Wine

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For tips on how to select wines-by-the-glass, click: tips PEK Supremo Wine Preservation Wine Glass Drying Mat Riedel Wine Glasses and Decanters Yadkin Valley Wine Bar How to improve the taste of bargain wines Board JetBlue or American with your favorite bottle of wine Wine tip especially for solos Love indulging in a glass of red or white wine at home? And hate knowing the quality of that fine or vintage bottle — California, French, Italian, German, Chilean, Argentinian, Australian, etc. — is sure to suffer, if you fail to finish the bottle at one sitting. Wine Enthusiast to the rescue! Wine Enthusiast now offers the PEK Supremo Wine Preservation and Temperature Control Steward. A handsome wine rack or wine cabinet may be on your purchase list, but the PEK wine preservation system should be at the top of your list. The PEK Supremo Wine Preservation and Temperature Control Steward is an indispensible aid (and $$$ saver!) for the glass-a-day drinker and lover of fine wines. "To save wine, a bottle is placed inside the Pek Wine Steward, the top is closed, and a trigger is pulled for 5 to 10 seconds, depending on how much wine remains. When the trigger is released, the bottle is sealed automatically, preserving the wine for a week or more, the company says. 'We wanted to make it very easy for the consumer,' Mr. Gregory Luzaich [wine lover and the designer, who had previously designed medical and telecommunications products] said. 'It's basically mindless.' " New York Times — January 19, 2006. Wine Enthusiast Comes with set of 2 Argon Gas Cartridges when you purchase a PEK Supremo Wine Steward — Item: 481 03 01 Wine Enthusiast price: $199.95 The Wall Street Journal's "Tastings" ("Wine under The Tree" — December 6, 2002) recommended the Wine Enthusiast stem mat. "It's a very simple little perforated platform that wet glasses drain onto until they're dry — one of those things you never knew you needed." Wine Glass Drying Mat - Large — Item: 161 27 02 — $11.95 Wine Glass Drying Mat - Small — Item: 161 27 01 — $9.95 The best way to dry fine crystal, the Stem Mat is now available in a compact size that takes up less counter space and is ideal for a wet bar. Created of commercial-grade polypropeline, it holds stems securely as the water drains into the container beneath. 4 1/4"W x 16 1/4"L Wine Enthusiast guarantees the Lowest Prices and Free Standard Shipping on all Riedel Wine Glasses and Decanters...everyday! If you find a lower advertised price on any Riedel crystal product, Wine Enthusiast will match the price of the wine glass or decanter. See their Riedel 'O' Collection — The Newest Innovation in Glassware Riedel O stemless wine glasses are fun, feel good to hold and look trendy. These stemless glasses are easy to store and carry, fit into dishwashers without any risk of broken wine stems, and make the perfect wine gift. At a fraction of the price of other Riedel high-end glassware, Riedel 'O's are everyday wine glasses with the quality and distinction of Riedel Glassware. Flying into Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina? Lucky you! It's home to the Yadkin Valley Wine Bar. Food Editor Kathleen Purvis of The Charlotte Observer (6/27/05) reports the idea behind the Yadkin Valley Wine Bar is to catch the attention of travelers and to spread the word about wines from Yadkin Valley wineries. Purvis notes: "You can order wine to be shipped home, same as you can at a winery, or you can buy bottles to go. You can also taste four wines for $3, or buy a glass for $5. The store stocks up to 54 wines, and tasting bottles are rotated through the day so all nine wineries get exposure." Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher, "Tastings" columnists for The Wall Street Journal (6/24/05), commenting on the Yadkin Valley Wine Bar, note: "The day we were there, the bar offered 57 diferent wines from nine wineries . . . This is such a terrific idea, both for travelers and for local wine industries, that airports and vintners throughout the country should follow suit . . ." The Yadkin Valley Wine Bar, in Charlotte/Douglas International Airport between concourses D and E. It's accessible only to ticketed passengers. HOURS 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 1-7 p.m. Sunday. PRICES $3 for samples of four wines, $5 per glass including taxes. Bottle prices are the same as at the wineries; most are from $8 to $17. WINERIES IN THE STORE Hanover Park, Old North State, RagApple Lassie, RayLen, Shelton Vineyards, Stoney Knoll, Surry Community College, Westbend and Windy Gap. Leigh Return To Top Do you know how to improve the taste of bargain wines? Here are some easy-to-remember and easy-to-use tips: * Aerate it! Decant it by pouring it back and forth several times into another container. (Note: The other vessel need not be wine-special, nor pretty!) * Salt it! (really, but just a trace) If it tastes "green," add five-seven grains. * Chill it! Red, around 58 degrees; white, colder than usual drinking temperature. Return To Top Board JetBlue or American airlines with your favorite bottle of wine It's well-known that food service on many airlines is nonexistent or "do-it-yourself" for travelers. What's not known is you may board JetBlue or American with your favorite bottle of wine and they'll serve it to you enroute! JetBlue condones this practice anywhere in its single class of service; American allows it in any class of service. (Note: The Wall Street Journal disputes the latter, reporting, "On American, the option is only available to first- and business-class passengers." To check it out, call American at (800) 433-7300.) Note: * Take along a "sealed" bottle. * Both carriers will let you take you take home leftovers. * Unlike restaurants, neither carrier charges a corkage fee! Return To Top When's the last time you ordered an entire bottle of wine for yourself in a restaurant? Perhaps only when you wanted to score points with your favorite chef by sending the remainder to him or her with your compliments? It's time to expand your thinking. The next time you are indulging in a meal out, that fabulous bottle of wine may be yours! When you next treat to yourself to a solo meal — and at the beginning of it — ask the restaurant about their policy concerning doggie-bagging wine remainders. If you're lucky, the restaurant may be located in one of a growing number of states that now allow this practice. And if so, you may be doubly lucky, if the restaurant participates in this growing amenity. (It's voluntary for restaurants.) P.S. Be sure to stow that "opened bottle" of wine in the trunk. Return To Top Ladies — this one's for YOU! Three women at Beringer Blass Wine Estates have unveiled the first-ever wine designed by women, for women. Called White Lie Early Season Chardonnay, the new wine is naturally lower in alcohol and, as a result, also lower in calories than most California Chardonnays. Price: under $10.00 per bottle For more information, click: http://www.WhiteLieWines.com Gourmet salt — everyone is writing about (and tasting) it. Should you? Get the details on an exciting salt sampler. Return To Top If you have questions or comments about this Web page or site, e-mail: webmaster@SoloTravelPortal.com. © 2005 SoloTravelPortal.com Return To Top