Wine Cork Crafts for the Holidays

During every holiday season, wine can play an important role, whether consumed at home or out and about at social gatherings and events. Every time you drink wine, you are left with two residuals: the empty bottle and the wine cork. The empty bottle can be recycled (and it can also be used in crafts) but what do you do with the wine cork? 

Many people save the corks in a see-through glass container. You could also, however, use them to make holiday wine cork crafts for Christmas.

Mini Cork Christmas Trees 

One of the wine cork crafts for Christmas is the mini cork Christmas tree.  Paint both ends of the corks with Christmas colors and/or Christmas patterns.  Start with a base of five corks, gluing them together, laying side by side.  

Layer four corks in the next row (layering them so that the four rest/roll easily atop the five), then three corks, then two corks, then have one cork at the top, all in an ascending line with the single cork at the top.  

You can cut one cork in half and use it as the base of the tree, and you can find a star and glue it to the top of the Christmas tree.  Always save any trimmed cork pieces as you’re sure to be able to use them in another craft.

Pinecone Christmas Trees

Another one of several holiday wine cork crafts is the pinecone Christmas tree.  Gather some pinecones and spray them with green paint.  Use a cork as the base/stand of the “tree” and put a gold star at the top of the pinecone.

Gift Tag 

Make a gift tag from the cork by drawing a face on it, maybe gluing a bow on top of the cork’s “head” from a Christmas-y piece of fabric, and gluing a piece of cord to it, long enough to go around the bow on the package perhaps, or around the top of a gifted wine bottle.  Put a small name tag through the cord as well, listing the name of the recipient.

Hershey Santas  

Take your corks and draw a thick, black line around the middle for a belt and perhaps paint the bottom half of the cork green (a Christmas color!).  Crumble up some thin white embroidery thread and glue it halfway around the bottom, like a skirt.  Add some more crumbled white thread at the top of the cork for hair.  

Draw a nose and eyes on, and then glue a Hershey’s chocolate kiss (Christmas kisses, of course!) on top.  Add a small cotton top to the kiss as if it were the top of a hat.  Be careful how you glue the Hershey’s kiss on – don’t use too much glue as someone might want to disassemble it and eat the chocolate candy sooner or later!

Hanging Heart

Take about 40 or 50 corks and pattern them in the shape of a heart.  Once you have the heart-sized the way you want it, glue them all together.  Glue a cord for hanging to the back of the heart and you can hang it anywhere.  You can leave it the natural cork color, or you can paint it red, or any color you choose.  The fact that the corks are lightweight will help keep this heart together and also allow it to be hung in a lot of places.

You can also make a Christmas wreath and Christmas reindeer holiday wine cork crafts, too (look online to find instructions).  Before you can make any wine cork crafts for Christmas from wine corks, though, you first need to start collecting them. 

You will need lots and lots of corks; therefore, you (and your family and friends) will need to drink lots and lots of wine.  That’s not a hard task, right?  You can Google and/or YouTube cork crafts to get dozens of more ideas.  Cork is a wonderful material to work with, as it’s lightweight and pliable.  

Call Pacific Rim & Company today at 1-503-863-5454 and order some wine to help you get started!

How to Master the Art and Etiquette of Gifting Wine

The holiday season will be upon us in no time at all. During this season, gift-giving is a common practice both at home and in the workplace. For most people, gift-giving is an awkward ordeal because you never know how much to spend on a gift and if the other person will like your gift. Can you go wrong when gifting wine bottles? Probably not.

Consider buying wine as a gift and you will not regret it. There are all types of wine, and they make a great gift for almost any occasion. You can match the wine to the individual’s personality and, maybe more importantly, wines are affordable. So, what type of wine should you gift?

If the event is an anniversary or a celebration, go with champagne (or other sparkling wine). Sparkling wine screams sophistication and luxury and will make most people feel special.

Wine Gift Baskets

Another option is a wine gift basket. If you have been invited to a family party, consider a wine gift basket. There are many types of wine gift baskets, and they usually include a bottle of wine, wine accessories, and either cheese and crackers or chocolate. 

