Wine bloggers are an essential provider of great information, opinion and fun facts to the public as a whole, and there are some absolutely great posts out there.  Beginning in January, we’ve decided to start recognizing the GREAT posts that we come across, and choose our one favorite post every month.

Wine Blog Post Wall of Fame

Here are our choices so far!

January 2012 Wine Blog Post of the Month

You Are Not Allergic to Sulfites

Sulfites almost always makes the way into the conversation and and now I have a fact about whites that I did not know and will surely pass this around to help my friends with their heads!  Well, some of them anyway……

Corkcicle Wine Chiller

Experience Wine At the Perfect Temperature EVERY Time.

Keeping your wines at just the right drinking temperatures—it’s a great dilemma.  Too cold and it could mask the vintner’s uniquely crafted complexities.  Too warm and the flavors may take a back seat to the alcohol.  The answer to this perplexity?  Corkcicle Wine Chiller

Watch this video of how the Corkcicle Wine Chiller works.

What to Add to a Wine Gift Basket…

Fun Kitchen Towels

Kitchen towels are purposeful and decorative.  It’s a useful gift that can also put a smile on your face.  Especially our fun towels!  You’ll see what I mean when you view our unique collection of dish towels with fun sayings on them.  The featured martini towel to the left says, “Dinner is Served!”

Gift Basket Idea -Use a dish towel as a bottle decoration.  Take a towel and wrap a wine bottle in it with the front of the towel facing out. Then use a ribbon to hold the towel to the bottle.  Finish the tie with a bow.

Coasters with Bling!

Flip Flop Coasters slide on the foot of a stemmed glass.  Each coaster is unique with a different bling design.  They aren’t just drink coasters but wine charms too!   We have the neatest collection of coasters.

A set of four coasters with carrying bag like the featured Hautie Pink Animal Print Flip Flop Coasters is a great gift basket idea for the woman who has everything.

Wine Bottle Candles

Wine Candles are a perfect gift for any occasion.  Once the lucky receiver of your Wine Gift Basket finishes their wine, they can recycle the bottle to create a wine lamp.   There are so many choices for turning a bottle into a wine bottle candle.  You can use pewter bottle wicks that come in pineapple, pine cone, grapes, candlestick and dragon designs.

If you are seeking a wax candle rather than an oil lamp I highly recommend the wine cork candle sets that drip down a bottle.

Wine Preserver

A Wine Preserver is an essential wine accessory that extends the life of an open bottle of wine.

The featured Metrokane V Gauge Wine Preserver comes with a gauge with a needle that shows you when the bottle reaches the necessary vacuum for preserving wine.

This wine gift pays for itself after saving the left overs from a bottle or two of wine.  With this innovative wine preserver you won’t be throwing away any more wine!

Bottle Plates that come Personalized

Bottle Cheese Boards are made from recycled wine barrels.  Our custom melted bottle plates come with designer wine labels that are customized with your family name, varietal, year and message as you can see in the label image of the Your Name Vineyards Chardonnay Flattened Custom Cheeseboard.

These one-of-a-kind bottle bottle plates can be used as cheese platters or hang it on the wall as wine art.

For Holiday Gift Baskets

View this Year’s NEWEST

Holiday Wine Gifts.

How to Use Oak Barrels for Making Wine

No glue or nails are used in the making of our barrels. As such, barrel preperation called “curing” is required prior to use.

Curing a Barrel

This process serves two functions;

• Allows the barrel to swell to prevent leaking, and
• Limits the amount of alcohol absorbed by the barrel

Start by placing the appropriate number of storing tablets in the barrel and filling the barrel with boiling or hot water.  Allow it to soak for 3 to 5 days.  Water may leak from between the staves or at the barrel head seam.  This is normal and will stop within 24 hours as the wood swells.

Barrels that do not leak should still be cured for 3 to 5 days.  This will minimize the amount of alcohol absorbed by the barrel staves.

After curing the barrel, empty the solution and rinse with hot water 3 times.

And there you have it!  You very own barrel is ready to age wine.

Important to remember: To prevent the barrel from drying out and minimize the possibility of contamination, barrels should always be stored full with spirits or sterilizing solution.  With proper care, you can use your barrel for 8 to 10 years. Following the cleaning and re-charing instructions (that come with barrel) will insure a long life for your product and be sure to not let your barrel dry out.

Vinturi Spirit Aerator

Brand NEW liquor aerator for Fall 2011.   Be the first to own a Spirit Aerator that lets you measure an ounce pour and aerate at the same time!  Similar to wine, liquor has many flavors that are enhanced if oxygenated.

The more you appreciate fine spirits, the more you’ll appreciate the difference in taste.  The NEW Vinturi Spirit Aerator significantly improves the taste of spirits-INSTANTLY.  Unlike the Vinturi Wine Aerator, the Spirit Aerator includes a built-in jigger with volume markers and push-button flow control.

