Wine Rack Store Blog

The sun finally peaked out of the clouds for nearly a full day today. We were able to visit a local beach without being rained on for the first time in months. Sadly, the usually lovely view of the Olympic Mountains was still blocked by clouds.

Because of the sun and the relative warmth of the day we were motivated to get some yard work done. The house I am living in had a much neglected yard when we moved in so the yard has mostly been an uphill battle. The grass is more moss than grass, rotting leafs and vegetation is everywhere, and there are not many ascetically pleasing plants left alive. So today we raked and I purchased some inexpensive pretty primroses to plant around.

We also started a fire so we could burn up some of the fallen limbs and other debris. I got a chance to relax in front of it and enjoy one of my favorite wines off of my wine rack. I needed that little bit of relaxation because I will be out there again tomorrow.

Labels: mountains, Washington State, wine rack, wine rack store

I woke up this morning to one of Mother Nature’s lovely gifts, an earthquake. After being momentarily confused I realized what was going on. Compared to the Nisqually earthquake of 2001, this was nothing. Being from central California, I am very used to the occasional quake. I even remember this big one in 1989 that killed a lot of people. I was watching Sesame Street and then all of sudden it turned to snow and my mom yelled at me to get under a table.

After the quake this morning I got up to make sure everything was alright. I didn’t notice anything out of place. The only thing disturbed was my cockatiel. He doesn’t react well when disturbed in his sleep and he was bashing around his toys and flapping his wings. After I removed his covering, he reoriented himself and returned to his perch. Luckily since my wine rack was built so well, no wine was lost.

This picture I posted here makes me laugh every time I see it. If only they had something like the 96 Bottle Instant Cellar Wine Rack, this mess could have been avoided.

Labels: earth quake, wine rack, wine rack store

Wine glasses. These two words strike fear in my heart. As mentioned before I am incredibly good at breaking them. I should only be allowed to use plastic ones. I also have no idea what kind of glasses you are supposed to use with different wines. There are so many different shapes, sizes, colors, and even some with no stems! Thank goodness Google was able to give me some answers.

Thin crystal is always better than decorative glasses. Decoration just distracts from the wine itself. Stem or stemless is really a matter of preference although wine will warm faster in stemless glasses.

With red wines you want to have a glass with a wide opening and bowl. A wider bowl and opening makes it easier for air to mix with the wine. This mixing brings out new aromas and flavors.

With white wines you want to have narrower bowls and openings. A smaller bowl keeps the wine cooler longer and a narrow opening allows the lighter aromas gather.

After I read this I went and looked through the different glasses I have stored. It looks like I have both types of glasses. Perhaps to help match the proper glass with the proper wine I should purchase the 80 Bottle Premium Wine Rack and Glass Holder.

Labels: wine glasses, wine rack, wine rack store

I know that this does not come as a surprise but job searching is an absolute nightmare right now. Since I lost my retail job, I have been actively searching for another one. I called all around town and although many places were accepting applications, none actually had any open positions.

Since retail sales is not what I want as a career because I have a college education, I have been trying to get a government job. This is proving to be harder than I expected even though I am surrounded by three military installations. Today I went to a job fair for industrial trades for the local shipyard. It was a disaster. The place was packed and I found nothing of interest among the booths. I have what I like to call “princess hands” and the last thing I want to do is learn how to weld or deal with nuclear materials.

I can’t even convey how frustrating I feel about all this mess. To make myself feel better I am going to pull out one of my favorite wines off my wine rack and watch some crappy comedy movies.

Labels: job search, wine rack, wine rack store

I love my local wholesale warehouse and find myself stopping there often. Today I was just stopping to pick up some cheese. I am a browser and can never go through the store without making my rounds. I first like to take a look at the jewelry case and see if anything new has come in. I also like to walk around the wine section.

