Normally my husband grills our steak but we amazing winds here yesterday.  So that meant the steak was cooked indoors.

I’m not sure I’ve ever bought fillet mignon before but it was Son #1’s request.  He was here  -briefly-  from university.

Don’t you love that wine glass?  Don’t hate me.  We got them in Italy.  Murano to be exact.

All I can say is “yum”.  I told you it wouldn’t be witty!

I also made some lovely Lime MeltAways.  I wasn’t that wild about them, but Son #1 gladly took them home with him.

The recipe is by Martha Stewart and can be found here. 

It’s thyme to eat!

Sometimes you need a glass of wine.

And sometimes – like after you come home from bombing an exam to find an email from your long distance boyfriend saying he “just can’t do it anymore” and you knock a glass of water onto your brand new MacBook – you need a lot more. But something about chugging Two Buck Chuck straight from the bottle is neither classy nor refined, and having to keep pouring glass after glass just slows down the healing process.

Sounds like to need this (big) guy.

A wine glass big enough to hold a full bottle of Boones Farm Strawberry Fields?

I’ll take two, please.

Last year I was given the opportunity to participate in some craft workshops for the local MENCAP group (a group of adults who have various physical and mental difficulties).  I was asked to design some Christmas themed activities that involved the creation of finished pieces of 3D craftwork and then demonstrate to and help the members of the group to make up the designs for themselves.  It was quite a feat – trying to think up ideas for interesting and worthwhile activities that were challenging – but not impossible for the members of the group to achieve – with a bit of help if necessary, but I came up with a few ideas and successfully delivered the workshops – and they must have liked what I did because they have invited me to do 3 more this year!

The group is run by volunteers and is funded by donations so there is very little spare money to be had.  Materials for activities have to be carefully sourced to get the best value and ‘reduce reuse and recycle’ is a bit of a mantra.

To get the best results for everybody in the group I make up ‘kits’ for each design – providing everything that is needed and where there is a particularly difficult technique or something too dangerous for the group to do individually I provide that piece ready constructed within the kit.

This year I have been asked to make enough kits for each member of the group and about 10 extra – which they hope to be able to make up and then sell to help to raise money for the group.  So I have gone into ‘mass production’ mode!!

I have only had a couple of days to come up with my 3 designs – and the first workshop is on Monday…so jewellery making has gone out of the window for now and I am into making a mess in a big way!  My first design is for  a Christmas Fairy….and it was influenced by the fact that I was given a huge bundle of fabric by a lovely lady called Clare.  I hope she will approve of the use to which I have put it.  Thank you Clare!!

The living room floor of my house is now the fabric cutting area and storage area for bags of purchased materials.

My kitchen work surface  doubles up as the workstation for messy and/or dangerous glueing and screwing type activities.  I have used loads of hot glue sticks in making the fairies’ wings, sticking wired tinsel to their skirts and giving them ‘tatty’ hairdos by sticking tinsel wigs to their heads.  And their heads have been made from plastic baubles which have had the hacksaw, drill and countersinker treatment to give them a point of attachment to the main body, which….wait for it….is a disposable plastic wineglass!!!!  Hah!  I am just so brilliant sometimes!!! Hahaha!

The dining table is now my main kit construction area.  Sorry everybody!  Dinner on laps for the next day or two!!

And the carpet of the entire ground floor of my house is scattered with flecks of tinsel and glitter!  Ahhhh!!  Pretty!!!!!  Hmmmm…I think that was what my dearly beloved muttered anyway!!!!

While the house is in such a mess I think it is a good idea to try to get the kits for week 2 and week 3 done as well…I really do have a long-suffering family!

But for the first workshop…this is what we will be creating…

The Tatty Tinsel Christmas Fairy (here sitting on top of my work lamp!)

She is designed to sit a-top the Christmas tree, as the plastic wine glass extends right down the stem of the glass giving a good 4 inches (10cm) of room to insert the top of the tree.  But she is equally as stable standing on a table – and I hope you will agree – she is beautiful enough to grace any area in which she is placed.

I hope we have loads of fun making her 25 cousins on Monday and that the 10 destined for sale make a nice little packet of money to fund some of next years activities!

I’ll post my week 2 design next week.

As usual – I would love your comments!

This Wednesday we have a stunning Deal of the day for you. Great as a table decoration or simply to drink from, this versatile Florentine crimson red wine glass at Watts London is hard-wearing but elegant too. It’s been reduced by a huge 40% so it’s now just £8.95 (was £15).

Image credit: Watts London

If this brilliant discount doesn’t quench your thirst for a bargain Watts London have also reduced their Florentine turquoise white wine glass by 50%. Create a bold tabletop statement for only £7.50 (was £15).

The stunning Florentine collection of glassware measures at W8.5 cm x H17.5 cm. The crimson red wine glass is perfect for the Christmas table and the money saved can go on a festive bottle (or two) of wine!

If you think you can you find an even better bargain–busting deal you should take part in our Outlet bargain challenge. Finding the best bargain will also win you that product, courtesy of mydeco’s brilliant Outlet! What are you waiting for?

Browse more great discounts on our special offers page. In addition to our Deal of the day, check out our top ten deals this week. Happy bargain hunting!

Perfect. I’ll never get my wines mixed up again. Buy them here <link>

Thick Vines Growing Up a Wall in Vishakapatnam, India (2008) ©Weatherstone/Ron Almberg, Jr. (2009)

I drank your wine
every drop
down to its last dregs
in anticipation
of the drunken joy you promised.

Each glass I sipped
held a promise
that at the bottom of it
relief waited
in the promised delight of forgetting.

The poison in your drink
went down
a sweet boquet but bitter swallow
I, caught
between swigging hope or spitting tragedy,

drank the fruit from your vine
licked my lips
and held out my glass for more
clearly choosing
to swallow your deceptive hope or my judgment.

Awaking from the effects of your drink still
in hazy stupor,
mouth dry and thirsty
my conscience screams,
“Your drink didn’t do the deed!”

Now hung over with disillusion
head bowed, eyes closed
I wait for the familiar voices
then shrink when
regret and grief greet me.

©Weatherstone/Ron Almberg, Jr. (2009)

Click on thumbnail to view B&W Gallery

]]> http://wineglassguy.wordpress.com/2009/10/15/breakthrough-in-wine-glass-design/ Thu, 15 Oct 2009 15:07:04 +0000 decanterguy http://wineglassguy.wordpress.com/2009/10/15/breakthrough-in-wine-glass-design/

In this spirit, Ravenscroft Crystal has produced the most transparent, lightweight

wine glasses possible.

The delicate hand and mouth feel of a Ravenscroft Crystal Invisible wine glass delivers a whisper-light, sensuous, tactile, elegant, perfectly tuned and virtually undistracted precision tool experience that is perfect for the most discriminating wine enthusiast. Currently, Ravenscroft Crystal Invisibles are produced in eight varietal, specific shapes. Each shape, designed to precisely control bouquet and palate attack, delivers the pure essence of wine and then disappears. The most discriminating understand that a wine glass should be invisible and should not compete. Ravenscroft Crystal Invisible wine glasses enhance pleasure by not distracting. Like air, Ravenscroft Crystal Invisibles are practically invisible and weightless. Ravenscroft Crystal wine glasses, like all the great wines and wine glasses of the world, are artisan crafted and hand-made. Ravenscroft Crystal Invisible wine glasses are the perfect wine glass for the sensualist within all of us. Like all of Ravenscroft Crystal glassware, Invisibles are hand-made and 100% lead-free.

Submitted By: Christian W

Favorite Comment: Fixer Gargomon says, “Of course this glass is not for martini’s you silly people.
You think a person who fixed it like that would actually drink martinis? No. This is just for that late nite fancy glass of beer.”

Show the World Your Wine Glass

Ok, take the wine glasses out of the cabinet and put them where they belong, Out.. in the open. Its not only a display of the finer things in life, it shows a certain quality that many people appreciate.

