How to Put a Cork back in a Wine Bottle

Wine corks

In many cases, the contents of a wine bottle are consumed within hours of opening the bottle. In this case, the bottle can be recycled and the cork disposed of (or saved for your cork collection). However, there are many instances in which you may wish to re-cork your wine bottle. For example:

  • You opened the wrong bottle of wine (oops!).

  • You opened several bottles of wine for a gathering of friends, but a few bottles were left untouched.

  • You opened a bottle of wine and enjoyed a glass or two, but want to save the last two glasses for the next evening.

In these cases, you’ll need to learn how to put the cork back in the bottle in order to preserve the wine. In today’s blog, we review how to put the cork back in a wine bottle. We also share some alternative solutions for resealing your wine bottle (without the cork).

Before we uncork the details, though, a little bit about the KnowWines blog. We are an Amazon.com affiliate and we do receive a small commission if you purchase items through our affiliate links at no cost to you. The commissions we receive help us pay for web hosting fees, our podcast, products to test, and other costs associated with running this site. Thanks for using our affiliate links and supporting our independent blog!

Reseal Your Wine with Its Original Cork

The cheapest way to reseal your wine is to put the original cork back in the bottle. Before you try to reinsert the original cork, however, be sure to inspect it. A cork that is crumbling or cracked won’t preserve the wine and you may end up with debris in your wine. If your cork is sturdy and intact, congratulations! You now have a free wine stopper! Here’s how to put the cork back in the wine bottle.

The Tilt & Twist Method

Here are the steps for putting the cork back into the bottle when you’ve had enough to drink & want to preserve the remaining wine:

  • Set the wine bottle on a solid surface, like a table or countertop.

  • Wipe the cork with a napkin or cloth to remove any debris.

  • Put the cork into the same position it was in when it came out of the bottle (in other words: the portion that was in the bottle is what is should be going back into the bottle).

  • Ease the cork into the bottle by tilting the cork so that a portion is inside the bottle and a portion is resting on the lip of the bottle

  • In one motion, twist and push down on the cork.

  • With your palm, push the cork about halfway into the bottle.

Voila! Cork re-inserted. Tomorrow’s wine, ready to drink!

The Wax Paper Method

The wax paper method is another creative solution for re-inserting the cork into a wine bottle. This is a good approach if you’ve tried the Tilt and Twist method, but just can’t get the cork back into the bottle. In this method, the wax paper acts as a lubricant. Here’s how it works:

  • Cut a square of wax paper that will wrap around the bottom of the cork and go partway up the sides.

  • Wrap the wax paper around the cork (the top of cork will be exposed) and then position the cork over the bottle at an angle (as in the Tilt and Twist method, above).

  • Holding the bottle firmly on a solid surface, gently press the cork back into the bottle. In this method, try to avoid twisting so as not to tear or wrinkle the wax paper.

If you prefer a visual, here’s a quick video illustrating the wax paper method for re-inserting a wine bottle cork:

 
 

Ditch the Cork & Use a Wine Stopper

There will be situations when putting the cork back into the bottle just isn’t an option. Maybe the cork is damaged, or maybe you lost it. In these cases, it’s a good idea to use a simple wine stopper.

This stainless steel wine bottle stopper, which fits neatly over the top of the bottle and expands to prevent oxidation, is a great option:

 
 

Use a Wine Preserver System

If you want to save the remaining wine in the bottle for more than a day or two, we recommend a wine-preserving tool like the Repour Wine Saver. With this tool, you can enjoy a bottle of wine over the course of a week or two!

 
 

Don’t Open the Bottle of Wine At All

Amazingly, it is actually possible to enjoy a glass of wine without opening the bottle at all. Yes, really!

The Coravin System allows one to aspirate a volume (typically 90 mL) from a wine bottle without removing the cork. As the wine is aspirated, the liquid is displaced by an inert gas. This allows a wine lover to drink a treasured bottle over days or even months. This is probably not a good choice for the casual wine drinker, as it comes at a higher price point. However, if you are in the wine trade and regularly need to sample wines for customers, or if you collect fine wines yourself and want to sample them as they age, this could be a great choice.

 
 

The Wine Resealing Wrap-Up

If you’re going to finish your bottle of wine in a day or two and the cork is still intact, use the Tilt and Twist method or the wax paper trick to get that cork back into the bottle.

If the cork is damaged or missing, use a simple stainless steel wine stopper.

If you want to enjoy the wine over the course of a week or two (or don’t want to open the bottle at all!), try a wine preservation system like Repour or Coravin.

And if all this re-sealing the wine bottle business is just too much work, go for the screw-top varieties!

Cheers!

Source: Photo by Jonathan Borba from Pexels

Your Most Pressing Wine Questions Answered

Learning about wine can be as enjoyable as drinking it. This is what the KnowWines founder, Jolene, discovered once she decided to stop skirting the edges of the wine world and dive right in. Unfortunately, learning about wine can sometimes be intimidating, too, because there’s just so much to know. The key is to start where your interests lie. Love sweet white wines? Find out what makes them sweet. Learn where and how those grapes grow and how they maintain their sweetness in the winemaking process. Love earthy, dark reds? Start trying Cabernet Sauvignons from different regions and compare their aromas and textures. We believe that learning about wine is a personal, organic process, and that it can be fun, too. Even better, the more you learn about wine, the more you’ll enjoy it, because you’ll be able to find just the right wines for your palate.

In the spirit of a relaxed and lighthearted wine education, we asked our social media followers for their most pressing wine questions. Here’s what they asked, along with our answers:

What is the difference between Syrah and Shiraz?

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Syrah and Shiraz are actually the same grape variety (confusing, right?). The grape variety Syrah is commonly grown in the Rhône Valley of France (Old World), as well as in Australia, Washington State, and South Africa (New World). When Syrah was brought to Australia from France, the Aussies simply called it Shiraz.  

What is rosé wine, exactly?

It depends!  Since the insides of most red grapes are clear, winemakers get some that red pigment into the juice through a process called maceration. There are four approaches to making Rosé. Each of these approaches yields wines with varying levels of pink color due to the amount of time the red grape skins are in contact with the normally clear juice.  

In direct pressing, red grapes are crushed and pressed just like white grapes are when making white wines, but not too much — just enough to extract some red color from the dark skins.

In the drawing off method, red grapes are crushed and once fermentation starts, juice is “drawn off” for up to 48 hours of fermentation. These wines typically have deeper color than the direct pressing method.

The saignee (or, bleeding) method is like drawing off, but the remaining red wine is made into a more concentrated wine and the rosé is essentially a byproduct of the normal red wine making process.

The final method is blending, when red wine is added to white wine. This is only permitted in the EU for rosé Champagne. In New World regions, blending of red and white wines to make rose can be allowed.

None of the methods for making rosé indicate more or less quality. If you are new to rosé and would like to try one as an aperitif, I’d recommend starting with Provence. If you’d like to pair rosé with your meal, try some of the darker rosé from Southwest France, which tend to be a little more savory and have more tannins. As you learn what you like, try exploring rosé from different regions of the world.  

How do I find a great Grüner Veltliner ?

Great question! We love a refreshing Grüner Veltliner on a hot summer day. This grape is believed to be native to Austria, and it makes up about 30% of Austria’s wine production. Depending on the region where the Grüner Veltliner grows and the style of winemaking, it can have a variety of flavors. Wines from Grüner Wachau, Kremstal, Kampala, and Traisental are commonly imported to the US. They can be quite complex, as the grapes get really ripe and thus typically have more fruit flavor than the same grape grown in more northerly regions. Winemakers age these wines in large oak casks. As they age, they develop their sought-after toasty, honey flavors. The Grüner Veltliner from these regions can also be quite pricey. For a fresher, acidic style of Grüner not aged in oak, look for Weinviertel on the label, as it is typically a little less expensive than the other regions.

What’s the best red wine for people who prefer white wine?

A preference for white wines could indicate a dislike for several things associated with red wines: tannins (which some people perceive as too bitter or astringent), the mouthfeel of red wines, the darker fruit flavors of red wine, or the warmer temperature at which red wine is typically served.

Want to go easy on the tannins? Try a red wine variety that originates from grapes with thinner skins, like Gamay, Pinot Noir, or Barbara.

Don’t like a heavy mouthfeel? A higher alcohol level typically correlates to a heavier mouthfeel. Try looking for wines with a lower alcohol percentage (something under 12.5%).

Don’t like dark fruit flavors (like blackberry, plum, and currant)?  Pinot Noir, Grenache, and Gamay typically have more red fruit flavor (like cherry, raspberry, jam).

Perhaps you simply like wines served at cooler temperatures? Gamay, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Franc can be wonderful when slightly chilled.

Which wines pair best with chevre?

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It depends on the kind of goat cheese, but let’s start with a basic, plain chevre (not that there’s anything basic about a delicious chevre!). A wonderful pairing for this is a Chenin Blanc. If that’s not available, try Sauvignon Blanc or Vermentino. These grape varieties yield wines with acidity that helps cut through the creaminess of the cheese and have an herbaceous quality that many people feel pairs well with “goaty” cheeses. A goat cheddar, which is harder than the softer chevre, can pair well with Pinot Noir. One of our favorite goat cheeses is Humbolt Fog, which pairs nicely with an inexpensive Prosecco when it is young or Zinfandel when the cheese becomes more mature and “oozy.”

Pros and cons of synthetic corks, screw caps, and traditional cork?  

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The main purpose of the cork is to protect a wine until it is consumed. Wines will evolve in bottles regardless of the type of closure. However, how they evolve differently between these natural (cork) and synthetic closures is still up for debate. Cork is still the most common closure and is used frequently by premium and luxury wine producers. Many wine consumers enjoy the celebratory experience of opening a bottle with a cork, but there are some advantages to screw caps for wines intended for quick consumption (in less than one year). Wine producers making this style of wine will opt for a closure like screw cap because they keep the fresh, fruity characteristics of the wine longer than natural cork. It’s also important to note that natural corks are 100% recyclable and renewable, as they come from trees that are not damaged during the cork harvest.

How do I select the best wine based on a client or friend’s taste?

There is always a little trial and error when buying wines, unfortunately. In the case of this wine, there were likely several factors that contributed to a sweet tasting wine. Even really dry red wines have some low level of residual sugar (1.5% to 2%). It’s common for red wine producers at some price points (like $10/bottle) to leave more residual sugar because “consumers talk dry but drink sweet.” A wine high in alcohol can also taste sweet. The wine might be from a very warm vintage, and have strong jammy or fruity flavors which can commonly be mistaken for or described as “sweet.” Last, some of the aromas/flavors of barrel aging or the use of wood chips might taste “sweet” to some people, due to aromas like vanilla and coconut.If your client truly likes dry Merlot and wants a lower price point, stay away from New World wines touting lots of “fruity” and “jammy” references on the label and seek out “Old World” merlot-dominant blend from Bordeaux or Southern France.

Also, the next time you buy, ask the bottle shop staff if they have tried that particular bottle. If not, you might want to pass on it.

What wines are best to drink immediately and which are better for aging?

If you are a consumer in North America, over 90% of wines are made to drink now or in the next one or two years. Odds are that the wines you purchase are ready to enjoy right away. Also, before collecting wines for aging, find out if you like the taste of older wines. It’s as easy as calling your local bottle shop and saying “Hey, I don’t know if I like the taste of older red wines, can you get one for me to try?” No need to age wine if you don’t like the taste of older wine! If you do enjoy older wines, you’ll also want to consider methods for storing them.

Types of wines that should be consumed early are:

  • Wines with screw caps — meant to drink young.

  • Most rosé.

  • Most whites, with some notable exceptions (Chablis, white Burgundy, late harvest Riesling)

  • Most sparkling wines with some notable exceptions (vintage Champagne)

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Types of wines that age well:

  • Red wines intended for aging, like many Old World wines that balance sweetness, acidity, and tannins.

  • White wines made for aging, like late harvest or botrytized wines like Spatlese Riesling or Sauternes.

We hope that we were able to answer a few of your pressing wine questions!

Cheers!

How to Remove Wine Bottle Labels

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If you’re a wine and craft beer enthusiast, a winemaker, or a crafter (or are just curious!), you may find yourself needing to remove wine labels from bottles. Here, we offer an overview and specific details on how to get a label off of a wine bottle for a variety of purposes. As you’ll see, there is no one-size-fits-all methodology for removing wine labels.  

Before we continue our how-to, though, a little about the KnowWines blog. We are an Amazon.com affiliate and we do receive a small commission if you purchase items through our affiliate links at no cost to you. The commissions we receive help us pay for web hosting fees, products to test, our podcast, and other costs associated with running this site. Thanks for using our affiliate links and supporting our independent blog!

Why remove the label from a wine bottle?

Wine enthusiasts and scrapbookers may want to remove a wine label to save it in a wine journal or scrapbook.  Private-label winemakers remove labels for the purpose of re-use - they remove commercial labels from the bottle before adhering to their own.  Last, artisans and crafters often use wine bottles or wine labels for crafts such as wine bottle glassware (affiliate link), wine tile coasters (affiliate link), or framed wine labels as wall or desk art (affiliate link). 

What should I consider before removing a wine bottle label?

First, remember to keep the bottle you want to remove the label from! Far too often, a wine bottle disappears from the table or from the party before one thinks to save the label.  Once the bottle disappears, the only option remaining is to send a self-addressed stamped envelope (via snail-mail) to the winery or restaurant and ask if they have an extra label from that vintage. Explain that you did not keep your bottle and that you want the label for your wine journal.  

Next, determine if you are able to take the bottle home with you or if you must remove the label there at the event.  Not being able to take the wine bottle home will significantly reduce your options for removing a wine label. Your only options then are the Lift-Off Method and the “kindly ask your server or sommelier if they can remove the label for you” approach!  

Once you have the bottle home, you’ll need to assess the label and the associated adhesive.  Determining which item you wish to keep - the label or the bottle - will dictate the method of removal you use.  

How do I decide the method of label removal for a particular bottle?

What is the label constructed of?  If the label is plastic (more like a sticker) it will be less permeable to water.   If it is plastic, then removal will often require heat or physical means (such as a razor) regardless if you are trying to save the label or just the bottle.