You can even add all types of delicious treats like fresh nuts, fresh fruit, or chocolate truffles to make it extra special.  Wine gift baskets can vary in price from $75 to $200.  Gifting wine is a great idea for many people and on many occasions. Plus, if you are feeling particularly DIY, you can create your own wine gift basket with a selection of products that you carefully curate yourself.

Red Wine as a Gift

When gifting wine bottles of red wine, you have plenty of choices, including the following:

• Pinot Noir: a soft and elegant wine 
• Malbec: full of fruity flavors
• Bordeaux-style Blend: easy wine to drink with cherry flavor
• Merlot: smooth wine with plummy taste and notes of chocolate
• Cabernet Sauvignon: full-bodied with fruit flavors

White Wine as a Gift

There are many great white wines that also make great gifts. If you do not have a clue about white wines, pick up a bottle of Riesling that is moderately sweet with peach and pineapple flavors, and you will not go wrong. Other great white wines include Chardonnay, Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc, Moscato, and Pinot Grigio. Buying wine as a gift works well whether you choose red or white wine.

How Much Should You Spend on a Gift of Wine?

There is no absolute answer to this question. You can buy the most inexpensive wine and many people will love it and sometimes you can buy the most expensive wine and no one will like it. When you buy wine for someone, it should come from your heart and not the pocket. 

You can walk into any wine store and ask for the most expensive bottle of wine, but there is no guarantee that the person will like it. Experts recommend spending anywhere from $15-$30 for a bottle of wine. Choose a wine that is not too sweet or too dry. 

Select something that you have tasted and know is good. Another safe bet is to go with the classics, such as Chardonnay, Riesling, or Zinfandel, and your gift will be much appreciated.

For questions about gifting wine bottles or buying wine as a gift, call Pacific Rim & Company at 1-503-863-5454 and talk to a knowledgeable representative.  Our staff at Pacific Rim is passionate and enthusiastic about all things wine-related, and they will be happy to help you.  The holiday season is coming soon; stock up now and you can make your own gift baskets!

Is Riesling a Dry Wine?

Is Riesling a Dry Wine?

Riesling comes as both a sweet and dry wine. Riesling is originally a wine made from grapes grown in the Rhine region of Germany. Initially, most Riesling made was of the sweet variety. However, over the past few decades, wine drinkers' tastes have changed, and they are choosing more and more unsweetened or dry wines as their beverage of choice. Is Riesling a dry wine?

How dry is a Riesling?  The dryness of Riesling wine is based on the content of residual sugar left at the end of fermentation. In general, if the wine has less than 10g/liter of sugar, it is considered dry. Riesling wines that contain more than 30 grams of sugar/liter are considered sweet. Anything in between is said to be off-dry wines.

Unlike red wines, most white wines like Riesling are usually dry. Other dry white wines include Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, Gruner Veltliners, and Spanish Albarino.

Where is Riesling Produced Around the World?

Today, Riesling wine is produced in many countries other than Germany, including neighboring Austria and France. Outside Europe, Riesling is produced in Australia, Chile, South Africa, and the USA (California, New York, and Washington).

Grape Acidity

Riesling wine features make it so appealing to wine drinkers, but one unique characteristic is that the grapes are quite acidic.  The grape acidity is usually due to the environment (climate) it is grown in and the minerals in the soil. In general, unripe grapes usually tend to have high acid levels, and this acidity starts to drop as they ripen. 

Overall, grapes grown in cool or temperate climates tend to be more acidic due to the lack of sunshine and warmth, which are needed to boost the grapes' pH and sugar levels. Often the wine producer will artificially increase the acidity of the wine by adding tartaric acid before fermentation. This is frequently done when grapes grown in warm climates become overripe and have high pH levels.

How Dry is a Riesling?

Is Riesling a dry wine? If you want a dry Riesling, learn to read the labels. In general, look for the alcohol by volume (ABV) percentage on the label. If the ABV is less than 9%, then the wine is sweet. If the ABV is between 10-11%, then it is semi-dry and half sweet, and if the ABV is 12% or more, you have a dry wine. 

