This pretty much jumps off the screen (and the shelf?). This is from contributor Amber Fries, who said: “There are several ways this label can be construed, and none of them have much to do with the wine inside.†The wine is barely mentioned. If sex really sells, this may well prove it.
The Gorenje SmarTable: It’s a sleek, albeit fairly plain, dining table that turns into an all-inclusive wine and dessert mini-bar at the press of a button.
Awesome.
I think this is the perfect furniture/gadget for a sleek outdoor gathering on the patio — after dinner is finished and everybody is relaxed but too lazy to get up you can have a cool glass of wine ready with just the flick of a finger. And clean-up, at least for that moment, is as easy as pressing a button and closing it all up again!
I want one.
Right on time for holiday giving, Playboy has come out with a line of wines. The wines are available by bottle or by a yearly subscription for $1,567 and include a limited run of up to 550 bottles per series; vineyards include Gargiulo Money Road Cabernet Sauvignon, St. Supery’s famed Dollarhide Cabernet Sauvignon, Schug Estate Heritage Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, RODA Cirsiron and Tenuta Sette Ponti Oreno. And of course, since it’s Playboy, each wine is labeled with a vintage Playboy cover which represents the flavor and taste profile of each wine.
The wines are available online but will also be sold at wine retailers in the United States. The wines will retail individually at $90 to $380 a bottle. Check out the first offerings in the gallery below.
"Making French Wine Fun" is the underlying philosophy of Le Beast – the first brand from Clink! Wines Ltd.
‘Le Beast’ is based on the historic legend of La Bête du Gevaudan – a creature believed to be part man/part wolf that killed over 120 women and children in the Languedoc, between 1762 and 1764. Not even King Louis XV’s famous hunter, Denneval, nor his six highly trained bloodhounds, could track the Beast down. The murders stirred up a political and religious controversy and the identity of La Bête du Gevaudan remains a mystery to this day.
“We chose Neffies as the home of ‘Le Beast’ due to its terroir-focused wine styles – which use carbonic maceration as a point of difference in its reds – as well as its history and relevance to the life of La Bête du Gevaudan,†says Catherine Monahan, Managing Director of Clink! Wines Ltd.
A shadow of ‘Le Beast’ can be seen in the right-hand-side window and a classic neck tag hangs around the neck, explaining the legend of La Bête.
To further extend its range of environmentally friendly wine packaging, leading South African wine producer, Arniston Bay, is launching a one litre fully recyclable tetra pak.
A lightweight alternative to glass bottles, the Arniston Bay tetra pak has a lower carbon footprint than wine in glass bottles with up to a third more cartons transported in one shipping. In addition, the pak is 100% recyclable making this an ideal choice for the environmentally conscious consumer.
Brand and Business Development Manager for the company of wine peopleâ„¢, Barney Davis, says: “The tetra pak is an important addition to the Arniston Bay portfolio. A year on from the launch of our carbon friendly pouch we are aware that the wine consumer is on the look out for more innovative forms of packaging that tick all the boxes in terms of convenience, ease of use and environmental benefits. Our tetra pak is not only a convenient addition to our wine range it is also recyclable and is lighter to transport around the globe, helping us, as an international wine company, to lower our overall carbon footprint.â€
Beautiful new work from San Francisco based Hatch:
JAQK Cellars is a new wine brand. One born of a long-time passion for great wine and a strong determination to inject a little fun into all aspects of life. Inspired by the Jack, Ace, Queen, and King in the deck of cards, JAQK Cellars is the playful family name for eight distinctive limited production wines, encompassing three from the Napa Valley, one from the Sonoma Coast, and four with a California appellation.
The names of these wines tap in to the allure and sophistication of the world of gaming—High Roller, Soldiers of Fortune (the Jacks), Black Clover (clubs), Pearl Handle (the derringers that tamed the gambling saloons), 22 Black (roulette), Bone Dance (craps), Her Majesty, (the Queens) and Charmed (the luckier the better). They do so in a way that brings about a smile even before the first sip is enjoyed.
Not only did Joel Templin and Katie Jain’s design firm, Hatch, create the branding, but Joel and Katie are also co-founders of JAQK Cellars:
Joel and Katie have been friends and graphic design colleagues for over six years, amassing an impressive trophy case full of awards both individually and as a team. In the Spring of 2007, they founded a new firm, Hatch Design. In the short time since then, they’ve continued to attract great clients and gain more critical acclaim for their design and branding work.
But this new entity, Hatch, was born to enable them to do more than help clients build brands; it was designed to allow them to create and grow their own brands, as well. JAQK Cellars is the first idea to crack out of the egg. And it couldn’t be a more beloved first hatchling. Katie and Joel have long shared a true appreciation and passion for fine wine. They have worked on a many wine brands over the years. Their favorite, MacLean Wines, introduced them to the well-respected winemaker and soon-to-be good friend and co-Founder of JAQK, Craig MacLean.
For years the invention of Champagne has been attributed to Benedictine monk Dom Perignon, shown above. Now new research suggest that it was British scientist Christopher Merrett who first invented the process and bottle for making Champagne.
The Daily Mail reports that Merrett used techniques from the cider industry to control the second fermentation which adds the fizz and he also pioneered the use of stronger glass needed to prevent the bottle exploding. He gave a paper to the Royal Society in 1662 describing a process of adding sugar and molasses to make a wine taste sparkling. This was over 30 years before Dom Perignon’s work at the Abbey of Hautvillers at Epernay.
The research comes from author James Crowden, whose new book, Ciderland, looks at the history of cider in the West Country.
Golfers and wine seem to be a natural match. Greg Norman, Ernie Els and Nick Faldo are just a few of the golfers with a label to their credit. Now the list swells to welcome one of the best female golfers to play the game, Annika Sorenstam.
Sorenstam has been working with fifth generation Winemaker Karl Wente of Wente Vineyards on her own namesake Syrah, Annika, which will be released in May 2009. The ultra-premium Central Coast Syrah will sell for $75.
Previously published celebrity wine articles:
David Beckham buys Victoria a vineyard.
Another celebrity wine project.
Celebrity wines are popular with wine drinkers.
This new range of wines by Wines of Substance from Washington, certainly standout with a modern & innovative website that has an unusual approach to wines.