If the label is paper, then it is more permeable to liquids and a different removal method may be needed depending on if you are trying to save the label or the bottle.

Labels adhere to wine and beer bottles through a variety of adhesive polymers. These include pressure-sensitive adhesives (sticker-like) and water-based glues.  Since many of us are not adhesive experts, we will be assessing the label using visual assessment to guess the composition of the glue and to select the label removal method with the highest likelihood of success.

To assess the adhesive construction, take a razor or knife and lift a corner about ¼ inch.  If the adhesive looks like traditional glue, the use of a detergent and water-based method can be considered.  If the adhesive looks more sticker-like in consistency, then heat or physical means (razor, peeling) will be your best bet.     

Wet Label Removal Methods

So, the label you want to remove from the wine bottle looks to be a more conventional glue composition - these label types are typically more water-soluble.  

The OxiClean Method

Based on our personal experience, as well as those in most wine and craft beer forums, we find that the most successful method is the OxiClean approach. We’ve used the OxiClean method on both paper/glue bottles as well as plastic labels with adhesive. If you don’t have Oxiclean in the house, try a comparable household cleaning product like Ajax (affiliate link) recommended by Harry in our comments section.  

Here’s an effective OxiClean label removal method we found in a craft beer forum:

  1. Fill sink (or bucket) with one gallon of water and ¼ cup Oxiclean.

  2. Submerge the wine bottle in the liquid.

  3. Wait thirty minutes (during which time you may as well enjoy a glass of wine!).  Depending upon the adhesive, you may return to find your wine label floating in the sink intact.  

  4. Take a utility knife and slowly lift up on the edge of the label.  If the label is not easy to peel off after thirty minutes of soaking, it’s not going to come off using this method without significant elbow grease. You might as well resign yourself to drying the bottle and trying a dry method. 

  5. Work the utility knife under the label at a diagonal angle. Resist the urge to use your fingers to help speed along the process, as using fingers may result in adding wrinkles to the finished product.

  6. Place the wet label on a piece of waxed paper so that the wet adhesive does not stick to your counter

  7. Once your label is dry, use an acid-free glue stick to adhere your label to your wine journal, your prepared coaster, or photo frame.  Check out this article for making your own wine label coasters.



    Other Household Cleaners to Use for Wine Label Removal

    Ammonia

    No OxiClean?  No problem. Household ammonia (affiliate link) is another product, in combination with water, which can aid in dissolving adhesives. Instead of using ¼ cup OxiClean replace it with ¼ cup ammonia. The ammonia method, in our experience, is a little less effective than the OxyClean method.  

    Baking Soda

    Only have baking soda (affiliate link) on hand?  Add 5 to 10 tablespoons to one gallon of warm water and follow the same steps as the OxiClean method.  

    Hot Water

    No OxiClean, no ammonia, no baking soda?  Try placing the bottle in boiling water, or filling a sink with hot water and dish soap and letting the bottle sit overnight.  Regardless, there is going to be some elbow grease involved to remove the adhesive residue.  

Accessories for Wet Method Wine Label Removal

Regardless of your method - OxyClean, ammonia, simply hot water - if your aim is to discard the wine label and use the bottle for crafting or home winemaking, two products are indispensable.

First, you can scrape the residue with a straight razor or this slightly safer razor with a handle. If you scrape too hard, you can scratch the bottle.

 
 

You can also try a non-abrasive scrubber that is gentle and won’t scratch the wine bottle unless you apply superpower strength.  

 
 

Still a little bit of adhesive?  Goo Gone (affiliate link) is our go-to product for adhesive removal.  After using the Goo Gone, we recommend thoroughly washing the bottle soapy water before re-using to adequately remove the Goo Gone (Goo Gone residue may interfere with your crafting products).

Dry Label Removal Method

Label Lift Method

This method is for the crowd who wants to keep the label in a wine journal or affix it to cardstock for a souvenir.

Our favorite Label Lift is the Onephile Label Lift. We’ve found that this label lift works well when following instructions - we’ve yet to come across a label that gets ripped or torn by the process.  

To apply the Label Lift, simply place it over the label, rub for 1-2 minutes with the backside of a spoon or other hard object, then peel the label. 

Before placing the label in the wine journal or book, you can trim the edges.

These label lifts come in packages of 10 or 50.  To get the hang of it, we recommend getting your technique down with a label from a wine or beer you don’t intend to keep, or practice by first removing first the back label (which most people don’t collect).

This lift label package also fits nicely inside a notebook or wine journal for easy transport.  

The one downside is that the wine label now appears laminated.  If that is not a look you are going for, then try the Oven Method.  

Heat (Oven) Method

So, you don’t like the idea that your wine label appears laminated after removal. Perhaps you would like to make a wine label trivet or mount the wine label onto cardstock for framing.  Or maybe you collect them for eventually making a collage for your wine cellar (lucky you!). Try the heat method! You’ll need some oven mitts (affiliate link) for this one.  

First, make sure there is no wine inside the bottle.  Also, make sure that the foil cap or wax bottle cover is removed so there are no foul odors when heating the bottle.  

Place the wine bottle on a cookie sheet (or in a baking dish so it is not rolling around in a dry oven) at 350 degrees F for 5 minutes.  Remove the bottle from the oven and check the readiness of the label for removal by testing the back label. Slip a razor or knife under the label and start to peel slowly from one corner. Don’t force the label or push with your fingers as this is how labels get crinkled during removal. If the label does not give, give it another 5 minutes in the oven. If after 15 minutes the label will not come off, you will have to use another method (like the OxiClean method) as the adhesive needs to be dissolved to come off cleanly.

That’s a wrap … and a few bonus tips!

We’ve provided you with several options for removing wine labels from the bottle, whether you are wanting to keep the label or the bottle!

Removing a label from a bottle of wine is never a perfect endeavor.  A little trial and error are involved in the process as well as some elbow grease.

If you don’t want to go through all this effort, here are two options:

  • You can ask the waiter to remove the wine label for you if you are enjoying a special bottle of wine in a restaurant.

  • You can send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to the winery and ask for a pristine label.  They may have one available to send to you (however, it won’t, of course, be from the specific bottle you drank).

Let us know which methods you’ve used in the comments!

Cheers!

Does Champagne Go Bad?

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In the past few years, wine lovers have been buying sparkling wines like Prosecco, Cremant, Cava, and wines from Champagne not only for the holidays or special celebrations but also for everyday drinking. With the increased frequency of consumption comes a common question: How long does champagne keep? Many of us are increasingly mindful of drinking in moderation and less likely to drink an entire bottle in one evening. Perhaps you are a single sparkling wine lover or your partner does not like sparkling wine and you need some advice on making champagne last. Here are some tips and tricks on storing opened champagne - or any other sparkling wine.

Before we continue with our review, a little about the KnowWines blog. We are an Amazon.com affiliate and we do receive a small commission if you purchase items through our affiliate links at no cost to you. The commissions we receive help us pay for web hosting fees, our podcast, products to test, and other costs associated with running this site. Thanks for using our affiliate links and supporting our independent blog!

How long does an open bottle of champagne keep?

An open bottle of champagne sealed with a stopper and placed in the refrigerator will keep for at least 24 hours. It is possible to use an inexpensive bottle stopper like this one (affiliate link) made of food-grade silicone. Keep in mind, though, if there is enough pressure from the bubbles, the stopper may become dislodged while it is stored, causing the the champagne to go flat.

 
 

With a stopper like this, the wine will start to lose some of its bubbles and freshness fairly quickly. However, it will still be good enough to make mimosas or other mixed drinks for a day or two!

Some people who like less aggressive bubbles may actually prefer champagne or sparkling wine on the second day. After three days, most sparkling wines become flat (not sparkling).

How do I keep an open bottle of champagne fresh?

When champagne or sparkling wine loses its freshness, it is simply due to the natural oxidation of the wine over time as it is exposed to air (read more about drinking your already-opened wine in our “How to Tell If Your Wine is Bad” blog!). To minimize the oxygen coming into contact with the leftover champagne in the bottle, there are a few options to seal the bottle that are a little better than a simple bottle stopper.

The first is the Kloveo champagne stopper (affiliate link), a highly rated stopper made in Italy.

 
 

We’ve used the Champagne Stopper by Kloveo for a few years, especially for inexpensive domestic sparkling wine or cremant.

For more expensive non-vintage or vintage champagne, we use the Repour Wine Preserver.

 
 

Check out our full review on the Repour Wine Saver, including our field test on a bottle of champagne.

For both the Kloveo and the Repour, bottles should stay standing up in the refrigerator once the enclosure has been placed on the bottle opening.

How do I keep an open bottle of champagne bubbly?

Regardless of the enclosure, the reason we recommend keeping an opened champagne or sparkling wine in the refrigerator is to slow down the loss of carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is more soluble in wine (and any other beverage) when temperatures are lower.

Can old champagne make me sick?

Old champagne (or any sparkling wine for that matter) will not make you sick (unless of course, you overindulge). If you are concerned about the quality of an older wine, assess it just as you would a container of milk you’ve had opened a few days in your refrigerator. If it looks unpleasant, smells unpleasant, and a few small drops on your tongue taste unpleasant, then yes, the wine has gone bad but won’t make you sick.

How long can I keep an open bottle of champagne in the refrigerator?

We recommend drinking any remnant champagne within 24 hours. However, when using the Repour Wine Saver (affiliate link), we’ve had some champagne that was still bubbly and fresh enough to drink three days later.

Will champagne freeze?

Yes, champagne (and any other sparkling wine) can freeze.

It is generally not a good idea to place sparkling wines in the freezer simply for the reason that one can forget the wine in the freezer. Upon opening the freezer door the next day, you can be greeted with a wine popsicle - and typically the cork has been compromised or pushed out of the bottle. While one can thaw and drink most still wines, sparkling wines often lose some of their bubbles after being frozen.

How long can I keep champagne or sparkling wine unopened? Does champagne expire?

When purchasing any sparkling wine or non-vintage champagne, a good rule of thumb is that it is still fresh and effervescent a few years after bottling. If you can’t find the year when the wine was bottled on the label, ask the wine bottle shop owner or staff. Some premium and luxury sparkling wines and non-vintage champagnes can be stored even longer than a few years. If your wine is vintage champagne (meaning that there is a vintage, or year, on the front of the bottle) these wines can age 15 years or more.

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Not sure if your bottle is vintage champagne? Here’s an example of vintage champagne (left) next to non-vintage champagne (right). If it’s not clear if your particular wine is vintage champagne or not, you can scan a photo of it into an App like Vivino or CellarTracker (or ask your local wine bottle shop for help!).

Americans are trained to look for expiration dates on all sorts of goods, but expiration dates are uncommon in wines. Preferences vary significantly when it comes to consuming aged sparkling wines. If you are not sure if you like the taste of aged vintage champagne, consider looking for it by the glass at a restaurant or wine bar around the winter holidays and splurge on a glass. It’s much better to learn your taste preference by the glass rather than investing in a bottle you might not enjoy years down the road.

How do I store sparkling wine at home?

If you are going to drink your sparkling wine in a few weeks, then it is fine to store it at room temperature, away from light and heat. Don’t store it in the refrigerator long-term, as the cork might dry out, resulting in loss of carbonation or oxidation of the sparkling wine.

If you are going to store sparkling wine or champagne from a favorite producer over months or years, consider investing in a small wine refrigerator like this one. Or store in a closet as recommended by Roy Wilson, our recent podcast guest.

 
 

For more ideas on wine storage, read our detailed article on storing wine in your home as well as our reviews on small wine refrigerators and larger wine cabinets.

Does Champagne go Bad?

In conclusion, if you store your wine well before consuming it, and have an appropriate stopper to place in the bottle after opening, you can get one or more days of enjoyment out of that special champagne or sparkling wine.

The two enemies of any type of opened bottle of sparkling wine are oxidation and loss of carbon dioxide, which are fought valiantly by using a stopper and refrigeration, respectively. With those two in place, you can unwin(e)d for a day or two after opening that chilled sparkler!

Have you enjoyed champagne or sparkling wine a day or two after opening? Share your experience (or questions!) below.

Cheers!

The Beginner's Guide to Wine Foil Cutters

In any kitchen store, big-box store wine aisle, online wine marketer, or brick-and-mortar bottle shop, you’re bound to find a selection of wine foil cutters. But do you really need one, especially when there are so many other fun wine gadgets to shop for, like wine charms, decorative wine bottle stoppers, and cork holders? In this week’s blog, we share everything there is to know about wine foils (why they’re there in the first place, and how to remove them) and wine foil cutters (are they useful, or just more clutter?). Finally, we’ll share recommendations for our favorite wine bottle foil cutters.

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Before we continue with our recommendations, though, a little about the KnowWines blog. We are an Amazon.com affiliate and we do receive a small commission if you purchase items through our affiliate links at no cost to you. The commissions we receive help us pay for web hosting fees, our podcast, products to test, and other costs associated with running this site. Thanks for using our affiliate links and supporting our independent blog!

Why is There Foil on My Wine Bottle?

Historically, foil or wax has been used for years to prevent damage to a cork by rural and urban cellar-dwelling animals like mice, opossums, and an assortment of insects.  

These days, most of us don’t need to worry about a stray raccoon in the pantry or a cork weevil infestation in a walk-out basement cellar. Regardless, most wineries still use some sort of foil or wax out of a sense of tradition.

There is a trend to move away from wine foils by some winemakers as they do contribute to waste in the environment.  

Since these foils are now decorative, winemakers can take advantage of this little bit of marketing space by printing them with nuggets of information like agriculture practices, clever quotes, funny photo, or other details related to their brand. The time you go to the grocery store take a look at a few foils and observe the diversity in how this small space is utilized.

What is Wine Foil Made Of?

Today’s foils are made of tin, aluminum, or shrink-wrap plastic.

Before the late 1990s, wine foils often were made of lead. Thankfully, these types of labels have been phased out, since trace amounts of the toxic element could possibly get into the wine (not a good addition to your drink!).

How are Wine Foils Placed on Wine Bottles?

Ever wonder how those foils get on the bottles? Us, too! Here’s a short video describing how the new foils are placed on a recently filled wine bottles.

 
 

How To Remove Foil From a Wine Bottle

There are several ways to remove foil from a wine bottle, including the use of a wine foil cutter. Here’s an overview of different approaches:

The “I Need Wine Now” Approach

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Sometimes, you just really need that glass of wine (like, now!).

