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

                All the proper signs of the beginning of fall are showing, kids are back in school and the summer heat has sheathed its fiery claws.  So maybe your taste buds are changing to something a little warmer to make up for the slight chill some can already feel in the breeze at night; but of course without being too heavy because it is still early fall and we want the savor the freedom from the heat.  So a lot of wine lovers find themselves making slight changes in the vintage they pick.  It is an easy way to make a meal feel warmer and give it a little bit of a cozy feel. 

                A great wine to bring home from the store tucked in single bottle wine totes for this beginning of fall feeling is a nice new world Merlot. They are known for having flavors like mulberry and red cherry plus a hint of something close to milk chocolate.  So while still a nice fruity wine, they are not the light and airy strawberry wine preferred in early summer.  Not to mention merlot is great with simple comfort foods like a hamburger from that grill some refuse to put away just yet.

Fall Fruits 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

With the brute heat of summer fading, but cold weather nowhere in sight, a lot of people decide that it is a good time to vacation.  A good idea for this vacation is an active tour through Napa Valley.  Because while this picturesque valley is often a familiar scene to wine lovers, it is usually experienced through the segmented view of car rides.  If you would like to remove the haste of car rides and explore California’s well known wine country at your own pace, try bike.  A growing trend among those visiting Napa is to take a bike tour of the whole valley. 

                Aside from removing the hustle and bustle of California roadways, these bike tours are able to be done by people at a variety of fitness levels.  An expert cyclist can simply enjoy the view while a newer one may find some need for the shuttle bus that follows around on these tours in case you get too tired.  Try to also remember your wine totes though because this is Napa we are talking about, not just any beautiful strip of California.  Along with ancient redwood trees, beautiful scenery, and historic communities there is also a selection of great wineries.

Bike Wine Country is a post from: Rhino Wino

Ah, the age old pairing of wine and cheese; it never fails to invoke thought at a simple gathering or elevate a dinner to the next level of elegance.  In fact the act, no the art, of pairing wine and cheese has been around for at least 4000 years.  Some different ways exist to pick which cheese to pair with which wine, but there really is no true method.  It is more about what works for you personally.

The different ways of finding a suitable pairing can get pretty complex, or you can keep it simple.  Some people like to pair based on regions; believing that wine from various regions have similar qualities to the cheese produced there.  Others use strength to determine their pairing. While it is true that a strong red can overpower a light white cheese, it is not always a solid rule.  The best rule is to just try it all and smile and move on at the few inevitable failure pairings that you find.  You could even make a game out of it.  Get some friends and an apple cheese board laden with your cheese picks and plenty of wine to try with them all.  You may even find that some like pairings that others find horrible.

Wine and Cheese is a post from: Rhino Wino

Sometimes it can be a bit baffling if you think about how a bottle of wine got its price tag.  Logically you would think that better tasting wines would cost more, but any experienced wine lover can tell you that is not always true.  So you have to wonder, what does determine the cost of a wine.  Well the first and biggest determining factor are the grapes.  Grapes that are rarer or have a more complex flavor tend to not produce as much per acre.  So to make it worth the time and effort to grow them, they have to charge more for wine made from them.  Production cost can add, while not too much, a little bit to the final price of a bottle.  Think about the oak barrels wine is aged in, oak costs.  So while not a huge factor, this can add a few dollars to the final price tag. 

                But one of the most volatile aspects of the cost of wine is popularity.  Yes, supply and demand plays a big role in how much you pay for wine.  So it might be better to avoid that vintage all of your friends have been spending money on and try to find an unknown gem.  A duck decanter of your new deal at a party could create a trend.

Pricing Wine 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

Everything seems to be organic lately; it is a trend in food, drinks and even bath products.  But surely by now you all have learned that organic is not always the better choice.  For example organic lemonade seems silly because the skin of the lemon was not used in making the lemonade so it is very unlikely to contain any of the pesticides and chemicals sprayed on the peel of the lemons.  Other organics seem like a must; but is organic wine one of those?

                Well organic wine means that all of the grapes used in the wine were grown without any chemicals and that no sulfites or other flavors were added during the creation. Organic wineries typically use very simple methods that produce clearly better for you wines.  They are better for you because they lack added sulfites, which aside from making it crisper, it also makes it better for you. Not to mention the absence of added flavors make it purely about the grapes.  A wine pitcher of organic wine really is everyone’s dream, even if they don’t quite know it yet. Just be warned that certain wines will try to play organic by saying “made with organic grapes” but to get this on the bottle they only have to use 70% organic grapes and can still add sulfites.  Pick carefully and enjoy.

Is Organic Worth It? is a post from: Rhino Wino

With double digit market growth Riesling is one of the hottest wines on the market and for good reason. This type of white wine originally from Germany, but now grown in many places including the Finger Lakes region, is in high demand since it has amazing flavor combined with a versatility that makes it pair well with many types of food.

Most often called one of the big three white wines, Riesling is known for its ability to appeal to a wide range of palates. Most often featuring a highly aromatic fruity tone with a slight floral undertone this wine is one of the most versatile at the dinner table. For this reason it is very popular with those looking to pick up a bottle to take to dinner when they are not sure what is being served.

Of course just like with all wine having the right stemware to drink Riesling from is important. Rhino Wine Gear has the crystal stemware available to make this wine really shine on your dinner table for your next gathering or for just enjoying with that special someone as part of a romantic evening.

Riesling Wines Growing In Popularity 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