Thirsty Thursday

Unfortunately, I will not be celebrating this wonderful day of the week with a glass in hand - Instead I am attending a Yoga Class and cleaning /getting the house ready for my friend Jessica this weekend.

However, in celebration of this day that I have come to miss very much so, I thought I would share some stuff I can across this week:

My friend Jacob from the Wine Tasting in Medford I went to a couple weeks ago (yeaaahhh - still haven't had the motivation to post that blog...I didn't realize how many freaking wines we "liked" that day) sent me a creative cork idea - A cork tissue box:

Very cool! Now all we need is the wine fridge next to the toilet paper :P

November is a huge month for Birthdays - Including my dads and my very own - 11/11/11 this year...It should be a good one! For all of you celebrating birthdays this month, I got you a very special card:

Now I leave you with a clip from my favorite Disney movie .. and no it's not when the priest gets a stiffy in The Little Mermaid! However, still a little risque for the kiddies - Enjoy!

And Remember: 

Witches Brew

All things Halloween: Here are some cool links I have found recently and decided to share.

Halloween decorations can be expensive unless you hit up the Christmas Tree Shop on Nov 1st. Try this:

Simple Wine Bottle Decorations

Some Wine Costume Ideas:

A Vineyard Vixen? Really?

Or...If you are inspired by Gaga:

Cheap Last Minute Idea:

Ever wonder what Halloween Candy pairs well with Wine? Check out this Link:

Halloween Candy Pairings 

BONUS! This website is available as an app for your iPhone or Android....SO when you are at the super market shopping for Trick or Treaters this weekend and don't know what to get: Use this app - At least if there is left over candy you have an excuse to eat it!

Don't Throw the Cork Away! 10 Things to do with Leftover Corks

For those of you who know me, I am pretty psycho when it comes to throwing the corks away. I have a massive vase that I have had for about three years now that is almost at the fill level. Additionally, my friends have witnessed me at wine tastings asking for the leftover corks. So....Why even bother? Here are 10 awesome reasons why:

10. Decoration

The Christmas Tree Shop as well as Homegoods/TJ's/Marshalls sells these HUGE Vases anywhere from $10 - $30. Some are even shaped like Wine Glasses!  Great on kitchen counters or on the floor instead of a plant (because honestly who waters those things??) or even as table centerpieces.

 

Try these too:

• Fill a Vase half way and place a pillar candle in the center
• String some Christmas Lights in the vase with the corks - Almost like a layered effect for added ambiance. 

9. Place Card Holders / Appetizer Labels

Take two, four, or six corks and bunch them together. Hot glue them all 
together (on the insides) about half way up (So that you keep a slit in 
between to place a name or label). Wrap a piece of raffia around and tie in a
knot. Slide place card in. I've see this done a lot at weddings but think its 
perfectly appropriate for apps - especially cheese labels. 

I actually held a wine tasting at my apartment a couple years ago and I had
made placeholders with funny sayings and people on them: ie 'The Situation', 'Cougar in Training', 'Here for the Free Booze' - As guests arrived, they were to pick a place card for the person that arrived before them. It was quite 
entertaining. 

If you are feeling creative put your own spin on them: Hot glue shells, flowers, stickers, even crystals to them for some extra flare.

8. Photographic Memories / A Convo Starter

If you are not a paparazzi in training, this might be a great alternative for you to document celebrations and good times. Simply take a permanent marker and write the occasion and date of when that bottle of wine was popped open: ie "Tammy's 35th Birthday @ Alba", "New Recipe: Eggplant Rollatini", or even something as simple as "Movie Night w/ The Girls - Watching Bridesmaids".

It's fun to dump the corks out and look back at some of the things you did....Especially if you need a break from de-tagging yourself on Facebook :P 

7. Wine Charms

My friend Pam from TTV recently posted this link on her Facebook page. Very Cool! Click the link below to learn how to make:

A Charmed Life


6. A Message Board


Simply hot glue corks to an old picture frame, around a chalkboard, or whatever light flat looking thing you find around the garage. You can even paint or glue grapes on it for added effect.

5. Wall Art

I found this really cool display at Anthropology. Now the extent of me shopping there is the Candles and Sale items. However, I thought this was something that with some creativity and paint you could definitely put your own twist on and make some inexpensive wall decor.

4. A Bath Mat


I came across this online. It seems really cool if you are going for that zen-like feeling in your bathroom. Cork is super absorbent so I am not sure why TJX has not hopped on this train yet. For instructions on how to make your very own cork bath mat click the link below:

Cork Bath Mat


3. A Potted Plant Filler

If the soil in your potted plants is anything like mine...They have seen better days. Layer the top with corks for a clean finish.

2. Revamp an Old Picture Frame

You can give new life to an old picture frame by hot gluing corks in different patterns around it. Super Easy! Just make sure the frame is flat. If you don't have old frames, hit up the Christmas Tree Shop - You can get frames as low a $1. Makes a great party favor.

