06 November 2009

This week's giveaway is really cool: Etched Images, a company in the Napa Valley, creates custom wine labels etched right into the wine bottle. I can think of a number of situations a custom-etched bottle would be perfect, from a very special marriage proposal to a company holiday gift.

Enter to win a handcrafted Etched Images bottle with an image of the Napa Valley--just leave a comment on the site with something you'd like to see etched into a wine bottle!

Read the contest rules (short version: one entry per person, must be 21 or older and have a U.S. mailing address, enter by midnight Eastern time the following Thursday).

Web find of the week: Swan Lake on wineglasses

PSA: Please drink responsibly, and never drink and drive.

30 October 2009

So the Wine Diaper sounds like something for soccer moms who imbibe too much, but it's actually for "pampering" your wine when you travel. It's an inexpensive, disposable bag that seals up the wine, so if it does break, your clothes don't get soaked.

Enter to win a set of two Wine Diapers--just leave a comment on the site with your go-to wine brand.

Read the contest rules (short version: one entry per person, must be 21 or older and have a U.S. mailing address, enter by midnight Eastern time the following Thursday).

Congratulations to Chrysa of Cambridge, MN, winner of the Food Tee.

Web find of the week: Red Wine Haiku

PSA: Please drink responsibly, and never drink and drive.

23 October 2009

Can you imagine the U.S. government, in all its wisdom, banning you from doing your job? Doctors, forget about taking care of people: it's illegal. Chefs, nope: whipping up delicious food is hereby prohibited. Landscape artists, you're no longer allowed to create beauty out of wasteland.

That's pretty much how California's grape farmers and winemakers felt when Prohibition was passed in 1919 and their life's work went (literally) down the drain. In When the Rivers Ran Red: An Amazing Story of Courage and Triumph in America's Wine Country, former San Francisco Chronicle editor and Sonoma local Vivienne Sosnowski chronicles the painful effects of Prohibition on those who made a living from the fruit of the vine.

Enter to win When the Rivers Ran Red--just leave a comment on the site with your job title.

Read the contest rules (short version: one entry per person, must be 21 or older and have a U.S. mailing address, enter by midnight Eastern time the following Thursday).

Congratulations to Chrystal of Capitola, CA, Susan of Quincy, FL, and Joanne of Woodbury, MN, winners of the ME Natural Beverages.
Congratulations to Claire of Double Oak, TX, winner of the BottleWise wine travel bag.

Web find of the week: Recycled Wine Bottle Torch from Craftzine.

PSA: Please drink responsibly, and never drink and drive.

16 October 2009

Health food nuts, listen up: Food Tees are a seriously adorable way to showcase your love of the natural. With designs like "bite me" (carrot), "graniac" (wheat stalk), and "flower child" (cauliflower), even those more inclined toward Dunkin Donuts than artichokes will dig these shirts.

Enter to win a short-sleeved T-shirt (snug or loose fit) in the design of your choice. Just leave a comment on the Vinobite site with your favorite design on the Food Tee site.

Read the contest rules (short version: one entry per person, must be 21 or older and have a U.S. mailing address, enter by midnight Eastern time the following Thursday).

Web find of the week: Drinking your Lafite on a root day = inauspicious: how biodynamics affect wine taste.

PSA: Please drink responsibly, and never drink and drive.