Our family gathers at least twice a year for a big sit-down dinner together.  Last Thanksgiving, it was my wife’s and my turn to feed the clan, which added to 39 hungry individuals.  By subtracting the kids and the beer drinkers, my task was to gather enough wine glasses for about 29 adults.  After pulling our glass serving collection out of the cupboard, I counted 11-white wine, 7-red wine, 5-brandy snifter, 3-champagne and 2-pilsner beer glasses for a total of 28 glasses.  The last person lucked out and received a small water glass to enjoy the wine.  It is common for many of us in this situation to bring out a hybrid collection of glassware when we entertain large numbers.

When choosing wine glasses, WineDoctor.com has four basic rules to consider.  Rule #1 is the glass should be plain and clear.  Rule #2 is that the glass should be of sufficient size to allow pouring a good measure and at the same time allow room for the “swirling” process to release the aromas.  Select a glass that has a stem for holding is Rule #3.  The stem allows holding your wine glass without transferring heat to the bowl of the glass and consequently your wine. The final rule is that good wine glasses have a taper at the top, which is smaller than the bowl of the glass.  This serves to concentrate the aromas towards the nose.

Some glassware companies have designed glassware for every kind of wine one might purchase.  If one were to purchase their complete line of wine glasses for each individual wine, the next project we would undertake is remodeling of our glass storage cabinetry.  Many website wine aficionados state we can get by quite well by selecting four basic designs for our wine glassware collection.  Get different glassware designs to enjoy red, white, sparkling and dessert wines.  The glassware you select should be thin as thick glasses are thought to affect the taste of the wine, making it more difficult to properly lip the glass for sipping.

A red wine glass should have a bowl fuller and rounder and with a larger opening than other wine glasses.  The bowl of the glass should be wider than the opening of the glass.  Red wines have complex aromas and flavors that this shape of glasses enhances when the wine contacts with more air.  A white wine glass should be more “u” shaped, which allows aromas to easily release.  For sparkling wines, get an upright narrow glass also called a “flute” glass.  The narrowness of this glass helps retain the carbonation and capture the flavor.  The dessert wines should be served in a smaller glass to direct the wine to the back of the mouth.  These wines also contain higher alcohol content making a smaller serving wise.  Pour only enough wine to fill the glass to the widest part of the bowl.

Correctly, caring and cleaning your stemware is the last concern for being ready for drinking your favorite vintage.  Some say wash the glasses only using hot water and others say washing with detergent is okay as long as it is unscented (e.g., no lemon added).  If detergent is used, stemware should be thoroughly rinsed.  Once rinsed allow the glasses to drip dry in an inverted position.  After drying, use a soft cloth to polish them and remove residual water spots.  Store them upright in a cupboard ready of use.

After taking a strong chiding from my clan on my hybrid wine stemware, I have since upped my collection.  I can now accommodate up to 30 people with the proper glass for their respective wine choices.  I did not nor will you have to spend a fortune to be prepared.  Now let us enjoy our wine in the best possible stemware and do not forget wine enjoyment starts by correctly storing your wine before use.

Author: Ronald Senn, Vice-president, Ideal Wine Coolers

This month Ideal Wine Coolers is featuring one of its most popular wine refrigerator models with great pricing and free shipping.  Our EdgeStar Black 46 Bottle Dual Zone Front Vented Locking Wine Cooler (CWR460DZ)  is designed for either free-standing or undercounter applications. The wine refrigerator comes with a classic black cabinet and stainless steel trimmed glass door and venting grate. You can store either red or white wines, because this wine refrigerator has dual zones with independent temperature controls. The upper zone wiil hold 14 bottles of white wine with a temperature range of between 41 and 54 degrees F. The lower zone stores 32 bottles of red wine . This premium wine cabinet offers 4 slide-out shelves holding bottles in “reversed rack” style. The digital temperature controls, auto defrost, security lock, blue interior lighting and stainless steel towel bar handle will make owning this wine cooler a real pleasure. The powerful compressor based cooling will keep all your wines stored at just the right temperature. Look no further for superior wine storage.

