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!
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
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 .
It’s official! The 2016 Wine Tasting Event (WBD version) is on!
Wine tasting
The store will be closed for “normal” business, the day is devoted to the event!
Special bonus: All attendees will receive an Owners discount of 15% off all wine kits during the event.
You are allowed to submit up to 3 bottles per person for the 3 entry categories: Red, White and Dessert/Fruit. Your wine will be moved into numbered bottles and you will be the judge in the blind tasting. The highest scored wines will be the winner in each category and the highest scoring of those will be named Best of Show. Best of Show wins a $100 gift certificate at WBD and the other two winners will each receive a $50 gift certificate to WBD.
To enter, turn in your bottles at the store before Friday, April 8 (contest closing time is 7p).
For the day of the event: there will be a $5 fee for those not contributing a bottle of their finest vino. (Contest entrants are free!)
Note: This is limited to wine made in the Wines By Design store (from our kits). This does not include wine made from fresh juice.
A quick recap:
- Drop off up to 3 bottles per person by April 8 at 7p.
- Join us for wine judging on April 9 beginning at 11a.
- See how your wines stack up against all the WBD competition!
We’ll provide: palate cleansing crackers, snacks, appetizers, munchies, and more!
It’s a snow day!
Just a quick note to let you know that we’ll be closed Tuesday, February 16th.
Stay inside, be warm and be safe.
This includes our Continuing Education classes.
If you need a hint on how to stay warm, besides the fire, a blanket and a snuggle buddy, how about a glass of port?
(That’s what WE’RE doing!)
Cranberry Sangria
A nice Thanksgiving cocktail, try cranberry sangria!
A mixture of cranberry juice and white wine, it’ll set the mood for your Thanksgiving festivities!
Serve up a nice cocktail before dinner while your guests and mingling or enjoying those delicious appetizers you prepared. If someone’s not into wine, a wine cocktail might be just the trick!
You can find all of our recipes on our recipes page.