Today this section was my downfall. I have actively been trying to cut down on my spending which meant wine was at the bottom of my budget. I enjoyed a Chateau Ste. Michelle Gewürztraminer last night with dinner, so when I saw it for sale at $5.99 I picked another one up. They also had a Riesling which I picked up as well for the same price. As I walked through the section I also ran into Lady in Red by Kestrel Vintners at $9.99. We just drank our last Lady in Red so I had to have another.

At this point I was juggling three bottles because I didn’t have a cart and was feeling like a total alcoholic walking around with my arms full of wine. I only had enough arm space to grab the cheese and go. I had to sacrifice the broccoli I was considering the purchase of.

Now my wine rack a little less bare. So far in my household the economic crisis is affecting my closet and wine rack the worst.

Labels: Washington Wine, wine rack, wine rack store

I, like two million other Americans in the past four months, have lost my main job. It seems like every day the economic outlook continues to get worse and worse. I can almost no longer watch my stock portfolio because it just continues to sink lower and lower. I only have a little invested and I can’t imagine what it must feel like to lose a whole retirement or college fund.

They always say when people try to cut back on expensive they cut out the most frivolous things first. Many families can barely afford to have proper meals, let alone expensive wines. According to CNN food banks have had a 30% increase in the number of people seeking assistance. I am worried for these people and myself. Luckily, I am not the main earner in our household so my job loss will not be as devastating.

I really hope our new president can turn this nightmare around. Until something is worked out our wine racks and cellars will continue to remain sparse.

Labels: instant wine cellars, Mr. Obama

When you are thinking of going somewhere to find new wine to try, sometimes you just want to take the easy route and pick up some wine at the local grocery store. If you want to properly fill up your wine rack, a visit to the local wine shop is a must.

The individuals who work at the shop are usually very knowledgeable and can help match a wine to a particular occasion or lead you to something new to try. Some shops even carry things such as gourmet cheeses and crackers that can be perfectly paired with different wines.

Wine shops are also going to have a much more varied selection than the grocery stores. Grocery stores tend to carry a lot of popular wines but may not stock many of the local wines found within the community. The shops will have bottles you will not be able to find anywhere else.

Some wine shops also hold tastings on a weekly basis. Going to a tasting is a great opportunity to learn more about wine you may like and mingle with other community members who enjoy wine.

If nothing else, a lot of wine shops have a clearance wine rack just waiting to be raided by someone looking for a deal.

Labels: events, wine bottle storage, wine rack

While I was staying in Wenatchee this weekend, I was given a tour of the wineries in Lake Chelan. The first one we stopped at was Benson Vineyards Estate Winery. The winery sits up on a hill and looks down on the north shore of Lake Chelan. If it weren’t for the fog, the view would be quite lovely.

This vineyard produces 13 different types of grapes that they turn into seven types of red and four types of white wines. The vines were planted in 2002 and their first harvest took place in 2004. They now produce about 3,500 cases of wine every year. The picture above shows the cases in the tasting room. Who wants to guess how many 96 Bottle Instant Cellar Wine Racks you will need to show off all these bottles?

We tasted about six wines, two white and four red. I enjoyed both whites but the chardonnay was exceptional. Unlike most I have tried, this one had a many different layers of flavors. I also really enjoyed the cabernet franc. It had a really peppery flavor that I enjoy.

Labels: Washington State Wine, wine rack, wine rack store

I am currently enjoying the weekend in Wenatchee, Washington. It's a bit of drive at three and a half hours from my home. Since one of the passes we usually take was closed, we chose to ride a ferry to take different one. On the ferry, we got out to walk around and enjoy the scenery. On our way to the top deck we passed a logging truck. I always feel some guilt when I see these trucks because I believe trees are incredibly important to our local community and ecosystem. As we were going around the truck, I looked back at it. Spray painted on the exposed wood was , "Take This Hippies." I was absolutely mortified.

I do identify with "hippies" in the sense that I respect the Earth and try to take care of nature. The type of people who would mock people who mourn the loss of these trees are the ones ruining this planet.