FEATURES:
* Use in Free-standing or Built-in Applications
* Black Cabinet with Stainless Trimmed Door
* Digital Temperature Controls
* Stainless Steel Trimmed Wood Shelves
* Stainless Towel Bar Style Door Handle
* Door Locks
* Auto Defrost
* Dual Temperature Zones
* Blue LED Interior Lighting

CAPACITY:
* 46 Wine Bottles

DIMENSIONS:
* Width 23.5 Inches x Depth 20.75 Inches x Height 33.25 Inches
* Depth Included Door Handle 24.5 Inches

SHIPPING:
* FREE SHIPPING

MANUFACTURER’S WARRANTY:
* 90 Days Labor/1 Year Parts

EXTENDED WARRANTIES:
* Available For Purchase On This Product
* For More Information Go To the “Warranty” Page Tab on Our Website

Check out our selection of free-standing and undercounter wine coolers

Another popular EdgeStar 32 Bottle Wine Cooler is now back in stock. 

Author: Ronald Senn, Vice-president, Ideal Wine Coolers

One of many people’s favorite foods is a good cut of beef cooked to perfection.  Many also enjoy a good glass of wine along with the beef.  The question for a lot of us is what wine to pour to go along with your perfect beef selection.  What wine would enhance the flavor of beef if accompanied with a heavy sauce?  Of course, it matters what one’s personal wine preference is, but it also matters how the beef is cooked. 

A common rule of thumb is to match the wine with the how the beef is prepared.  With every rule, there will always be an exception.  The exception in this case is when a heavy sauce accompanies the prepared beef.  In this case, you should select the wine to match the sauce.  Many websites offer suggests for pairing wine and beef.  

If you prefer red wines, select a Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot or Bordeaux to compliment that beef dish.  If the red wine selected is “young”, cook your beef to be on the rarer side.  For “aged” red wines, cook the beef a little longer than normal.  There is a consensus that a red wine best accompanies steaks, beef stew, beef stroganoff, short ribs and burgers.  If grilling the beef fits your taste or you like steak tartare, try the Cabernet Sauvignon.  Peppered beef will taste better if complimented with a Merlot.

If your wine preference resides in the white wine category, select a Beaujolais or white Pinot Noir.  Sweet wine lovers might prefer a White Zinfandel, Syrah/Shiraz or Rhone wine with their beef.  White wine and barbequed beef make a great combination.  If garlic seasoning is dominant to the beef preparation or the beef is smoked, try a Shiraz.  A complete discussion of wine can be found on Wikipedia.

One of my favorite ways to prepare beef is to slow-cook it in a crock-pot all day long.  The beef ends up tender enough to just “melt” in your mouth.  The other neat thing about cooking beef this way is you can add your favorite wine to the “brew” to obtain a delectable, combination of flavor.  Crock-pot recipes are limited only by your imagination on what to toss in the mix.

Many combinations of wine and beef can compliment each other and add to your overall enjoyment of food.  As I always say, each person’s palette is different.  Even if your favorite wine is not necessarily touted for drinking with a beef based meal, drink it anyway.  The fun of combining different wines and food together is the experimenting required in doing so.

Find out more about keeping your wine stored properly so it won’t spoil before you get to the store to get your beef.

Author: Ronald Senn, Vice-president, Ideal Wine Coolers

Based on customer input, Ideal Wine Coolers is pleased to offer our customers the option of purchasing Extended Warranties on the products they purchased.  The warranty is an “in home” service plan that starts coverage when the manufacturer’s warranty expires.  A complete discussion of the Terms and Conditions can be found on our website.  These programs are administered by Repair Master, a notable repair service plan manager.

Author: Ronald Senn, Vice-president, Ideal Wine Coolers

Ideal Wine Coolers has decided to continue the Danby Super Sale, because customer response has been so positive.   We have selected

additional Danby wine cooler and beverage center products to add to the sale with prices slashed on these products by over 20 percent.  The sale has been extended to the last day of March 2010.   Take advantage of these one time savings on quality Danby wine cellars and cooler products.

We also carry other top brands of wine coolers like Haier, EdgeStar and Vinotemp that are priced competitively.

Thank you all so much for investigating what Ideal Wine Coolers has to offer.

Ronald Senn, Vice-president, Ideal Wine Coolers