 In 1961, Claus Riedel discovered (not that anyone else had not discovered it.. just that he acted on it! there is a life hint there.) that each type of wine has its own unique qualities, tannins, acidity, minerals, fruit, alcohol and terroir were all taken into account and he began shaping a wine glass specifically for each of the major types of wine. By creating each wine glass specially for the characteristics of a specific wine, he was able to concentrate the aromas and desirable flavors to provide the most pleasurable experience for each type of wine. Full-bodied whites are best in glasses with a more narrow mouth as are Tannic reds, which directs the wine to the center of the tongue allowing the many elements to be expressed at once, including tannins, fruit and  acidity. Meanwhile, red and white wines that are fruit-forward, lighter-bodied, or higher in acidity show better in a wine glass that has a wider mouth that will direct the wine to the tip of the tongue to bring out the fruit and decrease the acidity.

You absolutely do no have to spend a grand on a wine glass just to enjoy wine. The Super-fancy wine glasses will bring out the flavor and aroma in a wine, BUT they are not necessary for appreciating it. The beginner can get away with only having two types of wine glass. One glass for your red and white wines, with a narrow rim to focus the fragrance of the wine and a wide bowl to allow for aeration and swirling. Another set of flutes for champagne and sparkling wines. If you decide to continue on your path of wine appreciation you may find that you enjoy a certain type of wine and at that point should probably consider purchasing glasses that will accomodate the wine or wines of choice.

No matter the style of wine glass you choose, be sure they are of good quality yet inexpensive enough that you wont cry when they break. We all realise that coordination suffers a bit after a couple of glasses and a broken wine glass here and there is simply an inevitable fact of life. Be sure they are pretty enough to be displayed, sturdy enough to deal with Clang! here and there, and that you purchase enough of them to compensate for the ones that will most certainly break.

I will post more later..
buy guys.

With the Metal Grapes Wall Shelf & Glass Holder, they can now easily get their glass from its rack. They also provided them more space in their table after they placed the glass in the rack. The glasses are also very safe in it unlike when it is just placed in the tray. It just perfectly fit in the garden. – Matt Jo

The avid wine connoisseur may find that he or she just has too many bottles of wine to showcase in a wine rack so they may find the need to have a wine cabinet. Wine cabinets are usually a box like structure but can also be an impressive piece of furniture that fits in with the décor of your home. The wine cabinet can be hidden away disguised as a built in cabinet to compliment any room in your home. Having a built in wine cabinet that has temperature and humidity control is the fastest growing trend amongst the wine collectors of the world.

Wine Liquor Cabinet

Liquor cabinets became a style during Prohibition in the 1920s. The liquor cabinet was used to hide alcohol in the home cleverly from peering eyes. There are still many people today that have liquor cabinets already, and the rest that are trying to find one to purchase are discovering just how difficult of a task that really is. The liquor cabinet can be a place to display your liquor and wines or be a wine cellar if you are fortunate enough to have the correct temperature, humidity and light control.

Cheap Wine Cabinets

With the growing appreciation of the drink of the Gods, people are looking at ways to affordably buy storage space for the sacred bottles of nectar. Our preference is to buy the bottle of wine and worry about storing it later. Many people are looking online to find more affordable wine cabinets that will fulfill their needs and look sophisticated.

Under Cabinet Wine Glass Holders

You can save your kitchen cabinet space and install an under cabinet holder for wine glasses. Using this method of storage gives your kitchen or bar a nice authentic feeling. Again, there is a size and style to meet the tastes of anyone. Having under the cabinet wine glass holders is a practical solution for displaying your wine glass collection, as well as a better way to store and dry them. While they are perfect for the kitchen they are also ideal to have placed next to your wine collection, making for easy usage.

Wine Cabinet Plans

If you are handy with tools and have a knack for building, you can construct your own wine cabinet. There are plans available online as well as in various wood crafting books that you can buy in the bookstore. Finding the right plans for what it is you are trying to create to fit your needs and your home can be part of the fun of creating that perfect piece that completes your home.