When those moments arise, you can always insert the corkscrew right through the foil, pop out the cork, and and pour yourself a glass!

The downside of this method is that it’s messy. The still-attached foil coming into contact with the wine as it’s poured could be unhygienic.

Also, you won’t get a clean pour if the lip of the bottle is covered with torn pieces of foil.

How Sommeliers Open A Bottle of Wine

Sommeliers use the knife blade of a corkscrew to cut away the top portion of the foil. This is a more sophisticated approach and is fun to learn if you want to impress your guests. This video by the Wine and Spirit Education Trust is created for the benefit of future sommeliers and wine industry experts, so it’s a perfect primer for how to open, serve, and pour wine!

 
 

Cutting Wine Foil with a Foil Cutter

Wine foil cutters come in a variety of shapes. Usually, they are comprised of a smooth surface that fits in the hand. On the underside of the wine foil cutter are blades that cut the foil when the foil cutter is rotated on the top of the wine bottle.

Using a wine foil cutter leaves a nice clean cut on the wine foil. It is also a less intimidating approach than removing the wine bottle foil with a teen-tiny knife! Wine foil cutters are easy to use, and they can be a nice addition to your collection of wine accessories. You’ll just want to make sure you get a quality wine cutter with nice, sharp blades (more on that later!).

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What are the Best Wine Foil Cutters?

The best wine foil cutter makes those clear, crisp foil cuts every time with ease. We’ve lined up four of our favorite wine foil cutters. Check them out:

Le Creuset: Our Top Choice Wine Foil Cutter

This Le Creuset brand is indicative of high-quality kitchen tools, and this black nickel wine foil cutter is no exception. A four-wheel system with razor-sharp blades cuts the foil quickly and effortlessly, leaving a clean line with just a quarter-turn of your wrist. Also, this wine foil cutter is attractive and fits perfectly into your palm. Simply a great wine gadget that makes a lovely present for friends and emerging wine enthusiasts.

 
 

Best Economical Wine Foil Cutter

This set of wine foil cutters comes with an unbeatable price tag and a magnetic storage design so that you can keep it handy on your refrigerator. Plus, the fact that this is a set of two means you can store one on your fridge and the other on a wine cart, RV, boat, or beach house. These are also lightweight and inexpensive, which makes them perfect for throwing in the picnic basket or your wine purse or bag.

 
 

Best Unique Wine Foil Cutter

Beach house, here we come! This novelty wine foil cutter has summer vacation written all over it. Perfect for cutting the foil on a bottle of crisp Sauvignon Blanc or Grüner Veltliner on a warm summer evening. This one also doubles as a refrigerator magnet when it’s not busy opening bottles!

 
 

Best Wine Foil Cutter to Give As a Gift

This new-in-2020 wine foil cutter comes in three attractive colors and includes attractive packaging, which makes it easy to store and perfect for wrapping. Hostess gift, anyone? This one is also lightweight, easy to use, and won’t break the bank.

 
 

That’s a (Foil) Wrap!

Thanks for joining us on this wine foil journey. We love sharing wine knowledge and recommending the best products for wine enthusiasts.

Remember that, while wine bottle foil cutters aren’t necessary nor expensive, they’re an easier option for removing the wine foil from a bottle than the small knife of a corkscrew for budding wine enthusiasts. And they’re much less messy than the “I Need Wine Now” approach.

Finally, high-quality wine foil cutters can make great gifts or great additions to your at-home wine accessories collection.

Cheers!

Sommify, the Best New Board Game For Wine Fun and Learning

If you love wine and are looking for a board game to play with friends and family in your pandemic “bubble,” we have the game for you! Sommify, a new board game by a fun-loving wine couple who got serious about blind wine tasting last year, is an entertaining and educational wine game. And it comes with an added bonus: you’ll learn the deductive method of wine tasting without the insider jargon!

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Before we continue our Sommify review, though, a little about the KnowWines blog. We are an Amazon.com affiliate and we do receive a small commission if you purchase items through our affiliate links at no cost to you. The commissions we receive help us pay for web hosting fees, products to test, and other costs associated with running this site. Thanks for using our affiliate links and supporting our independent blog!

What to Consider Before Buying Sommify

This wine-themed board game has a premium, modern look and is great for evenings in with friends, family, and wine.

Sommify is great gift for wine enthusiasts, and is also a perfect tool for anyone studying for sommelier or WSET courses.

Sommify is not a “Trivial Pursuit” type of wine game. Rather, Sommify requires that you have both wine and wine glasses on hand, so players do need to be over 21 years old.   

Introducing the Sommify Wine Board Game

The Sommify wine board game was invented by a husband and wife team, Conner Taylor and Jessica Bush, who are both in the wine industry. Tired of “stuffy” wine tasting groups, they brainstormed this game as a fun way to learn deductive wine tasting. The result is a fun, relaxed way to learn about wine.

After coming up with the idea for the game, they asked family member Andrew McKee to design it. Once they had a prototype, they sought out funding on Kickstarter. The new wine board game was fully funded within 24 hours!  

 
 

The Sommify founders made this video to describe the game and how to play it.

 
 

In addition being available on Amazon.com and at the Sommify website, the board game will be available at several wine bottle shops in the coming weeks and months!

Features and Benefits of the Sommify Wine Board Game

The Sommify wine board game comes in a sleek and modern plastic-wrapped box, making it a good gift. The box itself has a stylish, matte finish and is of high quality construction. The Sommify cards, playing cards, and tokens are also of above-average board game quality.

Each Sommify board game comes with the following items:

  • 1 Sommify Game Board

  • 27 Bottle Shock Cards

  • 6 Sommify Wine Keys

  • 6 Dry Erase Markers

  • 1 Rulebook

  • 6 Pawns

  • 2 Dice

Each player will need to bring one bottle of wine to the party. Since the aim of the game is to identify grape varieties, the list of “allowable” wines is kept to 22 international varieties. These varieties include Albarino, Pinot Grigio, Riesling, Viognier, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, and more!

To familiarize yourself with the rules and guidelines for playing the Sommify board game, check out the Sommify website tutorial.

What Have Others Thought About Sommify

Sommify entered the world of board games with a swell of positivity, as it was funded on Kickstarter in less than 24 hours. Since then, positive responses to the game have continued to grow.

Online, we’ve found several positive reviews. We’ve also taken note that the Sommify board game is showing up in more and more independent wine shops. It’s also available online and was recently featured as a recommended wine gift by Town & Country magazine.

All of the above is great news for what we think is a great new game!

Alternatives to Sommify

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While there are several wine games available online, the Sommify wine board game is unique. It is elegant, educational, and uniquely interactive. We’ve yet to find another board game that focuses specifically on deductive tasting.

While it might be easy to find wine-related gifts online, this is a gift that will satisfy even the most enthusiastic of your wine enthusiast friends.

Our Conclusion on the Sommify Tasting Game

We highly recommend this game for wine lovers interested in learning more about wine in a fun and crowd-pleasing way.

In terms of the size of your gathering, we have found that this is a great wine game for parties of three to six people, maybe a few more. More than eight people might become too many.

Of course, this might not be a good game for someone not interested in wine, and it would definitely not be a good wine game for someone who does not drink.

Overall, we’re glad to add the Sommify board game to our growing wine game collection. With its premium, modern look and sophisticated tasting approach, it really makes a great gift for a wine lover.

Happy tasting, from Know Wines!

Cheers!

Best Bordeaux Wine Maps

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Earlier in the year we wrote a blog on the wide world of wine maps, surveying wine maps from regions across the globe. In today’s blog, we’re looking specifically at wine maps of Bordeaux.

Bordeaux is the largest wine region in the world, so naturally there are many wine maps of the area, all with different target audiences in mind. That’s good news, as wine lovers may want Bordeaux wine maps for a variety of reasons, from trip planning to decor to study and reference.

Before we continue with Bordeaux wine map recommendations, though, a little about the KnowWines blog. We are an Amazon.com affiliate and we do receive a small commission if you purchase items through our affiliate links at no cost to you. The commissions we receive help us pay for web hosting fees, products to test, and other costs associated with running this site. Thanks for using our affiliate links and supporting our independent blog!

Types of Bordeaux Wine Maps

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There are a wide variety of Bordeaux wine maps available for wine enthusiasts, students of wine, winemakers, and journalists.

There is no one-size-fits-all “best” wine map of Bordeaux. However, KnowWines has collected a number of great Bordeaux maps over the years, and here we are sharing a few of our favorites!

Don’t have time to read through our recommendations? Spoiler alert: all of our overall favorite Bordeaux Wine Maps are located in the book Inside Bordeaux by Jane Anson.  

Easy to Read Bordeaux Wine Maps 

Maybe you’re a new wine enthusiast and you want a simple, trendy, and visually pleasing Bordeaux wine map. Or perhaps you teach wine classes at a bottle shop or wine bar and are looking for great decor. These Bordeaux wine maps are visually appealing even in low light conditions. We like the larger font as well. Overall, these maps are well constructed. However, we took our map to an Office Depot to get it laminated so that it wouldn’t get stained or written on.  

 
 

Bordeaux Wine Maps for Decor

In addition to the Wine Folly map above, we like this classic map that goes well with traditional decor. While the font is fairly small, it looks great in a frame.

 
 

Bordeaux Wine Maps for Tour Planning

Having been to Bordeaux four times now, we’ve amassed quite a collection of maps, books, and guides on Bordeaux. Here are our new favorites and a few of our old ones.

BORDEAUX SIP BY SIP BY NICOLE CROFT

This is an excellent resource for DIY trips to Bordeaux, and for finding exceptional values on off-the-beaten path Bordeaux. We’ve taken Nicolle Croft’s tour in the past and it was delightful. Check out our interview with Nicolle on Bordeaux Buzz podcast!

 
 

BENJAMIN LEWIN GUIDES

Benjamin Lewin has two good resources detailing the locations of the classified and up-and-coming chateaux in Bordeaux.  There are also details in these books on recent vintages and their hours and tour availability in addition to maps.  

BENJAMIN LEWIN GUIDES: RIGHT BANK BORDEAUX

 
 

BENJAMIN LEWIN GUIDES: LEFT BANK BORDEAUX

 
 

MICHELIN WINE MAPS

We usually plug in our final destinations for a wine tour on our iPhones, however for the research phase, we prefer old school maps to a four-inch screen. While there are plenty of Michelin maps available at bookstores and online retailers, one complaint is that they are more for “passing through” purposes than they are for planning a trip. One exception is this Vins de Bordeaux map available on Amazon:

 
 

Bordeaux Wine Maps for Wine Enthusiasts

If you are looking for wine maps that are more detailed than the Wine Folly map or a travel guide, check out this book by the Bordeaux Wine School. In addition to several maps, there is a good introduction and deep (but not too deep!) dive into the wines and the region. This is not a stuffy, dry resource, there are plenty of photos and graphics to illustrate maps and points.

 
The Essential Guide to Bordeaux Wines
By Bordeaux Wine School, Brissaud, Sophie
Buy on Amazon
 

Bordeaux Wine Maps for Wine Certification Studies

  • DE LONG BORDEAUX MAP: While there is not a Bordeaux-specific wine map from Steve De Long, there is this recently released box set which does include a Bordeaux map on the Wine Map of France. 

  • WINE SCHOLAR GUILD WINE MAP OF BORDEAUX: Members of the Wine Scholar Guild can get access to many maps for studies. 

  • INSIDE BORDEAUX BY JANE ANSON: Our top pick for Bordeaux reference maps, Inside Bordeaux by Jane Anson, has a number of Bordeaux maps. This simply gorgeous book is currently occupying our nightstand. The crux of the book is maps, all of them detailing the best soils and terroir of Bordeaux.

Vintage or Antique Maps of Bordeaux

Sites like ebay, Etsy, and Amazon have vintage or antique wine or city maps of Bordeaux. The price and availability of antique Bordeaux maps varies significantly, so check out those sites for vintage or antique maps of Bordeaux.

 
 

Bordeaux Wine Map Wrap-Up

There are a number of maps available to help you visualize Bordeaux, plan a trip, or simply decorate.  

If you like to geek out on soils, the Inside Bordeaux book is a must. If you are interested in a general overview of the region, check out The Essential Guide to Bordeaux Wines. 

Off the beaten path more your style? Check out Nicolle Croft’s new book Bordeaux Sip by Sip highlighting independent wine producers in Bordeaux like Chateau Coutet.

Finally, if you are looking for a colorful and introductory map of Bordeaux, we really like the bright and large font of the Wine Folly map.

Cheers!



What You Need To Know About Red Blend Wine

 
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Red wine blends are one of the largest wine categories in the United States.  These wines have increased in popularity as many wine lovers like inexpensive, fruit-forward, low acidity, easy drinking wines. Red wine blend producers also know that Americans also have a soft spot for sweets, so these inexpensive red wines often have residual sugar.

But wait, aren’t some of the most famous and expensive red wines (like Bordeaux, Rhone and cult Napa Wines like Opus One) also red blends? Well, yes.

Join is as we break down the red blend wine world, from grape varieties to the wine making process to calories.

What Is A Red Wine Blend

A red wine blend is any red wine that is not made with one specific variety, like Syrah. Instead, the wine blends two different varieties. Cabernet Sauvignon meets Merlot, Merlot meets Malbec, Tempranillo meets Graciano, and so on.

Why Do Winemakers Make Red Wine Blends?

There are several reasons why vignerons may grow multiple grape varieties and then use them to produce a red wine blend. The top reasons are fiscal sustainability and compliance with regulatory bodies.

Multiple Grape Varieties Increase Fiscal Sustainability

In most farming - and grape growing is just another type of farming - risk can be managed by growing more than one crop, thus ensuring harvest. The same goes for grape growers. Growers may plant multiple varieties on their land to spread out the natural risks of farming.  Hail, frost, pests, and rain can impact different varieties differently throughout the season. Producers might lose most of the crop of one variety but still have enough fruit from three or more varieties. As a result, they can still make wine and maintain their bottom line. 

Red Wine Blends Are Required by Regulatory Bodies

In many wine regions, there are laws requiring that wine be comprised of specific grape varieties and be a blend. If the wine is not blended in accordance with these specifications, it can be labeled more generically as “table wine.”

