This past week the media has been buzzing about a new BYO trend started by the singularly named icon – Madonna. Last week Madonna was spotted at a restaurant with her current boyfriend Brahim Zaibat, in New York City. A celebrity sighting like this, though exciting to some, doesn’t usually make its way into the wine blogosphere…until now. Madonna’s main squeeze was not all the mega pop star arrived with – she also came with a bottle of wine and glassware in tow.

Though BYOB is common, BYOG  is an entirely new take on the trend! Perhaps Madonna has something here! When bringing that special bottle out it can be a disappointment when the waiter clunks down a sad looking footed-cup.  The vessel can make or break a wine experience. Proper glassware is key to wine enjoyment.
 
One of my favorite products for a BYOG night– is the Wine-for-Two Bottle & Stem Tote. This all-in-one bag can hold two bottles of wine, two beautiful stems and all the gear you’ll need to pop the cork! For your stems we recommend the Fusion Classic Chardonnay for their durability, versatility, size and elegance. We’re not positive that Madonna actually used this ingenious tote and stemware for her BYOG dinner, but we’re certain it is material-girl-approved!
Have you ever brought glassware to a restaurant? Have you ever wished you had? Tell us in the comments below!

Yesterday I read a post about drinking wine from plastic cups, on Serious Eats. In the post, Deb Harkness (who writes the blog Good Wine Under $20) spoke about a tasting hosted by Georg Riedel, where she learned the importance of proper stemware. She suggests that people ditch their plastic cups and spend about as much on a single wine glass as they would on a bottle of wine, among other things. The discussion heated up in the comments section. Despite good intentions, people seemed truly fired up by being told what to drink out of! I was surprised that something so harmless could cause such a stir.

Ideally you would have a glass of wine for every occasion whether a polycarbonate wine glass for outdoor barbeques, an O glass for casual get-togethers, or Fusion wine glasses for elegant dinner parties. But some people prefer a stemless glass for all occasions due to lack of storage space or ease of cleanup, while others prefer to use stems all the time because of their elegance, ease of swirling and temperature preservation. Maybe you even use plastic cups because you’re by a pool or on a hike, where glassware isn’t feasible. Personally if I can’t access a great glass, I’d rather drink great wine out of a crummy glass, than crummy wine! I don’t think that the price of the glass needs to be calibrated to the price of the wine.

You should never feel forced to spend a certain amount on a glass or to use a certain type of glass, but guidelines are helpful. In the end it comes down to your budget and your own taste.

As the weather heats up, outdoor entertaining and BBQ’s are on the mind. For a successful party, it is crucial to be armed with casual, elegant glassware that will impress your guests and avoid headaches for you! Shattered glassware on an outdoor patio is never fun to clean up. For this reason, we are excited to offer our new, Unbreakable PolyCarbonate Stemware. These glasses are crafted from a sturdy polycarbonate material which is unbreakable yet thin enough to be elegant. We offer them in varietal-enhancing shapes like Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Cabernet , Champagne and more. These are the stems you cannot live without this season! We put the polycarbonate stems to the test in our video demo, check it out here:
 
 
 

Click here to view the embedded video.