Start your own terracotta army… of wine racks

Terracotta has been used extensively for thousands of years in sculpture and pottery, as well as in the buildings of past civilisations. Of course it is best known for the terracotta warriors, discovered in 1972 in China. What you didn’t know is that the natural properties in terracotta make for a great wine rack. We know this material is built to last, but the actually properties that make up terracotta mean it’s the perfect temperature for storing wine. Even when it comes to cooling wine, an individual hexogen can be soaked in water, and the terracotta’s natural cooling properties will keep it cool.

Our terracotta wine rack is the perfect choice for a kitchen wine rack, made up of individual hexagons that can be put together in a range of different ways to fit in your kitchen. And as your wine collection grows you can easily add more hexagons and relocate the rack to a cellar or wine room.

Modern wine racks make great gifts

With Christmas just around the corner you might be looking for a great alternative to the usual presents. A modern wine rack is a welcomed addition to the home, particularly because smaller models can do the job of holding your wine, as well as adding to the décor.

So if you often have bottles of wine lying around, or notice your friends or family do, you might wish to look at our range of modern wine racks. Stylish and very affordable, these display racks come in a variety of designs from cork-screw shaped, to mirrored design, to standard metal wine racks that just do the job.

Which wall mounted wine rack?

When deciding on a wine rack you need to consider which type will best suit your home. When it comes to a wall mounted wine rack here is some of the situations where they are the best option:

• In a kitchen, small flat or bungalow
• If you have a small collection of wine
• If you have a smaller budget for a wine rack

I considered adding “If you have your own home bar” to the list, which is also true. However, you may have room for other types of wine rack too, such as the terracotta’s. The wall mounted wine rack is the ultimate space-saver and adds elegance to your room. The main decision you have to make is whether to focus on something that may hold more bottles but might not look as good or sacrifice a little bit of practicality for some ‘Va Va Voom!’

Metal Wine Rack vs. Wooden Wine Rack

Deciding whether you want or metal wine rack or a wooden one comes down to a few factors – taste being one of the main ones, but others to consider include budget, space available, style of the room in which the wine rack will be placed and of course, wine collection size.

Typically, you can buy a metal wine rack that holds up to 72 bottles here at Wineware. However, if you want a larger collection, wooden wine racks can hold up to 144 in our Modularack range, and our made to measure solid oak wineracks can hold even more.

To hold over 48 bottles, wooden wine racks tend to cost less than the metal ones. However, on smaller racks the prices are comparable, depending on model. When it comes to style you need to consider the room, décor and other furniture. A metal wine rack may sit better in a modern kitchen and an oak or stained wood wine rack may look better in a room more traditionally decorated.

We hope you found this short guide useful, feel free to browse the various wine racks we have on offer on our site, including the racks focussed on in this post.

Here are some of the VacuVin Products on offer:

VacuVin Wine Essentials

VacuVin Vacuum Wine Saver Gift Set - Stainless Steel

VacuVin Red Wine White Wine and Champagne Flute Twin Pack

VacuVin Rapid Ice Champagne Cooler

Although the idea of quickly loading your glass ware into your stylish integrated dishwasher might be appealing in an “out of sight, out of mind” kind of way, it is important to note that dishwashers are the main culprit when it comes to etching. Bad dishwasher detergent choices, high temperatures, inadequate rinsing and friction dissolve glass and are the typical culprits of the damage.

The best option is to avoid kitchen appliances altogether for cleaning glasses – particularly in regards to your finest glass ware – and instead, people should use their kitchen sinks to wash them gently by hand. If you are going to use your dishwasher to clean non-antique or crystal glass ware however, there are a few steps you can take to ensure maximum longevity of glass quality.

Firstly, you should only ever place dirty glasses in a dishwasher. The detergent will simply act to deteriorate the glass if there is no dirt for it to combat, accelerating the etching process. Neither should you over stock your dishwasher as this will allow for better rinsing and will also help to prevent damage caused by friction between your glass pieces.

Since hot water also speeds up the etching process, the temperature of your dishwasher should be set to no more than 140 degrees Fahrenheit (60 degrees centigrade). You should also check the hardness of your water since dishwasher detergents act to soften water. Further softening already soft water can cause soft water erosion, which is also detrimental to glass surfaces.  Typically, 1 tsp per each level of water hardness is required. You can buy detergent specifically for glasses to help prevent etching and citrus detergents should also be avoided because of their acidic properties.

