Wine Purses

At WineDivaShop.com,  we like to provide our customers with a large and fresh selection of current wine products and accessories. Currently, we have over ten fresh and sassy wine tote designs  in our product selection (with more to come!). These wine purses are a great accessory for any wine gal on the go.

Every wine purse is constructed to protect your wine and allow you to be fashionable at the same time. The hard shell and elastic strap keep your wine secure. The chrome feet at the bottom of the wine purse lets you set in on the floor of your car without it rolling around while the chrome handle makes it easy to carry and tote around. Each wine purse also comes with a stainless steel corkscrew allowing you to enjoy your wine away from home. The tote is perfect for traveling, picnics, and parties.

Our Safari series of animal print wine totes are now available in new prints.  The three classics are still here,but two new zebra prints have added. The print that stands from the crowd is the Gold Zebra. This print is glamorous and edgy, allowing whoever carries it to show off their personality with confidence.

For the flirty girls, a new collection will compliment your cheer. The Sasha collection is created with three fun and young prints.  The Red Heart wine purse is for the passionate wine lover. A variety of red hues provides warmth and allows the  pink hearts pop from the background.  The second tote, Charm Heart wine purse, is bright and cheery. With a blue background and coated with a pattern of colorful hearts you can be playful and protect your wine at the same time. The last design of the Sasha collection is the Purple wine tote. Decorated with blocks of various hues of purple, this wine purse is a trendy accessory. Any of these girly designs make for great birthday or a special occasion gifts.

There are plenty more new designs available on our website. Find the tab “wine purse” on the left hand side of the website to view our entire collection of sophisticated to flirty wine totes.

Lolita Party Festive All Year Round

Need an idea for a last minute themed party? Try a Lolita Cocktail Party! Have your girlfriends bring their favorite Lolita Painted Glass (or if you are a collector, have your Divas choose one of yours to use for the evening) and make all the cocktails that are written on the bottom of the glasses. You and your girlfriends can have fun all night trying out different cocktails all inspired by their chosen Lolita Glass! To insure a fully stocked and well prepared bar for the evening you might write on the invitations that each girl should bring the main alcohol (or the specialty liqueur) in their Lolita recipe. For example on the Lolita Princess Glass the cocktail on the bottom of the glass reads: “Princess: 1 Part Peach Schnapps, 1 Part vodka, fill with white wine, top with lemonade”. The girl bringing the Princess Glass could bring the Peach Schnapps or the lemonade to the party. Make up some easy appetizers like caramel popcorn, Chex Mix and cheese trays and maybe even have a contest for best cocktail (with maybe a Lolita Glass Ornament as a prize).

Aeration – wine not?

With so many wine accessories on the market, sometimes it seems difficult to decide what gadgets are actually necessary to thoroughly enjoy your wine and what gadgets are just fancy gimmicks. When it comes to aeration products – that is, devices that are meant to let a red wine “breathe” before consumption – there are certainly plenty to choose from.

By now, several questions might be floating in your head: What is aeration? Is it necessary? What do these aeration things do that I can’t on my own? If I do need one, which aeration device is the best? To answer these questions and more, let’s start at the beginning.

Aeration is the process of mixing air into wine with the goal of releasing aromas and flavor that were bottled up (pun intended) before you opened the wine. The original purpose of decanters was to allow the wine to “breathe” (get air mixed into the wine). Nowadays we have several devices that fit into the bottle to aerate the wine as you pour it, and even special wine glasses that aerate as you sip. Is it necessary? Well, if you’ve never aerated and have been enjoying wine for years, obviously it’s not vital – but if you want a chance to taste a wine at its best, to see what the real flavor and full aroma could be, then aeration – whether natural or through a device – is necessary. Natural aeration just means opening the bottle of wine and letting it sit, un-poured and undisturbed for several hours. With natural aeration, you must pay attention to wine type and age, as older wines need a different amount of “breathing” time than younger ones. For most of us, however, having an open bottle sitting on the counter just begs for drinking….this is when using an aeration device comes in handy. Now pouring the whole bottle into a decanter is fine, if you definitely plan on drinking the whole bottle in one sitting. But if you are serving multiple wines at a party (or for yourself) or you’re not sure you can finish a bottle in one sitting – having an aerating glass or an aerator that fits in a bottle can give you the true flavor and enhanced experience instantly.

