Guest post by Zee Bacaling

After all the globe trotting you’ve been seeing on this site, from Mexico to Portugal and even to a Dutch city that starts with an apostrophe! No, I’m not joking, did you read about Den Bosch yet?

Anyway, you might have been buying a few wines while reading along with these world travelers.  Or, you might have 8 cases piled up in your garage and you keep meaning to go to Home Depot to at least look around for something quick and easy to do.

So you want to buy wine racks but are not sure where to start.

It has a lot to do with the amount of wine at hand, the type of wood, the amount of space available. You may also have to consider the space needs of your wine accessories, and the main purpose of your wine rack.

Will it simply hold your wines, or would you like it to include a tasting table?

When you buy wine racks, you need to do a full review of your options, as your wine rack should last a lifetime. We assume you already know the four key elements of wine storage: temperature, humidity, light, and the storage units themselves.

So here are few tips to keep in mind when you start on your wine rack buying adventure. We promise you that just like shopping for fine wines, looking around and buying wine racks that fit your needs perfectly is just as fun!

• Get wine smart: know and understand the difference between total bottle capacity and racked bottle capacity. How many bottles will be resting on racks, and how many will be resting on other bottles? The distinction is important because when bottles rest on bottles, they can break or get scratched, or the labels can smudge or tear. Bottles on bottles also are much harder to access than individually racked bottles.

• If you have a large home you may want to buy larger wine racks. If you are staying in a smaller place then maybe a hanging wine rack, or one that rests on your counter will do.

• Find out the size capacity of the wine rack openings inside the wine cabinet or wine rack. Some allow larger bottles and others do not.

• Check the surface smoothness of the wine rack. You will be pulling bottles in and out of it, so make sure that when you buy wine racks, no scratching or tearing of the bottle labels will happen.

• Fancy those smaller self-contained cabinets that often look like little refrigerators? Well they are excellent at providing the conditions of true wine cellars: steady cool temperatures, set humidity, and limited light.

• Buying off-the shelf is easier and cheaper, but know that you can also purchase wine racks custom-made to fit your specific space.

Guest Author: Zee Bacaling is with the Marketing Department at Wine Cellar Innovations. She loves writing about wine racks and wine cellars and looking at the amazing photos that come through from client’s wine storage solutions. Follow them on Twitter or find them on Facebook.

Have you ever opened a bottle of red wine, poured it into a glass, and immediately took a sip?

Perhaps, at first sip, you’re not sure if you like the wine so much. Then, you realize the wine needs to breathe. This is exactly the reason why so many open a bottle of wine and let it sit, use a decanter, or pour it through an aerator.

Until recently, I didn’t realize there was another method of enjoying your wine as soon as you open the bottle.

Turns out, a German company has come up with technology built into the wine glass.

Eisch Glaskultur has created the SensisPlus glass which looks like a normal wine glass but supposedly enhances the enjoyment of wine.

Naturally, we put it to the test! We compared the Eisch SensisPlus glass with the Eisch Superior glass to see if we noticed the difference.

We opened a bottle of Basel Cellars red wine and immediately poured the wine into each glass.

As for the aroma, we didn’t notice an immediate difference between the two glasses. However, the aromas coming from the SensisPlus glass became more vibrant much faster than in the Superior. With the SensisPlus, the aromas seemingly danced around in the glass.

First we tasted the wine in the SensisPlus glass. And yes, it did taste as if the wine came from a bottle opened an hour ago. The wine we tasted in the Superior glass wasn’t nearly as vibrant at this stage.

At first sip, the SensisPlus glass definitely enhanced the wine. But, after a few minutes, the gap started closing and the difference wasn’t nearly as noticeable.

The Eisch Glaskultur SensisPlus glass retails around $30 per glass. Which, for a high-end wine glass, isn’t that out of the ordinary. Every serious wine drinker needs some serious stemware, but it all comes down to brand preference.

Disclaimer: These Eisch Glaskultur glasses were sent by Balzac Communications & Marketing for review.

1. Moleskin Notebook & Pen

Some of the best ideas come at a cruising altitude of 30,000 feet when I have nothing better to do.

Besides, it always comes in handy to jot down that to-die-for restaurant the guy in the window seat recommends. These notebooks are discreet and don’t take up much space.

2. Pashmina

Now that most airlines no longer carry blankets on flights, I make sure to always travel with a large Pashmina that can double as a scarf or blanket. This is particularly handy if you’re traveling in the colder months of the year. For warmer destinations, a beach wrap works equally as well.

3. Melatonin

If I’m crossing multiple time zones, I always pack Melatonin tablets. Just a few bucks at the pharmacy can save me from an extreme exhaustion. On a long-haul flight, I enjoy dinner, pop a few, and sit back and relax with my neck pillow and eyeshades.

4. The Diva Cup

Ladies, check out this website.

