A wall-mounted wine rack is a nice addition to any kitchen or dining area. They are easy to hang and will display your favorite wines and wine glasses all within reach.
We always have a couple bottles of wine on hand for special occasions and when friends drop by. Our problem was always that we didn't have the cabinet space to store the wine bottles.
It's always a good idea to have a couple of different wines on hand. Fran and my daughter enjoy dry wines, as for me I like a wine that is more on the sweet side. So, this handy wall-mounted wine rack can hold a variety of wines along with your wine glasses.
The wine rack in the photo above was a gift from our son and daughter-in-law. It is handmade from recycled pallet wood. They both had a hand in making this wine rack, my son cut and assembled it, while my daughter-in-law added the inscription, "May Your Glass Always Be Half Full".
Our wine rack measures 18 inches across x 14 inches high x 5 inches deep, and easily accommodates four bottles of wine and four wine glasses hanging underneath. As you can see it's also perfect for our Christmas Snowman.
Although it took me a year to hang it on the wall, the installation was quick and easy. It attaches to the wall with two wall anchors and a couple of 2-inch screws. It is a perfect addition to our kitchen and hangs on a side wall above our sink.
These wine racks are sure to be a perfect gift for wine lovers and can be found on Amazon in a variety of styles.
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
National Drink Wine Day is held on February 18 each year. No one knows who chose this day to specifically drink wine, but it is nice to know that there is a special day of the year set aside to enjoy it (assuming you are over 21, of course).
The origin of Drink Wine Day is unknown, but it was probably created by either a winemaker or a wine connoisseur.
Benefits of Drinking Wine
Photo Credit: Pixabay
Drinking wine has benefits beyond the fact that it tastes good.
Wine in moderation has health benefits for your heart and in lowering the risk of certain kinds of cancers, diabetes and liver disease.
Other benefits include enhancing the flavors of spices, fruits and sauces when paired with the right meal.
A glass of wine helps us relax and learning about wines keeps our minds sharp.
How to Celebrate National Drink Wine Day
Have a memorable evening by sharing wine with friends or that someone special.
Attend a wine-tasting event and try out different kinds of wine.
Photo Credit: Pixabay
Go on a winery tour. Two wineries reviewed here on this Review This Reviews! site include:
Happily, there is more than one day of the year set aside to enjoy wine. They include:
Open That Bottle Night – Dorothy Gaither and John Becher created this day to encourage people to reconnect with each other over a good bottle of wine or champagne. It is held on the last Saturday in February each year.
National Wine and Cheese Day - A day to celebrate pairing wine and cheese, providing an opportunity to sample some of our favorites. This holiday is held on July 25th.
Drink Local Wine Week - The second full week in October brings us this annual event that hopefully encourages bloggers and wine columnists to write about their local wines.
International Merlot Day – On November 7th we can celebrate one of the world's most popular red wines. It is also a day to encourage those who have never tried Merlot to give it a try.
Wine Tourism Day – This day, held on the second Saturday in November, features wineries and wine-related events all over the world.
Summery
If you enjoy drinking wine, pop the cork on your favorite bottle of wine and celebrate National Drink Wine Day this February 18th.
A Wine Chuckle
“I cook with wine. Sometimes I even add it to the food" :)
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
Let's review a popular gift idea for wine drinkers - wine pearls, chilling wine beautifully and looking good at the same time! They really are a great gift idea, but do they work? Well I just had to try them out for myself.
The first brand I tried were the ones pictured which, as you can see came in a beautiful looking box making them a great gift idea.
I placed the four 'pearls' in the freezer before going to bed one night and decided to try them out the following evening. I should add the manufacturers say you only need to chill them for four hours while some reviewers have indicated 2 hours are sufficient.
The next evening was a Friday and after a long week at work I thought a nice chilled glass of moscato would go down nicely!
I got the wine pearls out and the one I placed in my glass of wine was so cold to touch I just knew it was going to work beautifully! This gorgeous wine cooling pearl kept my wine at a perfect temperature and even when I'd finished the glass it was still lovely and cold.
