‘Tis the season and time for holiday gift recommendations. What to get the wine lover in your life? Not the same old same old. I’ve been looking all year for the coolest, most unique – and yes, stylish presents for you to give — and a few you might want to keep for yourself! Cheers and happy holidays. Chill Out. Forget chilling a whole bottle of wine, go by the glass. Keep the Napa Wine Chiller, a shiny silver sphere, aka “balls of steel” in the freezer until you’re ready to pour a glass or two of wine. Takes about 2 minutes or so to completely chill one glass of wine, and it works for at least two glasses. Does not hit your mouth when you sip. When you’re done, rinse, dry and refreeze. Tip: really only works with wide mouth glasses and bigger glasses that allow you to swirl even with…
On the Wine Oh TV Wine Club: A New Label for Mat Kearney
Courtesy Wine Oh TV Ok I’ll admit it. I’m not as up on current music as I used to be. Play most any song from the late 70’s and the 80’s and I can name that tune (a skill which recently earned me a Lava Flow at Pool Bar Jim’s in Hilton Head Island). I pay more attention now to wine labels than record labels. So when I first tried a red wine called “Verse & Chorus” I had to ask “who is Mat Kearney?” Maybe not knowing him or his music made me be totally skeptical about another musician fronting a wine label. But I was pleasantly surprised when I tried this soft, rich and fruity wine, with notes of cherry, violets and chocolate. I liked it so much I immediately went to Whole Foods, where Verse & Chorus is sold exclusively, to buy more. I got to learn…
Breaking the Taboo of Wine and Perfume
For eons, perfume has been banned from any place where wine is being tasted, consumed, enjoyed. As a wine professional, it is taboo for me to wear perfume to a trade tasting, a wine dinner or other wine related event. The same goes for people working in the wine industry, whether they are working in the winery as a cellar rat, enologist, winemaker or pouring at the tasting bar. Wine and perfume together…not allowed! Forbidden. Until now. I’ve been on a mission to break the taboo of wine and perfume together. As a Certified Sommelier, I love to pair wine with perfume. Both are aromatic experiences. In fact, without your sense of smell, wine (or any food or beverage) would not be as enjoyable, because your sense of taste really comes from your sense of smell. The tongue can’t distinguish floral from spicy, but your nose can. And, it’s that ability…
WineFashionista is a Finalist in The Wine Blog Awards! Please Vote!
I am super humbled and honored that this blog WineFashionista is a Finalist in the Wine Blog Awards for Best Writing on a Wine Blog. The Wine Blog Awards are given out each year at the Wine Bloggers Conference. I am in great company in my category with some of the best wine writers in the country. This is my first time being a finalist. To be named a finalist, my blog had to be nominated. There were 100+ nominees in my category. Then a panel of judges, basically a panel of wine writing peers, voted for the top six blogs. Somehow mine was one of those six. I was quite surprised and thrilled. Now the general public gets their say. This is where you my dear readers, come in. Click on this link, then click on the big red VOTE button. Voting ends June 19th at 11:59 pm. I would…
Dress to the Vines is Back!
For the second year, Jessup Cellars in Napa Valley is bringing style to Wine Country. That’s right, the fabulous event, Dress to the Vines, is back! And I’ll be joining in once again, pairing the wonderful wines from Jessup Cellars with artisan perfumer Sarah Horowitz Parfums amazing fragrances. This is an olfactory experience you don’t want to miss. “Our belief is that the Napa Valley has more than just influenced the culinary landscape of America, it’s also setting trends for style and fashion from coast-to-coast,” says Joel Quigley of Jessup Cellars. “This is what we’re celebrating!” Yountville, in the heart of Napa Valley and home to Jessup is fashion central for three days and nights June 26th to June 28th. On June 26 the Dress to the Vines weekend kicks-off poolside at the Bardessono Hotel & Spa with the hotel’s Dive Bar Fashion Party2, from 6-8 pm. This is where…
Curious About Wine and Perfume Pairings? Save The Date November 16, 2013!
Find out why it’s no longer taboo to pair wine and perfume at our upcoming workshop, The Essence of Fragrance. Join me and master perfumer Sarah Horowitz as we take you on an olfactory exploration of wine and scent on Saturday, November 16, 2013 from 4 – 6 pm. Sign up soon, this is sure to sell out fast! This workshop will take place in the greater Los Angeles area; stay tuned for location announcement. WHAT: The Essence of Fragrance – A Wine and Perfume Pairing WHEN: Saturday, November16, 2013 TIME: 4-6 pm WHERE: In the Greater Los Angeles Area CONTACT: Mary Orlin, WineFashionista mary@orlinmedia.com Sarah Horowitz sarah@sarahhorowitz.com WORKSHOP FEE: $125 per person. limit 10 people We present The Essence of Fragrance – a two hour exploration of the aromatic experience of wine and perfume, led by Master Perfumer Sarah Horowitz and Sommelier and Journalist Mary Orlin. We will be…
Dress to the Vines!
It’s a weekend of wine country fashion! Join me at Jessup Cellars in the heart of Napa Valley for Dress to the Vines, a four-day celebration of fashion, wine and perfume. I’ll be doing perfume pairings with Jessup wines and Sonoma Scent Studio fragrances. We’ll dish on the latest wine country style and talk about how Napa Valley influences fashion with industry insiders, magazine editors and stylists. If you are a wine fashionista like me, you won’t want to miss this ground-breaking event that puts style on par with wine, food and art in wine country. On Thursday night, August 15, I’ll be part of a panel talking all things fashion and wine country. To kick off the event, I’m pairing three Jessup Cellars wines with perfumes from wine country based Sonoma Scent Studio that will highlight different aromatic notes in the wines. While wine and perfume together are usually…