Projects with Wine Corks

Photo by: Greg Griffin

Looking for something to do with all those corks….here are a few ideas.

Wine Cork Wreath
After opening all those bottles of wine, drinkers accumulate huge piles of corks around the house. Think about making a few decorative pieces. A creative use for wine corks is a wine cork wreath. Add seasonal accents to the wreath and leave it hang year round. I haven’t made one of these, but I’m saving corks and it’s on my list of projects. I can’t imagine it’s too difficult.

Wine Review: Wellington Vineyards Marsanne 2007

A little bonus blogging. I usually take Wednesdays off, but since I took Monday off for the holiday, I thought I’d mention a wine we had last night.

Winery: Wellington Vineyards
Wine: Marsanne 2007
Location: Sonoma Valley, California
Purchased: Wootwine.com
Price: $22.00

I’ve written before how much I love a bottle of wine from Wellington Vineyards, in particular their whites. For those of you who know me, realize this is unusual. I typically rant and rave about red wines, and have very particular tastes when it comes to white wines. Wellington Vineyards continue to produce white bottles of wine that stray from the usual and create a sense of pleasure in the drinker.

Last night, we opened a bottle of the 2007 Marsanne….the red drinkers white. This bottle of wine didn’t disappoint. The Marsanne resembes light straw in the glass. The color is not bright or overly golden like other whites. It almost looks a little subdued. The aromas on the nose seem to match the soft qualites of the appearance. Soft aromas of pepper, nuts and honey are present. The striking difference with this Marsanne and other white wines is the lack of fruit present on the palate. Orange was the only fruit I picked up. However, Wellington presents a bold, strong wine, with a tart first sip. Followed by a smooth, clean finish.

A Closer Look in the Bottle of Wine: Riesling

As a wine lover, there is one grape that I’m still developing an appreciation for, Riesling. I remember my first encounters with Riesling as the ultra sweet German wines. These bottles of wine are nice when paired with the right food, but not for an evening of sipping on the couch. For a long time, I shied away from Riesling because of these first few encounters. Over the past few years, I’ve reintroduced myself and discovered the many styles of Riesling.

Riesling grapes thrive in cooler climates like those of the Mosel and Rhine valleys in Germany. Since they enjoy cooler climates Riesling vines are hard wooded and bud late. The grapes are small, round and soft when ripe. Riesling grapes feature greenish yellow skins and hang in tightly-compacted, winged clusters. This formation makes them susceptible to bunch rot and molds, especially if there is a lot of rain during the ripening season. Riesling grapes prefer predominately slate soils.

Sula’s Satori

Winery: Sula
Wine: Satori Merlot N.V.
Location: Nashik, India
Purchased: The Leela Palace Hotel
Price: $30.00 (about $10 online)

On the first Valentine’s Day I spent with my husband (boyfriend at the time), he prepared a fancy dinner and selected a bottle of wine for us to enjoy. Being poor college students, we hadn’t yet developed our appreciation for wine, but this bottle of wine piqued my interest. The thought, effort and love behind the selection helped me realize winemakers put those same qualities into every bottle of wine they produce. Just as my husband put a little of himself into the selection, winemakers put a little of themselves into each bottle of wine.

Wine Book Club: A Hedonist in the Cellar

Rodrigo Cardoso

May’s book is A Hedonist in the Cellar by Jay McInerney. The book is a compilation of wine column’s McInerney wrote for House & Garden magazine. These short snippets provide just enough information to get you interested in the wine or topic, leaving you wanting to know more.

At this point, I’m about 100 pages into the book. I’ve found several interesting columns focused on lesser known wine regions. I also have a page of wines to try, or wines I found interesting based on the description. I should have enough to drink for the next year, if I continue my list. I’ve also been pleasantly surprised by the wines he discusses that I have tried and enjoyed.