My daughter asked if she could hold it and was surprised at how cold it was remarking, "it's like an ice pack for your wine" which sums it up pretty well.
The idea behind the wine cooling pearls is great - keep your wine cool without altering the taste - there's nothing worse than having ice cubes in your favorite moscato or chardonnay (although I do know people who have committed this crime!)
There was a suggestion a few years ago of adding frozen grapes to your favorite glass of vino. I liked this suggestion, but that was more for the excuse to freeze grapes (have you tasted a frozen grape, they're like little pops of ice cream - yum!).
The only drawback is that different grapes have different levels of sweetness and flavor that can be at odds with some wines. Personally I find them fine, but I'm not a wine expert by any stretch of the imagination! I just enjoy a nice moscato or a certain dolcetto & syrah blend in the summer heat.
These wine pearls are made from food grade stainless steel and have a non-toxic freezable gel core, I was very hesitant about trying them as I thought they could add a metallic taste to the wine. Luckily that thought was unwarranted. The wine pearls just kept the wine cool without altering any of it's flavor - just perfect!
What if You Don't Drink Wine?
These wine pearls aren't just for wine you can forget about whiskey stones and use wine pearls in your whiskey and scotch as well - they even look sophisticated enough to pop into a martini, shaken or stirred!
If you're a non-drinker that's okay, pop one of these wine pearls into a mocktail or soda for a refreshingly cool drink.
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
Harvest time in wine country is the most exciting time of year. If you live on a road with at least a dozen wineries within four miles, as I do, there is something going on almost every weekend, and usually competing events. There are First Crush events and Harvest Celebrations. That means concerts and food, and lots of wine tasting. You can smell the aroma of crushed grapes as you drive past.
Since I live so close to so many vineyards, I've had opportunities to watch the grape harvest, especially at my neighbor's winery, Croad Vineyards. That link will take you to more photos and videos of the Croad harvest as I saw it. Earlier this year I also had the opportunity to watch the bottling truck in action.
This video shows you how the wine actually gets into the bottles as I witnessed it.
The Grape Vines at Harvest Time
The vines themselves are laden with purple fruit. Usually by harvest time the leaves have turned into the various shades of red, rust, and gold. After the grapes are harvested, they are gathered in plastic bins for processing. They may go into a machine such as the one in the poster below at Zenaida Cellars in Paso Robles to have the stems removed. People stand by to make sure everything works properly and nothing is missed.
One of the most popular wineries in autumn is Niner Estates, home to Heart Hill, pictured on a poster below. The natural heart-shaped grove of oak trees was on the hill long before the vineyards were planted around it. It's beautiful at any time of year, but in fall around harvest time the vines frame the heart with autumn colors. Heart Hill appears on many of my Zazzle products, including postcards, necklaces, keychains, plaques, ornaments, and more. They can be customized to remove, change, or add your own text.
The City of Paso Robles and the surrounding rural areas of Templeton and San Miguel are home to over 200 different wineries. If you are a wine lover, it's worth a trip here. If you come, you will want to try some of the award-winning wines at Sculpterra Winery. While you are there you can enjoy its famous sculpture garden and enjoy its Sunday afternoon concerts. It's one of my favorite places. It's about ten miles east of the city of Paso Robles.
The wineries closest to my home are Croad Vineyards, Niner Estates, ZinAlley, Donati Family, and Aron Hill -- all on Highway 46 or close to it. Other 46 West wineries where I often shoot photos for my Zazzle products are Zenaida Cellars, Castoro Cellers, Peachy Canyon, and Doce Robles. If you click through to my Zazzle collection linked to above, you will see photos from some of those wineries on my products.
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
Sometimes finding more storage space in your home can be a
real challenge. As a Christmas gift, our daughter got us three sets of large
bath towels.
Now, the challenge for us was where to put them. We decided
on a small storage cabinet for our bathroom. I measured the space we had
available and we began to search.
