Wine is becoming an ever-increasing favorite of many people. With over 1000 different wine varieties, the choices one has seem nearly infinite. Wine tasting parties are very popular and great events to get to know other people. The proper pre-party storage of wine is important to maintain the wine for its maximum enjoyment and that is why an investment in a wine cooler is a good choice. However, the temperature the wine needs to be stored at is not necessarily its proper serving temperature for your party. Additionally, wine stored in your wine refrigerator cannot necessarily be readily viewed by your party guests. Displaying your favorite vintages in a classy wine rack at your party will stimulate conversation about the wines and contribute to your party’s success.

The broad based interest in wine can be a stimulus for an entirely new “Gift Du jour” for your friends and family. Everyone can benefit from changing your thinking about what gift to buy, especially you men like me. You can forget about that gift card from one of the large “box stores”. No more stopping at the supermarket so you can get flowers for your loved one on the way home. You will not have to get your “Uncle Jack” that knitted sweater with reindeer on it. In addition, grandma will not have to eat another box of chocolate that was made six months before it became a gift. It is paramount to get that special gift right this time.

Wine accessories, wine racks, wine furniture and wine coolers will be appreciated and considered great gifts. Wine related products are marketed in a broad array of sizes, colors, prices, etc. making gifts that are easy to match to your favorite person and your budget. They are made in every type of material imaginable- wood, wire, steel, etc.

Key wine accessories that will make excellent gifts are corkscrews, wine thermometers, electric wine serving coolers, butcher board cheese servers and a portable wine cooler that plugs into your car’s electrical system making chilled wine at your picnic or on your boat a reality.

Displaying your favorite wines in a classy and colorful wine rack will make you proud. Wine bottle racks can be found with luxurious metal and wood finishes that are sure to compliment any home’s decor. Wine bottle holders will hold from just a few to several bottles and, by mixing various reds and whites, will make a colorful display. Wine rack furniture is becoming more popular because it can be used for more than a single purpose.

However, the best gift to give someone that loves wine is their first wine cooler refrigerator. These handy appliances will allow that favorite person of yours to get on the move to becoming a “budding” wine connoisseur. If space is a problem for your gift receiver, several countertop wine coolers can be purchased to fit their space. If your favorite person is environmentally sensitive, a thermoelectric wine cooler will help them “go green”. The choices available to match your favorite person’s taste are unlimited.

So, let us all get off the old gift-giving quandary and present our favorite people with the “Gift Du jour” that fits in with the ever-increasing interest in wine. They will enjoy their gifts and will have no need to join the “return” lines at your local box store, see the flowers go “toes up” in a day or worry when the gift card expires.

For more information go to: http://idealwinecoolers.com/page/home/index.html

Author: Ronald Senn, VP Ideal Wine Coolers, October 2009

Ideal Wine Coolers is pleased to announce a new partnership with EdgeStar, which will give our customers another choice of brand name wine coolers to purchase.  Our customers will be able to compare the EdgeStar products to products currently offered from Danby, Haier and Vinotemp.

Edgestar is an industry leader in the compact appliance field, developing compact, portable appliances and winecoolers designed for today’s busy lifestyles.  When you purchase an Edgestar wine cooler, you are guaranteed to get a quality, innovative product and you can count on Edgestar’s top-flight customer service with all aspects of customer support and service.

Edgestar wine cooler products are brought to the market on the belief that thoughtful, well-designed products can fit into your life and make it easier; giving you more time to spend on doing what matters.

For more information see:  http://www.idealwinecoolers.com/page/edgestar_wine_coolers.html

Author: Ronald Senn, VP Ideal Wine Coolers, September 2009

Edward FitzGerald first translated the Rubaiyat by Omar Khayyan (1048-1123) from Persian to English in 1859.  Over the years, there has been much debate about the accuracy of his translation.  The fact remains that the words penned by FitzGerald remain remembered today.

I first heard the following infamous, translated lines in my high school English class:  “A Book of Verses underneath the Bough, A Jug of Wine, a loaf of Bread – and Thou.”  Only a few things taught during my high school years remain as vivid to me as those words from the Rubaiyat.

Later, I became a Forester who led a life that was often “underneath the Bough” in one forest after another.  Instead of a “Book of Verses,” I carried and read my official USDA Forest Service timber field manual.  When in the woods, my “Loaf of Bread” was really a double-decker baloney sandwich.  I could not carry “a Jug of Wine” while working so water was the substitute of choice.  “Thou” for me at the time was my many co-workers who walked the forest with me.  I spent over 30 years living the life that Omar so ably described.  It was a good life for me—even though I regretted missing the “Jug of Wine” part.

What about wine?  The ever-increasing favorite of many people, including myself, is wine.  The choices one has today seem nearly infinite with over 1000 different wine varieties available.  Omar touted wine as a key ingredient to enjoyment “beneath the Bough.”  Some wines may even have beneficial health effects when taken in moderation.  Many of us now agree Omar was on to something.

In Omar’s day, the old fashioned wine cellar or cave stored that era’s favorite wines.  The cellars and caves were dark, humid and maintained a relatively constant cool temperature, nearly perfect for wine storage.  Today, access to those storage facilities is not readily available to most of us.  Fortunately purchasing products to fit anyone’s wine storage and serving needs is now easy in the market place.  There are wine coolers that fit small spaces, can be freestanding any where in the home, can be installed beneath your countertop, and can other accommodate beverages as well as wine.  There are even wine coolers with thermoelectric technology that are eco-friendly.

Life during Omar’s era is oft romanticized.  However, trudging up and down those dark, moss covered wine cellar steps could not have been an easy task. I submit to you that there would have been many serious falls with their associated concussions.  Imagine instead if they had been able to fetch a bottle of wine during the 30-second commercial time out while watching the Super Bowl.  There are real solutions available today to allow that possibility.  The long and short of it is to buy good wine, store it properly, and serve it at the right temperature. Your enjoyment of wine will last a life time.  I have a feeling Omar did.

For more information see:  http://www.idealwinecoolers.com/page/home/index.html

Author: Ronald Senn, VP Ideal Wine Coolers, September 2009