Custom Wine Cabinet

It is also possible that you may not find what it is you are looking for when you go shopping for the perfect wine cabinet. Building one yourself may not sound inviting either, there are places that will custom build your wine cabinet for you. The price will vary depending on the material used and the size of the cabinet that you are looking for.

There are many options available to you when it comes to finding the wine cabinet for your home. Whether you are building it yourself or having one made this is your chance to really show off your wine collection.

October 11, 2009
By Christopher Coonrey
Which Wine Cooler.com is here to help you make wise decisions on your first or next cabinet wine cooler purchase. There are solutions to your wine storage problems you may not have thought of. Visit us today!

Sweet and Heady is a pendant light made of wine glasses by Ray Power.
It was shown on the Mo-Billy stand at Salone Satellite in Milan this April.

Here’s a bit of text from Power:

–sweet and heady / pendant light by Ray Power

Originally the light was commissioned for a private house as a hanging light above the dining table. There is an obvious connection to the ritual of eating but with a not so obvious composition.

The title of the light comes from the song Lilac Wine… so sweet and heady, like my love… Each glass is fixed to the next by a number of wire links but one glass can be removed to change the light bulb at ease.

Travel Mug deliver sips of hot coffee or tea (or iced drinks) during long commutes.Travel Mug are something that is very functional and can be used for many years to come. For a more fashionable take, customized Travel Mug are a perfect item to have on your office desk and to carry along with you anywhere you go. Customized Travel Mug come in beautiful designs and sayings that are etched, printed or painted on the surface of the Travel Mug. Brighten someone’s day by giving them a customized Travel Mug with the color and design that fits their lifestyle and style statement.

Thermal Mug can be printed with messages, logos, slogans, and graphics in a variety of colors. Thermal Mug is often best to choose colors that completely contrast with the color of the mug exterior. So, if your choice in Thermal Mug exteriors is a light yellow, you may want to choose a dark red or black for text or graphic printing on the mug. Thermal Mug are available in colors such as red, yellow, white, black, blue, burgundy, teal, forest green, granite, and pearl. Some Thermal Mug have exterior walls made from stainless steel or copper as well.

The White Plate is a dinnerware item used for carrying and containing individual portions of food. White Plate could set comfortably in any Staffordshire Transferware Collection and no one would suspect the difference. Only when one turns the plate over and reads the back stamp, does he realize that this is not a Staffordshire transferware plate. There’s something about a large, White Plate that makes eating more enjoyable. Even haute cuisine, no matter how good, is less alluring when served on a White Plate.

Wine Glass ,as we know them today, began to be crafted in Venice, Italy. For decoration on the Wine Glass surface, glass etching is a popular way. Wine Glass can be done in two ways. Wine Glass can be etched by using etching cream or by sandblasting a design on the surface of the Wine Glass. The preferred option of the two is using etching cream. By etching, decorative touches can be added to the glass surface of Wine Glass and goblets. You can make personalized Wine Glass by etching them on your own. Small piece of glassware can be easily designed with glass etching. Wine Glass would be unique gift ideas for you near and dear ones.

Turning green Wood Bowl is one of the hottest areas of interest in woodturning today! Wood Bowl turning will focus on the steps necessary to turn a basic wet wood rough-out bowl. Effective drying techniques and finish turning will also be discussed.

Every class of wine has an optimum wine glass shape for maximum enjoyment. Ravenscroft Crystal wine glasses and spirits glasses have the double benefit of being made from lead free glass and being specifically designed for a specific wine type.

Featured Ravenscroft Crystal Chianti / Zinfandel Wine Glass Shape

The Ravenscroft Chianti/Zinfandel wine glass shape is designed to complement medium-bodied, fruit driven, high acid wines. The tight bowl and tall chimney of this wine glass shape buffer the competition between high alcohol and perfumed bouquets. While you would be remiss if you only employed one wine glass for all of your wine enjoyment this is the perfect all purpose wine glass. With a sheer rim and subtle weight, the Chianti/Zinfandel wine glass shape from Ravenscroft directs the flow of wine to the proper part of your palate. Like all European Ravenscroft Crystal this is hand made of brilliant lead-free crystal.