5. A Word Search Book

While books are essential, I’ve found word searches to be not only a great solitary activity, but something you can do with your travel partner while on a plane or lounging in your hotel. For under $10, a word search book provides hours of entertainment.

Reader Question: What are key items you always bring when traveling? Please leave your comment.

We’re always on the lookout for travel gadgets to make your vacation easier… or to ease the transition back home.

The Epson PictureMate® Show printer and digital frame is one of those devices that’ll make being home again, not so bad. While many rush to dowload pictures to Facebook, photo printing is another story. It tends to get put off until tomorrow, or the next day, or when you have nothing else to do. As if that ever happens…

Let’s face it: printing photos is a pain.

Unless you can do it from the comfort of your own home!

Overview:

The Epson PictureMate® Show printer is ideal for those who want to print high quality photos in the comfort of their own home. It’s easy to setup and very intuitive to use. The screen will walk you through the steps needed to easy print your photos.

The Printer:

It’s easy to use and while I recommend you follow the basic setup directions, you can pretty much throw them away after your first use. The screen does a great job of walking you through the simple steps.

To see the printer in action and view the quality, take a look at our Epson PictureMate® Show video review:

A few TravelPlusWine notes:

• While this printer might not be cheaper than going to the print shop, it certainly makes up for it in convenience and gas (after the initial investment for the machine, of course!). The PictureMate® Show costs about 26 cents/photo vs. 15 cents at a photo printing shop.

• Hopefully Epson will develop a touch screen very soon. A couple of times I forgot I had to use a remote and my fingers went directly to the screen! They assert the remote helps keep the screen “free of fingerprints.”

• No computer or software is needed to print the photos, just plug it into a wall.

• The Digital Photo Frame is a really nice addition to the printer. If it’s sitting around your office or home, you might as well show off your photos.

• The photo resolution on “Standard” is great and at first glance, you really can’t see any huge improvement by choosing “Best” quality. I had a photographer compare the two and he was able to pick out the “Best” and said the colors and edges were a bit sharper. However, I’ll personally continue to use “Standard.”

• After printing, the photos dry really fast, so no worrying about smudges.

• Photos can be printed in color, black & white, or sepia.

• The photo cropping and red eye reduction features are nice additions to the printer.

Features:

For a full and official list of Epson PictureMate® Show features and specs, visit the Epson website.

Retail value:

$229.99 on Amazon.

This is a guest post by Kristi Davis from Grotto Custom Wine Cellars and Cabinets:

After all that traveling, you must have a special collection of wine to remember your trips by.  Where are you storing all that wine? You may be on the hunt for the perfect wine rack.

Your wine collection is growing, and while you can opt to use a wine cooler or wine refrigerator, in due time, however, your wine collection could quickly outgrow your wine cooler unit. The next logical step then is to purchase wine racks and create a beautiful wine cellar or wine storage area.

Shopping for and choosing a wine rack can be quite overwhelming with so many wine rack styles and sizes available in the market today. So before you head out to purchase the first rack you fancy, ask yourself these basic questions first:

#1 – Where do you want it stored?

The biggest mistake wine newbies make is placing a wine rack in the kitchen. The kitchen is where sunlight would be streaming in from your window and this is definitely a no-no for wines. Look for the coolest part of the home, preferably the basement, and install your wine racks there. Wine racks are best used in a temperature and humidity-controlled area, away from sunlight and vibration.

# 2 – Just how big is your collection?

How many bottles do you have now and how much more do you think you will be buying in the future? To make it easier for you, list down how many bottles you buy in a month so you can make an estimate. By doing this, you can pick the right size, height and type of wine rack kit for your collection. Also, take into account the number of expected parties or social gatherings you will be opening your house to. It may also depend on the types of wines you prefer. Since you will be collecting bottles of different sizes, make sure you choose a wine rack later on that can fit any type of wine bottle.

# 3 – What kind of look are you going for?

If you’re worried about how the wine rack will complement your home, take a look at your interior décor and furniture. Do you go for wood wine racks or metal? Most wine racks are made of wood, and while your choice of material is a matter of preference, wooden wine racks are known to be stronger and more stable. When you look at wine racks, look at the thickness of the wood pieces as this is also critical. Wood species varieties commonly used in wine racks are Redwoods, Pine, or Mahogany. Avoid aromatic wood species like cedar, as its potent scent has the tendency to taint the flavor of the wine in the long run.

Once you’ve answered these questions, choosing the perfect wine rack shouldn’t be a problem.

So go ahead and enjoy collecting fine wines and store them proudly in your wine racks. Not only do they protect your wines – they make a great accent piece to your home as well, giving you pleasure every time you take a bottle from it and drink to your heart’s content.

Get your wine racks custom made from Grotto Custom Wine Cellars and Cabinets. We create perfect wine racks that can complement your home.