Wine Glass Info

Are you having the best experience in wine tasting with your wine glasses? A regular inexpensive wine glass may not hold up to your wine. You need to find one that will offer a: good nose, proper tasting, and a great appearance.

Sure, they cost a little more.  You can find high quality wine glasses made to be resilient to breakage and dishwasher safe. If you try out a couple types, you will find your favorite.

You must do a taste comparison with your regular wine glass to a glass made for exceptionally fine wines. You will have a lot of fun along with being shocked with the difference in smell and taste.

 Just don’t have too much fun or the next day will be a tough one. 

The Wine Cohort

As I sit at my desk on this very cold winters night, I think of those who live where it is warm and sunny. This evening it is 20 below zero outside. I had strawberry shortcake from the ripe sweet Florida strawberries for desert. I began thinking of those who are outside in the warmth of the evening, on their balconies or patio’s, drinking wine laughing, ha, ha ,ha, gaily through out the night. I wistfully dream of being you. I am positive no one wants to feel the cold winter night hitting his or her face, freezing it in whatever expression you are wearing. That is what you wear around here along with your long underwear, a frozen expression, people who visit our state think we are friendly people but what they do not understand is our face is frozen in what looks to be a smile. We are gritting our teeth to keep them from chattering. The snow is squeaking under my feet as I walk. I cover my forhead and face as I forge ahead otherwise, I will get frostbite.  I would much rather be in my summer clothes laughing with my friends and having a barbecue. The wine is always a great bottle, good year; I assume it is because we are on the sixth bottle. It could be the wine glasses we are using. We often  compare the wine glasses. Does this one out perform that one. The next thing you know we have out preformed the  wine glasses.

There is a few of us there; it goes fast, all the better, that way we get to try the next bottle coming up. Maybe it’s a good thing I live up in the deep freeze. It sounds like it would be too much fun living south. I will thaw out by the fire instead and share a nice bottle of wine with my husband. Someday I will be living next door to one of you, we will have a great time in the warm breezes from the sea.

 It is New Years Eve. I am in front of the fire being warm and cozy, drinking my champagne.  As I sit, I examine my champagne glass and the many functions that little glass has. I watched the bubbles sparkle and feel them pop on to my face as they whirled up the glass like a tiny tornado. I draw the glass away from my face so I can smell the fragrance the champagne gives off, mmmm…pears, apricots and honey, a nice combination. I like it maybe too much. The glass has an elegant look to her. Long and sleek. It makes ME feel elegant as well. But then, that is why I picked that glass. I knew I would feel the way the glass looked. I knew I would enjoy the champagne, the way it was meant to be tasted and enjoyed.I turn the bottle upside down to rid it of the few drops it has withheld from me. Luckily, it is gone, even though I shared the experience with another I feel the bubbles go to my head. I still have the night to go.Did your champagne glass matter last night? Did you feel the spray of the bubbles hitting your face? If that did not happen, you might want to open another bottle and take your time enjoying every moment. However, do not drink the whole bottle alone. It is always best to share the experience.Happy New Year!

Another year, a new beginning…?
Many of us will be glad to see this year end. For some it has ended badly with a loss financially, or personally or both. We are in the both column and we still can count our blessings. We are warm, safe,(for now) and have a future ahead of us. Looking at history, I see that it is about to repeat it self. We have not learned any lessons or have taken heed in the warnings our ancestors have tried to convey. I see people giving power to the government instead of the government governed by the people. This frightens me. I will not lift up my champagne glass to last year or the incoming. I will lift up my champagne glass to the people I have lost this year that I loved; I will lift my glass to those who have lost so much, maybe your job, fortune or loved one. My toast to you is this; look around you and be glad for what you do have, I am sure you will find you have great treasures. If it is only a bottle of very fine wine, drink it out of your best wineglass and treasure every sip of it.
Have a safe and Happy New Year! 

Red wines often contain sediment or insoluble particles made of potassium bitartrate crystals that must be filtered out before drinking. Leaving the sediment in wine can change its flavor and prevent drinkers from enjoying it to its fullest potential. A decanter helps filter out the sediment revealing the natural flavors of the wine.

A crystal wine decanter is ideal to be used as its clear form displays the wine’s color to perfection. The Maximilian Riedel wine decanter has a unique design that allows for worry-free pouring with its deep punt that accommodates the entire thumb while the other four fingers naturally cradle the decanter. It has an extra-long lip that prevents fewer drips and makes pouring a snap. It is hand-made and mouth blown.

Enjoy your best wines with family and friends without spillage. Make sure you have a good corkscrew on hand to open a bottle and leave the cork intact. The twisted metal spiral that is inserted into the cork is called a worm. An ideal worm should be 1 ½ to 2 inches long. It should have smooth rounded edges so as not to crumble the cork as you try to remove it.

