The art of opening a bottle of wine

Since this is one of the first posts to my new Blog, I would like to compare blogging to opening a bottle of wine. Therefore, I’m full of anticipation and excitement! It feels like it's just the beginning of a wonderful experience - at least I hope!

When it comes to methods of actually opening a bottle of wine, I have to say that I am partial to the double hinged bottle opener. I know...I know...many of you use the Rabbit and other instant bottle openers but to me the process is part of the enjoyment. It's that moment at home when you decide to have a glass wine, so you go to the rack. You pull down a bottle that looks delish and begin the process of opening the bottle. Here's where I may be different (and a little crazy), but I so enjoy the anticipation of waiting for the cork to pull out. I love that moment when the wine exhales and I simultaneously inhale with excitement.

Cheers!

Alternative Wine Labels and Wine Packaging

When thinking about wine we all imagine a classic glass bottle with a cork to be popped. Lately, there have been some revolutionaries who have decided to push the limits. While I absolutely love the design and panache, I'm left wondering what the wine actually tastes like.

I know that when I stand in the wine isle at the market there are some wines I will not even look at and there are others I will pull off the shelf to examine more closely. Being that I'm a bit of a foodie, I love reading the tasting notes. I'm always curios about what the producer imagines I will pair with their wine (spicy food, BBQ, pasta, etc.) So here's my query: Do we buy our wine like we buy books? Are we judging wine by the labels or are we willing to step out and try something with an alternative label or package?

Here are some examples of "stepping out" and taking some risks with wine labels and packaging.

Mini Garage Wines being produced in Germany by Anthony Hammond in a converted tractor warehouse. The image was provided by thecoolist.com.






"Very Chic" wine samplers from the Rhone Valley, France. This idea I love! I think this would be such a great hostess gift. The image was provided by thecoolist.com






These wine cans come from an Australian Winery called "Barokes Convenient Wine". I'm not sure this is such a great idea though. My thinking is that someone might drink the wine similar to "chugging a beer" (and I really don't recommend that!)







Since I've only included a few examples of how creative people are being with labels and packaging, there will definitely be more posts to come. For now, let me know what you think!

The Wine Can?

This is yet another Wine Can idea. This particular Wine Can design won a 2006 packaging award in Sweden.  It was designed by Jens Andersson and Jonas Forsman.  What I love about this "wine can" concept is that they're recyclable single serve cans.  They even managed to create a somewhat sophisticated look.  As always, though, I'm left wondering what the wine would taste like...?





Thank you to thedieline.com for these images.