Daily Olive

All Things Wine

For Your Next Wine Tasting Party from RedEnvelope.com

Turn your next wine party into a first-class event. Wine bottles are slipped into faux-suede wine bags with charms labeling them one through four. After tasting each wine, guests write their descriptions on scorecards. Even if no one correctly identifies the wine, engaging conversation is guaranteed, and everyone will leave with a better grasp of the facets of wine tasting.

Wine Tasting Party Kit  |  $75 at RedEnvelope.com

Wine Tasting: You Like What You Like and That's OK

One very important thing I learned from my husband when he began his now four-year teachings of wine tasting is this:  You like what you like.  This was proven at a recent wine club I hosted.  We brown-bagged five wines, ranging in price from $10 to $50.  Many guests selected the $10 wine. You'd assume they would have preferred the more expensive wine, but we all agreed: Everybody has their own taste and that's just fine.

In the November 17, 2005, online edition of the the New York Times, writer Eric Asimov concurs with my counterparts in his article titled "Wine of the Times: Eternal Question Not Really Answered."  In the article, panel members also blind tasted some wines and discussed their favorite Thanksgiving wines.  One thing was conclusive, consensus was rare.

Read full article:   Eternal Question, Not Really Answered

Handmade Wines from Winemakers Around the World by Oriel

Oriel commissions winemakers from around the world to create a limited quantitiy of truly handmade wine that is special to their region.  Assembled all under one Oriel label helps keep overhead low and wines affordable.  Oriel also offers quarterly memberships that include 6 bottles of handmade wine per quarter, special event invitations, and more.  Founder Memberships offer more privileges including a concierge service and access to wineries around the world.

See a sample wine spec for 2003 Courant Cotes du Rhone by winemaker Louis Barruol.

Oriel  |  Official Website

Zinfandel Picks and Other Wines for Thanksgiving

Choosing wines for our Thanksgiving feast is never an easy choice for us at Daily Olive.  It should be so easy, but it comes with lots of anxiety.  Andrea Immer, at epicurious.com, gives us her wine recommendations for Thanksgiving.  Starting with Zinfandels, she also gives her white wine choices preferring Gewurztraminers, and great port and sherry selections for dessert.  Finally, she reminds us that Beaujolais could also be great choices with Thanksgiving turkey.

Wines for Thanksgiving  |  via epicurious.com

Decant your wines easily with the Wine Funnel

Need a quick and effective way to decant your wine?  The Wine Funnel aerates your wine into e into eight separate streams helping smooth out its tannic flavor and improve the taste.  European design also includes a stainless steel filter to catch bits of cork and sediment.

Wine Funnel   |  $20 at UncommonGoods.com

A Retro Wine Rack - The Wine Knot

The Wine Knot is designed by New York based design firm called Mint.  Made of birch and walnut plywood, the Wine Knot is a different take on the standard boxy wine rack designs out there.

Wine Knot Wine Rack  |  $100 at GreenerGrassDesign.com

6 Tips for Hosting a Sake Tasting Party

Join the growing trend of throwing a sake tasting party.  Beau Timken, owner of True Sake, shares his advice on hosting a sake tasting party.

I often get asked what is the best way to entertain with sake and how can we hold a sake tasting that is both fun and educational? The answer is simple really. Just get some sake and get some mouths.

Seriously having a sake shindig is quite like having a wine tasting except people may have less confidence in their sake understanding. But the bottom line is that it is all about people and their likes and dislikes. So the best way to approach a sake tasting adventure is to think about making almost everybody happy. (Some folks will never be happy – so screw them.)

Herewith are some scenarios and methods for having a sake gathering that will leave its mark and make you look like a hero.

Continue reading "6 Tips for Hosting a Sake Tasting Party"

Winesceptre Keeps Wine at Ideal Drinking Temperatures

Winesceptre is a new product that will keep your open wines chilled at the right drinking temperature.  Adopted for use by French sommeliers, using Winesceptre will keep wines at a steadier ideal serving temperature than placing the bottle in an ice bucket  (too cold), or sitting at room temperature (too warm).

Made of high grade stainless steel - the same as used in wine tanks, a chilled Winesceptre is inserted into a pre-chilled bottle of wine to keep the wine at a perfect serving temperature over an extended period of time.  The design also allows you to continue pouring wine without removing Winesceptre from the bottle.

Order directly from Winesceptre.com.

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Rosendahl WineTube Wine Rack

The WineTube Wine Rack is an elegant and modern solution to wine storage.  With the rack holding the neck of the bottle, you can easily view the wine labels at a glance.

Rosendahl WineTube Wine Rack   |  $79 at Tabletools.com

Taste Test Your Wine with a Clef du Vin

Using a Clef du Vin, or "wine key", helps simulate the passage of time on a bottle of a wine.  Dipped in a glass of wine one second for every year of aging desired, the metal alloy speeds the oxidation process changing the wine's taste, in effect mimicking the effect of cellaring.  Wine collectors will use the Clef du Vin to predict how well a bottle may age helping them decide which wines are worth keeping and when their ideal drinking age will be. 

Clef du Vin Pocket Wine Tasting Tool |  $99 at WineEnthusiast.com

Perfect Christmas Gift for a wine lover--Clef du Vin Wine Tasting Tool built into a classic Chateau Laguiole Corkscrew