There is a certain type of person who prefers crystal wine glasses to plastic cups, takes the time to learn about fine wines, and then provides them with the extra care they deserve.

The classic film entitled “Out of Africa” released in 1985, starring Robert Redford and Meryl Streep (as the young handsome and beautiful couple) tells the tale originally penned by the Baroness Karen Blixen. The story is about a time in Africa when she drank champagne from fine crystal and brought a gramophone along to play music while on a safari. The Baroness understood, oh so well, that even while “roughing it” wine and picnics deserve being treated as a classy event.

Imagine there are two fine bottles of wine or champagne, brought along for enjoyment. Do you think the Baroness would put them in a simple paper bag or box and haul them along like bottles of cheap soda? Impossible. She would carry them in an exquisite leather wine bottle carrier.

There are many types to choose from, including those for one bottle or those for two bottles. They range in price from only $40 to the top-of-the-line versions at $400. There is no need to spend a fortune to be classy, one needs only have sufficient culture, breeding, and politeness to know fine wine deserves a fine carrier. These prices are super for holiday gift giving as well.

Giving wine as a gift is always met with gratitude by the receiver, yet soon the wine is enjoyed and gone. However, when properly taken care of, a fine leather wine bottle carrier made of high-quality materials and sturdy stitching will last a lifetime. Long after the wine is finished, the wine carrier remains ready for service to carry the wines for the next event, picnic, or exciting exotic travel adventure.

Gently passing wine through a wine funnel is a technique used to prepare wine for better enjoyment. The process is simple; pour the wine from the bottle through the wine funnel into another container used for serving the wine, then wait for a time.

Decanting wine is especially important for older red wines because it removes sediment. For younger red wines, this process softens them. The results are an improvement in clarity, more robust bouquet, and a smoother finish. White wines slightly benefit from this process, especially if they are overly tart in taste. There is no harm in pouring white wine through a wine funnel.

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Company holiday parties build ching among employees and customers. Being prepared for a fabulous holiday bash means getting ready with food, drinks and glassware. A great unbreakable drinkware option for any gathering are GoVino wine glasses.  Govino is made from a food-safe, BPA-free polymer, which reflects a wine’s color and aromatics much like crystal. It is recyclable (#1), but better yet it is reusable.

 GoVino Wine Glasses the Perfect Drinkware for Parties

The appeal of unbreakable glasses is just that; they are shatter-proof, safeguarding for accidents of broken glass. The beauty of these glasses is that they are made from food-safe, recyclable, reusable polymer which works just as well at releasing aromas and giving the best taste to wines and other drinks. They still look and perform much like crystal does, with a thin lip feel and elegant thumb notch just like a crystal tasting glass! The BPA free GoVino Glasses are the best selling choice for a shopper seeking an acrylic or plastic glass for parties.

These Logo GoVino Glasses are customizable, which means room for a company logo or a fun holiday saying.   Options to purchase GoVino glasses in bulk quantities at an unbeatable price.  Many guests will take home and reuse. This is a great for brand recognition if purchased with customized company logo.

The stemless GoVino glasses are offered in a variety of shapes depending on needs; wine, cocktail, beer and champagne glasses.  It makes for a much better experience than offering paper cups or flimsy replacements, especially when needing a large amount for a party.

Make this holiday party special with a glass that showcases your logo or holiday message and can be used for years to come.

We often receive phone calls from stressed shoppers about their wine connoisseur who has everything.  This specialized gift list for the wine connoisseur should make shopping a bit easier this year. The following list of gifts for your wine geek are best sellers year after year. You can’t go wrong with one of these highly recommend wine geek gifts.

Top Gifts for Your Wine Geek

Pulltex Deluxe Wine Essences Collection – 40 Piece Wine Aroma Set

An aroma wine kit is the perfect gift for the frequent traveler who enjoys wine country tasting trips.

Educate the sense of smell by distinguishing the various olfactory notes in the wine.

The Versovino Wine Decanting System

Pure elegance in every pour with the Versovino Wine Aerator Decanting System.  Wine expands on the walls of the sphere settling and re-oxygenates awakening aromas and flavors!

A true wine geek understands the importance of decanting or aerating wine.  It makes a noticeable improvement on the flavor and aroma of any wine. This is a special, hand blown glass wine decanting system imported from Italy.

Wine Luggage for Airplane Travel

You and your wine lover are in Spain traveling from town to town enjoying amazing bottles of Albarino that you can’t get at home.  Maybe you are in Napa or Sonoma touring the wineries, collecting wines missing from your local wine shops.  If this paints of picture of someone you know, then the Wine Luggage for Airplane Travel is the perfect gift for them!

