With the holiday season in full-swing, one conundrum for wine lovers is how to keep plenty of white wine well-chilled and easily accessed. And Claire Potts has found an ingenious way: turn a refrigerator water dispenser into a wine one. She tells Mashable about the genesis of her idea, “My boyfriend Joe was telling me [the fridge] came with a wine rack and I just said ‘why don’t we just put it in the water cooler?'” She added, jokingly, “It seemed like the obvious thing to do.” And if you’re looking for more conventional ways to keep wine well-chilled, we’ve got you covered.
My adult life just peaked pic.twitter.com/jU70YQL7VE
— Clare (@iliketweet) December 11, 2016
Would you like some Prosecco (flavor) in your tea?
“Prosecco-flavored” tea bags hit the shelf in Italy and, not surprisingly, Prosecco producers hit the ceiling. “They cannot use that trademark, they do not have the permission. They must immediately remove the products from the shelves,” Stefano Zanette, president of the Prosecco DOC consortium, told Italian daily Corriere del Veneto. The packaging of the tea touts, “A vibrant festive taste with an invigorating prosecco [sic] profile.” Read more in European Supermarket Magazine. Curious about actual Prosecco? Here are 11 things to know about the wildly popular sparkling wine.
From wine in a box to Fireball in a box
The ubiquitous cinnamon-flavored liquor cannot be contained by a single bottle. Behold…Fireball in a box. If you’re wondering how many shots are in each box, it’s 80. Though, as Bustle points out, imbibe responsibly and, maybe save the box for a party with 80 friends.
Say hello to Fireball whiskey in a box—just in time for #Santacon… https://t.co/AXhFD1ydIl pic.twitter.com/BQ4qO2gOsq
— Barb Leung (@barb_leung) December 6, 2016
The Bachelor now has its own wine. Think “final rosé.”
Surely many a glass of wine is enjoyed while watching The Bachelor (and The Bachelorette). Now People has news for super-fans of the show: the ultimate TV show and wine pairing with the launch of The Bachelor Wine Collection. Enjoy a glass of Cabernet, Chardonnay, or Rose…whoops, Rosé.
Your Champagne needs a 3D printed ice bucket made from dried, ground grapes
As New Year’s Eve approaches, thoughts are on Champagne. (Though we strongly encourage you to think of Champagne as a year-round beverage.) And while the classic metal ice bucket can keep your sparkler nicely chilled, there’s a new vessel in town. Partnering with Perrier-Jouët, architect Andrew Kudless, has designed and produced a 3D printed ice bucket comprised of grapes that, as 3ders.org details, “…were dried, ground up, and mixed with other ingredients, before being 3D printed. As it dries, the grape-based 3D printing material becomes raisin-like, and the ice bucket thus has a mottled, rough surface texture.”
Pairing Coca-Cola with…lobster?
Step aside, wine, as the world’s most iconic soft drink is making a play for pairing soda with a variety of cuisines. The Florida Times-Union says Coca-Cola is trying to move beyond its association with fast food. “It’s why a recent TV ad featured a young couple grabbling mini-Cokes while making paella, and why food bloggers were paid to post photos on Instagram of various dishes, paired specifically with glass bottles of Coke that might appeal to the aesthetic of ‘foodie’ culture.” But is Coca-Cola overstating its “goes with everything” pairing philosophy? Professor of wine, beverage and hospitality at the Culinary Institute of America, John Fischer, begs to differ. He says, “Coke is a fairly powerful flavor—it could obliterate more delicate flavors.”
In the Trade
Counterfeit wines: $550 million being sold over and over, and over again
Maureen Downey, an expert in authenticating wines, claims there is a staggering amount of fake wines from infamous counterfeiter Rudy Kurniawan still circulating and being resold. The Drinks Business reported on a wine fraud masterclass led by Downey, where she stated, “The pervasiveness of counterfeit wines in the fine wine world is a lot larger than people know, or are willing to admit to.”
Anheuser-Busch InBev sells Pilsner Urquell and more European beer brands to Asahi Group
The New York Times reports Japanese beer giant Asahi is paying $7.8 billion to purchase Central and Eastern European beer brands from Anheuser-Busch InBev. The article explains it’s a move “…to allay the concerns of European competition regulators after it completed its merger with SABMiller in a deal valued at more than $100 billion.”
Out and About
Diving into a crisp glass of white wine is Executive Editor Susan Kostrzewa.
Clams, turnip greens, bacon, Chardonnay? Contributing Editor Anna Lee Iijima eats and drinks Long Island.
And in more modest wine and food pairing news, Contributing Matt Kettmann throws down the gauntlet.
Published: December 16, 2016
