The Rose’ drinking season is upon us, and with it, the inevitable spills on white and pastel colored clothes. You know I am a huge fan of Wine Away, and now, Wine Away comes in a handy purse size Wine Away is an amazing red wine stain remover formulated to most red wine stains from carpet and fabric – even some older stains. Wine Away is made from fruit and vegetable extracts, has a fresh citrus scent, and does not contain bleach or phosphates. The new purse size is a handy, attractive package resembling a lighter – open the top, then spray. $6.00 at Sur La Table, http://www.surlatable.com/
Going to a lot of wine tastings over the summer? It is high season for that. At the end of a challenging event, no need to walk away with purplish-colored teeth. Wine Wipes are a quick and easy way to remove red wine stains from your teeth and mouth. They use a proprietary blend of natural ingredients which not only clean red wine off teeth but also neutralize the palate. The small cloth has an orange blossom flavor that does not interfere with the wine tasting experience, and no water or rinsing is necessary after using them. They work, trust me. Available at http://www.winewipes.com/
It’s not uncommon to open a number of bottles of wine during the course of cocktail hour and dinner and dessert. Now there is no need to throw out the glass or two left in the bottle, since you can keep it fresh for a few more days with the use of a good wine topper reclosure cap. I like the ones made by Beltappo; they are thermoplastic and use materials that are FDA food grade approved and food contact acceptable. The toppers are unbreakable, reusable, dishwasher safe and recyclable. They come in packages of 6 colored “T-tops” and fit all major wine and spirits bottles. If you can’t find them locally, call the company at 206 780 0607 or go to the website at http://www.beltappo.com/
To get the last drop out of every wonderful bottle of wine, the Wine Shield is the answer. It’s a disc that is inserted into an open bottle of wine, and it extends the life of wine for up to 5 days by shielding it against oxidation. This shield (disc) is constructed of approved food contact plastic, and will fit 9 out of 10 wine bottle sizes. One it is inserted into the neck of the bottle and falls onto the surface of the wine, it create an air barrier. You can buy it online at http://winehardware.com/; a pack of 6 is $5.99 or 50 for $29.99.
If your wine drinking friends have more than 12 bottles on hand, sometimes it is difficult to keep track of what’s in the wine rack or boxes hither and yon. I personally use the disposable Wine Bottle Tags from Epic Products. These tags go over the neck of the bottle, and you can write the essential information you need: winery, year, varietal and maybe price. Buy them at many wine stores, about $5-6 for a pack of 50 (p.s. you can write on the opposite side too, so essentially you are covered for 100 bottles….) or order from Epic Products at http://www.epicstyle.com/. There are also reusable tags where you wipe off the ink, and those are also available in a gift set includes 20 plastic tags and an erasable pen, $6.95 on the Epic website.
Taking a bottle of chilled white wine to your hostess? Take it in an insulated single bottle carrier. It has a snap flap, carrying handle and pocketed waiters corkscrew. $18.95, from Epic Products.
© 2010 Barbara Keck
For more information on dining and the wide range of activities around Lake Tahoe, see the online version of The Tahoe Weekly. This article appeared in my column "It's Grape" in June 2010.
Watch for my forthcoming book: "Wineries of the Sierra and Its Foothills". Publication date early Summer 2011, Wine Appreciation Guild Publishing.
For more information on dining and the wide range of activities around Lake Tahoe, see the online version of The Tahoe Weekly. This article appeared in my column "It's Grape" in June 2010.
Watch for my forthcoming book: "Wineries of the Sierra and Its Foothills". Publication date early Summer 2011, Wine Appreciation Guild Publishing.
Although IT IS NOT FOR YOUR TEETH!! Read on:
ReplyDeleteStain Rx is the best stain remover out there. I have been using it on red wine stains since 1969. Just touch it to red wine, iodine, berries (INCLUDING POMEGRANATE), fruit punch, cranberry juice, and the stains disappear in a second. Stains such as mascara, lipstick, blood, balsamic vinegar, vanilla extract and others come out with a little massaging and rinsing. Soak your diamond, gold and platinum jewelry in it for 20 minutes to overnight, you won’t believe it! By the way, the University of California – Davis did a study on red wine stain removal and the #1, ready to use winner was Stain Rx (a.k.a. Erado-Sol). It killed Wine Away which is available everywhere. Go to www.StainRx.com to see what else it does.
As far as carpeting and upholstery: I use Stain Rx on carpeting and upholstery all the time and have the method down. First, I vacuum the entire carpet or piece of upholstery being treated. Then I clean the entire carpet or upholstery with my Hoover Steam-Vac, a carpet shampooer is at least as good, plus, I ONLY use warm water - no detergent at all. The Hoover sprays in water and vacuums it out. For the carpet I use the Steam-Vac and on upholstery I use the Steam-Vac attachments to do this. While the carpet or upholstery is still wet from this step, do the following; Depending on the size of the stain, put a “dot” of Stain Rx on your fingertip and rub out one stain at a time. After treating a stain, remove all the soapy residue from that area using the instructions below and go on to the next stain. HERE IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART: You have to remove all the soapy residue using the attachments from the Steam-Vac, carpet shampooer or a wet/dry shop vacuum. RINSE OUT ALL OF THE SOAPY RESIDUE USING WATER AND THE VACUUM. If you leave Stain Rx in the area, dust will stick forming a gray spot in a few weeks. If this happens, just add water and remove all of the soapy residue. Let dry and marvel at the job you did.