Finally, you should dry glass ware with microfiber cloths since this will help to ensure the removal any remaining detergent residue from the glass.

Therefore, the choice is now yours to begin using PayPal on the Wineware site to purchase all your wine glasses, corkscrews and anything else wine related if you wish. We firmly believe this to be a great addition to our available payment options and if early sales since PayPal went ‘live’are to be considered then some customers also think this way already!

Click here for more information on how PayPal works.

South Africa being the hosts of the tournament means that they have automatic qualification for the tournament and they will hope that they’re not the first host nation to be knocked out in the group stages. South Africa are a fairly good team amongst the African Nations and indeed won the African cup of Nations in 1996. Although despite this they have never progressed beyond the group stages of the World Cup tournament. A South African wine that we would recommend is Millberg Cellars Sauvignon Blanc.

Whilst Australia is a small country in terms of population it has always been known for its sporting achievements. When it comes to football Australia will be seen as one of the underdogs but in the world of wine they are anything but underdogs. For those looking for a quality Australian wine there is the Larry Cherubino The Yard Shiraz.

No doubt the Spanish and Germans will have a strong showing at the World Cup and they produce equally impressive wines. But when it comes to the European country that does wind the best it has to be France. France will also be hoping that they can win the World Cup this summer in South Africa. The World Cup was held in France in 1998 and they went on to beat Brazil in the final thanks to their talisman Zinedine Zidane. There are so many famous French wines to choose from but one of particular note is Les Dames De Ricardelle Viognier Vin De Pays D’oc.

New Zealand has only previously qualified for the World Cup once where they managed to lose all three matches they played in. New Zealand are winners of the Oceania Football Cup an impressive four times and are likely to improve on that statistic now that Australia has been moved to the Asian division. Whilst they may have an impressive team in the Oceania area not many people will fancy them to do well at this year’s World Cup. It’s a surprise how few people have tried wines from New Zealand but The Frost Pocket Sauvignon Blanc is particularly good.

Chile are one team hoping to recapture some of their past glories in the World Cup. This is Chile’s eighth appearance and their best ever result was when they came third in 1962. Whilst not amongst the favourites Chileare ranked a fairly substantial 17th in the world by FIFA. For a Chilean wine try Ignacio Recabarren Ventolera Sauvignon Blanc.

Finally we come to England’s first opponent of the tournament the USA. The USA national team shone in the 2009 confederations cup, which was also held in South Africa, where they only lost out to Brazil in the final and beat Spain along the way. The USA will be no easy game for England and the team is currently ranked at 14th in the world by FIFA. If you feel like sampling an American wine this summer try the J.Lohr Seven Oaks Cabernet Sauvignon.

It would seem that the last place anyone would think of trying a wine from is here in the UK. Well believe it or not we have quite a few vineyards that produce some fantastic tasting wine.  Why are people not trying these wines?

As previously stated an English wine is just not heard of which is why many people will just not go near it. This does not mean that the wine is not of a good quality and it is remarkable on just how tasteful an English wine from a very small vineyard can actually be.

So where could you go to taste Britain’s attempt on producing wine?

Devon

The countryside of course and it would seem that when it comes to producing fine English wines, Devon is the place to go.

So what is the best approach to take when it comes to wine tasting in Devon? Well firstly I would say it is best to go there for 4-5 days as the vineyards are spread out across the area. This will not only give you time to enjoy each vineyard but allow you to have a relaxing time knowing that you do not need to rush.

It would also seem that somewhere like Torquay is a great place to stay during the period of time you are in Devon. Not only is it a very relaxing, it is also nearest to the centre of all of the vineyards that you should think about visiting.

The Trip

So let’s say for example you are planning on staying in Devon for around 4 days and you are interested in visiting various vineyard’s in the area. Where should you be going on what day and why?

Day 1

Travelling to Devon for many people is a fairly long journey and you are going to be pretty tired when you arrive at your destination. However there is a vineyard very close to Torquay and is known as the Old Walls Vineyard. One of the really nice things about starting here is that it isn’t a long drive from the area and they can offer you a tour of the place for a very small amount of money. They also offer out wine tasting events.

For such a small vineyard they make quite a lot of wine and they vary from Rosé to Father John Country Wine which is  fruity in flavour with a warming Elderberry taste. You will have to take into consideration that if the weather is not great you may have to settle with wine tasting over the tour itself.

Finish the evening off by buying one of their bottles, heading back to the hotel and enjoying a glass of wine over dinner.