Most Riesling wines from Oregon, Washington, and California are dry. If you are buying the German Riesling, the label will say “Trocken,” which means dry. If all else fails, then simply taste the wine, and you will have your answer.

You can call Pacific Rim and Company at 1-503-863-5454 to have all your Riesling questions answered by a knowledgeable and experienced connoisseur.

How Much Sugar is in Riesling Wine?

How Much Sugar is in Riesling Wine?

These days many people are concerned about weight gain, even wine drinkers. Hence, they all want to know the sugar content of the wine they drink. What is the Riesling sugar content? 

First, it is important to know that there are some wines with no sugar content, and at the other extreme end of the spectrum, there are wines with a lot of sugar, perhaps twice the concentration found in cola beverages. 

Second, you cannot tell the sugar content of the wine by tasting it.  The human tongue has a very low ability to detect the presence of sugar, and thus tasting is not the best way to judge the sugar content of wine. In addition, there are subjective differences in human taste; what may be very sweet to one person may be bland to another person.

Where Does the Sugar in Wine Come From?

During the fermentation process, the natural sugars from the grapes are released, the majority of which are used by yeast to make alcohol. However, some sugar is usually leftover, and this is known as residual sugar.  It is this remaining sugar that causes the sweetness of the wine. If the fermentation process is prolonged, all the sugars can be used up, and there is no residual sugar. 

These wines tend to have higher alcohol content and have a distinct bitter taste. On the other hand, if the fermentation process is short and very ripe grapes are used to make wine, there may be a lot of residual sugar leftover, which can make the wine very sweet.

Sugar and Riesling Wines

How much sugar is in Riesling wine?  Sugar in wine is classified on a scale from bone dry to very sweet.  The amount of sugar in Riesling wine depends on the type of wine you buy. The best way to tell is by reading the label to check for alcohol by volume (ABV) and residual sugar (RS) concentration. 

Unfortunately, many producers of wine do not state the RS level on the label as it is not mandated by law. But you can still tell if the wine is sweet by the ABV percentage. If the label says 8-9% ABV, this Riesling wine has low levels of alcohol and most likely is sweet. If the label says 10-11% ABV, this is a medium-dry wine, probably semi-dry and half sweet, and if the label states ABV greater than 12%, this wine has higher levels of alcohol and is not sweet.

How Many Calories Will You Acquire From Riesling Wine?

In general, if the Riesling wine is bone dry, a glass of wine will have less than 2 calories. For medium-dry Riesling wines, a glass of wine will contain about 20-30 calories, and the sweet Riesling will contain anywhere from 30-130 calories per glass.

What If the Label Does Not State the ABV or RS Content?

How much sugar is in Riesling wine? If the label does not state the ABV or RS content, how do you know if the Riesling wine is sweet?

Look for a Riesling that is less than $15. In general, less expensive Riesling wines are assumed to have some residual sugar between 3-15g. Some less expensive and sweeter Riesling wines in the U.S. include:

1. Domaine Zind-Humbrecht Riesling 2015
2. Kung Fu Girl Riesling 2015 (Washington State)
3. Hugel Riesling 2014 
4. Eroica Riesling 2013 (Washington)
5. Stiletto light Riesling
6. Gray monk Riesling
7. 2019 Sweet Riesling

If you want to avoid too much sugar in your Riesling wine, go with a bottle of slightly more expensive wine, such as:

1. Old Vines Niagara
2. Riesling estates
3. Nadja’s vineyard
4. Riesling heritage
5. 2018 Wallula Vineyard Riesling

If you want to avoid sugar at all costs in your wine, select a Riesling with an ABV of more than 12% like:

1. Riesling dry
2. Riesling raw
3. Riesling speck
4. Riesling heritage
5. 2018 Dry Riesling

If you are trying to avoid a lot of sugar, try dry wines.  If they don’t agree with your palette, try the medium dry/medium-sweet wines.  If you like sweet wines, enjoy them – just watch the rest of your sugar content for the day. 

