Ode to Broken Bottle of Canadian Wine

posted by Annie in Guest Bloggers

As if stained clothing, a dripping suitcase, and money down the drain isn’t enough, a broken bottle of souvenir/gift wine is never cool.

Bringing home wine presents is a common thing - we go to a foreign land (say Canada for example), we purchase wine for drinking at home upon returning from the foreign land, and we try our darnedest to pack the wine in such a way that checking the bag (since a wine bottle is way more than 3oz and the duty free selection is never any good) won’t break the bottle. Sadly, its never a sure thing.

My previous mentioned boyfriend, one with good knowledge of my palate, brought me back wine presents in a similar fashion from a foreign land. (Canada) He returned with a Cabernet Franc and a Canadian Bordeaux-style blend from British Columbia packed in clothing, paperbags, and a cardboard bottle separator. He was so excited to give me the wine, but when he opened the bag to get them out, the telltale scent of Cabernet Franc wafted out, and some newly pinked undershirts were there. Disaster. Wine everywhere. Gift destroyed. Boyfriend depressed.

I said it to cheer him up, but it was really true. At least I got to smell it. The thought was there, and I saw the bottle’s label so I knew it really was an un-exported British Columbian wine. A pity though really. It was thoughtful and smelled like it would have been tasty.

I think its now clear that the number 1 rule of packing wine in a suitcase is plastic bags. In the event of bottle breakage, at least there is a barrier between liquid and your white boating outfit from Berdorfs. Rule number 2 is padding. Clothes are nice, but so is packing material, bubble wrap, and/or poofy jackets.

Has this ever happened to you? Are you still cursing the ever-so careful luggage handlers at American Airlines?

The Revenge of Canned Sparkling Wine

posted by Annie in Wine, Guest Bloggers

I wrote a blog a few weeks back about the horrors of canned sparkling wine. It contained quite a big of anger and disdain in it - as well commentary on Paris Hilton. I am sad to say that after all these months of hard core avoidance, I finally found myself holding a can of this blasphemous wine, and I was quite shocked when I was still alive after drinking it. I am a humble person, so I must say, I will retract some of my hatred. Some.

Let’s back track for a second here. I was at an event in NYC. It was sponsored by several beverage brands, one being Sofia Mini California Blanc de Blanc. When we walked in, I noticed partygoers holding in their hands champagne flutes that seemed to be full of sparkling wine. Well, whatever they had was not what I got. When I ordered my glass of champagne at the bar and was not handed a fancy glass, but a can of Sofia with a straw in it.

FIRST OF ALL, who drinks sparkling wine with a straw? Its like those people who get a beer at a sports event or concert, and sip it delicately through a clear straw. And to add insult to injury, the beer has a soda top on the cup. Beer + Straw = Bad. Sparkling Wine + Straw = Bad. With that being said…

It really wasn’t that bad. Considering I was in a large event space, packed with after-work drinking types, this is the perfect place to serve a canned beverage. People were knocking into me, stepping on my toes, people were dancing. As I had said in my previous blog, there is a time and a place. And there I was - the time and the place were right. I sipped on my wine, gave it some looks of disgust, but continued to drink until there was no more. I held my head in shame.

Without beating a dead horse, lets just get to the moral of my story. I got to have sparkling wine at my fancy event without risking stains on my white satin fancy top. I guess its not too bad of an idea after all….