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What Is A Red Wine Blend Made Of?

A red wine blend can theoretically be made of any combination of red grape varieties.  

The red wine blend might be made potentially of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petite Verdot, and Carmenere, as prescribed in Bordeaux.

Or in the New World, a red blend wine like Cooper & Thief Wines might be made of  Merlot, Syrah, Zinfandel,  Petite Sirah, Cabernet Sauvignon, and other red blenders like Carignan.  

Why Are Red Wine Blends Popular?

Traditionally, wines have been blended to ensure that there are sufficient levels of alcohol, acidity, tannin, and fruit extract that will increase the likelihood for aging ability, ensuring that the wine will have interesting flavors years from now,

The increasingly popular types of red wine blends on the market now have leveraged this age-old technique to make wines that appeal to consumers who want something that they can drink now.

Blended wines may taste more homogenous. Many consumers like the predictability of a wine flavor that they are used to consuming with other homogeneous products from the grocery store. Inexpensive red blend wines typically have a target taste profile, allowing the winemaker to adapt the recipe with several varieties to yield a consistent product year after year. 

It’s also worthwhile to note that blending can add complexity that is not present in a single variety. By blending wines made from different varieties, the winemaker can combine the best aspects of two or three grape varieties into one final product. 

What Is A Sweet Red Wine Blend?

Wine enthusiasts who want a “drink-now” or readily available sweet red wine made in the US can try Apothic, Menage a Trois, or Cupcake Red Velvet. In fact, many domestic red wine blends in the grocery store or big box stores under the $20 price point likely contain some residual sugar to lure in the sweet tooth. Sweet wine words to look for are “jammy",’ “juicy,” and “lucious.”

At What Temperature Should Red Blend Wines Be Served?

If your favorite red blend wine is slightly sweet, it might taste better at 45 F to 55 F than at warmer temperatures.

If your red blend wine is a Bordeaux, Claret, Cateauneuf-du-Pape, or other dry red wine blend, the recommended service temperature is 60 F to 65 F.  

How Long Do You Let A Red Blend Wine Breath?

Many wines benefit from some decanting. Red wines from the grocery store or any wines that fall into a “drink now” category can benefit from 15-20 minutes in the decanter before consuming. Of course, the amount of decanting time is up to personal preference.  

Wines designed for aging may have much longer decanting times than “drink-now” wines. One could do a little online research on websites like CellarTracker to see how long other users decanted their wines as a general guideline.

How Long Can You Cellar A Red Wine Blend?

Most red blend wines purchased at the grocery store will not benefit from additional cellaring. The same is true of red wines sold by independent bottle shops with a shopkeeper recommendation of “can drink now.”

This designation does not mean that your wine will go bad if you don’t drink it in the coming weeks. In fact, if you store it for several months or a couple years in a wine refrigerator (link) it will likely taste much like it does today.

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How Many Calories Are In A Red Wine Blend?

Red wine blend wines can range from 90 to 150 calories per 5 fl oz (147 mL).  

Wines with an ABV of around 12% and dry will be at the lower end, and sweeter red wine blends with ABV of 15 or 16% will nudge closer to 150 calories per serving.

The Wine Folly guide to calories in red wine is a helpful reference.

Red Wine Blend Wrap Up 


Red wine blends are simply wines created by blending two or more grape varieties. In many places, including the United States, red wine blends are popular for their drinkability and predictability.

Do you have a favorite red wine blend? Share in the comments. We’d love to hear from you!

Cheers!

What Wine Pairs With Southern Shrimp Dishes?

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Shrimp is an often overlooked wine pairing partner. It is often ignored or lumped in with “seafood” in most pairing articles, perhaps because it is a Southern food? Or it could be due to too much flavorless frozen shrimp on the market.

Whatever the reason, we think overlooking shrimp is a shame. Shrimp should be the star of the show! At KnowWines, we love fresh shrimp, especially when paired with wines that don’t overwhelm its flavor. In today’s blog, we highlight different wine pairings based on the preparation of the shrimp: boiled, on a salad, or in a savory dish like shrimp and grits (so good!).

Before we continue with our shrimp pairing recommendations, though, a little about the KnowWines blog. We’re an Amazon.com affiliate and we do receive a small commission if you purchase items through our affiliate links at no cost to you. The commissions help us pay for web hosting fees, products to test, and other costs associated with running this site. Thanks for using our affiliate links and supporting our independent blog!

About Shrimp In the South

Shrimp are “born” in the ocean and are carried via waves into waters in the Mid-Atlantic and South. Shrimp spend their lives as juveniles and adults growing and feeding at the base of plants and structures in the Intracoastal marshes, tidal creeks, and inlets. As these water sources are varied, so too are the flavors.

As the shrimp mature, they leave this marshier habitat and head back out into the ocean. And again the shrimp flavor changes as the water out in the ocean (as well as the depth that the shrimp live in) is varied.   

Where To Find Great Shrimp

While your local supermarket might be flush with frozen shrimp, you’re not going to get great flavor unless your shrimp is fresh. And the best-flavored shrimp will be wild-caught and fresh shrimp.

First, Consider Shrimp Origin

Shrimp from different regions of the US, much like oysters, will taste different. Few shrimp connoisseurs mention “terrior” when it comes to shrimp like wine enthusiasts do with wine, but in fact, there’s quite a variety in flavor depending on where your shrimp comes from. Depending on the coastal area, bay, or out island where the shrimp originates, the taste will vary.

Also, the flavor of shrimp will change throughout the season. At KnowWines, this is something that we did not appreciate until we started to buy shrimp from our local farmers market in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina.

Explore Your Farmers Market

Since we moved closer to the beach, we’ve been buying our shrimp from the local farmers’ market. There are a number of farmers’ markets in the mid-Atlantic region of the US from which one can purchase fresh shrimp.

The shrimp you purchase at market be head-on, or it may be sold with heads removed. Unless you are looking for shrimp heads to use for bait or for making a seafood broth, we recommend purchasing shrimp that have had the heads removed but the shell still on.  

With the shell still on, more flavor is preserved, especially if you are not going to cook the shrimp until the next day or if you intend to freeze the shrimp.

Check with Your Local Grocer

Further from the beach?  Check with your local grocer on the availability of fresh or frozen shrimp. 

If you are looking for shrimp to use for a fairly simple preparation, such as boiled shrimp, look for mid-Atlantic shrimp. 

If you are looking for shrimp to use in a more heavily seasoned recipe like curried shrimp, Gumbo, Pad Thai, or Shrimp Carnbonera, then previously frozen or Gulf shrimp might be a more economical choice.

Investigate the Freezer Section

Your grocer may sell frozen shrimp. When looking for frozen shrimp, try to find shrimp from the mid-Atlantic of the USA.  

Look for Coastal Shrimp from the USA

If you are based in the US, you will want to look for shrimp from the US. These shrimp are more likely to be sustainably fished and have fewer preservatives than shrimp imported from further distances like South America or Southeast Asia.

If you want to learn more about sustainability and shrimping, check out the

Shrimp Recipies

When it comes to shrimp, simple recipes are best. Minimal manipulation helps to highlight the expression of fresh shrimp. Use previously frozen, less flavorful shrimp for recipes with strong spices.

Before cooking shrimp, it is not necessary to devein it. However, it is a good idea to boil one of your shrimp and taste it for sandiness before cooking the whole batch. If the shrimp does taste a little sandy (which can happen after a storm) then we advise cleaning the shrimp before cooking. Removing shells with a deveining tool will make quick work of removing shells before cooking. Here’s our favorite:

 
 

Wines to Pair With Shrimp

When it comes to pairing shrimp with wine, shrimp should be the star.  

While one can enjoy any wine with shrimp, we recommend some particular varieties and styles that let the little shrimps shine.  

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Wines to Pair With Poached or Boiled Shrimp

The simplest of preparation - peel-and-eat or steamed - lead us to two of our favorite wines.

First, we recommend an Albarino wine with the simplest preparation of shrimp. As Master Sommelier Evan Goldsmith has said, “If it swims or clings to a rock, it will be happy with Albarino”. These wines can be found at most independent wine bottle shops and online retailers.  They are typically imported from the Galicia region of Spain, which is also renowned for seafood such as octopus.

Another good choice will be a dry Semillon from Bordeaux.  We tend to hear more about the famous red wines of Bordeaux. However, some of the best oyster production is about an hour’s train ride west of Bordeaux.  

If the particular wine you find has label descriptions like “crisp” or “refreshing” and not a lot of descriptors about fruits, then it might also pair well with shrimp.

Wines to Pair With Shrimp and Grits or Coconut Shrimp

Buttery and or creamy dishes like Shrimp and Grits can pair well with lightly oaked or “buttery” examples of Chardonnay (from Napa or Paso Robles), or oaked Assyrtiko from Greece.  

Not sure if the wine you have picked out is a “buttery” wine? If there are descriptors on the wine like “vanilla” or “toasty,” or if there are fruit descriptions that sound like a tropical vacation, then these wines might pair well with shrimp and grits or fried shrimp dishes like coconut shrimp. Yum.

Wines to Pair With Shrimp Cocktail or Spicy Tomato Sauce

Perhaps one of your favorite coastal activities is to order a half-pound or pound of steamed shrimp and go “heavy” on shrimp cocktail. Or maybe you love a good shrimp gumbo. In this case, you’ll want to seek out a rosé wine, or venture off the beaten path with Dolcetto or Xinomavro.   

Wines to Pair With Shrimp Salad

Do you enjoy a simple preparation of shrimp with a salad? If the salad is more on the fruity side - with cantaloupe or other tropical fruits - try a slightly off-dry bubbly wine from Piedmonte, Italy.

If the salad is a little more herbal, then try a Sauvignon Blanc from California. The tropical fruit aromas and flavors will go nicely with the greens in the salad and the saltiness of the fresh shrimp.

Wines to Pair With Spicy Dishes Like Pad Thai or Jerk Chicken

In addition to fruity salads with shrimp, off-dry wines also pair well with spicy shrimp dishes. If bubbles are not your thing, try an off-dry Riesling or Pinot Gris.

Shrimp & Wine Resources

Best Cookbook on Southern Cooking and Foodways

This James Beard Award-winning Southern cookbook will tell you everything you need to know about the right way to eat shrimp.

 
Mastering the Art of Southern Cooking
By Dupree, Nathalie, Graubart, Cynthia
Buy on Amazon
 

Best Book on Wine Pairings 

This fabulous wine pairing book will help you to get maximum enjoyment out of your food and the wine you pair with it.

 
 

Shrimp & Wine Wrap-Up

Next time you have the opportunity to make a shrimp dish or order shrimp at a restaurant or dockside, try one of our wine recommendations instead of reaching for a stronger alcoholic cocktail.

If you let the shrimp take center stage, you won’t be sorry.

Let us know how it goes in the comments.  

Cheers!

 
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Pairing Wine With Flounder

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Flounder, fluke, Northern fluke, hirame, flatfish. This fish of many names is ever so popular with summer anglers here in North Carolina - and all along the eastern North America seaboard.  The fish can be prepared in many ways:  grilled, broiled, baked, fried, or pan-seared.

Happily, there are a number of crisp, white wines that pair well with flounder. The challenge is to select a wine that does not overpower the delicate fish. Eating flounder is an infrequent treat for most, so in today’s blog we’ll recommend some less common wines that often cost less than mediocre supermarket wine. We’ll also share our best tricks for catching and cooking flounder.

Before we continue, though, a little about the KnowWines blog. We’re an Amazon.com affiliate and we do receive a small commission if you purchase items through our affiliate links at no cost to you. The commissions help us pay for web hosting fees, products to test, and other costs associated with running this site. Thank you for using our affiliate links and supporting this independent blog!

What is Flounder

Flounder (Paralichthys dentatus) are a flat-bodied fish. At maturity, they generally have both eyes on one side (the left, colorful side) and no eyes on the right (bottom, white side). Mature flounder can range between two and three feet in length.

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Flounder are primarily sold as fresh fish. Flounder populations are managed carefully by several councils and commissions in both inshore and offshore waters, as well as state and federal waters.

What Wines Go With Flounder

In selecting a white wine to pair with flounder, one might go for the default Sauvignon Blanc, mild Pinot Grigio, or any old Chardonnay.

The problem with such a general recommendation is that these grape varieties - Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio or Chardonnay - are international varieties, meaning that the style and quality can vary dramatically.  An especially oaky Chardonnay might cover up the delicate flavor of the flounder.  A run-of-the-mill Sauvignon Blanc may be too uninspiring to do the fish justice.

Here are a few more daring recommendations, many from one of our favorite wine pairing books - Daring Pairings, by Evan Goldstein. Our recommendations are all under $25 per bottle.

Assyrtiko (Dry)

This grape variety grows in Santorini, a Greek island in the Aegean Sea.  

Garganega (Unoaked)

If you are having some stir fry or a salad tossed with ginger salad dressing, you might want to seek out Garganega from Italy’s Veneto Soave appellation. This is a highly acidic wine that is fragrant and aromatic.  We’ve also heard that this wine pairs well with pesto.

Pinot Blanc

Pinot Blanc that pairs well with simple preparations of flounder come from Alsace, Oregon USA or Italy. This wine pairs so well with most fish that it can easily serve as a “default” or “no-brainer” fish pairing wine.  Seek out unoaked Pinot Blanc for the freshest expression of the grape.

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White Vijariego

This is a white indigenous grape from the Canary Islands just southwest of Spain. These grapes struggle to grow in the volcanic sands of the island. The style of these wines is light and slightly aromatic.  

Verdejo

This is a good wine for lovers of west coast Sauvignon Blanc (or someone stuck in a Sauvignon Blanc rut). This is a Spanish wine that might also be good for someone who thinks most white wines are “too weak.”

This wine has aromas of fruits like nectarine/peach, herbs, and a medium body. Some Verdejo wines will have a little residual sugar, so if you like a little sweetness, check with the bottle shop owner to see if your selection is more on the dry or slightly sweet side.  

Vermentino

This variety is grown on Sardinia, Corsica, Provence, and Languedoc-Roussillon. The wine can be very aromatic. Try Vermentino if you like simply prepared flounder with a touch of salt and pepper. This would likely not be a good pairing if you made a rich or complex cream or hollandaise sauce.  

