LoonBoarder wrote:This brings to mind a thread from not too long ago where a wine.woot!er rigged up (a la MacGyver) a solution to a cork that had broken off in the bottle - it involved a lag bolt and a pair of locking pliers...

Here is the pic It's not mine. Hope the original poster doesn't mind.

DonaldWilliams wrote:It was indeed. I wish I'd saved that picture.
BTW, on the subject of corkscrews, if you happen to be left-handed, as I am, and you've been using a "normal" corkscrew for years, resist the temptation to get a left-handed one. Too much work to unlearn the old moves, especially removing the cork from the screw after removing it from the bottle. I got one as a gift, and it drove me nuts. I lost it in a hurry.

Use one of the rabbits. Then you don't have to worry about being right or left handed. example: Rabbit at Bevmo

The idea of marketing the "screw cap" is an excellent idea. Not to be disrespectful, but ibyron's dismissal of such an endeavor severely underestimates the power our perceptions (all perceptions are "percieved", it's difficult to prove any are "real") have on our behavior. Anyone who knows the classic story of Haagen-dazs' marketing plan when their ice cream was first released, understands how creating a perception of quality is just as important as the actual quality of a product. Obviously the product must be good enough or consumers will flee, but the initial impression is what attracts the consumer to try the product in the first place. In the case of "stelvin closures", the product has proven to be of superior quality. Excellent idea uglybastard!!!

Corrado wrote:Drape a dishtowel loosely over the top and slowly work the cork out. Regardless of the force of the POP, it's not going to have enough oomph to rocket the towel away.

...or you could learn to sabre bottles.

Two questions: 1) where do I get one?!?!? and 2) does the pressure in the bottle preclude any glass shards from getting in the liquid?

Well I'm trying to decide which Epiphany to open tonight, Grenache Rose or the Inspiration. I tried looking throught the Labrat reports, but only saw one labrat on the Inspiration (other than LabROUS' of course).

Loonboarder and Hookajoe did great labrat reports on the Grenache Rose, Babaloo and BackfromIraq also did greate labrat reports on the Pinot Gris, but I only saw betboy02 (& labROUS) for the Inspiration.

Did I miss one???

MarkDaSpark wrote:Well I'm trying to decide which Epiphany to open tonight, Grenache Rose or the Inspiration. I tried looking throught the Labrat reports, but only saw one labrat on the Inspiration (other than LabROUS' of course).

Loonboarder and Hookajoe did great labrat reports on the Grenache Rose, Babaloo and BackfromIraq also did greate labrat reports on the Pinot Gris, but I only saw betboy02 (& labROUS) for the Inspiration.

Did I miss one???

Maybe LabROUS was the other one, cause I dont' think he did the Pinot Gris. Or maybe some sucktacular rat is out there with free wine.

MarkDaSpark wrote:Well I'm trying to decide which Epiphany to open tonight, Grenache Rose or the Inspiration. I tried looking throught the Labrat reports, but only saw one labrat on the Inspiration (other than LabROUS' of course).

Loonboarder and Hookajoe did great labrat reports on the Grenache Rose, Babaloo and BackfromIraq also did greate labrat reports on the Pinot Gris, but I only saw betboy02 (& labROUS) for the Inspiration.

Did I miss one???

WD, time to bring out that rifle and go hunting for the last labrat!!!

Corrado wrote:1) Do a YouTube or Video Google search for "sabre champagne" and you'll find many videos. I saw one where I'm pretty sure the guy was using a $5 Faberware bread knife. The blunt side of a quality (e.g. Wusthof) 10" Chef's Knife would do quite well.

2) From what I've read, yes. Done properly, the break is quick and clean and the bubbly cleanses the 'wound.' Obviously if you mess it up & fracture the top of the bottle you're going to want to filter the wine if you choose to consume it.

I haven't done this yet, but it's only a matter of time.

If I remember, there was a bit of a discussion about this, with even an instructional video posted, in the last champagne offering. The tip I took away was to use the backside (i.e. non-blade side) of the knife.

MarkDaSpark wrote:Well I'm trying to decide which Epiphany to open tonight, Grenache Rose or the Inspiration. I tried looking throught the Labrat reports, but only saw one labrat on the Inspiration (other than LabROUS' of course).