Day 2

After the journey the day before and the trip to the vineyard you will certainly need a bit of a lie in and this is why day 2 will only involve another small journey to the second vineyard on the list.

This time it is to Yearlstone Vineyard, they have featured on the BBC for their award winning wines and the Countryfile team loved it there. The vineyard is actually the oldest in Devon and you cannot just tour and taste the wines here but sit down to a fantastic lunch overlooking the Exe Valley.

Yearlstone specialize in dry white wines but make a variety of others too.

Day 3

You should have recovered from the initial trip over by now which is why Day 3 involves two stops to two more of the best vineyards in Devon. First on the list is Eastcott vineyard which is located just off the A386. One of the great things about this vineyard is that if you really like it there you can stay in one of the cottages on site. This is something you could think about for a return visit.

The next portion of the day should be spent at the Down St Mary Vineyard. You can have a brilliant tour of the facility as well as try the wines that they have on offer too.  The one thing this place seems to have over some of the others is great disabled access so take this into consideration.

Final Day

The last vineyard is known as the Oatley Vineyard and is last on the list because it is really on the way out of  Devon.

This is certainly not a vineyard you want to miss out on if you like white wines because this is what they do best. Their first vintage came in 1989 and they have been going strong since.

Important Note

Many of these vineyards do not operate often in the Winter so it would be wise to book your trip in the Summer if possible. On top of this weather conditions often get in the way in the Winter and tours have to be cancelled.

Future Of English Wine?

Sales of English wine are on the increase and with many retailers such as Waitrose starting to sell them they can only grow more popular in the coming years. It looks like 2010 is going to be another great year for English wine!

For places to stay in Torquay look out for:

TLH- self catering torquay

Devon-Online -  B&B torquay

Torquay – Information, hotels torquay

Basically just before Obama’s recent visit to china in November, the Chinese Internet users were asked to submit their questions to the 44th President. These questions were all collected by the state news outlets of Xinhua and Peoples Daily, and were to be presented to Barack Obama on his visit;

These are some of the selection;

o Would you play Truth or Dare?
o Do you eat Kung Pao chicken?
o Can you use chopsticks?
o Does the government pays for the first lady Michelle Obama’s wardrobe?
o Do you like to drink?
o How do you maintain a happy marriage?
o Can you add me on Facebook?

Obama visiting Shanghai

Whilst visiting Shanghai, Obama answered a lot of the questions put to him by the same web users, but the questions above were filtered out by the U.S state department’s website, so these more interesting ones were unfortunately scrapped.

So I thought we’d answer at least one question for them.

Does Obama drink?

Is Beer his favourite?

Well, yes he does drink, there are lots of pictures of the U.S president drinking and smoking, and as a self confessed drinker and smoker, this doesn’t come as a surprise.

obama drinking a beer

There are loads of pictures of the U.S president drinking beer at Wizard games, candidacy drives and with friends, but is beer Obama’s drink of choice?

obama drinking a beer

He caused quite a storm when he drank a bud light at a White House meeting with a Harvard professor in July. American Brewers all clamouring to know why he had chosen to drink a beer made by a Belgian / Brazilian, rather than a good American brewer. Maybe he likes the taste guys?

He did have a special beer brewed for the inauguration, but we aren’t sure if the President sampled it on the night.

obama beer

“A Belgian-style brewery based in upstate New York, has launched a beer in honour of the new US president Barack Obama. Known as Ale 2009, the beer was specially brewed for the inauguration on 20 January.”

The website ‘discountmugs.com‘ showed their celebration of the 44th president with these rather lovely USA made beer mugs.

obama glass beer mug

Are spirits his favourite?

So, we know that Obama likes a nice cold bud light, but what about spirits? What smooth malt blended spirit does the 44th president like to sip and savour, on a cold Xmas eve?.

obama happily having a drink

As we can see here, the president does enjoy the odd tipple now and then, but if he is waiting for something extra special the Cooley Distillery in North Co Louth are already preparing for his last day in the White House.

Irish Saveur create Obama Whiskey

“Today an American wood cask has been filled with a special blend malt whiskey which will be put in storage to mature before being given to the US President-elect when he eventually leaves the White House.”

Is Wine his favourite?

After 8 years of having no wine drinkers in the white house, wine makers are poised for change with news that Obama’s other home has a 1,000 bottle wine cellar.

Also with his positive impact on American youth, they are all hoping for a new wave of wine drinkers to emerge.

