Wine Rack Store Blog

Happy 4th of July! Here at the Wine Rack Store, we believe in safety first. That’s why we always have adult supervision when we are igniting fireworks, and that is why we always store our wine in an approved ultra safe wine rack. Every bottle of wine is as important as each finger and toe, and we want everyone to keep them all intact! So have a great weekend, enjoy food, friends, and fireworks, and remember to KEEP IT SAFE!

Labels: 222 Bottle Premium Glass Holder Wine Rack, firecrackers, fireworks, fourth of july, safety

July is official barbeque season at the Wine Rack Store. Sometimes it can be a bit intimidating to try new wines with your grilled masterpiece, and it is all too easy to revert to the fail safe beer and insert your favorite regular wine here. So today, I’d like to offer some suggestions to expand your wine repertoire:

First of all, virtually all red wines go well with hamburgers and hot dogs. If you must play it safe, both Zinfandel and Merlot are good all-around red wine-barbeque pairings. Two economical choices suggestions are 7 Deadly Zins by Michael David Winery, and 2006 Sagelands Merlot. A more daring choice would be a Cabernet Sauvignon, a Pinot Noir, or Cabernet Franc with grilled steak. Try a dry Italian Sangiovese with grilled steak, poultry, or pork. Chianti pairs well with any recipe that calls for lots of barbeque sauce!

White wines pose a bit more of a challenge. Chardonnay typically baulks at barbeque fare, but if you are a die-hard fan do what you must! Gewurztraminer and Riesling both nicely balance anything spicy. How about Airlie Gewurztraminer ? Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon play happily with grilled vegetables and seafood. Your white Pinots (Blanc and Gris) both pair well with grilled steak, poultry, and pork.

Now wait! We can’t leave out a bit of the bubbly! Champagne and Sparkling Wine are great with grilled vegetables and seafood, not to mention that they make ANY meal a special occasion! I am loving Cuvée Jean-Louis, Blanc de Blancs Brut. It is a must have in every special wine rack!

Labels: 222 Bottle Premium Glass Holder Wine Rack, barbeque, wine pairings, wine recommendations, wine suggestions

I’m a big fan of the local casinos. People watching fascinates me. I am mesmerized by the sights, sounds and smells, and of course the chance at winning it big always lures me right in! All around me are dreamers: people just waiting to hit the jackpot. If only I had a big bottle of wine for every dreamer I saw this week at the Tulalip Casino and Resort in Marysville, Washington. My 126 Big Bottle Wine Rack would be stocked clear full!

My favorite game is Blackjack. I tend to think I’m pretty good at the game, and sometimes I even win. I have never been yelled at by a fellow player, so I must be doing a few things right. I start with a mere $5, but every time I win, I let it ride. Ride, baby, ride! One of this days it’s going to pay off big time, well, at least it would if I didn’t chicken out and run every time I get up to $20. Once I’m ahead of the game, I gather my winnings and head to OffsetCarbonFootprint.org to save the planet!

I enjoy gambling when I have nothing to lose, but when it comes to storing wine, I believe in a sure bet. That’s why all my wine is stored in my premium Big Bottle Wine Racks!

Labels: big bottle wine racks, bonFootprint.Org, carbon credits, gambling, OffsetCarbonFootprint.Org, tulalip casino

Here at the Wine Rack Store, we feel it’s our duty to help you enjoy our products to the fullest. So, with the introduction of our new 222 Bottle Premium Glass Holder Wine Rack, we will be featuring fabulous tips on holding a wine tasting party.

A wine tasting party is the perfect way to gather family and friends to learn about wine, and test new or unusual varietals. Whether you pair wines with specific cheeses, or do a vertical or horizontal tasting, you are sure to experience new joys in both red wines and white wines as a result of the focused tasting.

1. Determine your guest list and send invites at least two weeks before your tasting.

2. Design a tasting card for each guest that specifies the type of wine, the producing vineyard, the year and a brief description of the wine (usually found on the wine’s label), with room to note the wine’s distinct appearance, aroma, flavor, and cheese pairing nuances.

3. To make your party a bit more exciting, offer a “blind tasting” experience. In this case, you still provide your guests with their individual tasting cards. However, you pour each wine without identifying the label (cover bottles with foil or a brown bag and mark with a number prior to serving). This allows them to integrate all of their senses to identify the respective wines based on the labels’ descriptions. The guest that identifies the most wines correctly wins a bottle of wine.

4. Decorations for a wine tasting party can be as simple or elaborate as you’d like. Most important is to keep the party atmosphere casual and engaging.

Extra Tips:

1. Typically, you will want to work from dry to sweet with white wines and progress from light to full-bodied with red wines.
2. The general rule of thumb for pouring is: 2 ounces of wine per glass, per wine for each tasting.

