Is Your Wine Sick?
I’ve been having so much fun today searching the internet. I found some very cool gadgets and tools for us winos. Like this one by Nuvo Vino the first infrared thermometer designed to quickly take your wines temperature! Because it does make a difference according to Emile Peynad who was a legendary Bordeaux oenologist and author of The Taste of Wine! And she is right; many times Reds are served to warm and whites are served to chilled! I also chill my reds because they are served so warm it makes them unappealing to me and I LOVE red wines. I am the quintessential Rebel Red girl!
In order to serve wine at a proper temperature, it’s often necessary to ‘unlearn’ some of the basic rules you’ve learned.
For example, the expression ‘room temperature’ is no longer relevant to wine. Modern central heating systems cause rooms to exceed 72°F. At that temperature, all wines lose their appeal.
The tendency of most wine drinkers is to overestimate the difference between wines – serving whites too cold and reds too warm. This is a reason that many white wine drinkers dislike red wine. To them it tastes too rich, syrupy, and exudes too much alcohol. A red wine served at an appropriate temperature greatly lessens those characteristics.
Another tragic myth is that white wine should be served out of the refrigerator. At 40°F, any wine’s aroma and flavor will be completely imprisoned.
All joking aside I think this is a must for your wine tool kit. Not only is it really cool but it is intelligent adding to your savvy image you are building amongst your wine drinking pals!
Here are some tools I found really useful and educational:
Wine Temperature Chart
Wine Temperature Facts
In addition, I highly recommend clicking on the Wine Temperature Tutorial in the bottom right hand corner! Great information.
Need A Custom Wine Cellar?
I came across this website and was really impressed. Located in New Jersey, this is a company and website worth spending some time on, especially if you are considering adding a wine cellar in your home. Before The Wine Wench, before consulting, before AlphaWomen.com, I was actually in real estate and mortgages my niche was the higher-end market. I worked with a few builders, some developers and my market was in a very prestigious area which allowed me to see and sell some pretty spectacular homes and some pretty disastrous homes too. The things money can buy. Not all money is created equal in my opinion because some of the stuff I saw was just down right hideous. It actually hurt my brain to look at…like bad perfume does on an airplane.
Bad architects, bad designs, bad flow, bad decorating, bad, bad and more bad. It is true that one man’s junk is another man’s treasure because I saw this all the time in these homes. You would think a $6 million home would be outlandish but there were some that were so awful I don’t have words to describe the decorating horrors I witnessed
Ohhh, I digress. To bring it back to the topic on hand, many of the homes had wine cellars, some that were as big as my 1500 square foot 2 bed/2 bath apartment…some were bigger.
I remember being in one house where they not only had the most incredible wine cellar but a cigar room and a tasting room as well. My mouth hit the floor as I just stood there like I had just entered the pearly gates of heaven. Entertainment rooms, theater rooms, indoor Olympic size pools, imported marble, tiles, art, etc etc… didn’t really 
impress me, but these wine cellars and custom bars mesmerized me. The detail, the craftsmanship, the wood, marble, granite and stone that are used…if done right they are truly works of art or masterpieces that bring peace to the mind. People seemed to go balls to the walls when it came to these two amenities (and their in home theaters). In many areas they cut corners or just didn’t have an eye for quality or design integrity and it showed, but when it came to wine cellars and bars they stepped back and let the experts handle it and it always showed.
Washington Valley Cellars is the sommelier of wine cellars. They are designers and builders of distinctive wine cellars 
and don’t take my word on it, go and check out their photo gallery on some of their projects. You are sure to get some great ideas. Who knows maybe they could give you a recommendation if they don’t travel to your state.
Personally, I could live in one of those cellars! I am making it public that I would like to volunteer to be the wine biatch to the cellar fella…although the wine wouldn’t safe or last very long with me living down there.
They also offer a great resource of links for the wine cellar aficionado on their links page. In my opinion these guys seem like the bad boys of custom wine cellars and I give them The Wine Wench approval.
Some tips from a seasoned collector and cellar designer:
1. Design your cellar large enough to accommodate twenty percent more bottle than you think you’ll ever need. You’ll be happy you did.2. Plan aisles as wide as possible so you can maneuver comfortably
3. Have a backup cooling unit in case one fails. Put condensers and compressors on timers so two of three are working at any one time and the third can pinch-hit in an emergency. A generator for a lengthy power outage provides peace of mind.
4. Keep humidity around seventy percent, which is high enough to keep corks stable and low enough to prevent mold and labels from separating.
5. Incorporate racking for odd or over-sized bottles that won’t fit in a standard rack. Long, slender bottles used for German and Alsatian wines should never be placed in diamond-shaped or square bins because they can easily slide out of bins and onto the floor.
6. If you have a security system in your home, consider integrating a temperature monitor with preset sensors for your cellar. If the temperature exceeds a preset maximum or falls below a preset minimum, an alarm is sent to your security company so they can inform you immediately.
-Compliments of Jay Rosen and Swirl & Sip Magazine
Underoose, Underwear, uh…Wine Wear?
When I was a kid I loved barbie dolls! I spent endless hours lost in make believe with Barbie and Ken. I had the whole nine yards with the fully furnished Barbie mansion, pool, sports car, and sexy, but always naked, Ken–always wondered what happened to his boy parts–the accessories were endless, similar to the American Girl Doll phenomenon today.
