Planting Your “Bottle Tree”

Bill Lipsey from Sunflower, Mississippi pondered how people toss out bottles of wine that have sentimental and/or celebratory value behind them—to the drinker. That is, “sentimental bottles” that have helped celebrate a birthday, a graduation, an engagement, a wedding, an anniversary, etc. Mr. Lipsey decided that these special moment bottles should be displayed or stored—on a “Bottle Tree.”

The “trees” are made from smooth, round rods and are shipped unpainted although customers have painted them in their preferred colors. The empty bottles are jammed in the end of the rods; where they are held. The trees are five feet tall and hold between 8 and 25 bottles.

The bottle tree’s concept originated in Africa where it was believed that bottles suspended from trees would attract evil spirits when the sun glimmered through the glass and the evil spirits would be trapped inside every bottle.

So—after you empty that next bottle of wine, keep it so you can start the first branch of your “Bottle Tree.”

If You’re Thinking Of Going Where The Grapes Are…

…and you’re retired, then how about Napa and Santa Rosa in Sonoma County, California? Think of it…each day, you can partake in a glass of world-class locally grown wine. But that luxury comes with a high cost of living price tag that could keep fixed-income retirees out of the area.

Fortunately, there are many other wine-producing regions in America that offer exceptional beauty and a low-key lifestyle coupled along with a much more affordable cost of living. These are Ithaca, N.Y., the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York, and Jefferson City, MO. These locales have median home prices below $200,000 and are surrounded by beautiful farmland.
One winemaking region that is near a major city and has plenty of vineyards is Leesburg, Va., only an hour's drive from Washington, D.C. Austin, Texas suburb Georgetown is similarly close to the 24 wineries of the Texas Hill Country.

Wine-loving retirees may also consider grape-growing regions like Seattle or Portland, Oregon, which have access to wines made all over the world as well as local masterpieces. For beer drinkers, both cities also have a thriving microbrewery industry.

Breathing In, Breathing Out--Wine

Allowing a wine to “breathe” means you expose the wine to the air. This helps start the exchange of air molecules with wine molecules; which has an effect on the wine's flavor and makes the wine easier to smell.

Placing wine in a decanter (“decanting”) removes sediment from a wine and again, allows the wine to breathe. Decanting is for older, red wines. Decanters are designed to expose large amounts of wine to the air; which helps these older wines obtain a full aroma again, after years of being stuck in a bottle. Young and white wines don’t usually need to be placed in a decanter.

Just removing a cork out of a bottle doesn’t do much. The small amount of air seeping into the bottle causes no real change in the wine even after a few hours. To create a positive effect on the wine, use a large surface area for the wine and air to react—which is where decanters come in to play.

When is Ice Nice for Wine?

Now that summer is approaching, an age-old question will invariably pop up at barbecue gatherings: “Should one add ice to wine?”

Some wine drinkers think that ice cubes in wine borders on being sacrilegious. Indeed, in biblical times (Roman Empire included) it was considered bad taste not to mix water with. They made special vessels called “kraters” specifically for this mixture purpose. And in France, many parents dilute wine for older children when introducing them to wine.

But, if you go to Spain or Italy, you'll find that many routinely add ice cubes. In Greece, it's acceptable to put ice in wine, especially Moschato, to make it less syrupy and sweet.

Even if the wine comes out of a wine fridge, if you're sitting in a 90 degree sun, it's going to heat up very quickly. The only way you give the wine a chance of staying drinkably cool until the glass is empty is adding a bit of ice. Of course, this isn't done with a $500 bottle of Chateau Latour - but you're usually not drinking that in searing heat. Usually that sort of wine is drunk in a temperature controlled room, and hopefully out of Riedel glassware.

But—as the Roman author Cicero once said (and could apply to the old ice in wine question): “To each his own.”

A Wine Glass That’s Worth More Than A Good Bottle of Wine

A case in point is the Riedel Sommeliers wine glass that retails for $64.95 per glass. Wine experts agree that glassware makes a big difference in a wine’s taste. Riedel Sommeliers wine glasses are the most successful series of hand-made glasses in the world. Each Sommeliers wine glass is made of 24% lead crystal; with the wine glass bowls mouth-blown into a mold. The base and stem are similarly handcrafted using ancient glass-making methods—which accounts for the high price.

The glasses are recommended for Albariño, Bourgogne Aligoté, Bordeaux (white), Burgundy (white), Chablis, Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Corton-Charlemagne, Hermitage blanc, Marsanne, Meursault, Pinot (Blanc, Grigio, Gris), Sauvignon blanc (Barrique), Sauvignon-Sémillon (Barrique) and Viognier.

Moving a “Cellar” Into a House

If your cellar full of wine is valuable to you historically and/or financially and you’re moving to another state, you’ll have to check with that state’s local alcohol beverage control authority. Unfortunately, there may be restrictions on how much wine you can bring in for personal use. This is especially important if you have a cellar full of wine because, sadly, some states have dry counties that prohibit alcohol. This means not only do these counties prevent the sale of alcohol, but they might even limit the amount you have in your home.

Also, don’t move your wine collection long distances “the piece meal way.” That is, one car or van load at a time.

As wine expert Maria Ross relates:

If you have a few cases (10 or less) and you will be moving it a short distance, you might be able to transport your wine in your personal vehicle. That way you can make sure you can maintain a constant cool temperature through the heating and air conditioning controls in your vehicle and by the way the wine is packed. If you stop for longer than a gas fill up, the temperature inside your vehicle can be compromised.

However, large collections should be moved by professional movers. Some may need a temperature controlled truck. Even then, you will need to make sure that the vehicle isn’t sitting for long periods without the refrigeration unit on.

The Best of Budget Wine, PT. II

The phrase “The Best” is open to argument when the subject matter is California vintner and CEO of Bronco Wine Fred Franzia. Some swear by his product (a 2005 Chardonnay won a double gold medal at the 2007 California state fair), while others swear after drinking a $1.99 bottle of Charles Shaw (a.k.a. “Two Buck Chuck”). In this week’s “New Yorker” article, Mr. Franzia dismisses any blue language over his cut-rate red and white wine:

Talking about his wine, Franzia can sound like an old-fashioned Democratic populist, though personally he’s more of a Darwinian capitalist. “You tell me why someone’s bottle is worth eighty dollars and mine’s worth two dollars,” he says. “Do you get forty times the pleasure from it?” With Charles Shaw, which Bronco introduced in 2002, Franzia invented a category, known as “super-value”—wine that costs less than three dollars a bottle—that is now a significant segment of the marketplace.

American's in France - Why O'Vineyards is Cool

A few years back I read a story out of Tampa Florida about a family (a contractor father, a Parisian Mother, and a recently graduated son) who had left Florida to start a vineyard in the Cabardes Region of Southern France. The O'Connells left American life behind to take up the wine trade, and I had a lot of respect for that. Shortly afterward I struck up an Internet relationship with Ryan, the son, and have since become a big fan of what they're doing. Today they're making small batches of award winning wines, and if you ever get the chance to try them . . . don't pass it up.

The O'Connell's story has been told in the WSJ, as well as a number of French wine reviews. Their website has a ton of information on what they're up to, and Ryan's blog is funny, informative and interesting. If you want to impress your friends with a cool story, look into O'Vineyards. Ask your local wine shop to stock the wine. Hit them up on facebook. Show them some support. It's nice to see Americans doing so well in the typically closed-off wine regions of France.