What is the Riesling sugar content?  If you have any questions about the dry, medium, or sweet Riesling options, call Pacific Rim and Company at 1.503.863.5454.  They are passionate about wine, especially Riesling wines, and they are very knowledgeable about them.

Red Wine Acid Reflux: Navigating the Connection

Does Red Wine Help Get Rid of Acid Reflux?

If you're a wine enthusiast who loves savoring a glass of red wine, you may have heard conflicting opinions about its impact on acid reflux and heartburn. As Pacific Rim & Co. is dedicated to providing high-quality, sustainable, and affordable wines, we understand the importance of addressing the concerns of health-conscious and budget-conscious wine lovers. In this blog post, we'll delve into the topic of red wine acid reflux, and explore whether red wine can help alleviate or exacerbate this common issue. So, pour yourself a glass of your favorite wine, and let's explore the world of red wine and its relationship with acid reflux

Red Wine Acid Reflux: The Basics

What is Acid Reflux?

Before we dive into the specifics of red wine, let's clarify what acid reflux is. Acid reflux occurs when the contents of your stomach flow backward into your esophagus, causing discomfort and a burning sensation known as heartburn. This happens when the lower esophageal sphincter (LES), a muscular ring that separates the esophagus from the stomach, doesn't close tightly enough.

Understanding Heartburn from Wine

Heartburn from Wine: A Common Concern

One of the most frequently asked questions among wine enthusiasts is, "Can I enjoy wine without triggering heartburn?" Heartburn from wine, especially red wine, is a common concern, and it's essential to understand the factors that contribute to it.

Acid Content in Red Wine

Red wine contains natural acids, primarily tartaric and malic acids. These acids are essential for the wine's flavor profile, but they can also contribute to heartburn, especially if you consume wine on an empty stomach or in excessive amounts.

Alcohol Content Matters

Alcohol, another component of wine, can relax the LES, allowing stomach acid to flow back into the esophagus more easily. This relaxation of the LES can increase the likelihood of experiencing heartburn after enjoying a glass of wine.

Tannins in Red Wine

Tannins are compounds found in grape skins, seeds, and stems, and they are more abundant in red wines than in white wines. While tannins provide structure and complexity to red wines, they can also relax the LES, making heartburn more likely.

Sulfites and Allergies

Sulfites, which are used as preservatives in many wines, can also trigger allergic reactions in some individuals. Allergic reactions can lead to symptoms that mimic acid reflux and heartburn.

Can Red Wine Help with Acid Reflux?

Now that we've covered the potential causes of heartburn from wine, let's explore whether red wine can help with acid reflux. While there is no one-size-fits-all answer, some individuals may find relief in moderation.

Moderation is Key

The key to enjoying red wine without exacerbating acid reflux is moderation. Consuming wine in moderate amounts, along with a meal, can help dilute the acid and reduce the chances of heartburn.

Choose Low-Acidity Wines

Not all red wines are created equal when it comes to acidity. Some red wines, such as Pinot Noir, tend to be lower in acidity, making them a better choice for individuals prone to acid reflux.

Time Your Wine Consumption

Avoid drinking red wine close to bedtime, as lying down can make it easier for stomach acid to flow into the esophagus. Allow some time for digestion before lying down.

Consider Wine and Food Pairings

Pairing your red wine with the right foods can also mitigate the risk of acid reflux. Opt for foods that are less likely to trigger heartburn, such as lean proteins and vegetables.

Red Wine Acid Reflux: Savoring in Moderation for Comfort

In conclusion, the relationship between red wine and acid reflux is nuanced. While red wine can be a trigger for heartburn in some individuals, others may find that enjoying it in moderation and with the right food pairings doesn't exacerbate their symptoms. Pacific Rim & Co. is committed to providing you with high-quality, sustainable wines that you can savor responsibly.

Remember, when it comes to red wine and acid reflux, moderation and mindful choices are key to enjoying your favorite wine without the discomfort of heartburn. For more information, visit our website. Cheers to good wine and good health!