Remember that time you planned the perfect dinner party, chilled your wine in the refrigerator, but by the time it got to the table it tasted like rancid cardboard? Did you know that the reason for that may well be the temperature fluctuations within the bottle? Because wine is affected by temperature, and chilled wines more than any other, it may be important to you to purchase a wine refrigerator. There are a variety of sizes depending upon your needs and with that variety comes a wide range of prices.
Small Wine Refrigerators:
The small varieties can easily accommodate four to eight bottles of wine and start at about eighty dollars and go up from there depending upon the number of bottles it can store, the type of material it is made from, temperature range and a variety of other possible accoutrements. It is possible to turn one of those little office refrigerators into a small wine refrigerator with a few minor adjustments.
Medium Wine Refrigerators:
As your collection grows, it may become necessary to upgrade your wine refrigerator to something a bit larger. Staring at about $150.00 these wine refrigerators, can hold in excess of twenty-four bottles comfortably and are about the size of those larger dorm-room refrigerators. Potentially, similar adjustments can be made on one of those to create a viable larger wine refrigerator should the need arise.
Large Wine Refrigerators:
Those who are looking for serious wine storage may want to consider a large wine refrigerator. These appliances are about the same size as an average food refrigerator, but are designed to hold wine at a temperature that will help keep the bottles fresh as long as possible. Holding upwards of fifty bottles of wine, these varieties cost in excess of $300.00.
Built-in Wine Refrigerators:
Can you imagine having your wine refrigerator built-in next to your dishwasher? Can you think of anything more convenient? If you are that kind of connoisseur, then you may want to consider talking to your builder about installing a built-in wine refrigerator. These varieties can comfortably house upwards of 37 bottles and cost about the same as a large wine refrigerator.
So, if you are interested in avoiding any future problems with temperature causing your wine to go bad, then consider a wine refrigerator. Even if it means revamping one of those little office styles temporarily, is that better than the embarrassment of sitting down to dinner with friends only to discover that that thirty dollar bottle of Chablis has gone bad due to a temperature issue?
Who Needs a Wine Refrigerator?
Wine Glass Decorations
It happened on a Saturday night. You hosted a wine tasting party for a group of twelve friends, and everything went perfectly. Well, almost everything. It did not take you very long to figure out that, while you had the perfect combination of cheeses and crackers and simple wine glasses, people were constantly confusing their glass with someone else’s. You were embarrassed, particularly when that fact became the thing that just everyone joked about. Now, you are planning another get-together and you want to avoid this problem with wine glass decorations, but how do you begin?
Purchasing Wine Glass Decorations:
Just about every discount, department and grocery store has them now—wine glass decorations. They literally look like little earrings with different charms on each one and are designed to go around the stem of the wine glass to “mark it” as individual for different guests. These charms are often sold in packages of four or six and cost anywhere from five to twenty dollars depending upon where they are purchased, the material they are made from, and how decorative these wine glass decorations are.
Making Your Own:
One of the most creatively fun ideas to engage in, for a group of close friends, is to create your own wine glass decorations. It is wonderfully simple and they will love it. In fact, you may even consider sending the personalized charms home as party favors. All you have to do is go to your local craft store and pick up stainless steel or nickel plated wire hoop findings. While you are on the same aisle, pick up a few charms that you think will be great identity markers for your friends, and perhaps some beads for color.
When you get home, slide the beads and charms onto the hoops, fasten the hoops around the stems of each glass, then wait to see the smiles on everyone’s face as they realize how much trouble you went to just for them. Chances are, they will all instantly forget about the last time and will just enjoy the individualized attention you have put into their evening. Or, if you prefer, you can drop all of the newly made charms into a basket and have each person pick out their own charm at the beginning of the evening; this way, you know they will notice the charm and will not be as likely to confuse their wine glass with someone else’s again.