 Visit www.WineDecantersPlus.com for the complete range of Ravenscroft Crystal Wine Decanters and Wine Glasses

Every class of wine has an optimum wine glass shape  for maximum enjoyment. Ravenscroft Crystal wine and spirits glasses have the double benefit of being made from lead free glass and being specifically designed for a specific wine type.

Featured Ravenscroft Crystal Hermitage Wine Glass Shape

Ravenscroft Crystal Hermitage Wine Glass

Height 9 1/4 in.
Capacity 20 oz.
Recommended for:
Amarone, Barbera, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Cornas, Cote Rotie, Crozes-Hermitage, Grenache, Hermitage, Malbec, Mourvedre, Petit Sirah, Priorat, Shiraz, Syrah and St. Joseph

Every class of wine has an optimum shape of wine glass for maximum enjoyment. Ravenscroft Crystal wine and spirits glasses have the double benefit of being made from lead free glass and being specifically designed for a specific wine type.

Featured Ravenscroft Crystal Chardonnay Wine Glass Shape

Ravenscroft Crystal Chardonnay Wine Glass

Chardonnay… Full, round, buttery, oaky… The classic white grape of Burgundy which has spread across the globe produces most of the finest and most expensive dry white wines in the world. Chardonnay wine glass shape begs for a smaller bowl than the classic red wines of the world. High alcohol, oak driven and lower acid wines require a glass like the Ravenscroft Crystal Classics Chardonnay wine glass which is designed to soften these attributes and accent the velvet soft mouth feel and dense fruit of this noble grape. Ravenscroft Crystal created this Chardonnay wine glass shape with a wide mouth to diffuse alcohol and oak driven aromas. The tall chimney directs the wine away from the sides of your tongue to buffer bitter and sour flavors. The pulled stem provides seamless hand-feel and added durability, while the long stem isolates contents from hand warmth, keeping your favorite Chardonnay cool! The perfect addition to the most elegant wine experience. Hand-made in Europe of brilliant lead-free crystal.

Height 9 in.
Capacity 12 3/8 oz.
Recommended for:
Albarino, Arneis, Bordeaux (white), Burgundy (white), Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Graves, Hermitage (white), Pinot Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Rhone (white), Semillon, Soave and Viognier

Visit www.WineDecantersPlus.com for the complete range of Ravenscroft Crystal Wine Decanters and Wine Glasses

Why is a Wine Gift a Perfect Gift? 

A Wine Gift can have all the characteristics of  a worthwhile gift of value that will be appreciated. A well chosen wine gift idea shows care and consideration by the giver. A perfect gift idea must have most of the following qualities:

 ”lasting value, useful, stylish, valuable, different, unusual, modern, contemporary, ongoing reminder of the giver, an item of quality,  a respected brand, safe”

Wine related gifts – wine decanters, wine glasses, wine gift sets, wine accessories, wine presentation boxes – have these characteristics in abundance to give you a perfect gift idea. Take a look at www.WineDecantersPlus.com

Beer drinkers or Whiskey drinkers will slug their drink of choice down in any glass that will hold it no matter what the name or shape. Have you ever wondered why the wine glass is so important to wine drinkers?

Beyond the reasons of being able to get oxygen swirled into the wine, or to heat the wine with the palm of your hand, it’s because wine glasses have a certain look about them. They hold a certain amount of status, a certain amount of class, and they make any occasion a fanciful one. So if you’re going to drink please use wine glasses, and hold them correctly, otherwise it will look like you are drinking juice.

At A Restaurant, Make Sure Your Wine Glasses Are Clean

Next time you’re eating out and you are drinking wine, take a look at the rim around your wine glasses. Are there any lipstick marks? Are there water spots or soap spots where the dishwasher didn’t do an adequate job?

Not only is this disgusting, any type of dirt, grime or grease on a wine glass can take away from the taste of the wine. This is tragic, especially if the wine you’re drinking is expensive. You wouldn’t want to taint the taste of that great wine so make sure you inspect your wine glasses thoroughly before drinking from them.

How to Clean Your Wine Glass

If you drink wine at home with dinner or have parties, then you need to know how to clean your wine glasses so you don’t make the mistake that many restaurants make by serving wine in dirty glasses. When you’re cleaning your glasses, it’s best to clean them by hand.

This is because wine glasses are so fragile. Wine glasses cleaned in the dishwasher can easily become broken and most glasses for drinking wine are not cheap. So make sure you clean them by hand and do a good job so as not to leave any smudges or lipstick marks.

How To Hold A Wine Glass

When holding your wine glasses, you typically want to hold it by the stem with the bowl of the glass held in your palm. Of course, there is no right or wrong way to hold a wine glass, as long as you can drink from it.

But if you are looking to show off your wine etiquette skills, you should study up on the proper way to hold your wine glass so that you don’t spill while you’re drinking and so you don’t offend your host if it’s a fancy dinner party, for example.

Also, you should know that the different types of wine glasses are for different types of wine. The bigger, more round looking glasses are for red, or dark wines such as merlot or cabernet’s. The taller, more sleak looking wine glasses are for white wines such as chardonnay and some light pinot’s.

I hope you now know what all the fuss over wine glasses is about. If you are a heavy wine drinker, the glass can be just as important as the type of wine you are tasting.

Different shapes of red wine glasses are needed to get the best out of different types of red wine. I thought it would be useful to show them side by side to indicate the subtle differences in red wine glass shapes.

Burgundy

Bordeaux

Hermitage

Chianti / Zinfandel

Ideally you should have a collection of the above red wine glasses to enjoy the very best from your chosen red wine. If you wish to standardise on one particular red wine glass shape, then the Chianti / Zinfandel is your best bet.

We have experienced some tough times recently and maybe Champagne sounds like an expensive luxury. Admittedly top of the range French Champagnes command a hefty premium but we Americans have plenty of domestically produced fine alternatives at affordable prices.

An article in the Wall Street Journal in 2006 made a lot of interesting and informative points. Click here to read more.

You will maximze your enjoyment if you choose from the elegant Ravenscroft Crystal Champagne flutes available in lead free glass from www.WineDecantersPlus.com

Hi.

I’ve been away from you too long, interweb blog.

But I’ve been looking through the other parts of the interwebs as of late, and there’s a lot of kewl shit out there. 

I want.

Yes, that is a dolla bill. And so is this:

That is a fucking toilet, with a vajayjay inside.

I wish all money was origami-ed and depending on what shape it was in determined it’s value.

And how cool is this?! It’s food made into flags. France looks delish-yum.

Speaking of delish-yum:

I will be eating this cake for every birthday I have from now on.

And in a perfect world, I would be eating this cookie/cake/chocolate everyday.

Le sigh. That’s all the amazingness I will share today. I have a fair amount of artsy-fartsy homework to complete, and it’s only the first week. Yikes.

Ravenscroft Crystal is the embodiment of old-world European craftsmanship and a modern understanding of how the composition and shape of a wine glass can significantly enhance the tasting experience.   Each glass style is the result of thousands of years of glass making trial-and-error, and is individually crafted to enhance both the bouquet and taste of the wine or spirit for which it was made.

Ravenscroft’s delicate, light to the touch, and perfectly formed stemware control the bouquet and deliver the essence of the wines and spirits to the proper zones of the palate.

Most recently, it was discovered that lead in glasses and decanters presents an unacceptable exposure to hazardous toxins. Long-term storage in leaded decanters can result in lead leaching into the contents. The most significant reason lead oxide is added to glassware is to aid in the manufacturing process. Despite increasingly stronger industry warnings, several of the world’s top stemware manufacturers continue to use lead in their stemware production. Lead-free glassware is the future, and the future has already begun with Ravenscroft, the world’s leading manufacturer of pure, clean, lead-free crystal for fine wine and spirits.