Loonboarder and Hookajoe did great labrat reports on the Grenache Rose, Babaloo and BackfromIraq also did greate labrat reports on the Pinot Gris, but I only saw betboy02 (& labROUS) for the Inspiration.

Did I miss one???

Well, I decided on the Inspiration. WOW! Everything betboy02 and labROUS had for their reports. The bottle may not make it to midnight (being 6:05 PT now)!

I may have to gift myself 2 more sets!

MarkDaSpark wrote:Well, I decided on the Inspiration. WOW! Everything betboy02 and labROUS had for their reports. The bottle may not make it to midnight (being 6:05 PT now)!

I may have to gift myself 2 more sets!

And by myself you of course mean bowtie

HitAnyKey42 wrote:Just about all of us do that. Tissue just sounds so....dirty. Kleenex sounds better.

I think this helps illustrate the point iByron was making about perception.
BTW, when you put thoughts like that out there in writing, you might expect a letter/visit (believe it or not) from the legal department at Kimberly Clark. They're pretty careful about pursuing their rights. They'd like to avoid what happened to Bayer, losing the rights to the name Aspirin, because they let people get away with using it generically for too long.

MarkDaSpark wrote:Use one of the rabbits. Then you don't have to worry about being right or left handed. example: Rabbit at Bevmo

I ♥ my rabbit!

Grapedog21 wrote:The idea of marketing the "screw cap" is an excellent idea. Not to be disrespectful, but ibyron's dismissal of such an endeavor severely underestimates the power our perceptions (all perceptions are "percieved", it's difficult to prove any are "real") have on our behavior.

I don't agree. In my case - I think iByron's as well - calling a screw cap a Stelvin closure is pretentious. I hear "Stelvin closure" and I see "screw cap" - something most people are already very familiar with whether they know wine or not. I may or may not think there's a correlation between "screw cap" and wine quality. I would think that no matter what you call it since I can see what it is. Once you call it a "Stelvin closure", I see someone trying to put makeup on a pig, so to speak (please note that I hold pigs and screw caps in very high regard; bacon is delicious). It being called a Stelvin closure may or may not have an effect on my enjoyment of that particular wine in that setting - I can see people - sometimes me - being annoyed by the term. In my case, the perception of "Stelvin closure" being pretentious carries more weight than any perception of "screw cap" == low quality wine.

Apart from that, there are the potential legal issues. In the US at least, I think some proprietary eponyms have been judged generic and can be used by anyone for any purpose (e.g. Kleenex). Stelvin closure could still be protected by the company though and thus less useful in marketing.

Corrado wrote:I ♠ my dogs, but there ain't no way I'd ♣ either of 'em.

now i'm itchin' for a hand of hold'em. where's c.lay when you need him?!?

DonaldWilliams wrote:
BTW, when you put thoughts like that out there in writing, you might expect a letter/visit (believe it or not) from the legal department at Kimberly Clark. They're pretty careful about pursuing their rights. They'd like to avoid what happened to Bayer, losing the rights to the name Aspirin, because they let people get away with using it generically for too long.

I'm sorry, I don't believe it. I think he's probably ok, referring to tissue as Kleenex, in private life or on the internet. They would object if he was advertising a product as Kleenex, but simply referring to tissue as Kleenex is probably ok. Especially since he said tissue = dirty while Kleenex = clean. I understand respecting trademarks, but there are limits. Also, Im not sure the legal standard but Im pretty sure there is an exception for something like "Kleenex" which has entered into popular terminology.

[quote postid="2102753" user="MarkDaSpark"]Well, I decided on the Inspiration. WOW! Everything betboy02 and labROUS had for their reports. The bottle may not make it to midnight (being 6:05 PT now)!

I may have to gift myself 2 more sets!"


I wish I had some more on the way too!

Again, I am far from a learned critic, but this Inspiration is a wonderful white wine. If the others in the trio are even half as good (which I fully expect, and then some), I will be more than satisfied with my purchase.
Screw cap - who cares!
This is a great product under an award winning label.

First sucker: MaskedMarvel
Speed to first woot: 0m 15.687s

Last wooter to woot: babalooo

In for one more set! I haven't even received my first set (hopefully it should arrive on Monday) but didn't want to let this pass and kick myself for not getting more.