If these wines are not available in your area, check with your local wine bottle shop for recommendations, especially if you are in the Mid-Atlantic of the United Staes where folks are familiar with this tasty fish and common preparations.

Can I Pair Flounder with Red Wine?

Yes, you can drink red wine with flounder. However, you might not taste the flounder after a few sips of most red wines, as flounder is an especially mild, flaky fish.

Depending upon how the flounder is prepared and if it is especially fleshy and fat, the combination of red wine and some flounder may give a metallic aftertaste.

Where To Get Flounder

Flounder are mostly sold as a fresh fish (not previously frozen). There are a few places to get fresh flounder here in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States.

Seafood Store

In the Mid-Atlantic of the US, if you are within an hour of the coast, you likely have access to fresh fish at a farmers’ market or a seafood store like Motts Channel Seafood.

If you are at a distance from the coast but still in the Mid-Atlantic, then check with your local grocer in the meat counter. They can tell you if or when they will have flounder available or can request one for you from the fishmonger. 

Catch A Flounder

Our favorite way to access flounder is to catch them.  

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Flounder are fairly easy to catch with some basic instruction and minimal gear. One does not need a boat to catch a flounder, especially in the late summer or early fall when the flounder migrate into the Intracoastal waters and hang out around docks or other structures accessible by foot.

How To Cook Flounder

Flounder can be prepared many ways, including grilled, baked, steamed, broiled, fried, or pan-fried (and more!). 

Our favorite way to prepare our fresh flounder is to cook it skin-on, on the grill.  We cook it in the skin as this fish is very delicate. If you filet it and remove it from the bones and/or flesh, it can be tricky to keep the filet in one piece without covering the filet in flour. We’d rather taste the fish than fried all-purpose flour.  

As soon as we catch and clean the flounder (by removing its head, guts, and scraping of the scales with a flat knife), we salt the flounder and place it on a baking sheet in the refrigerator for 12 to 36 hours.

One hour before grilling, we remove the fish from the refrigerator, rinse off the salt, and pat the fish dry.  We let it sit on the baking sheet to warm up to room temperature and season with our favorite spices sparingly. While it warms, we score the fish skin with a sharp knife so that the skin gets extra crispy when cooking, also allowing a little of the salt and spice to get into the fish flesh.

Finally, we grill the fish 3-5 minutes on each side, checking to see that the flesh of the fish is no longer opaque and that the fish flakes nicely.

 
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Is Flounder Skin Edible?

Yes, flounder skin is edible. Enjoy!

Our Favorite Flounder Resources 

Here are a few of our favorite resources on catching, preparing, and pairing wine with flounder.

Perfect Pairings 

A very good resource if you prefer International grape varieties like Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir.

 
 

Daring Pairings

This is a very good resource if you prefer often lower-cost (and perhaps a little more difficult to find) regional and indigenous grape varieties from around the world. 

 
 

Flounder Lure

When fishing the often muddy Intracoastal waters of North Carolina, this is the bait we’ve had the best luck with.  

 
 

Kosher Salt To Remove the Slime

For those who like a “salty salt,” this is a very good one for salting fish. It removes the slimy protective layer on the fish skin.

 
 

Weber Professional Grill Pan

We’ve recently downsized to a smaller home and gave away many of our grill accessories. This is one of three items that survived the cut! We especially like the easy cleanup and universality. You can use it with fish, vegetables, and any other delicate or small item cooked on the gas grill.

 
 

The Final Word on Flounder Pairings

Flounder is a light, delicate white fish that can be prepared in a number of ways. Though flounder can be enjoyed with red wine, we prefer a nice, crisp white wine, though not a typical Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay.

You can find flounder in a local market or you can catch it yourself. Either way, it’s best prepared when very fresh.

If you decide to grill your flounder and enjoy it outdoors, consider the Corkcicle to keep that white wine chilled throughout your meal.

Happy fishing!

Cheers!



How To Hold A Wine Glass

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New wine enthusiasts might worry about the proper way to hold a wine glass. In fact, it’s likely that most people have dined in a fine restaurant or enjoyed a glass of wine at a social gathering have wondered if they’re holding their wine glass properly. “All these people are holding their wine glasses differently,” they might think. “But what is the right way?”

It might sound a bit snobby to insist that there’s a right way and a wrong way to hold a wine glass, but in fact, the recommended ways of holding wine glasses exist to maximize the enjoyment of wine regardless of price point or occasion. And these recommendations have more to do with science than they do with snobbery, we promise!

In today’s blog, we’ll share recommendations for how to hold various types of wine glasses. We’ll also discuss a few other wine glass tips for new wine enthusiasts. Before we continue with our reviews and recommendations, though, a little about the KnowWines blog. We’re an Amazon.com affiliate and we do receive a small commission if you purchase items through our affiliate links at no cost to you. The commissions help us pay for web hosting fees, products to test, and other costs associated with running this site. Thank you for using our affiliate links and supporting this independent blog!

Why Does It Matter How One Holds a Wine Glass?

As a new wine enthusiast, you’ve put in the effort to pick out a wine and properly store it. Maybe you’ve even moved your wine and wine glass collection from one home to another! Don’t let all that hard work go down the drain with sloppy wine glass holding at the finish line.  

Holding a wine glass incorrectly can lead to flabby, lukewarm wine. If you hold a wine glass by the bowl, the heat from your warm hand is transferred to the mass of the wine in the bowl, effectively warming up the wine. This wine warming can lead to flabby and dull wine aromas and taste, especially with wine and sparkling wines.

Holding the wine glass by the bowl also places your hand closer to your nose. In this case, the “off” aromas you smell might not be from the wine - it could instead be from that stinky cheese appetizer you just touched two minutes ago or that coconut-scented hand creme you applied an hour ago. To prevent smelly hand interference, flabby wine, and unsightly fingerprints, there are ideal ways to hold your glass of wine.

How to Hold a Wine Glass With a Stem

If you’re drinking wine from a glass with a stem, hold the glass by the stem. Because there’s a lot of space between the bowl and base, there are actually many different ways to hold a wine glass by the stem. Check out all the different poses your hands can use to hold a wine glass by the stem in this video:

 
 

How to Hold a Stemless Wine Glass

Hold the stemless wine glass as close to the base as possible, not around the middle or top. If you hold the glass around the middle or the top, your hand will heat the glass and its contents. Holding a stemless wine glass improperly will also leave unsightly fingerprints.

How to Hold Your Wineglass in the Shower

I thought you’d never ask! Would you believe that there’s a wine gadget for holding a glass of wine in the shower or tub? All jokes aside, we actually think it’s pretty great that someone has solved this wine glass need! This model not only fits the needs of showering wine drinkers, but of coffee and beer drinkers as well. It’s also made of recycled plastics!

 
 

Are There Specific Ways to Not to Hold One’s Wine Glass?

In all honesty, it’s not likely that anyone is judging the way you hold your wine glass. That said, you may be better off avoiding the wine glass holds we describe below.

The “Housewives” Wine Glass Hold

In movies and TV shows, one often sees actresses holding wine glasses by the bowl. Thanks to the phenomenon of the “housewives” reality TV shows - and the extra large wine glasses these ladies hold - this wine glass hold got its new name. We think maybe this hold is a ruse for showing off rings, watches, and French manicures, though we can’t be entirely sure.

The “Hail Mary Pass” Hold

The guys also aren’t getting away with their funny wine glass holds. Sometimes, at wine events or corporate functions, there’s that guy holding his wine glass with all his fingers on the bowl like he’s channeling Peyton Manning - ready to lob that wine glass over to Morgan in Accounting to complete some imaginary Hail Mary Pass.  

Is It Ever Okay to Hold a Wine Glass by the Bowl?  

While these amusing wine glass holds point at the “wrong” ways to hold your wine glass, there are times when it’s appropriate to hold a wine glass by the bowl. Sometimes, wine is just too cold when it is served and just needs to be warmed up a bit to release aromas that are muted by the cold temperature. So, if you see a wine lover “cupping” his or her wine in a restaurant, they are simply trying to warm up their drink a little bit.

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Other Wine Glass Tips for New Wine Enthusiasts

How Full to Fill Your Wine Glass

Here are the guidelines, by type of wine:

  • Half full for white wine

  • ⅓ full for red wine

  • ¾ full for sparkling wine or Champagne

Why does it matter how full your glass is? Well, red wines need room to breathe in order for their full aromas and flavors to come to life - hence, the wider bowl in most red wine glasses. White wine and sparkling wine glasses are narrower, as they don’t require the same amount of “breathing room.” No matter what type of wine, though, a too-full glass makes it hard to swirl and thus, you may miss out on the wine’s aromas. 

How To Keep Your Wine Glass Rim Looking Clean

If it has ever been your job to clean wine glasses, either as waitstaff or as a party host, you become quickly amazed (or grossed out!) by just how much lip balm, lipstick, food, and saliva can collect on top of the wine glass rim. Not only is this mess a hassle for the glass cleaner, but it could also lead to bad odors from previously consumed wine or a bad smelling natural interaction between your lip balm and the wine or food you consumed before your next sip. To avoid this, pick one spot on the wine glass and continue to drink from that one spot throughout the entire meal or event.  Your nose - and your host - will thank you.

Rest Your Wine Glass

If you’ve been the recipient of a very generous pour, or if your arms are simply tired from typing all day, rest assured that it is just fine to set your wine glass down throughout an event or tasting. In fact, you will see many wine professionals holding a wine glass only for evaluating the wine and sipping, then immediately putting down the glass. 

You might try resting the glass in your non-dominant hand if there are no hors d'oeuvre tables nearby. If you are seated at a fine restaurant or corporate event where there is formal service, it’s recommended to place your wine glass to the right of your water glass.  No water glass? The glass can be set down in the upper left corner of your place setting.

Resting your wine glass may also help slow your consumption by helping to reduce the impulse to keep drinking sip after sip.

Takeaways on How to Hold Your Wine Glass

  • Being “snobby” about the “right” way to hold a wine glass is actually rooted in a desire to enhance the enjoyment of wine. The likelihood of flabby or bad smelling wines increases with potential odors coming from your hands or previously consumed foods.

  • Hold your glass by the stem, pinching the stem with your thumb and index finger. You can be creative with placement of all the other fingers.

  • Stemless? Hold by the base and minimize contact with the middle and top of stemless wine glasses.

  • Drink from one spot on the wine glass to reduce the occurrence of lip smudges.

  • Rest your glass when it becomes too heavy or to slow down consumption. Hey, you may even want to rest your wine glass in the shower (but for that situation, we recommend unbreakable wine glasses).

Cheers!

What to Know About Freezing Wine

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Can you freeze wine? And if so, why would you want to?

Many wine lovers have likely placed a bottle of wine in an ice bath or in the freezer for a quick cool-down, but we usually pull it out when it’s crisp and cold, not frozen.

In today’s blog, we’ll explore the science, methods, and uses involved with freezing wine.

Is it even possible to freeze wine?

Yes, but how completely a wine freezes depends on its alcohol content.

Because of its alcohol content, wine freezes at a lower temperature than water. Usually, it will freeze at about 15 degrees Fahrenheit (the average temperature of your home freezer). Even at this temperature, though, you may find that you end up with more of a wine slush than frozen-solid wine. The alcohol content in wine will determine how well your wine freezes. In a nutshell, the higher the alcohol content, the lower its freezing temperature. So, in a 15 degree freezer, a wine with higher alcohol content may remain a little soft around the edges.

What happens when wine freezes?

It expands.

You may have learned the hard way that when wine freezes, it expands. In cases in which there’s not enough room in the bottle, this expansion could cause the bottle to break.

Even if the expansion of the liquid doesn’t cause the bottle to break, it could push the cork slightly out of the bottle or, in the case of a screw top wine, break the seal. When this happens, air can creep into the bottle, causing oxidation. Oxidation, unfortunately, will turn your wine to vinegar. If the wine is oxidized, you’ll probably be able to tell right away with a quick taste or sniff test. If you’re still not sure if the frozen wine is ruined, read our advice on how to tell if your wine is bad.

The flavor could change.

If oxidation occurs, the flavor of your wine will be dramatically altered (because the wine will essentially be ruined!). If oxidation does not occur, however, the wine is probably still fine to drink.

So if you happen to accidentally leave a bottle of wine in the freezer overnight and the cork and screw top are still intact, all is well. The flavor of your wine may be slightly altered, but not so much that the average wine drinker would even notice.

You might find some sediment.

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Freezing wine may cause the tartaric acid, the compound responsible for the tartness in your wine, to crystalize. When the temperature of your wine falls below 40 degrees, its tartaric acid becomes less soluble and will bind with potassium in the wine to form tartrates (or, as many wine enthusiasts refer to them, “wine diamonds.”).

So, when you freeze your wine and then drink it after it’s been thawed, you may notice this crystalline sediment in your wine. No worries, though. Wine diamonds are a natural part of the wine, and it won’t hurt you to drink them.

The alcohol content could change (but probably not).

The alcohol content in your frozen (and then thawed) wine is not going to freeze unless it’s frozen at a temperature well below what your home freezer is capable of. The water will freeze quickly but the alcohol may not follow suit (hence, slush) - just don’t strain out the icy bits before thawing, and you should be left with the same alcohol content.

Why freeze wine?

In general, it’s not a good idea to freeze wine. However, there are some reasons that people choose to freeze wine (and there are some ways to deal with an accidentally frozen bottle).

You can cook with it.

Have a great bottle of wine but just can’t finish it? Pour the last glass into ice cube trays, carefully cover the trays with foil (or placce them in a Ziploc bag once frozen), and save them for your next cooking adventure!

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So many recipes call for both red and white wine. Rather than open a fresh bottle (or saving an open one until it goes bad), try the ice cube method. Then, when you’re making a garlic white wine sauce for your chicken or concocting wine gelées for cheescake, you’ll be all set.

Make sangria or wine slushies.

If you accidentally freeze a bottle of wine and don’t love the way it tastes after thawing, can always use the thawed wine to make sangria. Grab a pitcher, pour in the wine, add a bit of brandy and simple syrup, and top it off with loads of citrus fruit. Serve over ice!