What’s special about this wine luggage case is the check in weight.  Loaded with 12 bottles of wine, this wine suitcase weights in at 43 lbs.  This is below the 50 lb check in limit most airlines enforce.  If you are traveling with less than 12 bottles of wine, be sure to check out our other wine luggage cases.

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It’s that time of year again!  Holiday shopping for your wine lover is easier than ever with our experienced suggestions for top wine gifts. Check out our best wine gifts for Christmas 2014.  If you are stumped for a gift this year we are here to help!  These are perfect Christmas gifts for wine lovers with a variety of price ranges.

This Year’s Best Wine Gifts

Wine Clip II Magnetic Aerator for Smoother Wine Tasting

Shoppers are usually skeptical about the power of magnetics on wine.  That’s what makes this such a fun wine gift!  Open this unique wine aerator with friends and family this holiday season and conduct a taste test. Everyone will be blown away by the difference it makes on the flavor of wine.

Conduct your very own science project this Christmas and enjoy!

Your Name Chateau Wine Sign 

This custom vintage wood sign allows for custom details to be personalized on distressed wood panels with chateau design.

New for 2014, this is one of our best selling personalized wine signs.  Demand is high right now for this personalized wine gift.  We highly recommend placing your orders now as shoppers are purchasing this wine sign as gifts for everyone on their lists.

Mulholland All Leather 2 Bottle Wine Carrier

Mulholland creates the finest leather wine bags and that’s why year after year it’s one of our best selling luxury wine gifts.  They have the highest quality standards and offer a lifetime guarantee.

This leather wine bag is not only stylish but functional!  A nylon insert keeps chilled wine or champagne at temperature and protects red wines from temperature extremes.

Swirl Acrylic Wine Glasses in Purple

We offer a stylish selection of acrylic wine glasses.  For some reason, the new for 2014, Purple Acrylic Wine Glasses surpass the others is popularity.  Purple is the way to go if you can’t make up your mind on what color glass.

Every wine drinker requires a set of glasses for outdoor entertaining.  This purple set of 6 glasses with swirl pattern is a must have for your wine enthusiast.

Personalized 96 Bottle Antiqued Steel Wine Jail 

A wine jail is a stunning wine rack where your wine collection will stay safe!  Lock the door to keep your favorite fine wines from being enjoyed without you.  This decorative wine jail stores up to 96 bottles of red or white wines.

It’s been one of our best selling wine jails this year!

Chateau Personalized Oak Barrel Lazy Susan

New designer lazy susan just out for this holiday season!  The Chateau depicted on this oak barrel top has options for personalizing with family name, date and place.  This popular design is also available as a piece of art to hang in your home.  Check out the Personalized Chateau Sign.

This is a truly unique gift due to the history behind the barrel top as well as it’s personalized nature.  If only this piece of oak could talk about the wines it made and places it’s been!  Barrel tops are taken from previously used wine barrels from Wineries across the country.

Wine Cork Board Magazine Rack – Exclusive to WineVine Imports

Just about every wine drinker saves their wine corks especially when visiting the wine country on wine tasting trips.

There’s no better gift for your wine lover than a wine cork board made with love.  Corks are not included with our cork board collection of frames but you can easily pick favorites from your collection and create a memorable piece of wine art.

Personalized Italian Marble Coasters Vineyards and Cellars

Italian marble coasters are rich in appearance.  Useful too, as they help protect furniture from nicks and stains!

Drink coasters are essential for the home.  Just about every room in the house requires a set.   Wine drinkers have so many wine coaster options to choose from.  Vineyards, corkscrews, chateaus, bunches of grapes and wine labels decorate sets of 4 marble coasters.

School of Fish Wine Glasses 

Every now and again we all swim against the current. With this artfully depicted school of fish design, beautifully etched and polished fish swim together, save for one little guy headed in the opposite direction. A delightful nod to individuality and the unique spirit inside all of us.

Wine Barrel Side Table with Shelf

Barrel staves are removed from a barrel taken from a French or California winery to make this side table.  This small accent table can make the biggest impression in a room.  It’s a custom piece of art that’s one-of-a-kind.

Legacy Aerating Wine Glasses Gift Set

Packaged in a wooden box for first class gift presentation are a set of two wine glasses you will never stop drinking from.  No need for a wine aerator with these fabulous wine glasses.  Poor wine into them and enjoy an enhanced wine experience!

2 Day Designs 5 Bottle Wall Mounted Wine Rack

Wine decor to showcase fine wines in a kitchen, butlers pantry or living room.  This wall mounted wine rack is yet another best selling product made from staves off a real oak wine barrel.