Wine experts have been making all kinds of suggestions as to the type of wine the new president should drink. He may well have the midas touch for Wine Brands, any wine he touches will turn instantly to gold.

obama wine

A few wines that the experts have recommended for him are;

• Biltmore Sparkling
• Lynfred Seyval Blanc
• Lieb Cellars resrve merlot
• Wild Blossom sweet mead

Of course sustainable wines are also been scrutinised by the green vinters, who are looking to Obama for that vote.

It has also been suggested, after the whole Bud Light fiasco that Obama will be looking at sending a message with the type of wine he drinks, so we might be seeing the likes of Napa Valley Chardonnay and Zinfandels gracing his dinner table.

obama and first lady drink wine

Tracy Kellner of Provenance Food & Wine in Chicago said she has had brisk sales of a South African sparkling wine made by Graham Beck after the Obamas reportedly poured it on election night. When People magazine wrote about a bottle of Kendall-Jackson chardonnay on the Obamas’ kitchen counter, the delighted California winery sent two cases of their best Vintner’s Reserve chardonnay to them.

If you wish to be ‘more of an American’ you could try sipping your Napa Valley wine in this lovely 10 ounce wine glass.

We thought this was rather cool, and Obama inspired wine rack.

Obama wine rack

Is Water his favourite?

Of course during the election run, the new president became synonymous with bottled water, which did get him into hot water with the climate groups.

obama drinking bottled water

It did however make Butxon water of from the UK very happy indeed, when Barack was spotted drinking the brand on stage.

Obama drinks buxton water

Is Fruit Tea his favourite?

But it does look as though the president’s drink of choice isn’t alcoholic at all, it’s reported that he has developed an addiction for fruit tea, and not just any fruit tea ‘Honest tea’. His favourite flavours of the drink are ‘black forest berry’ and ‘green tea’, and he has even stocked out his presidential helicopter ‘marine one’ with bottles of the tea.

marine one presidential helicopter

But how do we know it’s his drink of choice? Well he sent an aide to find a bottle of the drink and it took the aide 2 hours to find the exact one.

Now Bammers are buying up the drink like it’s going out of fashion, and CEO Seth Goldman of ‘Honest tea’ is delighted and said that “We had a great January, and thanks to Obama’s unofficial endorsement, there’s no question that Black Forest Berry was sold out,” Goldman was also invited along to the President’s address on the economy Wednesday at Obama’s invitation.

honest tea bottles

However Goldman has said that ‘Honest Tea’ won’t be cashing in on the support with a commemorative ‘Obama berry tea’. Although they did make some one off ‘Barack Forest Berry’ for the inauguration.

So what do you think? are we right, is ‘Honest Tea’ Obama’s drink of choice? CLICK THE IMAGE

What does Barack drink poll

I’m just going to go grab some of these yummy Obama cakes

obama cakes

It was revealed by the Sunday Telegraph that Tom Wise, an MEP with the UK Independence Party, which condemns politicians for exploiting the “European Union gravy-train”, is claiming £36,000 a year of public money for a researcher, Ms Lindsay Jenkins, whom he is actually paying just £6,000. He trousers the remaining handy £30,000, which goes into his bank account and is spent largely on wine.

MP expenses scandal on Metro Frontpage

Mr Wise, a wine-loving 57-year-old ex-policeman, first became financially connected to Ms Jenkins last autumn when they agreed a deal in which she would be paid £500 a month to work as a statistical researcher for him. He gave her European parliament forms to sign to make her an official assistant but they did not contain the specified amount of her salary. When he applied to the parliament’s payments office to register her he told them he was paying her an annual salary of £36,000.

The wine waiter _ La venenciadora

You may think that’s rich, considering Mr Wise’s last statement on the EU was: “UKIP are the only party who think that the whole concept [of the EU] is built on a succession of lies. They will not tell you what it will cost as they have no idea. Yet you – and I – have to pay for it.” Well more us than him it seems. There’s one burning question though – how many wine racks would you need for £30,000 worth of wine? According to our calculations, assuming a decent vintage costs around £8.00, that’s 3,750 bottles. Among the ideal wine gifts for Mr Wise therefore would be 234 standard 16-bottle wine racks.

A Botellero wine rack

Mr Wise, who is entitled to an annual salary of £59,095 plus a range of expensive perks, denounces the EU for being “a hideous waste of your money”. Investing in wine accessories such as a wine cooler (we reckon around 120 would do the trick) available in single temperature units, multi temperature units and under counter units would at least preserve his extensive cellar. Many feature glass fronts, so he could view his very own wine lake without compromising the wine cooler’s efficiency and minimise the running costs too.

