However, I admit there is one aisle at my favorite store that I slow down for. I will go slowly, salivating over everything on display, trying to figure out which items have to go home with me that day.

What is your favorite part of the store?

Several people are already throwing out guesses as to what it was I had in that glass.

What do you think?

They didn’t really say how small the glass had to be, though! Okay, so perhaps a clarification was made at some point – but I’m going to pretend I didn’t read that part.

This is a nurse LEGO minifig attained at BrickCon by @HipsForHire yesterday. It got to the wine before I could, and I had to clean up small piles of LEGO puke this morning. That stuff is impossible to get out of carpet!

Oh, and the wine was a nice Black Box cabernet sauvignon. Yes, I drink box wine and collect LEGO. You got a problem with that?

There is often a bad perception surrounding box wine. People turn their noses up, feeling the quality couldn’t possibly be good. I’m not a wine snob – I’ll try anything at least once! I also am a person who lives alone and therefore doesn’t always drink a bottle of wine before it goes stale. Drinking this boxed wine is a great solution. The inner bag is vacuum-sealed so that the liquid inside manages to retain the taste for a long period of time. Best of all… the taste is actually darn good much of the time.

Imei is a good friend who happens to live alone, as well. When I told her about my collection of boxed wines, she was pretty skeptical. I run into this often, so I’m used to it! However, she’s a good sport and readily agreed to taste-test some of these with me – on one condition! She said we had to drink right from the spigot. Oh heck yes! I’m down with that.

Imei was happily surprised to find how tasty some of these were. Granted, they aren’t exactly from a vintage year or premium cellar. However, they go down well and satisfy my urge for a good glass of wine. I’m not only saving money by paying less in the beginning… I’m also saving it by not letting the wine go to waste.

Saving money AND having good wine… how can it get any better than that?

The Wine Ph.D. app provides wine enthusiasts and novices alike with the information they need to make an intelligent wine selection. The app is available for no cost in iTunes right now as a special promotion.

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I spilled the whole damn glass. Now THAT is alcohol abuse. That puddle represents what was left of my favorite bottle, too.

You can watch this video to learn more about the Fledgling Initiative and the important work of Room to Read:

Whether you want to try the 2009 Fledgling Pinot Noir or the 2009 Fledgling Chardonnay, you can pre-order bottles online now. Each bottle of wine will cost $20, with $5 of the cost going directly to Room to Read. Hurry though! Bottling begins August 25th, and it’s going to go fast!

I am a Geek who happens to love gadgets, food and wine. When the folks at Nuance sent me their newest aerator to review, I jumped at the chance. You have to properly aerate a bottle of wine prior to drinking it, or you’ll never experience the true taste. If you don’t want to wait for the bottle to breathe on its own, then a gadget such as this may be just the ticket for you.

The Wine Finer will decant a bottle of red wine in 30 seconds – as you’re pouring it into your glasses. It filters out all of the sediment leaving behind only the tastes that you were meant to experience. Once you’re finished, you can leave it in the bottle and use it as a stopper so that the remaining wine stays fresh.

It works very well, and is simple to use (and clean!). If you’re a Geek who loves wine and gadgets… you might want to check this out for yourself.

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You know I love wines and wine gadgetry. For that reason, the people at Centellino sent me their newest aerator to review. Instead of drinking wine immediately after opening it, you want the wine to breathe. You use an aerator to speed up the breathing process. This particular model is made of hand-blown glass, and it looks like a work of art.

The Centellino Areadivino Wine Aerator & Decanter aerates and oxygenates wine, which amplifies the flavor. Simply fit the Centellino into the bottle and fill the amphora by tilting the bottle. This aerates the wine gently. You can also use the Centellino to seal the bottle so that it doesn’t become “stale” after it has been opened.

I’ve used other aerators in the past. I can’t say that the Centellino does a fantastic job of opening up the wine. It certainly does work, but I don’t feel it’s extremely effective. More than anything, I think it looks nice. It’s something you can show off to friends, and use to cap off the wine bottle when you’re done.

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It’s another Seattle Tweetup! Thought I’d show you a snapshot of what’s on the menu for tonight.

This particular event is being hosted by BlackPearlSEA, NorthESea and Seattle_Events. I was too busy eating to write much, but Northeast Seattle Life has a nom-nopsis. Contributions for the event were provided by: BlackPearlSEA, NWTotemCellars and GRLakeWine.