What Can I Use The Vinturi Spirit Aerator on?

Scotch, Cognac, Port, Tequila, Whiskey, Bourbon, Vodka, Gin, Rum, Brandy, Sake, and Liquors.

Spirit Aerator Features:

• No-drip stand
• Acrylic Aerator
• Both are are dishwasher safe
• Integrated measuring jigger

Mazzocco Winery

Open Daily from 11 – 5:00

Zin lovers have to visit Mazzocco Winery.   It’s always fun when you taste great wine after another with a host as bubbly as Charlotte.   What a wonderful experience of tasting Antoine Favero’s great wines and sharing giggles.

The first thing you’ll notice from their tasting list is an enormous collection of  Zinfandels, which makes sense since they are known for single vineyard Zinfandels from all over Dry Creek Valley.  The next thing you’ll notice is that most of them are sold out – and with good reason – we arrived a week too soon.  We were informed their next vintage was soon to be released.  Hopefully some of you can stop by and let us know what you think.

Most of their wines are produced in the Dry Creek Valley, however their Stone Zinfandel is from their Alexander Valley vineyards.  We were interested in tasting the difference between the Zinfandels from these two different areas side by side, but the Stone was sold out.  Be sure to check this out on their next vintage.

Tasting List Includes:

2010 Sauvignon Blanc Alexander Valley

2008 Stuhlmuller Reserve Chardonnay

2008 Briar Zinfandel

2008 West Dry Creek Zinfandel

2008 Orchard Reserve Zinfandel

2008 Warm Springs Ranch Zinfandel

2008 Warm Springs Ranch Reserve Zinfandel

2007 Aguilera Petite Sirah

The wines here are all fantastic.  We highlighted a few in bold that stood out but they are all delicious!  The 2010 Sauvignon is very unique with it’s HUGE presence of grapefruit.  Mazzocco’s 2008 Briar is award winning, earning the Best of Class / Gold at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition.  Another Gold medal winner is their 2008 Smith Orchard Reserve.  This Zinfandel has flavors of berries and spice.

At top of our list is their 2007 Aguilera.  This Dry Creek Valley Petite Sirah is so delicious.  It’s dark fruit lingers with hints of  vanilla and cacao.  The winemaker’s tasting notes describes it perfectly, “The robust finish is laced with black cherry, cinnamon stick and a smidgen of laurel.”  In addition to tasting delicious wines, Mazzacco Winery’s new and airy tasting room is filled with one of a kind stave musical instruments and wine furniture pieces.   It’s worth a stop if you’re in their area and love Zins.

Everett Ridge Vineyards & Winery

Open Daily from 10 – 5:00

Everett Ridge Vineyards has outside seating overlooking an unbelievably stunning view of rolling vineyards and mountains.  Our tasting host Bobby nailed our tasting experience from start to finish.  We Highly Recommend tasting at Everett Ridge.  We had such a great experience, we decided to kick back, take an extended visit and finished our tour here sipping winemaker Lynn Krausmann’s well crafted wines.

Tasting List Includes:

2010 Everett Ridge Sauvignon Blanc

2009 Esterlina Cole Ranch Riesling

2010 Diabilta Rose

2008 Esterlina Estate Vineyard Pinot Noir

2007 Estate Zinfandel

2007 Diablita

2006 Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

2007 Everett Ridge Petite Sirah

Estate Port

You won’t believe what they serve with the tasting — cheese puffs!  This childhood favorite snack went surprisingly well with their wines.  It warmed our appetite so we tried some of their enticing Sonoma Pesto cheese that’s for sale in the tasting room.

Adam’s favorite wine is their 2009 Riesling.  This refreshing wine has an elegant balance of acidity and sweetness while the aroma shares notes of both fruit and floral.  Bobby shared a story about sharing this wine with his family on Thanksgiving.  Shortly after everyone had a taste, it vanished within minutes.

One of my favorites is their 2008 Esterlina Pinot Noir.  This exceptional wine has a lovely nose of strawberry, black cherry, allspice and vanilla.  The flavor is rich with dark fruit flavors with a lingering finish.  The 2007 Zinfandel has aromas of plum, vanilla and clove.  The mouth feel is fruitful like some Paso Zins but then has this unique spice to it.  You’ve gotta try it!  You also have to try the Merlot, Cabernet and Syrah blend called Diabilta.  This wine is named after the families first female child, Heather.  Bobby told us the story is even after 65 years she’s a little devil, LOL.  The 2006 Cabernet is unique too.  It has the bouquet of a Zin but the finish of a Cabernet.  All the wines are amazing!  You’ll have to fit this family owned winery into your tasting tour.  Thanks Bobby for a memorable time!

