Holiday Fun and Games for Wine Lovers

Got an oenophile on your list that already has four sets of stemware, a gross and a half of logo glasses and a drawer full of every corkscrew and foil cutter invented since the 1600's?

First off, you could give them this Taylor temp and humidity sensor (wirelessly monitors wine cellar temperature and humidity from up to 100 feet away) ... or give the gift of a perfectly controlled wine storage locker environment with Safe Haven Wine Storage Gift Certificates! They come complete with access to our VIP Wine Salon.

On the other hand, why not instigate some lively holiday gaming? Let the kids take over the 42" plasma with their new wii stuff while the adults gather around the table to play and learn with their favorite subject; wine.

All items featured can be found at www.beveragefactory.com (800-710.9939)

The Winerd® game is the perfect way to turn your passion for wine into laugher with friends! Creator Tamara Leigh Murphy paired fun wine trivia questions with an innovative spin on blind tasting to create a board game that is a HUGE hit. The Winerd® game includes: * Winerd® game board * Nearly 300 fun and interesting Q&A cards relating to just about every aspect of wine * 12 Bonus/Challenge cards * 4 custom synthetic cork playing pieces * A Blind Test notepad Wine and friends not included. Sale Price: $34.95

Designed by wine experts, VitiVini is the only game of its kind to offer an entire course on wine, wine tasting and food pairing. With VitiVini, wine is de-mystified and made both approachable and entertaining. Sale Price: $21.25


A world of fun as well as a source of information and inspiration. A game on the world of wines and spirits for novices and experts alike... Bouquet® is a unique fun parlor game with questions on wines and spirits – and an instant hit in Sweden, with more than 10,000 games sold already. List Price: $62.44 Sale Price: $42.46 Shipping: This item SHIPS FREE!

Not games, but other great gift ideas for wine lovers.
Label Remover & Savers Never forget a great bottle of wine you had
at your favorite restaurant or wine event with a pack of these. Great for ardent scrappers, too! 12- Pack of Label Savers: Sale Price: $9.31



Everything needed to conduct a blind wine tasting is included (except the wine) in this kit: six individually numbered cloth bags that cover a bottle each and a pad of scoring notes. The Wine Tasting Kit makes a wonderful gift for any wine connoisseur. List Price: $24.94 Sale Price: $16.96

This World Wine Wheel and Food Matching Guide is a quick and easy way to learn about the world's wine varieties and the world's foods that perfectly compliment all different types of wine. On one side of the wheel you will find 14 different red and white wine grape varieties displayed along with abundant information about the taste of each variety and their significant growing regions around the world. On the other side of the wheel, learn all about suitable matches for various food styles with the world's wines. List Price: $6.88 Sale Price: $4.67

Americans Seeing Red... and Lots of It!

Wine Spectator magazine reports that for the third straight year, Americans are expected to drink more red wine than white, thanks to a projected 3 percent increase in red wine consumption in 2008, to 121 million cases, an all-time high.

White wine consumption is also expected to grow this year, but by a slightly slower 2 percent rate to 118 million cases, while rosé and blush wine consumption is projected to decline 3 percent.
The “echo boomer” generation began reaching legal drinking age in the mid-1990s, adding about 60 million potential new wine drinkers, according to the report. By the end of this decade, those consumers will be in their 30s, the prime target for wine marketers.

Most of red wine’s 2008 growth is projected to come from sales of variety-labeled brands, both domestic and imported, particularly Pinot Noir, which is expected to advance 12 percent, to 9 million cases. Cabernet Sauvignon is also projected to perform well, according to Impact Databank (parent company of Wine Spectator).

The recent success of red wines can be attributed to the American consumer’s increasingly sophisticated palate, expanding knowledge of wine and willingness to experiment with a wider variety of wine styles. Drinking red wine has also been linked favorably in numerous medical studies to various health benefits, such as a reduced risk for cardiovascular disease and certain cancers.

Among white wines, Chardonnay continues to lead the pack, except when it comes to imports, where it was once again surpassed by Pinot Grigio.

Meanwhile, Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling imports will continue to surge at double-digit rates in the near term. The lone bright spot for blush wines this year is white Merlot, which is expected to advance by a modest 3 percent, while the much larger white Zinfandel category is projected to decline by 2 percent. Some imported rosés have started to come on strong, but from a very small base.
Source: Wine Spectator