A lot of people are concerned about our planet after more and more evidence is found supporting globing warming.  But being environmentally friendly can have many other benefits for all and there are many ways to help the planet achieve this balance.  A new one in the states is a bottle washing center being set up near in Napa County.  While washing and reusing bottles is a fairly common practice in Europe, it is rare in America and this is the first large production of it.  The facility is aimed at wine bottles specifically but if they succeed it could expand to other fields.  The founders of this facility started it because they were sad at how disposable everything in American society has become.

                This recycling facility washes and sanitizes bottles for another use; they are just as good as new.  This big save in the wine industry could lead to lower prices for you on your favorite wine.  So if you hear about a wine bottle recycling program near you than maybe it is time to fill your wine bags with your empty bottles, because they must stay intact for reuse, and take them to be recycled.  Of course these programs will grow with participation so make sure you support them.

Recycling Bottles is a post from: Rhino Wino

Through various routes of advertising almost everyone has been offered to join a wine club once or twice.  They promise to offer you amazing deals on rare and delicious wine that only you and the other members get a chance to buy.  Some say they will look for wine they think you specifically will love.  But what do they really do?  Well most of the time that is not even close to an accurate description of a wine club.  A better one is that they offer you deals that are not really any cheaper than what can be found at a store.  Which is another point, most of the time their great wine is things that are actually pretty common on store shelves.  That isn’t even the club being lazy, it just makes sense.  You can’t make money if you get obscure wine that you are not sure anyone will want to buy.  It just makes sense to stock up on the basics. 

                But still could a wine club be of any benefit to you, or are they just pointless?  Well if you are a big fan of a specific type of wine than try to find a club focused on more on that wine or similar ones.  This will mean that while they are pretty usual vintages offered, you want them.  A wine club can be worth it if you join wisely, so get the corkscrews ready.

Are Wine Clubs Worth It? is a post from: Rhino Wino

It is hard to deny that the world is changing, in particular the climate.  Climate can really affect a lot of things because even the slightest change in temperate or rainfall is enough to ruin or help any given crop.  Well wine grapes are especially sensitive to changes in climate.  Well the world’s climate is changing and it is projected to change the map of wine regions.  This will not be a problem at all for most of the wine growing regions in the world; in fact it can be a benefit to some.  For example some growers in Germany could have a few days longer for grapes to ripen. 

                But regions that are at the high edge of their growing range could suffer.  Though climate change is affecting wine production only a little bit right now, it is affecting so many other things greatly already.  So the greatest inspiration to prevent and fight climate change in every way you can might just be swirling around in yourBacchus wine glasses

image from NASA

.  In fact your wine can even be a way to help the world, just look for wine that is produced in an eco friendly manner.

Climate Change and Wine is a post from: Rhino Wino

This is the fifteenth year that Epcot Center will hold its annual Food & Wine Fest this coming Oct 1 – Nov 14, 2010. Unlike the majority of wine festivals out there this is truly one that brings together wine lovers from all around the world. Of course this festival is more than wine, but a culinary and cultural treat that includes some of the finest food created by chefs with world renown.

While most food and wine festivals only feature the food and wine from one particular region the Epcot gathering is like traveling the world tasting food and wine all in one location and one event. If you only attend one wine festival in the calendar year this is the one to experience the most wine in one spot. With wine from all six continents and twenty-five tasting marketplaces from all around the world. Every wine enthusiast will find new wines they will want to look for at their favorite shops to bring home in their Adagio Two Bottle Wine Carrier to fill out their personal wine cellar.

Epcot Food & Wine Fest is a post from: Rhino Wino

Technology really can make any part of life just that little bit easier for everyone, as proved by the new application for Apple’s Ipad.  It can help you pick a wine to go with your meal by expertly informing you about the wines available, pairings and even hints from the growing region.  It can help you find a wine based on price range or what you are planning to have for dinner.  This wonderful new app from Three Elements Design is being put to the test in the Florida location of the III Forks restaurant in Jacksonville.  While not a replacement for a paper wine list, it will help staff keep up on which wines are still available as each evening wears on.

                But maybe the technology touch is something you want on your wine.  Maybe you want the old fashioned touch instead.  Well for those that think of wood barrels and candlelight when they think of good wine maybe a wine barrel stemware holder is better than an Ipad app.  It is true that some people prefer the personal touch of a sommelier better, but it is just amazing all the places that technology has found a place for itself in daily life.

