if you’re interested!

4. Try a few specific wines I’ve heard great things about.
There are a few very specific winemakers whose wine I’m hankering to try. These include Passaggio Wines out in Napa, which may require a trip to fulfill, and Cornerstone Cellars, a winery I’ve heard amazing things about.

5. “Drink bravely.”
This phrase, made famous by author Mark Oldman is a great concept for everyone to embrace. And this resolution will be tied to a very specific dinner in the coming months, but I hope to follow through this concept to the end of 2011. It’s extremely easy to get into a drinking rut. We know what we like and we drink what we want. For me, that means defaulting to a riesling or reaching for a Napa cab. But the possibilities are endless and I should do better at opening my mind. Rather than a riesling, I should be grabbing a torrontes or a rueda and seeing how that goes down!

6. Make peace with petite sirah
This varietal goes out of its way to attack and maim me every chance it gets. And I allow it, letting it assault my nose and punch my tastebuds all the way down. Yet I’m quite sure with enough mediation and conversation and perhaps red meat, we can reach an agreement. And I never said all my goals were achievable…