1. Cork Magnets

These bad boys sell for $8.99 on Etsy. And that does not even include shipping! Take old broken fridge magnets and hot glue them to corks. If you don't have old magnets, I have seen the peel-off magnetic strips at craft and dollar stores. Use some hot glue for reinforcement and you got yourself some sophisticated fridge decor. Paint or write on them with a sharpy. You can make these more unique by writing reminders such as 'TO DO', 'CALL', 'PAY', or 'DON'T FORGET'. See ya later Tacky Magnets...Hello organization!

                          What do you do with your Left Over Corks? 
                                                     Let's hear it!

                                               Good Luck Uncorking!

The Vineyard's "Big Taste" Wine Tasting Event

This weekend I headed to North Andover with my partner in crime, Lisa Shepard. The Vineyard had advertised a FREE wine tasting on
localwineevents.com I subscribe to this website and every so often, a free or inexpensive tasting comes up. If you are not a subscriber or have not visited the website at this time...Please do. I highly recommend it. 

This was the perfect start to a Saturday night and best of all it was free. The distributors were extremely nice and knowledgeable of their products. We learned quite a bit of information.



There were a total of six tables set up and each table averaged about eight bottles of white and red wines and were anywhere in price from 7.99 - 39.99 with the average price around the $14 - $22 mark. The following were our favs of the night: 


Ghost Pines Zinfandel - 18.99
Tasting Notes: Fruity or Jammy. Blackberry Aromas and Flavors

Dievole "La Vendemmia" Chianti Classico - 22.99
Tasting Notes: Normally I would not pick a Chianti unless I was planning on eating a big meal with it. However, this one had a real nice smoothness to it. 

Fruity with Spicy Highlights - This wine can be enjoyed from Pizza to Pasta to Grilled Steaks. FYI: If you are buying a Chianti, make sure it says "Classico" after it. The ones Sans-Classico are typically not as delicious! (Thanks Lisa!)

Guicharde "Cuvee Genest" - 16.99
Tasting Notes: Grenache / Syrah Blend. Dark Berry flavors ie Cherry / Blackberry with a bit of Spice. This is a great wine for a special occasion but at an everyday price. FYI: If you are shopping for a wine and are torn on what to get, this distributor told us to always always always for the one that says "Cote du Rhone". You will never be disappointed!

They saved the best for last!The final table was by far the tastiest and most entertaining. The distributor even had these cool little signs for us to read.

Llicorella Priorat 2005 - 19.99
Tasting Notes: Raspberry, Licorice, Herb Flavors - Very Crisp. Mi Piace!

White wines were not the stars of the show for this tasting, however out last table did have two whites worth mentioning:

Santero Asti Spumante

LaPorte "Le Petit Duc" Savignon Blanc


Both appear to run a little cheaper online - However as the distributor put it - "For 12.99, nobody gets hurt!"

Epic FAIL!

Ok....So the Wine Stoppers I mentioned in my last post did not work as expected. I will stick to keeping the bottle upright in the fridge for my whites. BOOOO.

The Cape, Cabernet, and Chocolate Wine

My friend Ann and her fam invited me to their Cape house in Eastham, MA last week. Because it was not beach weather appropriate, we did what any other girl would do at this point - We went shopping. We stumbled upon Main Street Wine & Gourmet that offers FREE Daily Tastings. We sampled 3 white and 3 red. Both of us fell in love with the Cabernet blend and purchased a bottle for the wine rack. Retail says it's $15 on the website: http://www.clayhousewines.com/our-wines/adobe.php?wine=3


We paid a little less than this. So if you see it for under $15 - Grab it! It's worth it.

In addition, we scored these awesome wine stoppers. I have not seen ones like them yet. They are flat so you fit them standing up in your fridge. In addition, they are non-drip, so you can lay them back on your wine rack and not worry about spillage.

I am also always on the lookup for corky (no pun intended) accessories. Check out these gift tags and this bag - HAHA!

The bag may be too good to give up - I'm thinking of working my magic by throwing it in a black frame and finding a spot for it in my kitchen. It's a good convo starter.

After about 3 more hours of shopping and a bite to eat at Land Ho! we went back to the house for a movie and dessert - Chocolate Wine. My awesome co worker Emily brought this to my house warming party the week prior and I was saving it for good company. Chocolate Wine: It instantly resembled a really sweet and potent White Russian.  CAUTION: Sip Slowly. This is definitely a one glass drink. I would recommend breaking this out with a group if you do. You have to keep it cold and something about the milky texture and keeping it for more than a week after opening it kinda skeeves me out.


If you are interested, here is is: chocovine.com


Well everyone, I hope you enjoyed my first post. More to come. Stay tuned and spread the word!