Whenever I get to do a wine tour of Santa Barbara wines, I will certainly go visit this winery!

First sucker: MaskedMarvel
Speed to first woot: 0m 15.687s

Last wooter to woot: thatguy314

In for 2. Thanks LS!

Thanks for the kind words. I think you will enjoy the others as well. As I said earlier, to me, the Inspiration is the most complex of the three; the PG and Rose are both great wines, but much for straight forward than the Inspiration . . .

Keep in touch and let me know what you think of them. Cheers!

betboy02 wrote:[quote postid="2102753" user="MarkDaSpark"]Well, I decided on the Inspiration. WOW! Everything betboy02 and labROUS had for their reports. The bottle may not make it to midnight (being 6:05 PT now)!

I may have to gift myself 2 more sets!"


I wish I had some more on the way too!

Again, I am far from a learned critic, but this Inspiration is a wonderful white wine. If the others in the trio are even half as good (which I fully expect, and then some), I will be more than satisfied with my purchase.
Screw cap - who cares!
This is a great product under an award winning label.

Babaloo,

Drop me a line when you make it out here . . . I'll set you up for tastings not only with us but with others in the area . . . Feel free to email me at larry@fessparker.com . . .

Cheers!

babalooo wrote:First sucker: MaskedMarvel
Speed to first woot: 0m 15.687s

Last wooter to woot: babalooo

In for one more set! I haven't even received my first set (hopefully it should arrive on Monday) but didn't want to let this pass and kick myself for not getting more.

Whenever I get to do a wine tour of Santa Barbara wines, I will certainly go visit this winery!

If by LS you meant me, than you're welcome! Hope you enjoy the wines!

Cheers!

thatguy314 wrote:First sucker: MaskedMarvel
Speed to first woot: 0m 15.687s

Last wooter to woot: thatguy314

In for 2. Thanks LS!

I've never ordered off Wine.woot!...long-time looker, first time poster/buyer.

These 3 sound great, and the comments seem to be favorable...how many do you recommend that I buy? I'd hate to have it be a waste of $ in case I don't like them (and my friends don't drink wine, so I wouldn't be able to give them as gifts), but if I DO like them, I don't want to kick myself for only getting 1.

What do you think? The hubby is no help...thank you very much Mr. "I Don't Care How Many You Order Just Do It And Get On With Your Day".

sweetypuss wrote:I've never ordered off Wine.woot!...long-time looker, first time poster/buyer.

These 3 sound great, and the comments seem to be favorable...how many do you recommend that I buy? I'd hate to have it be a waste of $ in case I don't like them (and my friends don't drink wine, so I wouldn't be able to give them as gifts), but if I DO like them, I don't want to kick myself for only getting 1.

What do you think? The hubby is no help...thank you very much Mr. "I Don't Care How Many You Order Just Do It And Get On With Your Day".

How often do you drink wine? Me, I ordered 3 sets and gifted 3 sets as this is a great QPR wine. I live in Florida so we have more time to enjoy whites/Roses

sweetypuss wrote:I've never ordered off Wine.woot!...long-time looker, first time poster/buyer.

These 3 sound great, and the comments seem to be favorable...how many do you recommend that I buy? I'd hate to have it be a waste of $ in case I don't like them (and my friends don't drink wine, so I wouldn't be able to give them as gifts), but if I DO like them, I don't want to kick myself for only getting 1.

What do you think? The hubby is no help...thank you very much Mr. "I Don't Care How Many You Order Just Do It And Get On With Your Day".

What state/area do you live in? Chances are, you live close to another Wooter, so if you don't like (sounds of shock) the wine, you can swap with them.

However, I would be amazed if you didn't enjoy these wines. So at least 2 sets, if not 3 sets. You can always gift another 1,2, or 3 sets to yourself (just change the delivery address) if you want more than 3.

sweetypuss wrote:I've never ordered off Wine.woot!...long-time looker, first time poster/buyer.

These 3 sound great, and the comments seem to be favorable...how many do you recommend that I buy? I'd hate to have it be a waste of $ in case I don't like them (and my friends don't drink wine, so I wouldn't be able to give them as gifts), but if I DO like them, I don't want to kick myself for only getting 1.