There is an App for That is a post from: Rhino Wino

When most people think of getting some health benefits from their indulgence, they think of a good deep glass of red wine or a fine dark chocolate.  While it is common knowledge that white or even milk chocolate doesn’t have as many health benefits to offer as dark, it is actually faulty thinking to assume that white wine is too much different from red.   White wine still has a high level of antioxidants and the heart health benefits that a lot of people drink red for.  Drinking one glass a day will give you similar benefits wither you prefer white or red wine. While it does not have as many antioxidants as reds, white still has a very high concentration of them.  Antioxidants help to keep your body free from harmful elements of daily life.  And the heart health benefits have been shown to be the same for any wine.  Just remember to limit it to one glass a day.

                But whether you want to have a glass of wine with a delicate fish dish or your just not a fan of reds, now you can enjoy a fine wine knowing you’re still helping your body.   So raise your Sade wine glasses and know that it’s to your health regardless if it is white or red; because no matter you want to drink, you can toast to your health.

White Wine to Your Health is a post from: Rhino Wino

Pioneers in the wine industry are often looked up to by the common wine lover as inspiration because most of them start as humble wine connoisseurs themselves.  A perfect example of this can be found in Graham Beck, a major man in the South African wine industry.  But sadly all great things cannot last forever and Beck tragically died late Tuesday night, losing a battle with lung cancer in London.  While sad this is not an event to be too sad about, his dream of the highest standard wine possible has already been set into motion and it is not likely to die out soon.  Beck Wines will still operate as per the final wishes of its founder.

                If you have not yet, this would be a great opportunity to try one of the sparkling white wines that Beck had such a passion for, a Méthode Cap Classique.  These bubbly wines are best served in a thin flute like Sade Champagne Flutes.  They keep the sparkle from going out of the wine.  Not to mention a delicate crystal flute seems like such a fitting salute to a fellow wine lover who made his love into a lifetime of work and dedication.

Graham Beck Leaves Us is a post from: Rhino Wino

Fans of the Napa Valley experience will be sad as the season for events in the valley draws to a close for this summer.  The most recent event that you could have, or maybe did go to, was a big Wine Library Tasting hosted on the 15^th.  But every summer brings a slew of wonderful events in what is likely America’s most well known wine region.  The Napa Valley Wine Library, if you don’t already know about, is a group of winery owners in the 60s that realized people needed resources and literature with wine information if they were going truly enjoy wine.  Now it is a group of serious wine lovers and you can become a member for $75.  It might be something you might want to do if your ideal summer includes a few spectacular wine themed events than you may want to look into it.

The Wine Library’s typical summer events are all about sharing wine information on wine with the public and introducing people to the full spectrum of wines offered up by Napa Valley’s wine makers.  When going to one of these events remember to take your Corvina wine tote and to expect a serious experience for your senses.

Napa’s Wine Library Events is a post from: Rhino Wino

                A group of Swedish divers recently found what they believe to be the oldest sparkling wine in the world.  This cluster of bottles is thought to have been meant as a part of a gift to Russian Empress Catherine II from French King Louis XVI.  These 30 bottles of sparkling white wine were still intact and perfectly drinkable; in fact they were exquisite according to one of the divers.  They said it had some oak to it and a strong smell of tobacco, but pleasantly so.  And while you probably hope to try this historical vintage, or even one half as old, you can still enjoy a glorious sparkling wine in some Bacchus white wine glasses.

                The rest of these bottles of ancient wine will likely be sold as a treasure to a museum, no one else in the world will try them.  But you can still have a dry sparkling white in celebration of this ancient sunken discovery or even just because you want to.  But then again maybe this news has just made you want to take up diving so you can try to find your own reportedly exquisite ancient sparkling white wine.  Good luck and enjoy either way.

Ancient Wine Found is a post from: Rhino Wino

In the United States most areas have a small vineyard of some kind around them, so that almost every state has a “wine country” but Alabama’s has drawn some attention lately from writers.  While normally when you think of wine country you think of Napa or Finger Lakes, perhaps think of giving Alabama a visit.  And bring your six bottle wine carrier too because Wippoorwill Vineyards in Alabama has 10 different varieties of wine and you will surely fine more than a few than you adore.  While still a small production this vineyard has already produced an award winning vintage, a bronze medal at an international competition, so the region has proved it has potential. 

                It is still a region under development, and a way off before it could be called a true wine region, but it is defiantly a budding area that is primed to make beautiful wines. Its early success and still small, family owned feel make it a wonderful place to go for vacation.  This wine themed get away might appeal to people who don’t like the commercial feel that you can sometimes get in Napa.  In Alabama you are more likely to get a personalized treatment without paying as much for it, leaving plenty of money for you to buy your new favorite vintage.

Alabama’s Wine Country is a post from: Rhino Wino