I am glad the Wine Rack Store only uses wood from sustainable forests. They recycle so fewer trees and other materials have to removed from nature. They also donate money to have trees replanted. I wish other businesses would take up these practices. If they did, perhaps our planet wouldn't be in such bad shape.

Labels: Logging, wine rack, wine rack store

I am never alone writing these blogs. I usually have my little “helper,” Freckles the cockatiel, distracting me. While I try to write, he enjoys exploring my desk. He likes to chase after the mouse, walk on the key board, or chew on any stray piece of paper. He also likes to beg for a scratch right when I am in the middle of a paragraph.

He’s starting to get pretty old. He’s nearly a senior citizen in cockatiel years. With as much noise as he makes, you’d still think he’s a young bird.

He doesn’t know many tricks but he is a pretty good whistler. He also can make some strange noises. He will purr like a cat when he is being scratched and will squeal like a pig when he is fighting with the bell in his cage. This bell also serves as a “binky” when he is calm.

When he isn’t sitting on me begging for scratches, his favorite perch is the wine rack on our entertainment center.

Labels: pets, wine rack, wine rack store

Currently I hold two jobs, one here at the Wine Rack Store and one at my local Macy’s store. I have been working there for about three months as a stock person. Usually I spend my time mindlessly stocking socks and jewelry but right now I am doing inventory. Last week I had three shifts starting at 5 am and this week I have three graveyard shifts. Since my sleep patterns have been destroyed by these shifts, my mind is functioning on a pretty low level.

Last night we had to inventory jewelry, handbags, the home section, and fine china. I can handle the first three departments but not the last. I am notoriously good at breaking glass items, especially wine glasses. I bought a set six wine glasses last year. I am now down to two. Many have met their demise in the sink, by being accidently knocked over, or even being hit by my blow dryer. I also have two sets of champagne glasses that are missing a glass.

Thank goodness I was placed in the jewelry department for inventory. Although I did have to briefly go into a fine china stockroom to track down some missing items. I was very careful to touch the expensive items as little as possible.

Perhaps to help save my remaining glasses I should buy a wine glass rack to match my wine rack.

Labels: wine rack, Wood Wine Racks

Just wanted to stop by, make a quick first post, and say hello to all the readers.
As mentioned in the introductory post, my name is Victoria and I have just been added to the blogger crew.

I may be new to Wine Rack Store but I am very familiar with blogging and wine. When it comes to personal blogging, I am pretty practiced. I used to post religiously about my life on a journal website. But now that I am out of college my life has taken a turn for the boring so I don’t bother to write about it anymore.

Wine is a developing passion of mine. Since I grew up in wine country it has always been a large part of my life. When I was a child the vineyards were always an enjoyable place to play in. Now that I am grown, I can enjoy the drinking of it. Currently my favorite is Pure Platinum by Kestrel Vintners located in Prosser, Washington.

I am looking forward to contributing regularly to this blog. I hope you will enjoy my future posts at the Wine Rack Store.

Labels: Washington State Wine, wine rack, wine rack store

We are thrilled to introduce a new member of our team. Victoria Shimel is 22 years old and is a graduate of Washington State University with a degree in Communications. She majored in Public Relations and Sociology. Besides proving she is one smart young lady, she has a burning desire to write about wine and wine racks. She loves reading, with her favorite authors being, John Steinbeck, Jane Austen, and JRR Tolkien.

Originally from the epicenter of the American Wine, Napa Valley. She enjoys camping, skiing, cycling and hiking. She is also consumed by high tech gadgets of all descriptions. No doubt she will be helping us with our future technological upgrades.

Talk about being well rounded, Victoria has seen nearly all of the western and midwest states as well as a large part of Europe.

We look forward to her insighful contributions to our blog. In addition, she says she loves animals, she should love working here.

Labels: Victoria Shimel, wine rack, wine rack store