Corkcicle

Isn't this the coolest? Meet the corkcicle. This was made for me, the girl who always forgets to refrigerate white wine before serving. Is it wrong to start my stocking stuffer list for Christmas 2012 in January?

image/corkcicle

Wine and Cheese Puzzle

Wine and cheese party anyone? I love to own a set of these puzzle boards. Grab a baguette or two, an antipasti platter, capped off with a robust white or red, and you've got yourself a party!

image/oooms

Red or White?

I don't know about you, but I am sure glad it's Friday. This has been a long, arduous, stressful week at school. I am very much looking forward to tonight and a glass of vino with girlfriends. On another wine note: aren't these etched wine decanters awesome? I would love to buy these and host myself a wine tasting party like this! Want to come?

image/oliveandcocoa

via omydarling

Wine Enthusiast

I don't know about you, but I'm a wine drinker. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy beer too, but if I had the choice, I'd go for a glass of wine over a brewski any day. I just discovered a lead on the ultimate iphone app for the wine enthusiast via Real Simple.

It's called, Snooth Wine Pro. Here's the gist - let's say you fall for a fabulous wine at a restaurant and hope to purchase again. Solution: Don't fret! Snap a pic of the label with your iphone and within seconds you've located the cheapest bottle available in your neighborhood or online. Added bonus, you can collect snapped wines in a "cellar" for future reference. While the price tag is a hefty $4.99, (a lot for your typical iphone app), if you're truly a wine enthusiast, it might be worth the investment.

I thought this was pretty cool!

Fonduing It

I just inherited a lovely fondue pot. However, having never actually prepared fondue myself, I'm a bit bewildered as how to proceed from here... As I stare at my newly acquired fondue pot, questions bubble up around me, What temperature do you cook fondue at? What is the ideal cheese fondue recipe? Is there a protocol for cleaning?... Help!

(Also, for the record - I'm equally interested in creating cheese or chocolate fondue. Who doesn't love both, right?)

Have you ever prepared your own fondue pot? If so, what is your recipe du jour. I know I could easily google the answer, but I always find blog comments sometimes have a bit more presence and helpful hints than an obscure website. Please send your fondue vibes my way!

Spring Hill

My boyfriend and I ventured into the warmth of West Seattle for our date night. West Seattle is viaduct away from "downtown," but an eclectic borough of Seattle that boasts friendly locals, fantastic pastries, and a smattering of up and coming restaurants including Spring Hill.

According to yelp, Spring Hill is known for their MEAT. And though my boy and I opted for fish (delicious halibut and rainbow trout), I can attest to this claim, as I pondered order the sublime burger topped with Flagship Beecher's Cheese and beef fat fries...heaven. All in all - a great dinner!

image/seattlemag

Date Night!

Happy weekend my dears, hope you have a relaxing weekend. I'm off to a romantic dinner with my bf tonight and then it's Seattle Seafair this weekend. Lots of local festivities and the Blue Angels are in town! Hoping the grey skies turn blue in time for their flight tomorrow afternoon.
Cheers!

image/cupofjo

Wine Your Turkey

Ever heard of marinating a turkey in wine? Ever a fan of the sweet wine Riesling, I was surprised to hear it could be used on a turkey! This year Martha's mixing it up with Maple Roasted Turkey with Riesling Gravy. What do you think? Would you make this for your Thanksgiving? What is your fave Thanksgiving dish?

image/marthastewart

Barrel O'Wine

This is the coolest invention! A barrel o'wine...literally. If you happen to be bringing several bottles of wine to a party - save yourself the clinking and rattling and invest in the Red Truck wine barrel. This handy dandy little barrel holds the contents of 4 wine bottles and is much easier to transport. Ingenious!

image/redtruckwine

He Said, She Said

I'm such a sucker for a fun label - I'll usually buy that over the recommended wine anyday. Loving this label "He Said, She Said," Australian wine by Lake House Denmark Wines.

image/dieline

On the House

Anyone ever tried these? I'm always a sucker for a clever wine label, and while these labels are not nearly as clever as they come, the simplified design does pose intrigue to me. Thus far, I've tried the original house (both red and wine), but I'm curious to sample the steak and fish varieties. Quite honestly, I've sampled these wines not for their impeccable flavor but for their price, and Ihave to say, not bad! In need of a quick, cheap table wine, reach for a House bottle. So, what'll it be? image/magnificent wine

Wino

I don't know about you, but I need a laugh today. Squint in and check out this wine label for Fat bastard wines. Perhaps this rhino/hippo is the wine's namesake, as he actually sinks into the label. Haha, it's the little things in life...

image/thedieline
image/clickwinegroup

Holy Cow

I admit, I judge wine bottles by their label. Rather than being captivated by flavors of a region, my eye gravitates toward the catchy, creative, or whimsical label. Which is how I came to find "Holy Cow," Riesling, a K Vintners wine, I couldn't resist the little halo perched above this angelic cow's head. Not only that, it was both affordable and flavorful. SOLD!

image/kvintners

You're Screwed!

"YOUR ALARM DOESN'T GO OFF AND YOU WAKE UP AN HOUR LATE . . . YOU RUN TO THE STREET CORNER JUST AS YOUR BUS PULLS AWAY . . . YOU'RE CHECKING IN FOR YOUR FLIGHT AND YOU LEFT YOUR ID AT HOME . . .
. . . YOU'RE SCREWED"

Sound familiar?To the rescue is comes...SCREWED. Yep, that's their name. Save this bad boy for the day when nothing goes as planned, you're frustrated, you're stressed, you're tired, and the last thing you need from that nerve-abating glass of wine is for the cork to break...

Relax...(take a deep breath) and pull out that bottle of SCREWED wine (which you remember to save for a day just like this). And in case you're worrying that something else might go awry, relish in the convenience of the corkscrew-free bottle, unSCREW the cap, and think "Wow, just when I thought I couldn't get anything right, this made my day a teeny-tiny bit easier... (Sigh).

quote+image/preceptbrands