We are first to carry the new 2014 Vineyard finish by 2 Day Designs.  Be sure to check it out!

We’re giving away a free $50 Amazon Gift card to one lucky winner this month. Enter the giveaway by commenting on this post, liking WineVine-Imports on Facebook, following on Twitter, tweeting a message, or blogging about the giveaway. Simply use the giveaway widget below:

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Welcome to the sophisticated, delicate aging of fine wines. Learn the history and the modern solution.

Long ago, before the advent of modern conveniences, in order to age wines properly they went into storage in a wine cellar. This is because across the globe our beautiful Earth has one very consistent quality. When digging to a certain depth below ground there is a constant temperature. Surprisingly, this is the same in northern colder zones or in the warmest parts of the globe. In colder areas, the depth needed to reach this constant temperature is below the frost line. In hotter areas, it is where the temperature is much cooler than the surface. So lacking refrigeration, the only way to find a place of perfect temperature for keeping wine, was to dig down to find it. This is why they used wine cellars.

Wine Credenza Wine Storage Cabinet with Wine Refrigerators

Nowadays, because of technology and electricity, it is possible to re-create these perfect conditions above ground. There is no need to dig a cellar to hold wine for aging. Instead, there are extraordinary wine credenzas. These beautiful pieces of furniture maintain the perfect temperature zone with a refrigeration system set for exactly the best temperature for aging fine wine.

Living in a modern high-rise luxury apartment, fabulous mansion, or in a penthouse condominium creates the necessity for a magnificent wine refrigerator credenza. These credenzas are so beautiful and the wine bottles are always close by. The bottles do not hide in some dark, dusty cellar for so many years.

Anyone who invests in fine wine knows it needs keeping in a safe and secure environment. With wine that improves with aging, it demands a delicately refined surrounding that maintains constant temperature suitable for keeping the wine. A wine credenza is a must-have for a true connoisseur.

The only thing better than a glass of whiskey, is a glass of whiskey you made yourself. This is one rewarding hobby, because you get to drink to your own success! We know what you are thinking, there is all that mess, mixing, cooking, and waiting for the corn mash to ferment. Then comes the distilling and waiting for the whiskey to age. Well, we would like to let you in on a little secret; these whiskey making kits skip all the hard part. The secret of great-tasting whiskey is the flavoring and a tiny bit of aging in a specially prepared charred oak barrel.

Whiskey Making Kits

Start with a 750 ml bottle of 40% alc./vol. grain alcohol, swish alcohol, or unflavored vodka. The idea is to use alcohol with as close to a neutral flavor as possible. You have to buy this alcohol separately; it is NOT included in the kit. There is no need to send this basic alcohol to you as it is available in stores everywhere. Just buy any plain grain alcohol or vodka you can find. The important part is the special flavoring that comes as part of the kit.

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We know why Santa is always in good cheer. Because, in this case, he is a Santa wine bag with a great bottle of wine inside! This time of year is the perfect monent for companies to prepare for holiday gift giving. Wine makes a great gift. Moreover, for those non-drinkers, there is non-alcoholic wine or sparkling cider. A holiday-themed wine bag is a favored way to give gifts in an attractive manner at this time of year. Enjoy finding one that catches your fancy. Mix and match them or keep them all the same. Either way, they are sure to please and it is always nice to get a bottle of superb wine.

Christmas Wine Bags

Besides Santa in many variations, there are other choices for wine bags, which include Gingerbread man, Elf double (holds two bottles), Snowman, Smiling Reindeer, Santa Pants, Polka Dot Jester Hat, and one with Jingle Bells. When giving many gifts, there is the luscious red chalkboard wine bag, with a place to write on a chalkboard surface. Personalization of each bag helps everyone get the correct gift.

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Lazy Susans make it easy to share food amongst diners. There is none of that bothersome passing of dishes back and forth between the guests. Just spin the wooden Lazy Susan to have a serving from the dish of your choice.  Useful and decorative in nature with custom designs that allow for personalization.

History of the Wooden Lazy Susan

No one knows if there ever was any particular woman named Susan or if she was lazy. The name is descriptive of convenience. The use of the Lazy Susan in America became popular around 1900 as a way to serve food more easily without needing so many servants. The idea was that food served using a Lazy Susan was a more communal experience.

Another benefit of using a Lazy Susan was that without a servant nearby, no one except the diners heard the conversations. This allowed completely private discussions while dining together. The ever-practical Henry Ford used a large Lazy Susan when he went camping during the 1920s. In this way, he could bring plenty of guests and take along fewer servants.

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