We decided on this Bar Cabinet with wine storage from Bush
Industries. Now I know this sounds crazy you are probably wondering why on
earth would we buy a wine storage cabinet for bath towels.
Well, let me tell you why. This is the most versatile storage
cabinet I have ever seen. It measures 32-inches wide which is a perfect fit for
the space we had available. The 42-inches high was great because Fran did not want
a tall cabinet, and 16-inches deep makes it a perfect fit for the large towels.
This cabinet is
designed to be used for a variety of uses. You can use this cabinet as a Coffee
Bar, or Wine Cabinet, or general storage in an office, kitchen, or bathroom.
So, if you are looking for some added storage around the house this cabinet will
fit the bill.
Wine and Storage Cabinet Features:
Two accented glass doors with tempered glass.
Three fixed shelves.
Four adjustable shelves.
The Stemware rack will hold a dozen 12-ounce wine glasses.
The shelves will hold nine bottles of your favorite wine.
Bush Industries is a leading manufacturer of ready-to-assemble furniture for your home, office, or business. Offering a variety of desks, workstations, bookcases, storage furniture and so much more.
The unit was very well packaged, I found no damaged parts. Every part was labeled and easy to read. Each piece of hardware was packaged separately and labeled with the part numbers so there was no guesswork as to what screw went to what part.
The instructions were quite easy to follow and they tell you what steps to skip if you’re just setting the cabinet up as a storage cabinet.
The above photo is from the instruction sheet. On the left, it shows just a storage cabinet, on the right, it shows the wine cabinet.
When I first saw this I was concerned, I thought how am I going to know how to set this up without the wine storage.
But not to worry, as I stated above the instructions tell you what steps to skip to set the cabinet up for just storage.
After we set this up as our bathroom storage for the towels. I assembled the adjustable shelves with the wine racks and set them on shelves in my basement. Now I have a wine rack for nine bottles of wine.
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
I
live in wine country and I love to read mysteries. This mystery takes
place in the Santa Ynez wine country that I often drive through on
the way to Santa Barbara. So, of course, I had to read it.
Why I Chose to Read This Book
I love reading mysteries, and I love living in wine country,
surrounded by vineyards. I even had the opportunity to observe my
neighbor's wine making process after harvest. So when I was
searching the mystery section at the library for a new book to
read, Deadly Vintage by William Relling Jr.
immediately caught my eye. As I scanned the dust jacket, I became
even more interested. When I actually read the book, all I had
learned about the wine industry brought the book to life for me. I'd
seen the machines that process the grapes in action (as you will if
you follow the link above.) I am personally acquainted with the
owners of many local vineyards.
Before reading Deadly Vintage, I had just returned
from a trip through the Santa Ynez valley, so I was able to visualize
all the places mentioned, including those in Southern California,
where I was raised and spent a good part of my life. I have driven
the same Los Angeles and Orange County freeways and experienced the
traffic exactly as Relling, who lived in Los Angeles when writing the
book, described it.
A Review of Deadly Vintage
This book is set in the Santa Ynez Valley in the fictional town of
San Tomas. If you click that link, it will bring up a map that will show you the scenery Jack saw during his investigation. The protagonist, Jack Donne, a former Treasury agent, is
now a vintner. He works with his father, Raymond Donne, referred to
as Dad in this first person narrative, who had been an architect in
nearby Santa Barbara, before retiring to make wine. They have one
full-time employee, Jesus Fonseca, who was born in Mexico. The other
important family member is Uncle Gerry Donne, Dad's brother, a
financial lawyer in Santa Barbara who handles the Donne Vineyards
account, besides being a partner in the business.
The action begins when Ozzie Cole the son of another wealthy
winery owner, Perry Cole, now retired, barges in on Jack unexpectedly
and implores him to investigate the possibility that someone is
counterfeiting his expensive wine and selling it in Southern
California. Jack does not want to get involved. He has never liked
Ozzie, though he respects him as a wine maker. Ozzie's two brothers,
June (short for Junior) and Grant, are working together and competing
with Ozzie, who has his own operation and produces expensive boutique
wines. June and Grant make cheaper wines.