Aerators allow the right amount of oxygen into the wine as it is poured, no matter the age or type of wine. As far as what aerator is right for you and your wine, it certainly depends on budget and how much a wine enthusiast versus a wine connoisseur you wish to be. There are aerators that simply aerate the wine from bottle to glass (like the Nuance Wine Finer – and it’s easy to clean! Or this Bordeaux Aerator at an economic $12.99) or you can get an aerator that fits into your glass (like this popular Vinturi that gives a pretty show while it pours!). The more you drink wine and desire for different wine experiences, the more complicated the aerator you can buy (ones that aerate into a decanter provide several levels of aeration before a single drop of wine touches your lips). The best method in selecting your aerator is to simply try an aerator you feel comfortable using, and enjoy the enhanced wine drinking experience!

Traveling with Wine

So you successfully planned a trip to that place where you’ve always wanted to go for which you had saved money, took off from work and booked some great sightseeing tours (including some wineries). You were so enamored with some of the wines that you decide you MUST have a bottle (or two). But should you? What are the rules on airlines? Taking wine across state borders? If you would rather not bother with rules, most states allow you to ship your wine back home to you (via the winery you bought it at). You can check if your state allows shipping here. But if you are flying – note that ANY liquid over 3oz is forbidden (sample liquor technically can be carried on, as long as it is in your zip lock baggie). If you decide you can bear to check your luggage (maybe you were going to check it anyway, or your frequent flyer points allowed 1 free checked bag) you are allowed to carry as many bottles of wine as  you’d like (you can read the official TSA rule here). Unless you are a super packer, or would like to chance TSA not checking your bag, simply pad your wine with your dirty socks and such. However, for added security, consider putting your wine in a Wine Skin – it is clear so TSA can see what is in it, and it is padded with layers of bubble wrap as well as a means to seal your wine in the bag so if the unfortunate was to happen, the broken bits and wine stays completely contained in the Wine Skin or the Wine Mummy. As far as driving across state lines – most states allow individual transportation of wine as long as the seal is not broken and the wine is not in the driver’s reach. The penalties can be hefty if that seal is broken (you can view the official Texas law about transportation here) so be mindful of where you pack your wine on the trip home. If all else fails, you can always plan a return visit – or plan a special night on your vacation to enjoy a bottle of local wine under the stars and in complete legal bliss. However you decide to proceed, always double check your state laws and drink responsibly.

Deal of the Day

With holiday shopping in full swing let us help you with some major savings this week only – check out our DEAL OF THE DAY – there will be a different deal EVERYDAY this week (that’s 7 chances to save big on some of our delightfully diva darlings) So check out our website all this week for big savings and diva deals on glasses, napkins and much more!

Thanksgiving – Diva Style

We all know that right after Halloween (and sometimes even before) the holiday displays are up, glittering and twinkling, begging us to buy early, shop now and stock up – but perhaps this November shouldn’t be ALL about the holidays (maybe mostly, but not all). With Thanksgiving swiftly approaching, why not focus first on how to Diva up the feast to impress your guests and create lively conversation. Start with center pieces. We all can be thankful for the shoes on our feet – but how about the shoes on the table? Try out a football themed shoe, or even a sunflower beauty as a striking centerpiece.

You might even want to suggest to your family/guests this year to each bring a bottle of wine – more wine will mean more fun! Try coordinating your table settings to the holder of your choice – and don’t forget the wine stopper! Another fun item for the feast table is our selection of cork cages. Why not have all your guests write on slips of paper something they are thankful for and place it in the cork cage – then throughout the evening, each time a cork/bottle top goes in, a slip of paper comes out and is read aloud. However you decide to celebrate Thanksgiving this year – make sure to make it a Diva Thanksgiving. Happy Shopping!

Halloween Wine Accessories!

Make sure to order these adorable wine accessories for Halloween while you still have time.  We make sure to ship out order the next business day or to ensure that your wine accessories arrive on time we have expedited shipping options available.