Also in attendance:

• @tarynmiller
• @JenKMiller
• @MyPartini
• @bananablossom
• @posiegirl
• @colbyjn
• @hnlmark
• @chefamadeus
• @belvoir

• Tried @LatahCreekWine at #WAMerlot: very light, very smooth. Scrumdiddlyumptious!
• Tried “Shameless Hussy” @hardrow at #WAMerlot: sexy; it’s nibbling my tongue.
• Tried ’07 “Traditions” @milbrantvino at #WAMerlot: very cherry, calm splash against my twaste buds.
• Tried “Reserve” @MaryhillWinery at #WAMerlot: it’s like a summer day picnic without humidity or ants. Thanks, @SeaWineOutlet!
• Tried ’03 @wilridge at #WAMerlot: an isosceles triangle outlined with mistletoe. It’s a left-handed mathematician.
• Tried ’07 @HestiaCellars at #WAMerlot: A Soda Popinski body blow to my Glass Joe palate.
• Tried ’07 @PepperBridge at #WAMerlot: cheeky little bastard, this one. A bit manic, bordering on wallflower. Twasty!

I had a fantastic time at the “WA Merlot” tweetup, as you can tell from the above tweets (posted in real-time through my Twitter account and recorded here for posterity)!

We normally talk tech in my live chat room. But, occasionally, we tend to talk of other things. One of those things happens to be fine wines. I enjoy a glass or two of wine at times… preferably a nice red wine. The problem with red wine is that you have to let them breathe… nearly an hour after opening! I want a shortcut. And, I love gadgets and gizmos! The Vinturi Essential Wine Aerator works. I don’t have to wait any more after opening my bottle of wine prior to drinking it. It really does make a huge difference in the taste.

The aerators include a washable, no-drip stand… so there’s no mess on the table when you’re finished. All you do is hold the Vinturi Aerator over your wine glass, and pour your wine through it. It magically draws in and mixes the proper amount of air so that you get the best possible taste and smell out of each and every drop.

Even better… this thing comes with its own carrying case! Take it with you whenever you think you may have a glass of wine. You never know if it’s been properly aged or decanted.

I gotta thank my friends at ThinkGeek for sending this over to me to review. This is absolutely something I will never live without again!! Don’t forget that you can get a discount on anything you wish to buy from ThinkGeek, by using our coupons!

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Maura Desimone has launched a new blog: My Wine Quest. Here is one of her first reviews…

2008 Mollydooker, The Boxer Shiraz

Awarded 91 points by Wine Spectator

I had this fabulous wine at Jak’s Grill in Seattle. They were offering it as a special. It had a big, bold fruity start, then a great spicy taste. I was surprised it didn’t linger a bit longer, the finish was a bit abrupt. All in all, I liked it so much I had to find out more about it. I love the flavor & the price. It’s going on my list of keepers.

Here’s what’s in it: Australian Shiraz. Combining the regional flavours of grapes from McLaren Vale, Langhorne Creek and Padthaway.

$26/bottle retail

I’m rating it an 8!

You can purchase 2008 Mollydooker, The Boxer Shiraz at Wine.com and don’t forget to use these coupons to save some money.

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What type of wine is your favorite? I prefer reds, absolutely. Give me a good glass of Pinot or Cabernet and I’m a happy camper. While in Hawaii last week, I tasted three different reds while at Sergio’s in Honolulu… the Pinot, the Cabernet and a nice Chianti. They were all definitely – red!

A Pinot wine comes from grapes that are grown around the world, mostly in the cooler regions, but the grape is chiefly associated with the Burgundy region of France. It is widely considered to produce some of the finest wines in the world, but is a difficult variety to cultivate and transform into wine.

Cabernet Sauvignon makes the most dependable candidate for aging, more often improving into a truly great wine than any other single varietal. With age, its distinctive black currant aroma can develop bouquet nuances of cedar or violets.

Chianti is a red Italian wine produced in Tuscany. Chianti is sometimes called the “Bordeaux of Italy”. The flexibility in the blending recipe for Chianti accounts for some of the variability in styles among Chiantis. Lighter bodied styles will generally have a higher proportion of white grape varieties blended in, while Chiantis that have only red grape varieties will be fuller and richer.

How many of you knew any of those things about the different types of wine I tasted? It goes to show that you learn something new every day! There is a lot of work that goes into making an excellent bottle of wine… and there are many methods of smelling, tasting and simply experiencing wine, as well.

For me – it’s all about how smoothly it goes down. What do you look for in a good wine? What qualities are important to you? Is it the smell… the texture… or simply the taste? What’s your favorite type and/or brand?

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