Follow these tips for successful cork pulling:

~Center the worm tip on top of the cork and insert. Keep the corkscrew angled as you push its end into the cork.

~Hold the corkscrew vertically above the cork after insertion then twist until it is fully inserted into the cork. Never let the worm reach below the cork’s bottom.

~Pull the corkscrew up with a gentle twisting motion. If you have correctly inserted the worm, you’ll only need to exert a minimum amount of effort to get the cork out.

Wine tasting parties are becoming popular these days. In fact, after seeing a boom in coffee shops and tea parlors, the next scene will probably wine bars. Wine is a sophisticated drink that you can enjoy even in the comforts of your own home.

You and your friends can start your own wine-tasting club or hold wine-tasting parties. There is a lot of information available to learn more about the different wine flavors, and how to appreciate each of them. Having a number of wine decanters is a must in order to bring out the best flavors of each wine, and appreciate the taste to its fullest.

  My daughter and I sat on a park bench on a perfect summer day, watching freight ships and sailboats cut through the sparkling waters of Lake Superior. I don’t know why but our conversation switched to discussing how the corkscrew came about. She calmly looked over at me and said,” You know the history behind the cork screw don’t you?” I looked at her sure that I did, but looking at her, I was not sure anymore… When your children become a certain age, they actually are sometimes smarter than you.(smarter not wiser), She told me that people use to take little piglets and plunk them on top of a bottle turn them around and around and around, until the little pigs tail would screw into the cork. When the pig escaped, it would take the cork out with it. I looked at her, She started laughing and told me she was just kidding, she made that up. I started to laugh  Okay, maybe I blieved her but it was only for a second.No one is sure when exactly corkscrews came about. They do know that a tool for cleaning musket barrels, “a gun worm,” opened what was corked such as the medication bottles, makeup bottles, and beer, to name a few.The English were the ancestors of sealing wine bottles with cork, with Spain or Portugal as the suppliers of the cork. The cork trees were native to Spain. Did you know the cork tree is specie of the Oak tree? It was not until the very late 17^th to the 18^th century after inspired by the stylish gun worm did someone finally design the first corkscrew for the wine bottle.

The designing became a popular challenge across the globe.  Germany, England, France, and the U.S. took a good try to design a very functional corkscrew. Starting with H.S. Healy‘s version of the Double Winged Corkscrew. In 1888. Carl Wienke of Germany developed the Butlers Friends patenting in Britain, the next year in France and America.
 Dominick Rosati developed the Double Winged corkscrew for the U.S. in 1930.I personally own a Walker Bell want to be corkscrew design. The Walker Bell corkscrew was designed in 1893.
The pig and the cork did make a nice story and seeing some of the things in today’s world that people do…it is not that far fetched.         

Along the pristine waters of the Brule River, are century old summer homes that sit amongst the white pines. This is where many summer memories for my husband and I begin every year.  The couple, our friends who share their beautiful home with us all during those short months, are responsible for such wonderful memories. These memories we keep through the winter in anticipation for the next summer.

Those of you who are avid Fly Anglers know where the Brule River is and with any luck, you have fly-fished it one time in your life. For those who don’t fly- fish, the Brule River is in Northern Wisconsin amongst Great White Pines, Big Cedar Trees, lots of wild life, and birds. If you love nature, the Brule River is one of the special places you will find it. I am an avid wine drinker who likes to watch you fish or canoe and if I am there I will greet you as you go by.

 With summer, brings wonderful wine, and food. We gather for one special weekend of the summer. Indeed it is a holiday of it s own making. We hold nothing back; the best wines from our cellars along with incredible breakfasts, lunches, and dinners, which no gourmet restaurant can match. We are a gifted group I might have to say. I know I should not but it is deserved.

This summer our friend Richard brought along a wine he had put away some time ago and he was very excited to uncork it. We watched in anticipation as he poured. He held it up to the light and it was deep, ripe, and waiting for us to roll it about our tongues.
The 1988 Silverado Stags Leap Reserve washed over my tongue like silk under my fingertips. Lush, with flavors of licorice and berries, oak, leather. It all was there. As this dark ruby liquid slid down my throat, I could not believe how smooth it tasted. We my friends, husband and I exclaimed; OH-MY-GOD, can you believe this stuff?  My mouth watered as it does after I eat exquisite chocolates.

There were only two good wineglasses left to pour the wine in. Not one of us wanted to be sharing this wonder of a wine. I have never felt so selfish over a wine before, but this one, well, we almost cried when it was gone. We did cheer ourselves up with a 1996 Red Zinfandel, then wandered down to the river to sip and welcomed the canoeist passing by.

We were happy for the warm summer day and wonderful friends we had in each other.