The latest in our Wine Cellar Design stories takes us to Yorktown Heights, New York. This customer has an extensive collection that he was storing in 5 Eurocaves! He needed a larger space to accommodate an ever-growing collection.   He contacted David Moseler on our team, who was able to create a fantastic design, from this empty space.

Here is David’s story:

As we were determining an ideal space to create a cellar, we decided on a multi-level  storage area that was detached from the home. We needed to bring a contractor in to build out the space to ensure that proper temperature and humidity could be maintained. In terms of racking, we created customized wood cases to hold loose 6 packs or full cases. We created a waterfall with led lights on both sides to maximize bottle capacity in the center of  the room. We added a custom cooling system with a separate heater along with humidification to ensure that the room would not vary in temperature from season to season.

Our customer, Glen, was ecstatic with the results, and had this to say:

I wanted to again thank you for everything that you did in designing and delivering my custom cellar.

After working with you for 5 years now, your customer service had more than earned my loyalty, and the Wine Enthusiast became the only place that I buy all of my wine accessories and my Eurocave units.

Looking at the displays in your showroom and the samples that David showed me, I became very excited about the possibility of my own cellar. The Wine Enthusiast more than exceeded my expectations and I’m over the moon with the result.

From Alan’s recommendation of the contractor, to David’s fantastic designs, to the quality of the wood from your mill to the installation by Larry, everything was excellent. In particular the extra details that David designed and brought everything together are really amazing.

Please let me know if I can help in any way acting as references for potential customers that are interested in their own cellar. I’m happy to do whatever I can to repay you for the outstanding job”

We love hearing feedback from these happy Wine Cellar Design customers!

If you are interested in building a cellar like this or of a different style, simply call us at 800.377.3330 and one of our wine storage consultants will be happy to help!

In order to convert the grape’s natural sugars to alcohol, wine must go through fermentation.  But a winemaker may also decide to put the wine through a second fermantation, called malolactic fermentation (malo, for short). Malolactic is almost always used in red wines but is sometimes used on whites, most often on Chardonnay. Malolactic fermentation converts the malic acid (tart, like a green apple) to lactic acid (mild, creamy). This calms the acidity and can give the wine a buttery, rich mouthfeel.

After listening to the needs of some of our trade customers, we are excited to announce the launch of a dream wine service unit: N’Finity Wine Cellars.

What are the special benefits of an N’Finity unit?

As a restaurateur, wine retailer or wine maker you will be able to provide proper and convenient wine service for your customers with a unit designed to fit your needs.

•    The N’finity cellars allow easy access to wines by simply sliding out one of the many included rolling shelves to find a customer’s selection
•    The front vented technology enables you to place the unit in a corner of the restaurant, on your selling floor or in any storage room without occupying important floor space.
•    Smooth, elegant, blue interior lighting will add to the ambiance of your space, rather than taking away from it.
•    Reversible doors mean you’ll find an N’Finity unit that is perfect for your space
•    Two-zone digital temperature control gives you flexibility with storage and service temperatures for both reds and whites.

About 2 weeks ago, a client of mine in the NY metropolitan area was handling a major corporate event party. Unfortunately, they ran out of Chardonnay within the first hour of the event! Because of the dual temperature zones, the sommelier was able to re-stock the N’Finity’s top (cooler) compartment and chill the whites down to 44 degrees, making them ready-to-serve by the time the main course was out. A major fiasco avoided! The flexibility this unit has brought to that establishment has been huge.

Myself and the team are so happy to have this custom-built, dream wine service unit to offer, with many happy customers already putting them to great use. Any questions? Give us a call at 800.377.3330

After offering wine accessories to customers for over 30 years here at Wine Enthusiast, we’ve seen many things come in and out of popularity. But one product whose excitement has never waned is our fun cork kit.

Amongst all the innovative new products that our team has developed, there is no replacement for the joy of collecting corks and compiling memories into something useful. For years we’ve offered the original Wine Cork Board Kit and received rave reviews. “Great for a Wall Decoration“, “a great gift for anyone“, and “a cute addition to a wine-themed kitchen” are just a few of the positive comments we’ve received.

Then we decided that corks made a great accent to tabletop service and we created the Wine Cork Trivet Kit.  People love protecting their kitchen table from hot pots while artfully displaying corks from their favorite wines. “Love it love it love it, such fun!” Said one customer, while another uses it “at dinner almost every night.” It seemed like people could not get enough of these cork kits!

To satisfy all of the excitement, this year we welcome new cork kit creations in all shapes and sizes, like the  Wine Cork  Lazy Susan, Wine Barrel Hoop Cork Kit, Oval Wine Cork Trivet Kit, Round Wine Cork Board Kit , little Wine Cork Coasters and more!

No matter the type you select, we’ll supply the hardwood frame, some sandpaper for any rough edges, instructions and we even offer extra recycled corks if you need help filling the space.

If you already own a wine cork kit and need some design ideas, consult our Cork Patterns, which provides beautiful demonstrations to get you started.

What do you do with old corks? Have you tried our cork kits?

A wine tasting can be based on any theme, but two of the most common are “Vertical” and “Horizontal” tastings.

A Vertical is a tasting in which one wine, from one producer is tasted across a series of vintages. The point of a vertical is to observe how the wine has changed over time and also discover its best/worst vintages.

A Horizontal tasting is one in which a style of wine (varietal, region etc.) is tasted across many producers in one vintage to discover the differences in how each producer crafts the wine when the vintage is constant.

Whatever you choose, you can learn a lot by comparing wines side-by-side! Planning on hosting your own wine tasting at home? Our Wine Enthusiast Essential Wine Tasting Kit is a great start!

