Check this out!  the20 has launched a wine cask system, all you do is purchase the wood cask and then you get access to their wine cellar from which you can order bags of wine designed to fit in your cask and stay fresh way longer than an open bottle of wine.  If they shipping to Massachusetts I would totally check this out, but alas the California based company is only shipping to states on the west coast for the time being…   Thanks to my friend Jenna for passing along the article!

(photo credit the20)

Oh my goodness, LOVE this!  What a perfect gift for a housewarming or engagement.  Or just to celebrate being in love, it IS still Valentine’s week after all!

Photo via SwirlyGarden, find the set for sale on Etsy

Happy hump day, everyone!  How glad I am to be writing in computer form, my hand is sore from an evening of hand written thank-you cards for all of the lovely gifts from my shower this weekend.  It is true, our generation really hardly ever writes any more, do we?  I mean on paper, of course.  My cursive has really gone to crap, I need lots of practice before December…  Anyway, I thought I would share some of my amazing wine-related gifts in case you need some inspiration for holiday shopping (that’s right – it’s just around the corner!).  So here we go!

When I was working in fine dining, my first mentor told me that in a proper dining room nothing should touch the linens.  Plates should be set on chargers, flatware should be set on napkins, and wine bottles should be set on coasters.  Well, when I saw this beautiful wine coaster at Pottery Barn I just HAD to register for it.  Isn’t it lovely?  We absolutely adore it.

Remember when I posted about these amazing Skybar Wine Chill Drops from Williams-Sonoma!  Well, low and behold I got them as a shower gift!  We are so pumped, we have used them already.  They chill red wine in 90 seconds and white in 5-8 minutes!  So much more effective than freezing a bottle, let me tell you…

Now, how do you keep the rest of the bottle cool while you are chilling your individual glass with the Drops?  With a gorgeous stainless steel wine cooler, of course!  This beautiful piece works wonders, and it looks stunning on a table top with our other silver pieces (or just sitting on the coffee table next to a plate of cheese).

And finally, my darling grandmother has generously passed down her beautiful stemware to me and my lucky fiancé.  It is the jewel of Orrefors, the “Prelude” collection.  It is delicate, perfectly weighted and just stunning.  Since my grandmother had service for 8 and we have registered for china and flatware service for 12, we added a few extra wine and water glasses to the registry and received several pieces at the shower!  We were so touched and my grandmother was so happy.

Am I a seriously lucky girl or what?  Now that I’ll be sipping in style, will I need to spend more than $10 on wine?  Perhaps on occasion, but certainly not as a general rule.  Thanks again to all my family and friends who made my shower so amazing, I love you all and am so grateful to have you in my life!

(photo credits via Pottery Barn, Williams-Sonoma & Bloomingdale’s)

Yesterday was a very conflicting day in Patriot Nation.  On Wednesday morning we traded wide receiver Randy Moss to the Minnesota Vikings.   Farve to Moss?  Just doesn’t have the same ring to it.  And while I know we will miss this feisty firecracker of a man, I also know that coach Bill Belichick would never make this sort of move without good reason.  I am not going to start doubting Bill now, not after everything he has done for us, not after the most winningest season in NFL history, not just because I love Randy’s rotating collection of multicolored Velcro-like gloves.  While the anticipation is killing me, I will stand by Bill and my team and wait for the inevitably amazing results that this trade will produce.  Just give it time…

So why do I bring this up here?  Because, it just so happens that I have come across a fantastic little bit of Patriots-related winery.  That’s right, a custom felt Patriots wine koozie bag!  Come on, it’s pretty ironic timing.  So thank you, universe, for reminding me that when life hands Farve a chance at a successful post season, it also hands a grieving Patriot nation a bit of paraphanelia cheer.   Good thing we have a by week so that I can get this delivered in time for the next game  :)

(photo credit via)

My weekend post wisdom teeth = not fun.  This clever wine stopper = the opposite.

(photo credit: shopatmoxie.com)

Check this out – new Wine Chill Drops by Skybar.  Never again will we have to dilute our wine with ice cubes or tempt fate by sticking a bottle of bubbly in the freezer to cool for quick consumption!  I am very excited about this product…

(photo credit: williams-sonoma.com)

Oh my goodness, I want/need/must have this decanter!  Have you ever seen anything like it?

(photo credit:  bloomingdales.com)

To celebrate the end of this fine week, I share with you my latest find, the musical Santa bottle hugger!  I mean, come ON!

(photo credit: terrysvillage.com)

I cannot even begin to tell you how excited I am about my latest Esty find.  I ordered the most adorable little bride & groom koozie’s for a friend who recently got engaged.  The seamstress, Bobbi Jo from Lily Lane Embroidery sent me an email when the koozies shipped and included some news about the newest additions to her koozie line.  You won’t believe what her email announced – WINE GLASS KOOZIES.  She even calls them “Woozies.”  I am in love.  The only reason I haven’t placed my order yet is because there are so many adorable color and font combos that I am having trouble making a decision.  Love, love, LOVE!  This will definetly inspire me to drink more wine in the summer…  Cheers!

(photo credit: lilylaneembroidery.com)

It’s Friday at last, oh my…  On a gray, drizzly day like today all I want to do is curl up on the couch with a book, a blanket, my cat, a glass of wine, and a tray of bread and cheese.  Of course I am instead at work, and gorging myself on wine and cheese later tonight won’t (or at least shouldn’t) happen since I went 10 points over my daily allowance at a work-required happy hour last night, and due to my prolonged absence from home yesterday my cat will probably be annoyed at me and not want to cuddle later…  But a girl can dream, right?  So dream I will, and I will use my favorite new app, “Fromage,” to do so…  I love this app!  It is a guide to the world’s cheese, and when you drill down on a particular variety the app even gives you a wine pairing suggestion!  It is a couple of bucks but totally worth it.  And it’s great when you’re at the grocery store and want to know about a particular cheese’s flavor or even history!  Take a look and let me know what you think.  Any other great wine or food related apps out there you’d recommend?  I am also loving “Hello Vino,” right now, another adorable wine-related app that’s very handy in the liquor store.

(photo credit: apple.com)