Let’s pause for a moment and talk about accessories. Ever since I can remember no matter what toy I had it came with oodles of accessories, from my Holly Hobby Kitchen to Barbie to Cabbage Patch Kids to even Mr. & Mrs. Potato Head, I had a shit load of accessories for all my darn toys. How the heck did I keep track of all of it? How the heck did my parents afford all of that stuff with six girls and three boys? I had an extensive wardrobe for Barbie, Ken not so much, but Barbie had it all. Anything was possible and never was there a dull moment in my make believe world. So much so that my Barbie and Ken dolls seemed to be naked more than clothed because I was always “re-outfitting” them…okay well that’s what I told my mom and that is the story I’m sticking to!
I think back on those years with fond memories and wonder why I had to grow up and stop my childlike daydreaming…that is until I came across this website, it addresses both my wino hobby and 
that little kid in me – Wine Wear! Don’t leave your bottle home without it! Whether your drinking with friends or drinking by yourself you don’t ever have to feel alone or too grown up to engage imaginary play because with Wine Wear your bottle of wine turns into whatever or whoever you want it to be with the right outfit, from a football player to a chef to a “friend of Bill W”, whatever mood you are in, WineWear.com has the outfit your wine bottle needs.
It is the tea party for adults, but instead of stuffed animals and tea you bring out all your dressed up wine bottles and have wine and cheese! No matter how old you are you can finally let your inner child out. With Wine Wine wear you will always have someone to talk to even when others don’t want to. In fact, the drunker you get it will probably start talking back!
Never drink alone again! Dress up your wine bottle today by visiting WineWear.com to purchase your wine bottle’s full line of clothing. Taking your drinking hobby and imaginary friends to a whole new level!
BTW: They make great gifts too!
“I drank a bottle of wine for company. It was Chateau Margaux. It was pleasant to be drinking slowly and to be tasting the wine and to be drinking alone. A bottle of wine was good company.” -Ernest Hemingway, The Sun Also Rises
Decant, Decant, Decant…De Can’t WHAT?
Decanters! Another item that every wine aficionado must own at least one of, if not several. For those of you who are novice to this vino lingo, a decanter has nothing to do with canning foods or removing the outer container of an enriched uranium fuel rod (easy mistake…I know). It is a term used to describe a simple process of allowing your wine to breathe.
Although there is a bit of controversy over decanting, it is intended for more tannic wines like Barolo, Bordeaux, Cabernet Sauvignon, Port, and Rhône. It can be harmful for more delicate wines like Chianti and Pinot Noir according to Karen MacNeil, author of The Wine Bible.
A decanter is a vessel that is used to hold the decantation of a liquid (such as wine) which may contain sediment. Decanters are normally used as serving vessels for wine. Decanters vary in shape and design. They are usually made of an inert material (such as glass) and will hold at least one standard bottle of wine (0.75 litre).[1] A similar kind of vessel, the carafe (pronounced “kə’ɹæf”), is used for serving wine as well as other drinks, but is not supplied with a stopper. -Compliments of Wikipedia
Whether decanting wine is necessary or not, it doesn’t matter! Owning some, if not all, of these elegant decanters overrides the argument to decant or not to decant because it’s about accessorizing–all great hobbies come with lot’s of accessories–and it makes you look wine intelligent! So in my book, decanters are a necessity. Check out these really elegant and sexy Riedel Decanters from WineStuff.com. They are in the same category as art to me and would make a lovely center piece or display on any table at your next Desperate Housewives party. Move over appletini’s, wine is the new biatch in town.
Ladies what’s there not to love about these elegant decanters especially when they are all on sale!
Brush up on your wine decanting history!
CORK POPS! The Magnificent Wine Opener
I’m always interested in accessorizing my wine cabinet! From the right wine glasses to the right opener, I want to appear as not only smart but savvy! I discovered this little gadget, CORK POPS, about two years ago at a local wine shop. After purchasing it and trying it out, I thought it was the coolest thing since the Brazilian wax and back waxing for men and bought one for all of my wino friends!
This handy dandy little wine tool does just as the name suggests: pops the cork out with a burst of forced air. It is simple and effortless on your part. No more grunting or groaning or grumbling trying to twist and pull those corks out, only to look weak or helpless. Save yourself the embarrassment and walk away a stallion or hero and highlight of the party with CORK POPS! With CORK POPS you gently insert the needle through the cork, making sure the needle penetrates the entire cork, and with one quick simple press…voila the cork pops out!
This little gadget will make you the talk of your guests conversation for months to come! It is quite the entertainment piece and conversation starter of all wine parties. Just be careful because all your guests will want to experiment and you may find yourself drinking til the wee hours of the morning so as not to waste the extra opened bottles your guests couldn’t pound.
This hassle free bottle opener is to the wine aficionado’s bar kit as the rabbit was to Sex and the City and women everywhere.
Additionally, this opener can also be used as a defense weapon if need be! Good to have handy in the kitchen drawer but keep it in a secure place if you have children!
This makes a great gift to for all of your wino friends! It runs about $22.00 for the basic opener and $28.00 for the Cork Pops Legacy opener. Refills are about $9.00 for 2 cans. It truly is the fastest and easiest way to open wine while impressing your company or yourself!
***Save your corks and take them to the nearest Whole Foods near you as they provide proper cork disposal/recycle bin. Safe a tree, recycle your corks!
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