Rhino Wine Gear: August 2010

Recycling Bottles

A lot of people are concerned about our planet after more and more evidence is found supporting globing warming. But being environmentally friendly can have many other benefits for all and there are many ways to help the planet achieve this balance. A new one in the states is a bottle washing center being set up near in Napa County. While washing and reusing bottles is a fairly common practice in Europe, it is rare in America and this is the first large production of it. The facility is aimed at wine bottles specifically but if they succeed it could expand to other fields. The founders of this facility started it because they were sad at how disposable everything in American society has become.

This recycling facility washes and sanitizes bottles for another use; they are just as good as new. This big save in the wine industry could lead to lower prices for you on your favorite wine. So if you hear about a wine bottle recycling program near you than maybe it is time to fill your wine bags with your empty bottles, because they must stay intact for reuse, and take them to be recycled. Of course these programs will grow with participation so make sure you support them.

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Fall Fruits

All the proper signs of the beginning of fall are showing, kids are back in school and the summer heat has sheathed its fiery claws. So maybe your taste buds are changing to something a little warmer to make up for the slight chill some can already feel in the breeze at night; but of course without being too heavy because it is still early fall and we want the savor the freedom from the heat. So a lot of wine lovers find themselves making slight changes in the vintage they pick. It is an easy way to make a meal feel warmer and give it a little bit of a cozy feel.

A great wine to bring home from the store tucked in single bottle wine totes for this beginning of fall feeling is a nice new world Merlot. They are known for having flavors like mulberry and red cherry plus a hint of something close to milk chocolate. So while still a nice fruity wine, they are not the light and airy strawberry wine preferred in early summer. Not to mention merlot is great with simple comfort foods like a hamburger from that grill some refuse to put away just yet.

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Wine and Cheese

Ah, the age old pairing of wine and cheese; it never fails to invoke thought at a simple gathering or elevate a dinner to the next level of elegance. In fact the act, no the art, of pairing wine and cheese has been around for at least 4000 years. Some different ways exist to pick which cheese to pair with which wine, but there really is no true method. It is more about what works for you personally.

The different ways of finding a suitable pairing can get pretty complex, or you can keep it simple. Some people like to pair based on regions; believing that wine from various regions have similar qualities to the cheese produced there. Others use strength to determine their pairing. While it is true that a strong red can overpower a light white cheese, it is not always a solid rule. The best rule is to just try it all and smile and move on at the few inevitable failure pairings that you find. You could even make a game out of it. Get some friends and an apple cheese board laden with your cheese picks and plenty of wine to try with them all. You may even find that some like pairings that others find horrible.

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Labels: cheese, pairings, wine

Yellow Dog Eats and Drinks Wine

Great bistro. When you are in the Orlando area make trip to Yellow Dog Eats, you will be glad you did. Great food and great wine. I recommend the "Club Elvis". Cheers!