Halloween is creeping up soon and we want you to be armed with the proper tools for a Happy Hallo-Wine! Great costumes mixed with even better wine are the perfect recipe for a Halloween party. But you also need party accessories to complement the theme and add some scary fun!  If you’re planning a Halloween party this year, choose from our top party accessory picks below, or view the full collection here!

1) Halloween ‘U’ Etched Tumbler Collection (Set of 6, Save 8%!)
Bats, Spiders and a Witch serve your Halloween libations in style, while you save!

2) Bobbling Skull Bottle Stoppers (Set of 3)
You won’t be scared to open wine aplenty with these three  creepy skulls that keep your bottles fresh. A customer favorite!

3) Ghosts for Goodies Lazy Susan (5 piece set)
Let these spooky ghosts serve your snacks on a handy lazy susan.

4) ‘Partying is in my Blood’ Applique Flag
Attract additional revelers with this spirited flag on your porch or hang inside the house to get guests in the mood to party!

5) Skull and Crossbones Candle Holders and Candles (4 piece set)
Cast a chilling glow with these elegant skull candle holders and candles. New!

6) Wine O’Clock Witch Sign
This bright, hand-painted sign will alert the party when it’s wine time! Wine and scary fun is a perfect pairing.

7) Halloween Wine Glass Charms (Set of 6, On Sale!)
Party guests can keep track of their glass with witches, bats, mummies and more. These festive charms clasp to the bottom of each stem, adding a quirky decoration!

8) Spider Wine Glass
A handmade goblet with a creepy crawler on the side, holds 9 oz. of wine or witch’s brew.

9) ‘Happy Hallowine’ Women’s Shirt
Dress smart and spirited in this 3/4 sleeve shirt. Show friends your appreciation for both wine and Halloween!

10) Decorative Halloween Kitchen Towels (set of  3)
Cleanup is scary simple with these festive kitchen towels, sure to keep your guests in stitches. A customer favorite!

Tell us what you have in store for Halloween this year! It’s only a few weeks away…

Many wine lovers are familiar with Hermitage, the world-renowned wine from France’s Rhone Valley. But the origin of its name is an interesting story.

Throughout the 12th and 13th centuries, as battle raged in the Holy Land, legend has it that one Crusader, returning home to the Northern Rhone territory, threw down his armament and declared his days of battle behind him. Bearing Syrah vines, the man became a hermit and built a chapel on a hill, vowing that his vineyard would be his hermitage, and thus the venerable Hermitage wine region was founded. With just 331 acres of vineyards on the east side of the Rhone, the hilly Hermitage area towers over the riverfront town of Tain-l’Hermitage, and yields are low, making the wines very rare. Reds are made mainly from Syrah, but also Marsanne and Roussanne, and are renowned for their deep color, complex aromas and long cellaring life. Whites are harder to come by (account for about a quarter of production) and are made from Marsanne and Roussanne. They are known for being full-bodied and, likewise, have long aging potential.

As featured in the October issue of Wine Enthusiast Magazine. For more articles from the October issue visit Winemag.com

Continuing with our Wine Enthusiast Wine Cellar Design Series, in which we feature real photos of our custom cellars, we travel to a transformed basement in Newton Square, PA.

Our customer, Neal, took advantage of our Designer Series Kits, giving his cellar a personal touch with the efficiency of kit racking.

Neal had this to say about his new cellar:

“My basement has changed since installing the wine cellar.  It has gone from a place of storage to an oasis of tranquility you enter to get away from the crap stored in a basement.  The terra cotta colors matching the tiles of the floor give a clean yet rustic look.  the racking makes it fun to work on filling it with frequent runs to the wine store or vineyards.  Organizing it is a joy also,  with its various compartments for cases or single slots for more individual bottle purchases.”

If you are interested in building a cellar like this or of a different style, simply call us at 800.377.3330 and one of our wine storage consultants will be happy to help!

The Vinturi Wine Aerator is an invaluable asset for softening and enhancing the flavors of wine. Mixing just the right amount of air with your wine at the precise moments, this see-through aerator allows your reds to breathe instantly. If you own one yourself, you’re already aware of its value! Based on customer comments that we have received regarding the Vinturi Aerator, we’ve expanded our product offering with a deluxe gift set, perfect for the holiday season.

The deluxe set includes:

• A Vinturi Red Wine Aerator
• A Beautiful stand to hold the Vinturi above your glass
• A drip catcher screen
• A travel pouch

Here is how it works:

Beyond the gift set we also offer a cleaning brush, designed just for the Vinturi red wine aerator. It slides easily into the Vinturi to scrub at the hard-to-reach areas, leaving a spotless aerator for the next use.

We’ve also received inquiries about using the Vinturi with an old wine that throws a sediment. A great solution to this is our aerating funnel with removable screen. Place the funnel over the Vinturi as your pour your wine. The screen in the funnel will catch all of the sediment, and you’ll have clear, perfectly aerated wine in your glass. The funnel also controls the flow of wine into the Vinturi, so you won’t have problems with overflow.

Of course, the Vinturi Red Wine Aerator works perfectly on its own, these helpful tips and tools only complement it, to make it even better!

Stelvin is just a fancy name for a screw cap. It’s a particular brand of screw cap, made of metal, that has become almost universal. The brand name is used generically, much like “Kleenex” or “Xerox”. Screw caps have become a popular cork alternative as of late, as wineries seek to prevent the damages of cork taint. Much of the reason for using cork (aside from the romance) is to allow wine to breathe over time as it ages. Thus, wines that aren’t mean to age are fine under the Stelvin closure.