Uncle Gerry finally convinces Jack to work for Ozzie by sharing
with Jack a possible connection between the person selling the
counterfeit wine and a mobster who is well-known to all of them. A
couple of days later, Perry Cole, who is living in a nursing home and
is assisted by his long-time servant, Zeke Carlin, an ex-boxer, is
murdered on Carlin's day off.
Ozzie is arrested for the murder, since Brad Fitch, the Lieutenant
investigating the case, thought Ozzie had the knowledge, opportunity,
and motive to kill his father, the motive being money. The Perry
family lawyer, Daniel Wikert had let it slip to police that Ozzie
stood to inherit almost all of Perry's sizable estate. Ozzie had also
been trained as a medic in the National Guard, giving him the
knowledge it took to kill Perry in the way he had died. Jack had also
witnessed Perry leaving his father, still arguing loudly, the night
before Perry was murdered.
Jack doesn't like Ozzie much, but he doesn't believe he killed his
father. Jack smells a rat in Wikert, and also learns that the sleazy
lawyer has connections with the underworld. Jack continues his
investigation to not only uncover the counterfeiting operation, but
also to find the real murderer.
The characters in this book are developed just enough to make me
care about them. The plot moves in such a way that I'm not really
surprised by the outcome, since the author dropped just enough clues
to enable me to think with him. In fact, I was pretty sure who had
killed Perry before Jack seemed to catch on. I don't like it when
I've been trying to think with a detective or investigator and then
at the end all kinds of new elements appear that change everything
that seemed to follow logically before. I'm looking forward to
reading the next and only other book in this series. There won't be
any more, because the author committed suicide in 2004 when he was only
49.
I have linked to both formats of the book below, should you want to read it.
Croad Vineyard owner Martin Croad invited me to tour his winery
during harvest day in 2011. He showed me all the machines used to
process the wine, and I have included them, along with his
explanation of what they do and a demonstration of each. Watching
this video will help you to understand the plot of Deadly
Vintage better, since the process of wine making, and the
machines used, are important in the plot.
Recommendation
I recommend this book to mystery loving wine aficionados or anyone who enjoys thinking along with investigators to solve murder mysteries. The book is even more fun if you are familiar with the Southern California area and can visualize where the action is happening.
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
When you host a party where everyone knows each other, conversation and laughter generally come easy.
However, where people aren't as familiar with each other, we generally use a variety of tools to break the ice.
Party tools normally include the standards such as games, music videos and dancing. However there's another creative way to generate conversation - hand your guest a drink in a funny wine glass.
There are a vast number of funny sayings that can be found on wine glasses, and some do include 'bad words' *gasp!*. But hey, if your crowd is into nasty humor, be sure to include these.
Here are just a few funny sayings you'll find on wine glasses...enjoy! - Find these Quotes on Wine Glasses Here
I do yoga, just kidding, I drink wine in yoga pants
'Novinophobia' - The fear of running out of wine
It's not really drinking alone if the dog is home
Not every girl is made of sugar and spice and everything nice, I'm made of sarcasm, wine and everything fine
Some people just need a high five - in the face, with a chair.
Let's get ready to stumble
Get yourself a table filled with an assortment of funny of glasses, and let people pick the glass that best suits their personality.
As your guests begin to chat with each other, the wine glass becomes the ice breaker.
Have fun, now I'm craving wine!
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
During a recent visit from my brother & sister-in-law, we went out to lunch at the Tycoga Vineyard & Winery located about 18 miles from my home. My brother used to make his own wine as a hobby and enjoys trying different wines, so I knew he would enjoy visiting this winery. We had an extremely pleasant couple of hours doing a wine tasting and having this winery's fresh handmade wood fired pizzas for lunch.
Tycoga Vineyard & Winery
Tycoga Vineyard & Winery is a family owned business that began in 2010 with only 50 plants. Their intent was to only grow grapes and sell them. Their first plants produced a small crop.