3. Provide plain bread and water between wines for guests to cleanse their palate.
What You Need:

* Four to Six Wines
* Bottle opener
* Appetizers - you might consider offering some light choices before the tasting
* Loaf of bread cubed – provide plain bread for guests to cleanse palate between wines
* Wine glasses – one per guest
* Pitcher of water – for rinsing glasses and palates between wines
* Dump bucket – for discarding wine before next pouring
* Tasting cards – for describing and recording each wine tasted
* Aluminum foil or brown bags to cover wine bottles if you choose blind tasting
*Pens and Paper


Happy Tasting!

Labels: 222 Bottle Premium Glass Holder Wine Rack, blind tasting, bottle openers, horizontal wine tasting, tips, vertical wine tasting, wine rack store, wine tasting party

“Bottle shock” describes a phase new bottled wine must survive to reach it’s prime. Although I am a bit of a wine fiend, I only recently heard this term. I spent some time in the Horse Heaven Hills, tasting wine, and talking with vintner’s, when I first learned about this stage of wine-making.

In the scientific sense of the word, bottle shock, also called bottle sickness, is when wine takes on peculiar, not-necessarily-good flavors. These strange flavors make the wine taste less fruity, and make the presence of the alcohol more noticeable. It almost certainly occurs after bottling, and can occasionally happen after being subjected to frequent shaking or changes in temperature and/or lighting. So, please people, when you are angry, don't take it out on your wine or it will get "shaken wine syndrome".

Luckily, “bottle shock” is usually temporary. Doctor Wine Charm’s orders are a couple weeks of rest and relaxation in any of the specially designed wine resorts available at the Wine Rack Store. Each rack is designed for optimal storage, and protection. No “bottle shock” here!

Labels: bottle shock, doctor wine charms, horse heaven hills, wine rack

I love barbeque season because it involves three of my favorite things: warm weather, scrumptious food, and wonderful wine! I must admit I am a bit old school; I use a charcoal grill. It’s the Big Daddy Weber, and I can cook up an entire meal in that gargantuan griller! I enjoy the ritual of such things as preparing a meal, setting the table, and opening a bottle of wine; so, the art of getting the coals just right adds to the joy of process for me. Just before lighting the grill, I peruse my selection of choices in my 222 Bottle Premium Glass Holder Wine Rack to find the perfect compliment to my meal. While the coals are heating things up, I happily chop, skewer, salt and pepper, and rub away at the menu for the evening. Perhaps now and then I have a sip of Cocktail Wine Charmed wine, as a tribute to Julia.

So, without further ado, I’m going to share one of my favorite decadent barbeque experiences:

RIB EYE STEAK WITH BABY RED POTATOES AND ASPARAGUS

2 boneless rib eye steaks, 1 1/2 think
Kosher or Sea Salt and Fresh Cracked Pepper
6-8 small baby red potatoes
Fresh asparagus
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Aluminum Foil

Prepare grill to high heat
Lightly salt and generously pepper room temperature steaks (fresh pepper only please!).
Rub pototes with oil, salt, and pepper
Lay asparagus on foil, drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper, fold to seal

Put potatos on the outside edge of the heat. Let cook for 10 minutes, turning every 5. Add asparagus to grill, also on outside edge. Cook 6 minutes. Add steaks to center of grill. Grill 5 minuets one side, 4 minutes on the other. DO NOT OVER COOK AND RUIN THIS BEAUTIFUL PIECE OF MEAT!! All the while be watching and turning your potatoes and asparagus. Remove meat from grill; allow steaks to rest 5 minutes before serving. While the rib-eyes rest, you may need to return to the Wine Rack to get a second bottle of wine, I usually do. Remove sides when done. Serve and enjoy!

P.S. For an extra sinful treat, sprinkle steaks with bleu cheese a few minutes before done grilling. Yum!

Labels: 222 Bottle Premium Glass Holder Wine Rack, barbeque, bleu cheese, charcoal, cocktail wine charm, grilled rib-eye recipe, weber grill

Bella Sera means “beautiful evening” in Italian, and there are few things more enjoyable than a clear, warm evening, spent enjoying good food, good company, and good wine. I rarely venture outside the contiguous United States, but when I do, I always hope for a bon vogage. So, being the bonviveur that I am, I recently sampled a bottle of Bella Sera 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon from my premium wine rack (Oh darn, I can’t lie…I did more than sample).

Bella Sera Cabernet Sauvignon captures the allure and elegance of Italy with grapes form generations-old vineyards. It’s ruby red color beckons to the heart, and it’s bouquet of cherries and currant seduces the senses. The wine is fruit forward with a smooth “easy to drink” interlude, followed by a zippy dry finish. It’s style and grace call for a traditional Gold Grape Wine Charm, but it’s friendly approach bypasses formalities and makes it a wine I’d be happy to serve everyday. It’s great to sip a la carte, or match with red meat, tomatoe-based pastas, and grilled poultry. At under $10 per bottle, I expect this wine to find a home in both my premium wine rack and my Metal Wine Ring Rack.

Labels: bella sera cabernet sauvignon, gold grape wine charm, metal wine rack, Premium wine racks, wine rack store