What do you think? The hubby is no help...thank you very much Mr. "I Don't Care How Many You Order Just Do It And Get On With Your Day".

Go with three, the price point is awesome. The reviews are favorable and your friends that don't drink wine can come to your place and maybe you can change th eir minds. Also, can your husband teach my soon to be wife to be nonchalant about my wooting habits. She was nonplussed with my wootoff haul and today's level from SO.W.

bhodilee wrote:Go with three, the price point is awesome. The reviews are favorable and your friends that don't drink wine can come to your place and maybe you can change th eir minds. Also, can your husband teach my soon to be wife to be nonchalant about my wooting habits. She was nonplussed with my wootoff haul and today's level from SO.W.

My hubby is the one that doesn't get the whole "Woot-thing", but he's not much of an internet shopper. He was just short of calling me obsessed during the Woot-off. Just tell her that you are "bargain shopping". I don't know a woman that doesn't appreciate a good deal.

To answer other q's, I don't drink wine TOO often...I enjoy it, I know what I am prone to like (more of a white/rose person than red, though always willing to try), but I'm usually not able to pick out every layer of fruit, spice, etc., so by no means a pro. DH is at least willing to try my wines, but generally he's more a beer/rum guy. And I live in SW Washington state, so here's a "HEY" to any local Wooters, but hopefully I don't have to find the other bottles a new home. If I do, I'll make sure to come back here first.

Thanks for the input...time to order then. I'm going to have to have them shipped to my work (or else no one will be around to sign), and they are all going to think I'm a lush. Oh well...it's tax season (and I'm an accountant), so it'll be here just in time to help me unwind after all the craziness!

sweetypuss wrote:I've never ordered off Wine.woot!...long-time looker, first time poster/buyer.

These 3 sound great, and the comments seem to be favorable...how many do you recommend that I buy? I'd hate to have it be a waste of $ in case I don't like them (and my friends don't drink wine, so I wouldn't be able to give them as gifts), but if I DO like them, I don't want to kick myself for only getting 1.

What do you think? The hubby is no help...thank you very much Mr. "I Don't Care How Many You Order Just Do It And Get On With Your Day".

i'm going to go w/ the contrarian view here. if you are a relatively experienced wine consumer & you know what you like & these are up your alley, then by all means buy three & gift yourself three. if you are not (and my guess based on the fact that you are a first-time poster/buyer is that you probably fit this bill, but i could certainly be wrong here), then i would buy one & save the extra $s for future wine.woots w/ the understanding/commitment that you will buy in the future.

why? i don't work for woot (ie i'm not selling anything here), but one of the coolest aspects about woot is that WD seems to go out of his way to supply us w/ a broad variety of varietals & blends. i would therefore save the extra $s for future wine.woots, buy more of those in the future & experience that broad variety of varietals & blends for yourself.

just my $0.02.

(of course, if you know what you like regardless of your level of experience, then what ERMD & bowtie said!)

EDIT: too late! just saw your post. ENJOY!!!

themostrighteous wrote:i'm going to go w/ the contrarian view here. if you are a relatively experienced wine consumer & you know what you like & these are up your alley, then by all means buy three & gift yourself three. if you are not (and my guess based on the fact that you are a first-time poster/buyer is that you probably fit this bill, but i could certainly be wrong here), then i would buy one & save the extra $s for future wine.woots w/ the understanding/commitment that you will buy in the future.

why? i don't work for woot (ie i'm not selling anything here), but one of the coolest aspects about woot is that WD seems to go out of his way to supply us w/ a broad variety of varietals & blends. i would therefore save the extra $s for future wine.woots, buy more of those in the future & experience that broad variety of varietals & blends for yourself.

just my $0.02.

(of course, if you know what you like regardless of your level of experience, then what ERMD & bowtie said!)

EDIT: too late! just saw your post. ENJOY!!!

By all means, tmr, I appreciate your input...opinions are what I came here for. And you weren't entirely too late...I got distracted by the baby, so I caught your post b4 I ordered.

I am not totally inexperienced, but like I said, no pro. (Being working mom and lack of wine-buddies doesn't allow a lot of time to indulge.) I usually know what I like, a Gewurztraminer being one of my favorites, but also willing to try new. There have been quite a few reds on w.w lately, and since those aren't my fave, I've put off ordering. Or sometimes it's just lack of funds.