Teeth in red wine

So what does White wine actually do to teeth?

It should be pointed out that the erosion of teeth by wine is the result of extensive wine use that would also lead to damaged liver and all sorts of other problems. The typical wine drinker who sips a glass of wine at dinner or with their evening meal should not be ‘scared off’ by the tooth decay headlines, remember 100 year old women in Italy swear that wine was the secret of their longevity.

Close up of white teeth

White wine stains teeth:

I think that anyone who has drank a few glasses of Red would agree that, yes, it does. But have you ever thought how? “Red wine, unlike white, contains a highly-pigmented substance known as chromogen,” explained Dr. Wolff of the New York University College of Dentistry, they goes on to explain that “The acids in wine create rough spots and grooves that enable chemicals in other beverages that cause staining, such as coffee and tea, to penetrate deeper into the tooth”.

Notice that Dr Wolff said wine and not simply White wine, all wine has the ability to cause dental erosion, only Red wine has the added ability to show this on your teeth.

woman brushing her teeth

How can you stop this erosion?

1) Alkaline mouthwashes are highly recommended
2) Proper brushing of your teeth with a soft tooth brush is encouraged.
3) Drinking with food is also a good idea as acidic food starts a natural reaction called tooth remineralisation—a salivary function that’s helps restore the teeth’s balance.
4) To help the remineralisation work, wait 30 mins after eating before brushing your teeth.
5) Cheese can also help as it contains calcium in a high concentration

I hope this is helped a little towards taking away the fear factor of White wine.

Think I need a drink after all that

Imagine how much more your appreciation would be enhanced if you could experience the sights, sounds and flavours of your favourite wine region first hand.  You don’t have to be a diehard wine enthusiast, just have an interest in where the wine you drink come from.  There are dozens of wine tasting holiday packages available, ranging from the Disney-like tours of the Nappa Valley where you are whisked through the terroir on a coach or tourist train to the more intimate, active holidays that give you the space and time to walk through a wine region, drinking in the atmosphere and sampling the local food as well as tasting the wines.

Castle at Davelillo

You need to get hands on really and that means looking at walking holidays in our opinion.  Wine buffs could do no better than to visit the picturesque and historical vineyards of La Rioja in Northern Spain, exploring a region that has been producing some of the world’s best loved wines for hundreds of years.   For a truly personal holiday, select  a holiday company that offers  tailor made packages and features not just the obvious “commercial  wine areas”, but  the smaller,  beautiful and often under appreciated regions of Spain and Latin America for example.  Travelling with a small group and an experienced local guide will also add considerably to the experience and give you the intimate insight that will improve your appreciation of the wine you drink.

Grapes being prepared following harvest

The gateway to La Rioja is Bilbao, home to Frank Gehry’s famous titanium-clad Guggenheim Museum. The magnificent Mirador de Tolono is less than an hour away and gives magnificent views across the wine growing region that’s sandwiched between mountains to the north and south. It’s this geography that gives La Rioja its unique micro-climate.  Drop down into the valley of the Rio Ebro and you’re in the heart of the wine production in La Rioja.   It’s ideal to combine walks through the vineyards with exploring the stunning mountains and valleys, taking in the beautiful views and indulging in superb Basque meals at some of the region’s finest restaurants.

Riojan fare is a unique combination of seafood from the northern coast, meats from the plains to the south and vegetables from the fertile valley of La Rioja itself.  Expert chefs and sommeliers serve up the best traditional local foods in a dinner known as a “maridage” where each course is accompanied by its own wine selected specifically to complement the flavours of the food.     Visiting traditional wineries in the region can also give you an insight into how much love, care and attention goes into putting that bottle on your table.  Muga is one the oldest established wineries in the region and it’s fascinating to see how this Bodega insists on traditional methods even today.  Everything is made from oak and they even have their own master coopers on-site making the barrels and casks, sealing them in the time honoured way over flames.

La Rioja offers the perfect active holiday for wine lovers everywhere, allowing you to immerse yourself in the culture and history of the region and experience the lifestyle behind the wines. Packages of Riojan Walking Holidays of varying lengths can be booked, but if nine days walking in the countryside doesn’t sound like your cup of tea there are shorter weekend options that take in the main attractions and deliver a more intensive, but just as rewarding, experience.