Then one day a couple stopped by and gave the Tycoga family their phone number. They said they thought that these were wonderful grapes and that they needed to make wine instead of just selling the grapes.
Tycoga Vineyards
After many long talks with this helpful couple, and learning about grapes, the Tycoga family ended up planting many, many more grape plants. They now have over 26 acres of plants.
TYCOGA Vineyard & Winery was then established in 2014. The Tycoga tasting room opened on December 20, 2014, and final construction was completed in April 2015.
Handcrafted Wines
Tycoga Wines
Tycoga now has over 20 different types of wines from Dry to Sweet. This wide variety of mainly ESTATE produced wines allows the Tygoca family to showcase wines to both the novice and the experienced wine drinker. TYCOGA Vineyard & Winery has entered the Finger Lakes International Wine Competition every year since 2015 and they have won awards every year, including bronze, silver and gold metals.
The wines at Tycoga also include a dessert wine and a sparkling wine. The dessert wine pairs well with a delicious piece of chocolate cake. During a wine tasting, they offer you a piece of chocolate to eat – first tasting the dessert wine without the chocolate and again after eating the chocolate. It allows you to see how well it goes with a chocolate dessert. Yum.
Food
Wood-Fired Pizza
Tycogo Winery offers 16 varieties of their delicious wood-fired Pizzas Click this link for the menu.
Private Parties and Small Events
Outside Patio overlooking the Vineyard
Tycoga Winery has an event room, a Barrel room and an outside patio for booking anything from a bridal shower to a wedding, or for an office event, birthday party, retirement party, graduation or any other special occasion. An attractive venue for your special event.
Summary
If you enjoy visiting wineries and find yourself traveling in Southeastern Iowa, spend an hour or two at the Tycoga Vineyard & Winery. It has a delightful atmosphere and very friendly staff.
The name of the winery comes from the TYCOGA Family children - Tyler, Courtney & Gabe.
*Tycoga Vineyard & Winery Travel Review written by Wednesday Elf
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
Having children along need not keep parents from wine tasting. Paso Robles has a few family friendly wineries that have plenty to keep children happy and occupied as parents do the tasting. My personal favorite of these is Sculpterra.
Sculpterra Owner Dr. Warren Frankel Cares about Families
He showed how much he cared for his own when he moved his medical practice from the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County to Templeton in 1970. In 1979 he bought a 90-acre ranch in Paso Robles on which to raise his children. Trust me, There couldn't be a more beautiful place to raise children than the location Dr. Frankel chose. He and his wife Kathy also have room to keep the horses they like to ride and plenty of room to ride them through the vineyards and orchards.
But Dr. Frankel cares about more than his own family. He and some other doctors got together to found His Healing Hands, a medical ministry that sends medical missionaries on short term missions to almost every corner of the world to bring medical care to the poorest of the poor. They are often on the scene after a major disaster like Hurricane Katrina. I personally know people who have participated in these short term missions with Dr. Frankel, and I've met Dr. Frankel himself at Sculpterra. When you buy wine at Sculpterra, part of the profits go to support His Healing Hands. Read more about Dr. Frankel here.
Dr. Frankel loves his country and the people of Paso Robles. He is a concerned and active citizen. I often hear him express his views about local issues on our local radio stations "Morning Exchange" and "Sound Off" programs. Every year he also hosts an Independence Day party at the winery for the community. In the past he has treated those who attend to free hot dogs, popcorn, pizza, apple pie, bottled water, and wine. Read more about these parties on my blog post, Independence Day at Sculpterra Winery.
Sculpterra's sculpture garden is full ofrenowned sculptor John Jagger's gigantic sculptures in bronze and granite. (Miniature versions of many of them are for sale in the tasting room.) If you are anywhere near the tasting room you probably will be able to see at least one large sculpture near you. There is also usually a place within view of the sculptures where parents can sit and drink their wine as children explore the paths that lead to the sculptures.
