WOTM – August 2016:

WOTM (Wine of the Month) – August 2016

Carménère

This month, our Wine of the Month (WOTM) is a delicious Carménère from Chile.  

Along with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot, Carménère is considered part of the original six red grapes of Bordeaux, France.

(That said, there are others who indicate that it originated in Spain, then was brought to Italy by the Romans, and eventually made its way to France, but we’ll leave the origin stories to the movies.)

Regardless of its origin, everyone agrees that the Carménère grape eventually made its way to Chile, where it flourishes to this day. The climate and soil in Chile allow the Carménère grapes to grow and thrive.

Carménère wine has a deep red color and aromas found in red fruits, spices and berries. The tannins are gentler and softer than those in Cabernet Sauvignon and it is a medium body wine. Carménère imparts a cherry-like, fruity flavor with smoky, spicy and earthy notes and a deep crimson color. Its taste might also be reminiscent of dark chocolate, tobacco, and leather. The wine drinks very well while it is young and continues to improve with age.

The Winexpert Selection kit is described as a “Deep crimson, with dark cherry aroma, red fruits and berry notes running to a smoky, spicy finish with notes of dark chocolate and tobacco. With medium body and moderate tannins, Carménère drinks well young and improves with age. Drink with grilled beef, pizza, or dark chocolate”.

Interested in trying your hand at a Carménère, this month’s WOTM? We have lots of the Winexpert Selection kits in stock.

Stop on by!

Sign of the Times – 4

Sign of the Times – 4

It’s another “Sign of the Times” entry!

This month: Awesome!

(WBD Translation: Wine can sometimes help make you feel better, other times, better than better!)

Check out some of our other graphics.

Note: A number of these are created on Canva and/or using Avery label software. You can check out our post on creating your own labels .

Got a “sign” you’d like to suggest or one you’ve created and don’t mind us sharing? Drop us a note on our Contact page.

Sign of the Times – 3

Sign of the Times – 3

Sign of the Times – 3

It’s our next “Sign of the Times” entry!

This month: Spring has officially sprung! (WBD Translation: It’s time to think about putting up a nice refreshing summer wine!)

Note: A number of these are created on Canva and/or using Avery label software. You can check out our post on creating your own labels .

Got a “sign” you’d like to suggest or one you’ve created and don’t mind us sharing? Drop us a note on our Contact page.

WOTM – March 2016

WOTM (Wine of the Month) – March 2016

Spring has officially sprung!

It’s time to start thinking about our summer wines! When you’re sunning on the beach, sitting on the deck, or enjoying a picnic in the park, what goes better than a tasty summer wine? We have a lot of your summer favorites in stock.

It’s tough to pick out a favorite summer wine. Red folks (you know who you are) like what they like (and they’ll drink it when the want to)! But for seasonal wines, we find that whites (like a Moscato, Pinot Grigio, or Riesling) can go a long way. Of course, our fruit wines are always a hit too! Some of your favorites are the Pomegranate Zinfandel, Peach Chardonnay, and Green Apple Riesling.

But we have to pick one. So, without further ado, this month’s wine is: Sangria Zinfandel. From the Island Mist line: “A sweet and easy-drinking summertime wine, a medley of seasonal fruits that can now be enjoyed year round. Your nose will be enlightened by scents of orange, lemon, and lime that will marry with cherries on your tongue to create a sensational sipper that balances sweet and citrus flavors.” A great way to enjoy the dog days of summer!

As always, we suggest that you age white wines about 3 months (and reds 6+ months). Unlike our reds and our whites, you don’t have to age the fruit wines, they’re drinkable immediately.

Stop by and check out our selection of delicious summer wines!

A vintner’s home wine cellar

Home Wine Cellar

We’d like to continue bringing you new ideas about wine making. This time we’d like to chat about home vintning.

We know that there are a lot of home vintners out there, so this time we’d like to share a little bit about “one or two” of you. We’ve had a couple of home vintners (who wish to remain anonymous) graciously consent to share their setup. A husband and wife team, they’ve designed (and built) it themselves.

First, a glimpse into their (still fairly new) wine cellar.

They shared a little about it:

A peek into the wine cellar

Our vintner friend said it best: “The pictures really don’t do justice in showing the room off”, but we think that it still looks AMAZING!

A work station

This is a “pic is of the work bench we made for our wine production. The bench is very simple, made out of 2 x 4’s with a medium density fiber board top that has been painted and coated with acrylic.”

There’s two sides to every coin

“I’m sending 3 [pics] looking in so that you can see we have 3 walls completed covered and then the one in the middle is a double.”

See? We TOLD you there was two sides!

OK, it’s official, we have (wine) cellar envy! Can we just say: It’s an awesome home setup.

Interested in sharing your setup? Stop in, or drop us a note!

We’d love to share your wine cellar! (OK, maybe just some pictures, keep the wine for yourself…)

Sign of the times – 2

Sign of the Times – 2

It’s our second “Sign of the Times” entry! We’ll use this series to highlight some of our favorite wine graphics, posters and labels. We’ll share some popular ones that we’ve come across as well as some favorites that you share with us!

This month: Just what the doctor ordered!

Note: A number of these are created on Canva and/or using Avery label software. You can check out our post on creating your own labels .