Wine Watch!

Happy Holidays! I’ll be on Wine Watch this week and I invite you to be on the lookout for wine too.

 

We know the popularity of wine is increasing in Iowa, and throughout the Midwest, and I like finding mentions of wine in surprising places. For example, I picked up a quilting magazine this week. I was not thinking of wine, but there, on the cover of Quilter’s Home (A different kind of quilt magazine for the new generation of quilters) it read “Quilt Better with Wine”. Inside, on page 64 was an article entitled, “The wine-y quilter” (How a glass of wine can help you with your free motion quilting, plus 15 excellent wines for under 15 bucks.)

I was surprised, but not shocked at the wine/quilt connection. I have quilted (on the same quilt for years) and it makes sense to me that a relaxing glass of wine relaxes the hand and helps with free motion quilting.

I also know a local group who enjoys a glass of wine and fun along with good conversation while they quilt. (I was glad to hear they also enjoyed the recipes and getaway ideas in the fall issue of Make Mine Wine!)

So the best find of my Wine Watch this week was spotting an article about wine in a quilting magazine! Keep your eyes open and watch for evidence of the popularity of wine! Now, I don’t want you to tattle on your Aunt Mavis at Christmas dinner … but do let me know the surprising results of your Wine Watch!

Here’s to a wonderful holiday!

Cheers!
Barb

These Corks are Made for Crafting!

Most wine drinkers know how to have fun … and the folks who submitted these cork creations are no exception. This group of 20+ wine lovers gathers each month for a nice meal, good wine and plenty of fun. Once a year they go all out – gather up a year’s worth of corks – and start gluing!

Entries this year are:
A cork-firing gun (powered by the mousetrap!) with an accompanying descriptive plaque.

 

Flip flops with a cork sole.

 

A handy carrier.

 

 

A festive, feathered wreath.

 

 

A jeweled, star-topped Christmas tree.

 

 

 

If you have a wine club, you may want to host your own Cork Creations Contest! The winner can receive, of course, a bottle of wine!

Cheers!
Barb

Make Mine Wine Email Call

Pearl Harbor Day motivated many young men to serve their country, including my Dad. For these young men, in the days before faxes, cell phones and computers, “Mail Call” signaled the only chance to get a message from home. Today we are bombarded with too much information, much of it through Email. Still, information important to us cuts through the distractions and gets our attention … just like the much anticipated “Mail Call”. 

Recently emails have caught my attention with news of the increase in popularity of weekend getaways, the increase in sales of red wine, the increase of interest in vineyards and winemaking. Although not messages from home, these email messages assure me that Make Mine Wine is on target with consumer trends and interests.  Here’s the news: 

·        From LuAnn Reinders, Iowa Economic Development.“The idea of a quick weekend getaway increasingly appeals to Americans, with 225 million such trips taken last year, an increase of more than 10 percent in just five years, according to the Travel Industry Association’s (TIA) U.S. Domestic Leisure Travel Report.”  

 ·        From Megan Haverkorn, Wine & Spirits Daily, December 5, 2006. “After researchers at The Harvard Medical School and the National Institute of Aging announced that a natural substance in red wine, resveratrol, helped extend and improve the health of middle-aged, obese mice, red wine has flown off the shelves.”

·        From Mike White, Warren County Extension Service.“A recent article was devoted to vineyards and winemaking in Iowa Farmer Today. Vineyards making rapid return to rural landscape, by Hannah Fletcher was on the front page, November 21, 2006. You can read the article at http://www.iowafarmertoday.com/articles/2006/11/22/top_stories/02wine.txt ”

Across Iowa and the Midwest, more folks are talking about wine and the lifestyle that accompanies it. When it is time to shut down the computer, put away the day’s activity, and stop serving customers, the thought of a glass of wine shared with family and friends puts the mind and body in the mood for relaxation and fun. 

Our growing grape and vine industry fuels that relaxing glass of wine. Consumer trends and interests fuel the success of Make Mine Wine. That’s why every issue features a weekend getaway – to wine country. Every issue has recommendations for red wine – and white. Every issue showcases a winery – or vineyard. Every issue suggests a wonderful restaurant – with a great wine list. Every issue is full of food, fun, getaway, home and entertaining ideas to inspire and please novice and sophisticated wine lovers.  

Please let me know if your “Email Call” harvests wine or grape industry news. Like a fine bottle of wine, good news is even better when shared! 

Cheers!
Barbara

The Elves in July

Curiosity, not just cold temperatures, brought people into the Make Mine Wine Gift Shoppe last night during the annual Dickens of a Christmas event on the Indianola Town Square. Many in the crowd chuckled as they passed by our “The Elves in July” window. They came in to share a laugh, and find out what Make Mine Wine is all about. 

Our elves, complete in lime green elf attire and sunglasses, reclined on loungers on a snow beach. A snow castle loomed behind them, a disco ball hovered overhead, and Santa rode by on a surf board. Warmed by a big smiling sun, the elves played with beach toys while sipping on a glass of that fine American Blackberry Wine. The wine, also a favorite with the group gathered for our Tasting Time! Party in the Preview Issue of Make Mine Wine, is made and bottled by Ackerman Winery Inc, in Amana, Iowa. (Log on to www.AckermanWinery.com to order American Blackberry Wine. It’s can be shipped to many states.) 

If you missed the Preview Issue of Make Mine Wine, you can request a free copy on www.MakeMineWineMagazine.com). 

Visitors to the Shoppe bought subscriptions for themselves and as Christmas gifts (thank you!) and many had a connection to the new Iowa wine industry. I referred one who is interested in starting a vineyard to expert Mike White at the Warren County Extension Service. Another had a great lead on a harvest dinner you may be reading more about in our fall 2007 issue.   I heard one couple’s plans to attend a wine tasting dinner on New Year’s Eve, and of another’s planned trip to the Hermann Missouri Wine Trail (which, co-incidentally, we’ll feature in the spring 2007 issue of Make Mine Wine!)  Sue and Tony Putz came by from La Vida Loca Winery to tell me about their delicious new apple cinnamon wine. It sounds just perfect for the holidays and I plan to pick some up this week. (This winery is located between Indianola and Martensdale and can also be found at www.LaVidaLocaWinery.com.) 

It was an enjoyable two hours. Our guitarist sang softly in the background as guests visited, ran into friends and neighbors, and shared a laugh before continuing their journey to other businesses on the Indianola square.

 Cheers!

Barbara