On the other hand, it could be fun to intentionally freeze your wine to make wine slushies. To do this, pour a bottle of white or red wine (choosing a cheaper but still tasty wine is a good choice for this venture!) into ice cube trays. Freeze overnight, or at least until firm. Then, toss the ice cubes into a blender, pour into a chilled wine glass (an unbreakable wine glass, if you intend to enjoy your frozen beverage by the pool or on the patio), add a fresh garnish if you like, and enjoy. Perfect for very hot days!

What’s the best way to chill my wine?

Slushies might be fun, but the best way to chill your wine is not in the freezer. If you need to get your wine cold fast, use a cold ice bath. Then, keep the bottle chilled in a champagne bucket or wine sleeve.

Alternatively, if you have a growing wine collection and like to always have a chilled bottle on-hand, consider investing in a wine cabinet.

So, what’s the low-down on freezing wine?

While popping a bottle of wine in the freezer is really not the best way to cool it down, it’s also not a total catastrophe to end up with frozen wine. The alcohol content won’t be affected and in many cases, neither will the flavor.

If you do end up with frozen wine, you can use it for cooking or for an extra-cold poolside beverage.

Find yourself tossing ice cubes into your wine because it’s not cold yet? Try an ice bath or buy a wine cabinet.

Whatever the temperature of your wine, we hope your enjoy your next glass.

Cheers!

The Best Audio Wine Books

Is learning more about wine one of your goals?  

If so, here are the best ways to educate yourself as an oenophile:

  1. Gain more exposure to styles of wine through tasting, conversation, and reading

  2. Through that exposure, dial in on exactly what you want to know about wine. Are you wanting a general guide or do you want to geek out on a specific wine region like Saint-Émilion or Champagne? Do you want to learn how wine is made, or maybe you’re specifically curious about women winemakers?

We understand that not everyone has time to sit down and read our favorite wine books cover to cover. That’s why we’re thankful for audio book services like Audible and Kobo, which let us drive or multitask while learning about wine.  

Today’s blog offers our recommendations for our favorite audio wine books. Before we continue, though, a little about the KnowWines blog. We’re an Amazon.com affiliate and we do receive a small commission if you purchase items through our affiliate links at no cost to you. The commissions help us pay for web hosting fees, products to test, and other costs associated with running this site. Thanks for using our affiliate links and supporting our independent blog!

Let’s dive in!

Best Overall Wine Book on Audible

Raleigh resident and author Elisabeth Schneider’s Wine For Normal People is our current pick for the best overall wine book on Audible.

Schneider has recorded over 300 wine podcasts since 2011. Her speaking and teaching style is fun and upbeat, which is a big plus for an Audio book! She also freely shares her opinion on vineyard practices or marketing techniques that are not in the best interest of many wine consumers.

We love this book because of its funny stories, interesting analogies, and inviting style. Schneider really inspires the reader to get in touch with wine and its history instead of guiding listeners through the world of wine from a purely academic point of view.  

Another great aspect of this book - it’s full of maps and other documentation which are available as a PDF download with purchase of the audio book version!

This audiobook would be a good gift for someone who perhaps already has a copy of Madeline Puckett’s Wine Folly (which does not have an Audible version) and wants to dig a little deeper into the topic without going too far into the weeds.

Best Audible Wine Books About Wine Fraud

The Billionaires Vinegar

This is a suspenseful thriller about the wine world that starts at a wine auction and gallops across the world. You won’t be able to press pause!

 
 

In Vino Duplicatas

The mysterious story of the exclusive world of ultrafine wines and the billionaires who inhabit it. Worth a listen!

 
 

Best Audio Wine Book on California Wine

Judgment of Paris: California vs. France and the Historic 1976 Paris Tasting That Revolutionized Win

This audio book has a hefty subtitle and a gripping retelling of a pivotal moment in the history of wine.

 
 

Best Investigative Wine Books on Audible

Tasting the Past:  The Science of Flavor and the Search for the Origins of Wine

An adventurous wine book rich with history, science, and compelling characters from across the globe.

 
 

Cork Dork:  A Wine-Fueled Adventure Among the Obsessive Sommeliers, Big Bottle Hunters, and Rogue Scientists Who Taught Me to Live for Taste

A funny and adventurous romp through the world of wine enthusiasts and wine obsessives (with a great title to boot!).

 
 

Best Super-Casual Guide on Wine

At KnowWines, we love the casual, friendly approach to wine. If you appreciate a casual approach to wine that that lacks pretension, this wine book fits the bill.

 
 

Best Audio Book on Champagne

Get the scoop behind the glamour and glitz of bubbly (great for sharing tales at your next champagne-worthy event!).

 
 

The KnowWines Audible Primer

Now that you’ve reviewed all of our favorite audio wine books, here’s a quick guide on how to get the most out of your Audible experience.

How To Subscribe to Audible and Get 30 Days Free

A subscription to Audible generally runs about $15 per month and you get one book credit per month (this works out to be about $180 per year). Audible is not automatically free for Amazon Prime members. However, if you do have a Prime membership you may get some promotions throughout the year (like two for one on some books or three Audible book credits for a specified discount).

Here’s how to sign up for Audible if you’ve never used it before:

  1. Create an Audible account.

  2. Enter your credit card - it will not be charged unless you renew the subscription at the 30 day mark.

  3. Click ‘Start Your Free Trial Now.’

How To Download an Audible Book

You can download your Audible book onto any device with an Audible App (such as ioS App, Android App or Windows 10 Ap). Audible books can also be downloaded to a Kindle device.

How To Share an Audible Book

When you have purchased an Audible Book, you can also share it with a friend. When you share it with someone, it is free for them and they don’t need to use a credit card as long as it is the first time accepting an Audible book from a friend.

To share an audio book, simply select the book in the Audible App, tap the three dots in the upper right corner, and then select “Send this Book” from the options that appear. Here, I sent a wine audio book to a friend via email. When I did so, this automated email appeared in their inbox notifying them that the book is available and providing instructions on how to download.

 
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How To Return an Audible Book

You can take a sneak peek at most Audible books using the Audible preview, and thus, you should have a good idea of the book’s quality before purchasing it. Still, Amazon realizes that sometimes a specific book is not up to par.

If you are an Audible subscriber, you can return a book and get one credit (or a credit on your credit card if you did not use a credit) within 365 days of purchasing/selecting an Audible book. But no, you can’t return a random book you purchased and forgot about in 2017.

To return your Audible book and get another one, simply do the following:

  1. Log into Audible.

  2. Go to “Account Details.”

  3. Select “Purchase History.”

  4. For the troublesome book, select “Order Details.”

  5. Under Options, select “Return Title.”

  6. Select the reason you are returning (e.g., “Did not like the narrator.”).

To get the most out of your Audible subscription, check out this great article full of Audible insider tips.  

How to Cancel Your Audible Subscription

It’s important to note that simply deleting the Audible App off from your device will not cancel your subscription.

To cancel your subscription, you must do the following:

  1. Go to “Account Details.”

  2. Select “Cancel Membership.”

  3. Follow the prompts.

You won’t lose any of your previous purchases. You will, however, lose your ability to return books in exchange for other Audible books.

There’s also an option to place your Audible Subscription on hold for a month or two.  To place your subscription on hold contact Audible Customer Service.  You can only place the subscription on hold once per year.  

The Wine Book Conclusion


Audio books are great way to learn about wine. You can listen to them while doing the dishes, going for a run, cleaning the house, or driving across town. Each of the books we’ve shared here provides a window into some aspect of the wine world. We hope you can use our Audible tips to enjoy these - and other - audio wine books!

Cheers!

How to Start a Wine Collection

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Wine collecting is a pastime that can be deeply gratifying, though it may be overwhelming to know where to start. Before we offer our tips, we want to address the perception that all wine collectors purchase and collect wine for status or for investment purposes. We have discovered, thanks to recent innovations in refrigeration and humidity control, starting a wine collection has a reduced barrier to entry in terms of cost. In this blog, we’ll share are a few things to consider before starting a wine collection and some tips for keeping your wine collection safe and optionally insured.

Before we continue, though, a little about the KnowWines blog. We are an Amazon.com affiliate and we do receive a small commission if you purchase items through our affiliate links at no cost to you. The commissions we receive help us pay for web hosting fees, products to test, and other costs associated with running this site. Thanks for using our affiliate links and supporting our independent blog!

Wine Collecting: Know Your Why

How you buy wine and which wines you purchase will vary depending on why you’re interested in collecting wine in the first place. So, ask yourself why you want to collect wine. Below are a few common reasons.

Wine For Personal Consumption

Most wine enthusiasts start a wine collection to have a few bottles of wine on hand for personal consumption. This reduces trips to the wine shop and means that you’ll always have a bottle of wine on hand that appeals to your tastes. Or, perhaps you really like a specific wine that isn’t common or easy to come by in wine shops. In this case, you may want to have more than one bottle on hand.

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One caveat on collecting wine for personal consumption is that a person’s taste in wine may change. In some cases, your taste can change dramatically over months and years. Therefore, one of the risks for collecting wine is that you could develop a giant stash of bottles that you are not interested in. If that occurs, you can always sell your wine online through an auction house, though that effort may not appeal to everyone.

Wine For Sharing

If you love to entertain, or are the person known for always bringing great wines to a dinner party instead of making a side dish or entree, then you may want to collect wine for the purpose of sharing it with friends and family. Wine is, after all, perfect for bringing people together!

Having several great bottles of wine on hand means that you’ll always have wine to choose from for that very special occasion, be it an anniversary, a graduation, a wedding, a birthday, a job promotion, or retirement. Wine makes a great gift that many people appreciate!  

Wine Collecting as an Investment

With market instability, some investors like to diversify their portfolio with wines. When purchasing these wines, provenance is of utmost importance. Be sure to keep receipts of wine purchases and document how the wines are stored.  

If you want to keep up to date on the most valued wines for investments, we recommend following the international auction house Sotheby’s.

Alternatively, you can read more about wine investing here in the helpful eBook Investing in Fine Wine. This book addresses strategies for buying, selling, collecting, and storing fine wines. The narrative approach also offers a window into the world of wine trading.

 
 

Determine a Focus & Strategy for Your Wine Collection

Go Broad with your Wine Collection 

Some wine lovers want to “go broad” in their collection, collecting wines typical of particular styles or regions. If this is approach interests you, we recommend two resources.

First, we love Elizabeth Schneider’s Wine for Normal People. This no-nonsense, down-to-earth guide provides a thorough introduction to the world of wine. This book will teach you about wine tasting, wine regions, wine making, wine etiquette, and yes, how to purchase wine for your budding collection.

 
 

The second resource for those seeking a broad overview of wine styles and regions is WSET (Wine and Spirit Educational Trust). Their WSET Level 1 and Level 2 courses give a macro level view of the entire world of wine and a comprehensive understanding of the styles of wine available. 

 
 

Collect Aged Wines

This is of the most popular reasons for collecting wine: enjoying wines that have spent some time in the bottle.

It’s important to note that not everyone likes the flavor of aged wines. As wines age, the fruit aromas and flavors change. Secondary and tertiary aromas and flavors develop and are detected in aged wines.

If you don’t have much experience with aged wines, visit a winery, restaurant, or local bottle shop and ask if they have aged wines available to taste or an upcoming tasting.  

Collect to Support Your Favorite Winery

Some people simply love to collect wine from their favorite winery to support it. If this approach appeals to you, consider joining a wine club (it’s a lot like buying season tickets to your favorite sports team!).

Collect Wine to Have on Hand for 0-5 Years or 5 - 50 Years

In today’s fast-paced world, collecting wine to have on hand for more than a year from now is a waning trend. Many of today’s wines are intended for immediate consumption. 

Still, collecting wine for the future is enjoyable for people who maintain the wine collecting passion. There are some wines that are crafted with the intention of being consumed immediately or within five years, and others that are intended for consumption 20 to 30 years from now.  

A knowledgeable wine seller will let you know if the particular wine you love falls into any one of these categories: drink now, hold for the short term, or hold for several years.  

Develop A Relationship With A Wine Seller

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Connecting with a local wine seller is especially important if you’ve collected wine for the purpose of reselling.

Why?

Because wine trends change over time. The value of wines increase and decrease depending upon vintage, food and beverage trends, the trendiness of a region or producer, and the location where wine is consumed.

A wine seller can help you understand these variables as they relate to the value of your wine collection.

Determine Your Wine Storage Needs

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While an actual cave is not necessary anymore due to advances in wine refrigeration, you do need to plan a storage solution for your wine.

If you will be drinking your collected wines within a year or so, and your storage space (like a closet or pantry) is not exposed to light or vibration and the temperature is fairly consistent at about 72 degrees F, then you likely don’t need to invest in a wine cabinet.

If you desire to age wines for 3-5 years and grow your collection, you should consider purchasing a wine cabinet. Wine cabinets can vary widely in cost, from about $200 for a small wine refrigerator to over $1000 for a wine maturation cabinet like the EuroCave. There are also quite a few wine cabinets with mid-range pricing that are still very high quality.

If you’re not interested in purchasing a wine cabinet (or simply don’t have space for one), you can consider finding temperature and humidity controlled wine storage, like Extra Space Storage or one of these storage locations in the USA. You could also contact your local wine bottle shop to see if they have recommendations for wine storage.

Manage Your Wine Inventory

Make a Spreadsheet or Use a Wine Tracking App 

An easy, inexpensive way to do this is with a template from Google Sheets or Excel. 

We prefer to manage our wine collection with Cellar Tracker, an online cellar management tool. We like this tool because these folks have truly thought of almost everything you would want or need to track on your wine, including the location and shelf where your wine is stored in your wine cabinet or off-site storage. The crowd-sourced wine prices are also helpful for those interested in monitoring the auction price of their wine or just to see others’ tasting notes as wines age in their cellars.  

Establish A Drinking Schedule As You Accumulate Bottles

There are pitfalls you may encounter as your wine collection grows. One issue that collectors run into is keeping wine for a special occasion only to find that the wine is bad.

For this reason, if you have a growing wine collection, it’s a good idea to keep an eye on the drinkability window for your wines. We use information on drinking windows available online (on apps and websites like Cellar Tracker) as general rules of thumb, though these drinking windows are not an exact science.  

