Soon To Be A Movie, Now In A Bottle. Fifty Shades Of Grey Wines.

I really wanted to title this post "Wine That Comes With Cheese," but the truth is (regardless of my personal opinion) people love this trilogy of books by E. L. James and the powers of character Christian Grey continue to seduce the public. The popular paperbacks have now inspired a collection of wines - a savvy marketing move by Random House.

Smart Marketing: Wines For Dummies. Actual Wine, Not Books.

By now we all know there are several published Wines For Dummies books. From Italian Wines to Reading Wine Labels, the Wiley brand offers many ways to get to know your vino. But now, they sell actual wines. That's right, bottles of Wines For Dummies. Not fine wines, mind you, but basic 10$ bottles of Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chianti for the novice.



Graced with the familiar looking labels, the wines are a brilliant marketing idea as an offshoot of a well established brand. They may not be the sort of thing you'd bring to impress a date or a dinner party host, but are a fun way for the beginner to explore the basics of the fermented grape.






Drinkhacker reviews each of the wines as follows:

2012 Wines for Dummies Pinot Grigio IGT – A real Italian Pinot Grigio. Mildly tropical and atypical for Pinot Grigio, with a touch of funk beneath the fruit. Not much acidity to speak of, which is unfortunate but unsurprising at this price. Not sure if this is an apropos introduction to Pinot Grigio, but it’s at least a harmless wine on the whole. B-

2011 Wines for Dummies Chianti DOCG – Italian DOCG Chianti for just 10 bucks? Hard to believe, and proof that decent Chianti needn’t cost a fortune. Classic, intense red cherry character is the dominant flavor here, though the nose has some curious black tea character as well. The body is a little tart, a touch too balsamic on the back end, but overall a decent intro to the way Chianti — or at lease Sangiovese — is supposed to taste like. B

2011 Wines for Dummies Chardonnay California – A minimally oaked Chardonnay, this is actually an easy drinking wine with modest melon, lemon, and white peach character. Some vanilla on the back end. Simple, but reasonably appropriate as an intro to California Chardonnay, though a far cry from the more buttery, heavily oaked styles that drinkers are more likely to encounter. B

2011 Wines for Dummies Cabernet Sauvignon California – My least favorite of this bunch, a simple and not very lively Cab that offers a modest plum body, backed with somewhat harsh tobacco and leather notes. It finishes off with a rather unpleasant finish. C



So, if this is your first foray into the world of wine, it's an inexpensive and fun way to learn a little something - and catch a buzz.

$10 each at winesfordummies

Swanson's Vineyards Modern House Wines Make Great Gifts. For Just About Anyone.

Wondering what to bring to your next dinner party? Or to buy for the Boss/Friend/Co-worker/Therapist/Lover or basically anyone who drinks wine? Look no further than Swanson Vineyard's Modern House Wines.

Stay On Coasters for Wine Glasses. Now That's An Idea That Holds Water.

This falls under the "Now, why didn't I think of that?" category. Mother and daughter fashion and design team from Iceland, Dimmalimm, did and call them "Stay On Coasters." Cute felt coasters that attach to the bottom of your wine glass, attractively absorbing any condensation the glass may leave on a surface.




The coasters, which slip onto the base of your glass in two sizes, perform double duty - protecting surfaces and helping to distinguish ownership of the beverage.


above: Hibiscus, Fest and Citrus are the three designs available.

The wool/ rayon blend of coasters absorb condensation and can be hand washed and simply laid flat to dry. Three different designs and several different colors are available and sets can be mixed and matched.






See their site for details regarding sizes and prices.

Note: these are on sale for 30% off at Fab.com right now and for the week. If you aren't already a member, use the invite link below:
http://fab.com/y06r4g

A Different Way To Set Diamonds. And Your Dinner Table. Diamonds In Glass.

Way back in February of 2008, I blogged about DIG, Diamonds in Glass, an Austrian company that came up with a way to suspend genuine cut diamonds in borosilicate glass.

The high quality faceted diamonds appeared in stemware, napkin rings, keychains and jewelry items for both men and women. Since 2008, things have changed at DIG. The shapes and silhouettes of their stemware are different and colored or frosted glass is now available. While they still carry jewelry and keychains, those styles have changed as well. And now they've included some unique collaborations such as eyeglasses.

DIG Tableware


DIG uses Wesselton Diamonds of VVS1 clarity. The customer can choose from various sizes depending upon the application. Due to the curvature of the glass, the diamond has the appearance of being much larger than it actually is.

DIG Drinking Glasses
White wine glasses with diamonds in the stems:

Red wine glasses with diamonds in the stems:

Champagne and Multi-use glasses with diamonds in the stems:

Champagne flutes with diamonds in the stems:

Their drinking glasses, made of borosilicate glass with diamonds embedded in the stem come in white wine, red wine, multi-beverage and champagne styles. The diamonds can be embedded in clear, frosted, black or blue glass surroundings. Diamonds are available in four sizes; 0.15, 0.20, 0.30, or 0.5 carats.


The DIG Imperial glass:


The Imperial Glass is the most expensive Champagne glass in the world (at least DIG says so). The stem of the glass is exquisitely handmade of 180g gold with extreme care by the company Tauerngold. Contained in the Imperial Glass are a total of 8.1 carats of diamonds. The diamonds are partly set into the golden stem by hand, and partly implemented according to the Diamond in Glass process.



DIG Napkin Rings:



DIG Caviar bowl and spoon:

DIG caviar dish with spoon has a total of 0.30 ct. of diamonds. A diamond is in the stem of the bowl and one in the spoon. The diamonds are backed with glass available in clear, blue, black or frosted.

DIG Jewelry
DIG Diamond Pendants/ necklaces:






DIG Diamond Rings:
Various size stones available and settings in white gold or stainless steel.




DIG Earrings:



DIG Cufflinks:


DIG Keychains:



DIG & Andy Wolf Brille
DIG & Andy Wolf eyelasses with a total of 0.20 ct.Diamond set in yellow gold in the temple stem.


Miscellaneous:
The DIG Kings Saxophone was especially designed and made for Thailand’s Millionaire Expo. The saxophone is 38cm high and weighs about 1kg. In the instrument there are 7 diamonds, having a total of 2 carats, as well as 280g of gold.



The DIG Kings Saxophone comes in a wooden case with a black piano lacquer. The King of Thailand’s Royal Coat of Arms is also hand painted onto the casing. The Kings Saxophone was completed after 100 hours of careful and skillfull handicraft.

Austrian duo, glassblower Natascha Schenk and designer Tobias Berger together are Diamonds in Glass:



They sell a few of the above items in their online webshop, but you can contact them for other options as well as custom designs.

Diamonds in Glass