Downtown Healdsburg

We finished off the evening in downtown Healdsburg which offered an impressive number of shops, restaurants, art and bars.  Here are some of the recommendations from Charlotte and Bobby which included:

• Flying Goat which is a locals spot for coffee
• Spoon Bar recommended for it’s cute atmosphere
• Bar & Diva for a unique selection of modern drinks
• Bistro Ralph
• Scopa Italian Restaurant
• Baci Cafe & Wine Bar

We dined at Baci which we also highly recommend.  Our waitress recommended the Stinco d’ Agnello Al Forno for a dinner entree.  It’s organic slow braised lamb shank in the natural jus, polenta, wild mushrooms, lamb demi and vegetables.  Wow!  I can’t wait to visit and have it again.  Adam enjoyed their homemade Gnocchi.  This is an excellent Italian restaurant located in downtown Healdsburg.  I wish we  had more time to check out those other locales — at least we have a reason to come back.

VinoCellier Series 267 Bottle Wine Cabinet Cellar

The VinoCellier is a premier wine refrigerator cabinet.   The Vino Cellier Series 267 Bottle Wine Cabinet Cellar has a glass door, adjustable temperature control, hygrometer and comes with 5 adjustable shelves.




Shelves can be positioned to hold your bottles in 3 different ways!  The special cooling properties of the VinoCellier make it an excellent choice for a garage cabinet.  (Note: VinoCellier Series was formerly known as VinoCave cabinets.)

VinoCellier Series Wine Cabinet Cellar Features:

• VinoCellier Glass Door Wine Cabinet with black body and door trim
• Comes with 5 adjustable wood shelves: shelves can be positioned to slide out, hold bulk storage or have bottles displayed upright
• Holds up to 13 shelves. Additional shelves sold separately
• Quiet, compressor-based cooling system
• Adjustable temperature control with digital display
• Controller built into cabinet roof allows you to hide controller/display or have it down for use
• Built-in hygrometer (measures humidity)
  
• Recessed handles
• Locking door (includes 2 keys)
• Manufactured in Europe
• Ambient temperature range: 32-86F
• Temperature Range: 48-59F
• Approx. Bottle Capacity: 267
• Dimensions: 71.25″H x 26.8″W x 26.8″D

Vinotemp’s NEW VinoCellier Series of wine cabinets are exclusive European-made aging cabinets.

These cabinets can withstand a greater range of temperature variation than many wine cabinets and thus make great units to be placed in the garage or basement.  VinoCellier cabinets are available with either a solid or glass door. Each cabinet comes with 5 adjustable wood shelves, but additional shelves can easily be purchased.

Alexander Valley Wineries, Healdsburg

With so many varietals and appellations here are a few suggestions for planning a Sonoma tasting tour.  Choose an appellation, select a favorite varietal or two and focus on those wineries.  You can also hire a professional guide as well.  For our short trip, we were interested in tasting some as many different options as we could.  Here’s a glimpse of some of Sonoma County’s wineries.

An interesting fact of this area is that it was once covered by sea, but the coastal hills resulted from tectonic shifts, pushing the sea out and creating thousands of acres of rich soils for grape growing.

Alexander Valley Vineyards

We had to visit the winery that was voted Sonoma’s Best Winery from the 2011 San Francsico Baylist competition and they did not disappoint.  Be sure to make time for them on the weekend and take a cave tour.

Tasting List Includes:

2010 Gewurz

2009 Estate Chardonnay

2009 Reserve Chardonnay

2006 Estate Viognier

2009 Temptation Zin

2008 Sin Zin

2006 Alexander School Reserve Zinfandel

2007 Redemption Zin

2008 Estate Cabernet Franc

2005 Cyrus

From the whites we really enjoyed the Gewurz and the Estate Chardonnay.  The Gewurz is actually a Mendocino County wine.  It was a pleasant surprise to get a taste from this region where we’ve heard so many great reviews.  If you like flavors of pear, apple and grapefruit this light taste is ideal for poolside.  Their Estate Chardonnay is well balanced with creaminess and toasted oak and displays flavors of pear, apple and citrus, as well.  The Viognier has a highly aromatic nose, displaying a hefty fruit finish.

Adam joined me on this tasting trip and we really enjoyed the Redemption Zin.  He noticed the viscosity and elegance of Dry Creek Valley Zin instantly.  I was surprised at the spice finish of this Zin.  Apparently this is common of Dry Creek Zins.   This well-priced wine can easily fill up your wine carrier.  If you fancy notes of smokiness in your wines, then try their 2008 Estate Cabernet Franc.  This medium bodied wine is accompanied by black currant, black cherry, chocolate and plum –  another well priced and award winning wine.  A bottle of their flagship wine the 2005 Cyrus was open, so we were fortunate to try it.  Each year it’s made with different percentages of a blend.  It has lots of layers created by aging for 2 years in French oak and 8 months in the bottle.