This sculpture by John Jaggers is my favorite of all of them.
"Sweet Dreams" by John Jagger at Sculpterra
I can imagine "Gentle Giant" wowing the younger generation. It, like the other sculptures, is huge. They make even adults looking at them feel small.
I've always loved what our local artist Dale Evers did with an old car door. I first saw the dog in this door outside Dale's Paso Robles studio. You couldn't miss it as you walked by.
Then one day when I was at Sculpterra after almost a year's absence, I saw this right between the parking lot and the path to the tasting room entrance. Look familiar?
Of course, that's only one piece of Dale's work on display at Sculpterra. Every time I visit Sculpterra I find more of it. He works in metal and much of his work is very delicate. So it is with the butterfly chimes below. I was really surprised to find them at Sculpterra because they used to live nextdoor to our Templeton house at ZinAlley winery. Here's how they looked there.
Now they live at Sculpterra in Central Park West.
Central Park West
Here are the chimes in their new home.
Central Park West has all kinds of activities for children and adults who like to play games. Of course, everyone likes to push the chimes to hear them ring. There are also two stone chess tables, a bocce ball court (on the other side of the picnic tables), a cement foosball table, and a custom made table tennis table. Parents can sit in the comfortable chairs to drink their wine. The very top photo in this post gives you another look at the game tables from a different perspective. Equipment for the games can be checked out in the tasting room.
Sculpterra Mural, "Legacy of California Wine in Art"
Another part of Central Park West I hope people will show their children is the "Legacy of California Wine in Art." (See above.) Artists Bob Bentley and Steve Kalar collaborated to present this mural of the history of wine in California.
Art is Everywhere at Sculpterra
Besides the sculptures and art panels scattered around the area near the tasting room, there is plenty of wall art by local artists for sale inside the tasting room. One art wall is reserved for each month's featured artist. I was last there in December 2018, and the Artist of the Month was Drew Davis. I had actually found him painting in front of the tasting room that day and we talked for a bit. You never know what or who you will find on a visit to Sculpterra.
Look at the mural shown above and talk with your children about California's history as you look at the individual pictures on it. It begins with the missions and so far ends with the arrival of the railroad.
As you walk through the sculpture garden, talk about the artists and their work. Talk about sculpture as an art form. Do a bit of research before you go and learn enough to teach your children. Help your children notice the characteristics of the sculptures. Ask how the sculptures make them feel or how they think the artists may have felt about their subjects. Note the expressions on the animal faces.
Like most wineries I visit, Sculpterra grows herbs in the gardens surrounding the the tasting room. See if your children can identify them. Point out the various birds and beneficial insects the garden attracts.
If you're really lucky, you may even get to watch an artist work. And on Sunday afternoons there are usually free concerts outside.
Find out when harvest will occur in the fall and plan to observe it. On some of my visits to Sculpterra I have watched Dr. Frankel's son Paul, the winemaker, at work and he doesn't mind answering questions. In this video he explains how they handpick the grapes at Sculpterra. This short video is one of a series that may be good preparation for your family to watch before they visit Sculpterra.
Everyone in Your Family Will Find Something to Enjoy
For personal reasons related to family history, I don't drink anything alcoholic, so I can't comment on tasting Sculpterra's award-winning wines. I do have many friends who have joined their wine club. It's a shame to live in wine country and not drink wine. But I can always find something new to see and enjoy at Sculpterra when I'm the designated driver. If I had children at home, I would certainly not hesitate to take them with me on my visits. I know they would come away enriched by the experience. And for sure, there's enough to see and do here to keep designated drivers and those too young to drink from getting bored.
Next time you are in Paso Robles California, make a point of stopping by Sculpterra. You will be glad you did. Learn more about Sculpterra and other wineries on the California Central Coast in this beautifully illustrated book.
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
Barnyard Designs Wall Mounted Wine Rack - Bottle and Glass Holder - Hanging Wood and Metal Wine Rack Wall Mount for Bar and Kitchen Decor, 20.5