Know Your Wine’s Value

There are a number of wine buyers online who will evaluate the value of your wine for free, and follow up with you in case you have an interest in selling some bottles.  

For those interested in researching wine prices on your own, we like Wine Searcher and Cellar Tracker for determining the value of the wine.  

Wine Searcher will tell you what your wine is selling for near you. Let’s say you just drank a bottle of 2003 Auslese Riesling, purchased in 2010. You can go to Wine Searcher and find what that bottle sells for today in case you want to stock up on some more for the future. Cellar Tracker has a feature that allows you to see what wines like yours have sold for at recent auctions.

Insure Your Wine

Wine is typically not covered by homeowner insurance policies. The simplest reason reason is that processes and procedures to underwrite an annual policy for $100 to $300 are not profitable for home insurance companies.

Many wine lovers may forego purchasing a wine insurance policy as they prefer to self-insure (meaning, if their wine collection were to flood or the air conditioning fail, they would accept the risk that their collection could be lost).

If your wine collection grows and you have an interest in insuring your wine, understand that “blanket” wine insurance costs about 50 cents per $100. So if your wine collection is 500 bottles, that works out to be about $250 per year. Most of these wine insurers will insure individual bottles up to $1000 in value.  Cellar Tracker has a helpful article on wine insurance if you want to learn more.

In Conclusion

While many wines today are designed for immediate consumption, wine enthusiasts and collectors may want to start their own collection to meet one or more personal objectives.

When starting a collection, think about who will consume the wine and when, and whether you intend to consume all the wine or sell some or all of it at auction. Make sure your wine collection is stored correctly and that you have some mechanism for tracking your purchases.

We hope that your wine collection will provide fun and value for years to come with just a little planning up front.

Cheers!

The World of Wine Maps

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Anyone who has been to a wine shop or tasting is likely familiar with wine maps (and wine lovers’ affinity for them). In wine shops, you’ll see them on display, on shelf talkers, and as handouts.

So, why all the maps? In today’s blog, we explain why wine maps are so beloved to wine enthusiasts. We’ll also share where you can get great wine maps of your own.

Whether you want a wine map for wine education, as home decor, or to plan a trip, we’ve got the 411 on all the best wine maps!

Before we continue with our recommendations, though, a little about the KnowWines blog. We are an Amazon.com affiliate and we do receive a small commission if you purchase items through our affiliate links at no cost to you. The commissions we receive help us pay for web hosting fees, products to test, and other costs associated with running this site. Thanks for using our affiliate links and supporting our independent blog!

Why All The Wine Maps?

Wine is an agricultural product. With the label on the bottle indicating origin, a bottle of wine invokes a sense of place. Lovers of wine often have a case of wanderlust, and poring over wine maps (as you enjoy a glass of wine from that region) can help satisfy that passion for travel. Or, if you’ve already done a great deal of traveling in wine country, wine maps can take you back to the terraced vineyards of the rustic Rhone Valley or the rolling hills of Saint-Émilion in Bordeaux.

More so than other agricultural products (there are no asparagus maps, for example), wines carry the characteristics of the places they are grown in their taste, color, and aroma. Wine reflects the quality of the soil and the sunlight of its region, as well as the particular details of elevation and climate. You can learn a lot about a wine by studying the map of where it is grown.

Wine students and enthusiasts also have an interest in learning the geographic areas that are in scope of AOCs or appellations.

Do I Need A Wine Map?

You certainly don’t need a wine map to enjoy wine, but it can definitely be an entertaining accompaniment to your evening pour. In fact, many sommeliers and wine collectors have larger collections of wine books and maps than they do of wine!

It’s important to know, though, when buying a wine map, that many wine maps online and in print will have errors. People copy from each other and errors proliferate (as is so common on the internet!). We can direct you towards the most reputable wine map makers, but remember that even the best maps may have typos and errors, as they are all made by humans.

What Are the Different Purposes for Wine Maps?

Wine maps are used in a variety of purposes and by different types of users. Consider the following:

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  • Wine Maps for the Wine Trade. These maps tend to focus on on geography, individual vineyards, geology, water, proximity to bodies of water and mountains or valleys (elevation), regulation aspects like the delimitation lines for an AOC or appellation (e.g. what land is in or out of scope for labeling purposes).

  • Wine Maps for Decorating. Wine maps are very colorful and make beautiful framed art for dining rooms, living rooms, and kitchens. Perfect decor for wine lovers!

  • Wine Maps for Wine Pros. Wine pros, who may use maps for educating others about wine, tend to rely on DeLong maps or The World Atlas of Wine (more on those below!).

  • Antique Wine Maps. Antique wine maps, great for collectors, can be found on eBay or Etsy.

  • Wine Maps for Travel Planning. Tourist wine maps can be found on the websites of wineries in the region you plan to visit (we’ve also listed a few below!).

What Are The Best Wine Maps?

Wine lovers and serious students of wine will routinely point to the first two resources we list here as the best wine maps. We also share a great comprehensive set of wine maps plus a few examples of good wine maps for planning a visit to wine country.

Best Wine Map for Wall Display

Steve De Long was an architect with a passion for wine. When he first started looking at wine maps in the early 2000s, he thought, “Well, that’s been done.” However, after digging deeper into the topic he found that a lot of wine maps were full of errors.  

What started as a side gig for Steve has turned into a full time small business dedicated to making limited production high-quality wine maps. When Steve got started, he didn’t realize what a demand there is for high quality wine maps. In fact, there’s been such demand for the maps that a few years ago counterfeiters made illegal and low-quality copies of his maps and sold them on Amazon! Thankfully, that’s not a problem today.  

Steve’s wine maps are made by painstakingly reviewing the governmental documents of various countries followed by tedious proofreading. Behind the scenes there’s also a lot of emailing to confirm content. Here’s one of France:

 
 

Steve’s maps are have become quite well-know. They’ve even been in movies (Patriot Day) as props!  Steve is currently working on a book about the history of food pairing.  

KnowWines is a proud Kickstarter contributor to his recent project, the Wine Maps of the World Essential Collection, coming out in July 2020. If you’re interested in learning more about Steve’s maps and his map-making process, check out more of his work.

Best Wine Maps in a Book

Recently updated in 2019 is the 2020 James Beard Award-Winning book The World Atlas In Wine, weighing in at almost 5 pounds and boasting over 400 pages. The first edition of this classic wine book came out in 1971, and each edition has grown along with the changes in the wine world. Eric Asimov of New York Times calls it “the single most important reference book on the shelf of any wine student.”

 
The World Atlas of Wine 8th Edition
By Johnson, Hugh, Robinson, Jancis
Buy on Amazon
 

In addition to 230 maps in the book, the book has been significantly updated since the 7th edition of six years ago. This video explains more about those updates:

 
 

Best Set of Maps for Wine Enthusiasts

Maps for enthusiasts are likely to be colorful and more geography based, with a focus on familiarizing wine fans with the general size of a given wine region and proximity to cities or other wine regions. Emphasis is placed on font size and just enough information to get the desired point apart.

This set of 24 wine maps by Wine Folly is a great collection of the world's major wine-producing countries and regions.  

 
 

Best Wine Maps for Travel Planning

Tourist wine maps, intended to travel along with you in a purse, carry-on, or backpack, are convenient additions to your wine country travels. They also make great collector’s items and serve as mementos of your trip.

Here’s a great travel map for Napa and Sonoma:

 
 

Here’s a travel-sized book of Virginia wine country maps:

 
 

And here is a Michelin guide to wine regions of France:

 
 

Other Places to Buy Wine Maps (or Get Them for Free!)

  • Bookstores in wine regions

  • Online retailers

  • AOC / Appellation office in wine region (cheap or free) or tourism offices (for example Napa Valley Vinters or St. Emilion Tourisme.

  • Some Wine Stores have maps available as part of in-store or online classes, or at special tasting events.

  • Educational bodies Like IWG or WSET provide wine maps for free or as part of a membership.

Wine Map Conclusion

Interest in maps is increasing along with consumer interest in knowing where food and drink comes from. This is also true about wine maps for wine enthusiasts.

The recent success of the SOMM movie series and food television in general has led to an increase in students in wine programs (such as WSET) and sommelier certifications. 

Currently, there are a number of maps available on the market intended for various audiences. We’re big fans of the Steve De Long maps as well as the World Atlas of Wine.  

We love that wine maps can make us feel well-traveled without ever leaving our living rooms!

Happy mapping!

Our Favorite Wine Pourers



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A wine pourer is simply a device that aids in the wine pouring process. It is also used to prevent drips on tables, to aerate wine, or to meter out a specified volume of wine into a glass. Wine pourers can also serve as decorative conversation makers, as they sometimes feature designs that are humorous, classy, or economical. In today’s blog, we’ll demonstrate how to pour wine, discuss whether or not you need a wine pourer at home, and share recommendations for our favorite wine pourers.

Before we continue with our recommendations, though, a little about the KnowWines blog. We are an Amazon.com affiliate and we do receive a small commission if you purchase items through our affiliate links at no cost to you. The commissions we receive help us pay for web hosting fees, products to test, and other costs associated with running this site. Thanks for using our affiliate links and supporting our independent blog!

Introduction to Wine Pourers

When purchasing wine at a grocery store or at a wine bottle shop, you are likely to find a small display of wine pourers mixed in with other wine accessories. A wine pourer fulfills the three following needs:

  1. They serve as an aid for nervous or infrequent hosts or servers to prevent drips on fancy white tablecloths, fancy wood tables, and similar surfaces.

  2. In a serving room or restaurant, they serve as a means of measuring out 1 ounce or 2 ounce pours.

  3. They’re fun conversation starters!

How to Pour Wine (Without a Wine Pourer)

When a sommelier serves wine in a restaurant, you may notice that they hold the bottle in their right and with the label facing the guest. As they pour, they are careful to make sure that the wine bottle rim and neck don’t touch the wine glass. They will fill the wine glass about 1/3 full, and just before pulling the bottle away, they’ll give the bottle a quick quarter turn with their wrist and tilt it upward to prevent drips. If a drip starts to form on the rim of the bottle, they quickly wipe it with a white serviette (napkin).

Prefer a visual? At 1:50 in this video, the sommelier demonstrates the “twist and tilt” method:

 
 

Do I Need a Wine Pourer?

No, most wine enthusiasts don’t need a wine pourer.  After a little practice, it is easy to pour and do a slight twist, as in the video shown above.

However, we do recognize that there are some instances in hosts or servers would like a wine pouring devices to prevent drips on nice surfaces (such as a tablecloth or fancy table), especially in a large group setting like a party or wedding. It may also just ease your mind to have a pourer on hand for occasional guests and spontaneous gatherings. In other words: you don’t need a wine pourer, but it can’t hurt to have one around!

Our Favorite Wine Pourers

Over the years, we have accumulated a mix of wine pourers, most of them displaying the brand of the wineries and wine clubs where we acquired them. While we don’t frequently use a wine pourer, we can appreciate that many wine enthusiasts do enjoy using them.

Here, we share some popular wine pourers. As always, we highly recommend reusable wine accessories when they’re available, so as to reduce landfill waste.

The Classic Wine Disc

This classic, easy-to-use wine disk is frequently encountered in wine tasting rooms and fast casual dining establishments. These simple mylar discs are small, portable, and roll up neatly into the neck of a wine bottle for a stress-free pour. They’re a trusted brand that’s also affordable. A great way to train yourself to pour wine without drips!

 
 

The Aerator Wine Pourer

This wine pourer does double duty as both wine pourer and wine aerator. If you want to give your glass of wine a fuller bouquet or a smoother finish (without waiting to let it aerate in a decanter), a wine aerator is a great option. And this one will help prevent spills, too! This simple tool will infuse your wine with oxygen and keep your tablecloth stain-free. Plus, its elegant design makes it a great addition to any dinner party. It also makes a lovely hostess gift.

 
 

The Measured Wine Pourer

In wine tasting rooms, wine pourers may be required by law to dispense wine in 1 or 2 ounce increments. Since wine tasting rooms employ people with wide ranges of abilities, some will be able to gauge these volumes more successful than others. In some cases, a measured wine pourer can aid in getting that just-right pour. For at home use, these might come in handy for pouring wine at a wedding or large party. They can be used to dispense liquor for making mixed drinks (you may have seen them on the top of liquor bottles at bars).

 
 

The Whimsical Wine Pourer

Last but not least, wine pourers can be fun! Some wineries use whimsical or animal-themed wine pourers for a bit of variety and fun conversation. Conversation starters are never a bad idea for dinner parties. These shark-themed wine pourers, in a durable, shiny steel alloy, would be especially perfect for a pool party or a Shark Week celebration! This one also has a built-in aerator. Or, have a shark-loving friend who also enjoys wine? Here’s the perfect gift!

 
 

Wine Pourer Summary

There are a variety of wine pourers on the market for those desiring some assistance in wine pouring or looking for a fun conversation starter. In some cases, wine pourers are needed to ensure that a group of wine pourers with various expertise pour the same amount of wine across tasters and drinkers.  

Wine pourers are an accessory the average wine enthusiast can live without. However, if you are looking for one for a specific application (or as a gift!), we hope you enjoyed our recommendations!

Cheers!








How to Sell Wine Online

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Have a big wine collection you need to pare down? We know, most people want to hold onto their wines (that’s the point of collecting, after all), but there are circumstances when selling some of your bottles could be appealing.

For example, maybe you inherited a relative’s wine collection and it’s more than you want or have room for. Maybe you purchased an abundance of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ten years ago and now your tastes have changed. Or maybe you no longer drink wine and are looking to sell as much as possible.

As wine enthusiasts, KnowWines can report that, yes, you can sell your wine legally in the United States through an auction house.  These auction houses do both in-person and online auctions. In fact, in April 2020 we sold 36 bottles of wine online, and in today’s blog we’d like to share our experience and answer any questions you have about how to sell wine online.

A quick note, though, before we continue. We are an Amazon.com affiliate and when we recommend products for sale on Amazon, we do receive a small commission if you purchase items through our affiliate links at no cost to you. The commissions we receive help us pay for web hosting fees, products to test, and other costs associated with running this site. Thanks for using our affiliate links and supporting our independent blog!

Is My Old Wine Worth Selling?