Thanks Scott for an extensive tour of Alexander Valley Vineyards delicious wines!

Seghesio Vineyards

The Seghesio family started planting grapes as far back as 1895.  This is the first winery I’ve visited that used to be in the bulk wine industry.  This means they would crush grapes in bulk production for other wine makers before the bottling process.  It wasn’t until 1983 that they decided to bottle their first bottle under their family label.

Tony our host for wine tasting and the barrel tour, was a wealth of knowledge on the family’s history, the cave and their diverse wines.  Their one-of-a-kind barrel room has several redwood storage tanks.  We also learned that the large tanks were cut in half in order to fit in the barrel room.  So, the photo here shows them at half their original size.  Reclaimed lumber from the redwood tanks was used in the construction of the ceiling and doors in the barrel room.  Tony explained how redwood is a neutral wood that was used to store the crush grapes before they are pumped to tanks on trains for market.

Seghesio Family Vineyards encompasses 300 acres of grapevines covering parts of Alexander, Dry Creek and Russian River valleys.

Tasting List Includes:

2010 Pinot Grigio

2010 Arneis

2009 Costiera Pinot Noir

2009 Old Vine Carignane

2008 Cortina Zinfandel

2009 Rockpile Zinfandel

2009 Home Ranch Zinfandel

2007 Home Ranch Petite Sirah

2008 Omaggio

2005 Dionigia

Of these, we particularly enjoyed the Costiera Pinot Noir (which is only sold in their tasting room).  This wine exhibits rich flavors of dark cherry and vanilla.  It was a treat to try their Arneis wine which is made from a Northern Italian grape.  Arneis translates to “little rascal,” due to the viticultural challenges it presents in the vineyard.    They currently have 8 acres of this grape which produces a pleasant wine with flavors of pear & melon.

The Rockpile Zinfandel was fantastic as well with its aromas of spice and flavors of red fruit.  It was interesting to learn that the grapes for this wine are grown 1,200′ above Dry Creek Valley in a very rocky area that is hot and dry due to its elevation.  The 2007 Home Ranch Petite Sirah is another rich wine that has a chewy mouth feel.  The Omaggio was great as well!

I love the name and taste of their dessert wine.  And the Vintage 2005 Dionigia translates to, “Wine Goddess” in Italian.   This Petite Syrah, Cabernet and Zinfandel blended dessert wine is also worth mentioning.

Share your passion for wine and remember your wine tasting trip with Wine Maps.

Others save wine labels in Wine Journals.  This is an easy way to reference memorable wines.  You can even write wine tasting notes next to the labels!

How to Remove Wine Labels…

The easiest way to remover wine labels is by using a wine label remover.  It’s one of the safest ways to remove labels from wine bottles without tearing the label.

Barrel Furniture, New Designs

Checkout some new designs of authentic barrels that are transformed into exquisite, eye-catching coffee tables, barrel stools and wine tables.

Barrel Coffee Tables

Complete a rustic or wine themed room with stave coffee and end tables.  The legs of this wine barrel coffee table are constructed with staves from a recycled wine barrel.  The coffee table top is solid oak.  A genuine barrel hoop completes the base of the table for an authentic look.

Handmade vintage oak whiskey barrel is transformed into a functional coffee table with lots of storage.  The half barrel base has loads of charm.  This eye-catching coffee table with huge table top is a great conversation piece.  Store magazines, games, bottles, blankets and more in the storage area below the hinged table top of whiskey barrel furniture.

Barrel Stools & Chairs

New!  Barrel stool available at various bar heights reuses barrel staves to construct the barrel stool backrest, stool seat and legs.  Thick curved staves give this simple design remarkable strength, while showcasing the natural beauty of the wood grain.  This new design has 4 staves to create the back rest.  Custom orders available with 2, 3, or 4 stave construction for the back rest.  In addition, custom orders for 1 to 2 footrests at 9″ and 18″ from top of the seat.

If you are looking even more style, custom orders are available with contrasting finishes.  For example, walnut finish stave seat with golden oak stave legs and backrest.  Call us at 919-341-4279, describe your room decor and we’ll inspire you.




Soon to come is this newest addition to barrel stools:

Wine Barrel Table

Wine Barrel Table with Metal Top is an exclusive, new design constructed from a reclaimed barrel that has been stained, finished and reinforced. The durable metal table top is 42 inches in diameter and powder coated with a pebble texture surface, copper vein (bronze) in color. Also features a black powder coated foot rail.  Custom table top sizes are available.  Wine and table design also comes in an oak top bistro table.  Shop the largest collection of furniture wine tables.