We have spider web wine bags and whimsical themed stoppers to dress up your wine bottle in it’s own Halloween costume.

Several styles of Lolita wine glasses –

Cocktail napkins and party accessories

But hurry! Supplies are limited and they are going fast!

check out our Halloween collection here

Wine 101: Vintage

When buying wine, many of us wonder what some of the terms on the bottle actually mean. Like Vintage. Doesn’t vintage just mean old? Well, in wine terms, vintage means the year in which the grapes from a single vineyard were harvested. The flavor of the wine isn’t just dependent on the stuff used to clarify and filter the wine, but how the grape is actually grown. Soil types, droughts, excessive rain, letting vines grow near other plants, all these are factors that can change the actual taste of the grape from year to year which in turn affects the flavor of the wine made from those particular grapes year to year. Vintage can ONLY be applied to grapes from a SINGLE vineyard. So if you don’t see a year or a “vintage” on the bottle, it probably means that several different grapes from different vineyards were used to make the wine. The same is true for blends such as a Cabernet Merlot in which Cabernet Sauvignon grapes are mixed with Merlot grapes to produce a wine. The Merlot grapes might’ve come from the winery’s own vineyards, but perhaps the Cabernet Sauvignon didn’t grow well that year and they had to use another vineyard’s grapes instead. This becomes a blend and because it is from two different locations, it will not have a vintage. Expert wine connoisseurs can identify the difference between one vintage and another (you’ve probably heard in movies “oh 1958 Cabernet? Excellent year” they are referring to the vintage) but for most of us, the wine we buy at grocery stores generally have similar characterics from year to year. Next time you visit a winery or wine tasting room, ask about the wines that do not have years or vintages on the label and see all the different places the grapes came from. Another experiment would be to try to taste wines at a local winery made in different years. Happy Tasting!

Make October Diva Month

Ah…October…a month that promises cooler weather, fall sales, fun themed parties and lots of tricks and treats. So why not come up with a fun party to celebrate! Choose to have a Diva Nite where there are contests for sexiest shoe, best accessorized or even most bling. Lay the table out with delectable delights coated in chocolate and have everyone bring their favorite wine or cocktail mix. Need some help with making your Diva Nite a great success? Start out by decorating right! Check out our selection of sassy napkins, girly bottle charms, personalized wine glasses (makes great prizes…) and especially our shoe stoppers and high heeled bottle holder collections! And make sure to check out the newest addition to our shoe collection – Just the Right Shoe!

Just the Right Shoe

Wine 101: Complexity

What makes a wine complex? Complexity, in terms of wine tasting and evaluation, is a word meant to describe the various aromas, flavors and character of a wine. When wine tasting, it is recommended to place the glass on the counter, holding the base firmly to the counter, and gently but vigorously swirl the glass in a circular motion to try to aerate the wine before holding it to your nose. Once you have swirled, quickly place the glass so that the bridge of your nose practically touches the rim of the glass and inhale. The aromas you get from that first inhale might seem overwhelming at first, which is why you swirl and inhale several times before taking your first sip. Most wines will give you fruity smells – white wines can hold a lot of citrus type smells for instance while oak aged reds might smell earthy (like fresh potting soil, or the inside of an old wooden trunk)- but wines aromas are certainly not limited to fruit or earth (check out this aroma/flavor chart to help you learn how to describe your wine). The variety of scents you detect from this process help in determining the complexity of the wine. If you smell a lot of different characteristics in the wine, you describe the wine as having a “complex nose” (nose means aroma or smell). Hopefully a complex nose is actually indicative of complex taste, too, so that every sip you might be able to pick out one of the many aromas you initially detected. This is the complexity of wine. If you drink a wine that smells a bit like citrus but does not have a lot of flavor, the wine is not complex. Complexity is usually linked to the quality of the wine, but as with all wine drinking – your individual preference is all that matters. Whether you like your wine complex or simple and easy going, all that matters is that you are responsibly enjoying your wine experience. Happy tasting! Sponsored by Su Vino Winery’s Almond Champagne.