Not all wine sells well in auction well.  Most auction houses sell wines that are popular with collectors.

If you have no clue about the value, we recommend doing a little online research at Cellar Tracker, a website and database that makes it easy to find information on your wine. Simply type in the name of your wine and select the vintage (wine speak for production year).  When you get to the page for your wine, you will find the following information:

  • Production Region

  • My Value (a value that collectors can add if desired)

  • Community Average Value (a value that platform users place on the wine)

  • Auction (the price this wine is fetching at auction)

  • Drink Between Years (the years that wine community members predict as the best drinking window)

No time for research? Simply list your wines in a spreadsheet, indicating the name of the winery, name of the wine, and the year of production. In our case, we exported a file from CellarTracker and sent it to the auction house, indicating we wished to sell 36 bottles of wine from Napa Valley in anticipation of downsizing our home.  

Is It Legal to Sell Wine Online?

Regulations vary from state to state, but in general, you need to sell your wine online through a licensed auction house. As we were in the process of downsizing to a smaller home, we contacted Leland Little, a wine auction house that just happens to be local to us in Durham, North Carolina.

There are several wine auction houses in the United States. If you have an especially large collection of fine wines, you will want to shop around to at least three auction houses for estimates before making a commitment.

We had a fairly small number of wines to sell, so we enjoyed working with a local seller.  

Things to Consider Before Selling Your Wine at Auction

What kinds of wines sell at auction?

The following types of wines typically sell well at fine wine auctions:

  • Vintage Champagne

  • White Burgundy

  • Red Burgundy

  • Fine Riesling from Germany

  • Classified Bordeaux wines

  • Sauternes

  • Cult Cabernet Sauvignon

  • Barolo

Is my wine bad?

Wine that is in bad condition won’t sell. It is difficult to tell by looking at the outside of the bottle if the wine could be bad (generally, you have to open the bottle and then evaluate the wine for flaws). However, there are some tell-tell signs that would cause a wine auction house not to sell a wine on your behalf:

  • The cork is sticking out of the bottle.

  • The cork is sunken into the bottle.

  • The label is in poor condition.

  • The ullage (amount of wine in the neck) is low.

Is my wine authentic?

Wine Auction houses have their own procedures for verifying the authenticity of the wine. However, if you have original sales receipts or packaging from the wine club shipment, those things are helpful to the auction house and buyer (especially in the case of older and rare wines).

How Do I Get my Wine to the Auction House?

Once you have provided a list of wines to the auction house and have agreed on which wines you will sell and the commission the auction house will get, the next step is to prepare your wines for travel to the auction house.

If you are local to the auction house, a representative from the auction house may come to your home to box up the wines. Typically this representative will have some wine boxes like the ones below to pack up your wines.

If you are working with a wine auction house that asks you to ship the wine, they may provide similar boxes. Otherwise, you can purchase these boxes and inserts for shipping.

 
 

How Does The Wine Auction Work?

The auction house will let you know the approximate date of the auction and the bidding process. Typically the auction happens at a location where people can attend in person, and online bidding happens concurrently. 

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Prior to the auction, your wines (and wines of your fellow sellers) are featured on social media, in newsletters, and through other promotional channels to get the word out about an upcoming auction. These promotions may occur anywhere from one month or one week prior to the auction.

The auction house will advise which wines should be sold individually, which should be sold as a pair or set, and which should be presented as a vertical (wines from the same winery/chateau but from sequential years). These decisions are based upon the experience of the seller and their understanding of what people buy. In our experience, we have sold wines as individual bottles, as a set of three identical bottles, and as a vertical of three or five wines (e.g. 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008).

Each auction house sells a little differently. However, there are similar patterns. The auction may start with vintage Champagne, then go to white Burgundy, and then to collectible German Rieslings. From there, they may go to red Burgundy and Bordeaux before switching over to collectible New World wines (e.g. Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon)

Each wine (or set of wines by one seller) is presented. If the auction is online, you can watch each wine get bid on and sold! Exciting stuff for wine enthusiasts!

How Do I Get Paid for My Wine?

How (and when!) you get paid for selling your wine online is a key detail! In our experience, it has been a fairly quick and easy process.

After the conclusion of the auction, you will get an email outlining either your sales or the entire auction catalog and the sales price of each wine at auction. Within a couple of weeks you typically receive and email with a list of your wines and their selling price, as well as an indication of when your payment is coming. Within 30 days or so of the auction, you will receive a check (or direct deposit) for the amount owed you, minus any pre-agreed-upon commission.  

Selling Your Wine Online: The Wrap-Up

If you want to sell all or part of your wine collection, selling it through a licensed auction house is your best bet.

Start by making a catalog of your wines (including relevant information like its vintage and production region), and then locate at least three reputable fine wine auction houses to ask for estimates.

Once you’ve settled on a wine auction house, arrange for your wine to be picked up or shipped, and then sit back and watch the auction happen (have a glass of wine while you’re at it!).

Happy auctioning!

Cheers!

How to Pack Wine Glasses for Moving

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No matter how you approach it, moving is an exhausting undertaking. It can also be nerve wracking, especially when you’re moving valuable and highly breakable items such as crystal glassware? Well, we can’t take the exhaustion out of your moving process, but we can ease your nerves about that crystal glassware with a few tips, tricks, and ideal products for packing wine glasses.

Before we continue with our tips, though, a little about the KnowWines blog. We are an Amazon.com affiliate and we do receive a small commission if you purchase items through our affiliate links at no cost to you. The commissions we receive help us pay for web hosting fees, products to test, and other costs associated with running this site. Thanks for using our affiliate links and supporting our independent blog!

How to Pack Wine Glasses for Moving

Measure Your Wine Glasses

To select the right size of box, you’ll need to measure the height of your tallest glasses. You want to be sure that the boxes you select have enough room to accommodate your glassware. Attempting to force crystal glassware into a too-small box will leave you with shattered crystal glassware!

Find the Right Boxes 

The type of box we prefer for packing wine glasses is a “banker’s box.” The top is constructed of a single piece of cardboard (versus four pieces as seen in traditional boxes). Also, a banker’s box lid does not require tape to close, minimizing the amount of pressure one has to place on the box. Finally, the banker’s box can be reused after moving to store paper files or home items in your closet. 

These boxes come with dividers and cushion foam 

If you already have a standard-sized box and simply need glass dividers, you can also buy just the dividers and cushion foam online:

 
 

Alternatively, if you have only the box and glass dividers but no cushion foam, the foam can be purchased here:

 
 

If you don’t want to take on the added expense of glass dividers and cushion foam, just skip them and pack them as we describe below.  Simply make sure you have lots of packing paper!

Select Your Packing Paper

You will definitely need some kind of packing material to protect those wine glasses. Packing paper is less expensive than bubble wrap and a lot less bulky. It’s also recyclable or reusable by kids as a canvas for drawing or painting! You can get unprinted newsprint paper at most moving supply stores as well as online.  

 
 

Yes, could also use regular printed newspaper. However, some inks will stain wine glasses, which is why we recommend the unprinted paper instead.  If you do stain your wine glasses, you might want to try an overnight soak in the sink or in a bucket with some unscented denture cleaner.

 
 

Find Good Quality Packing Tape

It’s really important to get some good quality tape to secure both the top and the bottom of the box. Higher-quality tape will secure the lid to your box securely, thus preventing a box that pops open during the move, potentially damaging your glasses. These heavy duty rolls will do the trick.

 
 

Get Some Packing Labels

It’s really important to indicate to movers (or, friends and family who are helping you move) which boxes have fragile contents. We love these color-coded packing labels as they make box sorting a breeze. Included are labels indicating to not stack other boxes on top of your wine glasses and to orient the movers or your friends which end of the box is up.

 
 

Our Step-by-Step Guide to Packing Wine Glasses

This is the process we use to securely pack our wine glasses when we move. We have a lot of wine glasses (and we’ve been through several moves), so we think it’s a tried-and-true method!

Prep the Moving Box

Assemble the moving box as instructed. Don’t forget to tape up the bottom really well using that heavy duty packing tape! Taping the box well not only prevents the box from coming open, it also provides more structure and strengthens the box. If you’re using glass dividers, insert them once you have the box constructed.

Wrap the Wine Glasses

Remove one sheet of packing paper from the box and lay it out flat.  Place the wine glass in one corner of the paper, far enough from the corner that you can insert a small portion of the wrapping paper into the bowl of the wine glass. Bring up the bottom corner of the packing paper and gently wrap the stem. Then, roll the wine glass gently to use the rest of the wrap. Don’t ram too much paper in the wine glass bowl or you will break it.  Also, don’t twist the glass too much when you are wrapping it. When you’re done wrapping, carefully place the wrapped glass into the box (within layers of more packing paper OR in the glass dividers you’ve inserted).

Secure the top of the box

Tape up the top of the box really well.  Label it with all the pertinent stickers: “This End Up,” “Fragile,” “Kitchen” (to indicate where movers should take the box), etc. Be sure not to stack other boxes on top of boxes holding wine glasses. Finally, if at all possible, supervise the moving of these boxes to be sure that they are handled carefully!

How to Wrap Wine Glasses (for Visual Learners)

Check out this video if you prefer to see (rather than read!) an example of wrapping wine glasses for moving. This video will show you how to wrap wine glasses for packing, just like the pros do it!

Check out this video if you prefer to see (rather than read!) an example of wrapping wine glasses for moving. This video will show you how to wrap wine glasses for packing, just like the pros do it!

That’s a Wrap on Packing Wine Glasses!

To recap, here’s our approach in a nutshell:

Get all your supplies together (you can use the fancy boxes with dividers, or use the more economical process we show). Wrap your glasses individually. Make sure the exterior of the box indicates that the contents are fragile.  Don’t put a heavy box on top of it your box holding wine glasses.

When you’re unpacking (which is so much better than packing!), reuse your bank box for storing paperwork or other items that you’d like to keep dust-free and away from light. If you don’t have space to keep the boxes, upcycle them on Facebook marketplace or Craigslist. People are often looking for this type of box, and you shouldn’t have trouble finding takers! 

Best wishes for a great move, and happy packing!

Cheers!

What to Wear to Wine Country

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If you’ve booked a trip to wine country, you’ve likely already researched the wineries and other attractions you want to visit. Your next step is figuring out what to pack. Whether you’re visiting Napa and Sonoma, or are crossing the pond for Bordeaux or Rhone Valley adventure, you’ll want to be sure you know what to wear to a winery. Packing the right winery outfits will help you to pack minimally and purchases less during your trip. 

First, though, a little about the KnowWines blog. We are an Amazon.com affiliate and we do receive a small commission if you purchase items through our affiliate links at no cost to you. The commissions we receive help us pay for web hosting fees, products to test, and other costs associated with running this site. Thanks for using our affiliate links and supporting our independent blog!

How do I select my winery outfits? 

Whether you’re enjoying a romantic weekend, reuniting with a  group of girlfriends, or attending a winery wedding, dressing for the winery is usually a no fuss affair. Here are a few guidelines to get you started: 

  • Dark colors are a great go-to for winery attire (that way, spilled red wine won’t ruin your entire outfit!). We like to coordinate black separates with a colorful shawl or accessory. 


  • Practical shoes are essential. Essentially, you’re visiting a farm, so high heels and shoes that can’t tolerate a bit of mud just aren’t a good idea. Aim for practical but stylish boots.  


  • Plan for rain with an umbrella and a raincoat. It could be a chilly 55 degrees or lower, so you’ll also want layers for that damp cold. 


  • Plan for sun with sunglasses, a practical sun hat, and (of course) sunscreen.

     

  • Avoid excessive jewelry, floppy hats, or flowy clothes that can catch on vines or wine barrels. 


  • Dark-colored separates are ideal, as they will transition nicely from winery to an upscale restaurant, in the event that you’re dining out after your wine tasting. 

Now that you have a general guide to winery attire, here are a few of our favorite items to fill the gaps in your winery wardrobe. 

Best Shoes for Winery Tour

Tours can involve a great deal of walking, sometimes across uneven surfaces, up and down stairs, in and out of golf carts, and through the vineyards. To keep up with the terrain and the tour guide, go for dressy hiking boots. The vineyard pros often wear Blundstone. 

 
 
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Best Windproof Umbrella for Wine Country

Conditions at a winery can include bright sun, wind, and pop-up showers. This large golf umbrella comes in a variety of sizes for singles, couples and small groups. 

 
 

Best Wine Country Sunscreen

Sunscreen is essential when traveling to wine country, no matter what time of year you go (it’s especially important in the summer, though!). Travel can make your skin prone to breakouts, though, so you’ll want to pack a good sunscreen that’s formulated specifically for the face and won’t clog pores. 

 
 

Best Winery Handbag

A crossbody shoulder satchel is ideal for wearing on a winery tour, as  you will want to keep your hands free. A larger handbag will just get in your way and feel cumbersome as you walk throughout the winery. Take this slim satchel instead. Then, slip the satchel into a larger bag in the evenings.

 
 

Best Scarf for Wine Country Style 

We love this classic brushed cashmere scarf by Burberry. It is warm, cozy, and stylish without being overstated. It’s the perfect accessory for pairing with elegant but practical black separates. 

 
 

Best Wine-Friendly Denim 

In wine country, basics are the best when it comes to attire. Simple, dark denim can be dressed up or down. We prefer a classic, easy-to-wear pair of Levi’s. 

 
 

Best Sunglasses for the Vineyards

No matter the season, you’re going to need a pair of shades. And when you’ve pared down your wardrobe to the basics, classy sunglasses are a great way to upgrade your look. These Prada sunglasses provide 100% UV protection and are 100% chic.

 
 

Best Rainy Vineyard Rain Jacket

The likelihood of pop-up showers and damp weather is high in wine country. You’ll definitely want to pack a sturdy but lightweight rain jacket that keeps you dry and warm at the winery. This hooded rain jacket by Levi’s also has convenient pockets for storing a phone or other items you want to bring along. 

 
 

Winery Attire & Accessories Wrap-Up

We hope this list helped you to pack a suitcase that’s primed for a perfect wine country experience. With the right clothes, boots, and rain gear, you should be all set for looking like pro at any winery you visit.

And if you love the wine at those wineries enough to take some home with you, check out our article on how to fly with wine.

Cheers!