Wine Cooler 4 U Blog

The Chinese love French Bordeaux, it comprising nearly half of China’s annual imports. But Chinese imports from the U.S. rose by 27% to $45 million last year, and it’s now among the leaders.

Cavavin Majestika 099 Bottle Wine Cellar

Australia represents about one-quarter of China’s wine imports, with brands like Treasury Wine Estates’ Penfolds and Pernod Ricard’s Jacob’s Creek. “Jacob’s Creek is growing by more than 23% annually. Italy, Spain and Chile also have sizeable market share and are capitalizing on China’s broadening consumer interest in wine.

We think the Chinese would do well by storing all that foreign wine in a customized wooden wine cabinet.

“Windows on the World Complete Wine Course“, 2006, Kevin Zraly, Sterling Publishing Co., ISBN-13:978-1-4027-3928-6.  Price: $20 and less.

Vinotemp 192 Bottle Sonoma LUX-296 Credenza Wine Cabinet (VT-VINO-SONOMA296L)

This has been my most favored book about wines.  Even though I have had a great love of wine for 30 years, I am still learning.  If you knew everything in this book, you would indeed be a go-to person for wine information.  Kevin Zraly, a very knowledgeable person on wine, structures the material as a text book for wine classes.  Some of the chapter titles are:

• The White Wines of France
• The Wines of Washington, Oregon, and New York
• The White Wines of California
• The White Wines of Germany
• The Red Wines of Burgundy and the Rhone Valley
• The Red Wines of Bordeaux
• The Red Wines of California
• Wines of the World: Italy, Spain, Australia, Chile, and Argentina
• Champagne, Sherry and Port

Learn about wines, then store them in your Vinotemp wooden wine cabinet.

Wine for Dummies [Book] by Ed McCarthy, Mary Ewing-Mulligan, 4th Edition, Approximately $15.00

This is a typical “Dummies” book. It is easy reading, well organized and well written. It is an excellent read for novices, those wanting to extend their wine knowledge and, if you are already well read on the subject, it is a good read to learn a bit more.
The more you know about wines the more you are going to want to own a residential wine cellar.

A couple of years ago, the Wall Street Journal identified the books that everyone, who is serious about wine, should have in their library. I have them all. They contain an enormous amount of information.  You may recognize some of the authors as they are well known in the wine world.

• “Oxford Companion to Wine” edited by Jansis Robinson. Published by the Oxford Press, 3^rd Edition: 2006, hardcover. This is a comprehensive, alphabetically arranged reference to wine. It is about 9″W x 11″H x 2″ thick and weighs 9#. Amazon price is approximately $40.00.
• “The Sotheby’s Wine Encyclopedia: The Classic Reference to the Wines of the World” by Tom Stevenson. 3rd Edition. This is a reference work on wine and is required reading for the Master of Wine, Master Sommelier and Cape Wine Master examinations. It is about 9″W x 11″H x 2″ thick and weighs 6#. Amazon price is approximately $55.00.
• “The World atlas of Wine” by Hugh Johnson and Jancis Robinson. Published by Mitchell Beazley. 6^th Edition 2007. This is another reference work on the world of wine. It is about 9″W x 11″H x 2″ thick and weighs 5#. Amazon price is approximately $31.00.
• “The Wine Bible”, by Karen MacNeil. Published by the Berkely Publishing Group. Authoritative and entertaining. Amazon price is approximately $14.00.

The more you know about wine the more likely there is a wooden wine refrigerator in your future.

"Thomas Jefferson on Wine", The Book Cover

We all know that Thomas Jefferson was a key player in the formation of our early government and the Declaration of Independence. But, do you know that he had a lifelong interest in wine?  He learned about wines in Europe as American Ambassador. He grew the grapes and produced wines at Monticello, his long-time home in Virginia. He was America’s first oenophile and influenced the drinking habits of his friends.  John Hailman presents a fascinating excursion through the many aspects of Jefferson’s love of wine.

Some of the descendants of those early wine friends and merchants still produce the wines Jefferson enjoyed.  Hopefully, those wines he enjoyed were stored in an underground wooden wine cellar.

“Thomas Jefferson on Wine“, John Hailman, University Press of Mississippi, 1909.