I ordered just 2...I figured that if I enjoy them, at least I have another bottle, but if not, then I don't have too much to re-home.

Thanks again everyone, for all the input. I look forward to being back.

sweetypuss wrote:By all means, tmr, I appreciate your input...opinions are what I came here for. And you weren't entirely too late...I got distracted by the baby, so I caught your post b4 I ordered.

I am not totally inexperienced, but like I said, no pro. (Being working mom and lack of wine-buddies doesn't allow a lot of time to indulge.) I usually know what I like, a Gewurztraminer being one of my favorites, but also willing to try new. There have been quite a few reds on w.w lately, and since those aren't my fave, I've put off ordering. Or sometimes it's just lack of funds.

I ordered just 2...I figured that if I enjoy them, at least I have another bottle, but if not, then I don't have too much to re-home.

Thanks again everyone, for all the input. I look forward to being back.

First sucker: MaskedMarvel
Speed to first woot: 0m 15.687s

Last wooter to woot: sweetypuss


Welcome to the club. WD has done a GREAT job in picking wine at a great price. Some of these you cant get in your local area(ok maybe not true in Washington state). See what Larry said a few pages back about enjoying wine. Myself, I dont even try to pick out the different taste/aroma as its work. I enjoy the wine experience and go with that. A great wine, company(or not)food; what you add to your experience. Remember do smell the wine as smell is one of the best memory aids we have.

Corrado wrote:Read all the posts and I'd agree with this one, esp. with whites and someone who doesn't drink that much. If you're willing to commit to drinking more, not so bad, but if you only have wine occasionally and mix in red & white, it's POSSIBLE that three woots would be a 3 year supply, at which point you're probably outside of the suggested drinking windows.

Good lord man, 9 bottles lasting 3 years? I would say how long they would last me but I dont want to be marchman acted

ERMD wrote:Good lord man, 9 bottles lasting 3 years? I would say how long they would last me but I dont want to be marchman acted

Marchman acted???? Thought it was the woot filter, but it didn't seem to be.

MarkDaSpark wrote:Marchman acted???? Thought it was the woot filter, but it didn't seem to be.

The Marchman Act is a law that enables family members to obtain help for a loved one who is unwilling to seek substance abuse services voluntarily.

In other words, forced into a substance abuse center.

2ndIdentity wrote:The Marchman Act is a law that enables family members to obtain help for a loved one who is unwilling to seek substance abuse services voluntarily.

In other words, forced into a substance abuse center.

Sorry I brought it up, seemed to stop the thread for a while.
Larry, I dont know if I missed it but would you say these are food wines or sipping wines. If food what for which wine

Just had the Pinot Gris with dinner, and it was fantastic. The Rose that I was lucky enough to LabRat was very nice, and based on what I've read here I'll really like the Inspiration...

With only 2 lovely Epiphany bottles left, I'm seriously considering ordering more... It may be time for my first ever self-gifting!

Larry,

Just wanted to express my appreciation for your efforts over the past few days. Your attentive participation kept me here reading, even through the woot-off over at juvie woot. I'm a Virginian and don't often get out to your neck of the woods, but the next time I visit my fellow wine.wooters in N. California, you can expect us for a visit.

Thank you so much for a terrific week. In for three!

larryschaffer wrote:Babaloo,

Drop me a line when you make it out here . . . I'll set you up for tastings not only with us but with others in the area . . . Feel free to email me at larry@fessparker.com . . .

Cheers!

For the second time, I passed on the wine.woot offering in order to send it as a gift. This time, it is a response to a last-minute (Self) invitation to dinner while travelling on business and finding myself in an old friend's neighborhood. I think he and his wife will enjoy it, based on the reviews here, and hopefully they will keep one of the bottles long enough for me to try.

:0)

cooldaddybeck wrote:For the second time, I passed on the wine.woot offering in order to send it as a gift. This time, it is a response to a last-minute (Self) invitation to dinner while travelling on business and finding myself in an old friend's neighborhood. I think he and his wife will enjoy it, based on the reviews here, and hopefully they will keep one of the bottles long enough for me to try.

:0)

Why pass on it? Order yourself some and then gift some more!!!