Tag Archives: Wine glass

My 6 favourite wine accessories of the moment!

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Like most women, I love to accessorize! Here are 6 of my favourite wine accessories:

1. Wine Glass Writer Pens

I only discovered these recently and I love them! You can doodle all over your wine glass and it simply washes off with a cloth and water. A great way to personalise glasses at a dinner party so everyone can remember exactly which glass is theirs! The pens also work on various other surfaces and containers, which I find handy in the kitchen. A versatile wine accessory!

2. My WineStein

Is this not the perfect glass for October, or should I say Oktoberfest?? Whether you’re a beer or wine drinker this glass let’s you have it both ways – elegant wine glass on the inside and manly beer stein on the outside, the best of both worlds!

3. Ice bucket

Summer is on our doorsteps and yes this is going to sound lazy, but instead of keeping your bottle in the fridge where you have to get up and get it, just pop it in your ice bucket and keep it by your side. A man/woman’s best friend!

4. Cooler bag

I love these bags! They help keep the wine relativity chilled, look funky and make it easy to transport your wine out to your favourite BYO restaurant or over to a mates BBQ. Plus a tip: always get one which carries at least 2 bottles, it’s smart to have a backup – especially if it’s dinner with the in-laws 😉

5. My Corkscrew

This of course is the number one. You’ll find that most bottles are screw cap these days but I bet at some point you won’t realise you’ve picked up a bottle with a cork closure and then it literally could be the worst night of your life if you can’t get into the wine. Also don’t bother with those fancy, bulky and usually expensive corkscrews, ones like the one pictured below are truly the best (ask anyone working in the wine industry). They do the job and are easy to use.

6. Sparkling wine stopper

Everyone says they don’t need one of these because they drink the lot in one go. I normally do too, but I like to pop one of these on in-between glasses to preserve the freshness as much as possible as I normally Iike to pre-taste test before the guests arrive so I can make sure it is a-okay… quality assurance! Plus you can get some super cute and ultra-glitzy stoppers covered in diamantes and cute bits and pieces these days… accessorize girls!

If you have a favourite wine accessory let me know by commenting below.

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My top 10 wine festival essentials

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Sunset Wine 2014 festival Perth in Scarborough

Being a seasoned wine festival goer I have picked up on some handy tips and tricks along the way to make sure a day out at a wine festival is fantastic (and that I can still stand at the end of it!). Here’s my guide to surviving and wine festival:

  1. Water! It goes without saying really. But if you’re drinking alcohol then you MUST drink water otherwise you won’t know your mouth from your lovely white shirt which is now covered in red wine (not a good look!). All good festivals will have water stations however I do normally take a bottle with me to refill when needed.
  2. Eat! Again another relatively common-sense essential. Eat a nice big filling meal before the event and make sure you graze throughout the day as it’ll help soak up all that delicious wine nectar!
  3. Dress for comfort! Comfy shoes are a must as you will spend a lot of time on your feet. If it is an outside festival in summer make sure you have the essential sun protectors; hat, sunglasses and sunscreen. Don’t bank on there being shade everywhere.
  4. Wine glass neck holder! You’ll never forget your glass again and you’ll be able to free your hands to instagram, tweet, facebook, take photos or whatever floats your boat.
  5. Utilise the “Notes” function and camera on your phone! If you like a wine, write it down! I hate those stories about trying the most amazing wine ever, and then they can’t remember what exactly that wine was!
  6. A designated driver or plan to take public transport! This is essential, drink driving is in no way cool. Actually it makes you a complete ******. Entice someone to be a sober driver, take public transport or a taxi – it’s that easy.
  7. Have a plan of attack! I always have a list of my ‘must-visits’ which I go to first and then proceed to visit the others. I also double check timings of demonstrations and seminars beforehand so I know where to be at what time.
  8. Spit! It’s not rude, trust me – nor will the exhibitors be offended if you spit or throw out some of your wine. The tastings may seem small, but they do add up much quicker than you realise. I am not saying spit everything, find a happy balance and try match all wine consumed with the amount of water you consume – or even better drink more water!
  9. Be inquisitive! If you want to learn about wine in general or about a particular exhibitors range, just ask. Wine should not be looked at as a snobby topic, it’s fun and by goodness it is truly enjoyable. I have asked many questions in my time and that’s possibly one of the reasons my wine knowledge is just growing and growing!
  10. And my all-time can’t live without’ essential – a pull along bag or someone with strong arms. This is where I have the lovely Mr. Spittoon – without him I wouldn’t nearly be able to spoil myself (and him!) with so many goodies to take home.

Hopefully the above list will be a good start in preparing you for an amazing day of drinking and eating (uhhh.. it’s the good life!). If you are keen to follow my wine festival experience make sure to follow me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for all the latest updates. Cheers everyone! If you live in Western Australia, there are plenty of fab wine festivals to attend, here’s a taste: