Category: Hobbies/Interests

Decanters – just for show!

Recently we discussed why you may need to use a decanter for removing sediment from a bottle and for helping the wine to breathe. Sometimes the size and shape of the vessel makes a difference to how it affects the wine. A traditional rounded decanter is fine if you are just removing sediment but sometimes a ship’s style one, with a large flat base, is required if you want the wine to breathe.

On occasion, however, you just want a decanter that holds the wine and looks pretty on the table. Designers have come up with all sorts of weird and wonderful designs. Here are some of my favourites.

What do you think of them and which would you have on your dinner table?

Glass Tank by Kouichi Okamoto

A bit of a novelty. But it means you’ll never have to get up to fill up your glass. Your arm may get a bit weary, mind.

Decanter that’s also a glass

Glass Tank

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Cobra Decanter by Riedel

Practical and beautiful glassware

Cobra

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dragon Decanter by Riedel

I’d have this one on the dinner table even without wine in it.

Dragon

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rainman by Skruf

This may not look that impressive on the table but when you pour, that’s when it’ll get an ‘ooooh’ from the crowd.

Rainman

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scientific Carafe by Earl

Geek is officially cool.  So, this decanter based on a conical flask is right up our street. Only down side is you can clearly see how much you’re drinking.

Scientific

 

 

 

 

 

 

Roots by Etienne Meneau

Now, this just looks fantastic. What a way to show off wine. Known as ‘Carafe No. 5′, this is just one of the weird and wonderful creations Etienne has produced. They’re limited edition so snap one up if you like it. See the whole range here.

Roots

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

by The Perfect Cellar

 



Category: Food & Wine Tags: ,

Wine Decanter – Why should I use one?

The Question is asked quite a lot about whether or not to use a decanter when serving wine. The answer very much depends on what you are using it for and what sort of wine you have. The experts at The Perfect Cellar will show you the reasons to use one, designs of decanter and how to maintain it.

Wine Decanter

Removing Sediment with a Decanter

One of main reasons you may wish to use a decanter is to remove the sediment that may have formed. The older the wine is, the more likely it is to throw a sediment. This is more true of red wine than white wine as the skins are used in red wine making. Imagine the colour in wine is just teeny tiny particles of grape skin that give the wine its colour. As the wine gets older these particles fall out of suspension and fall to the bottom as sediment. For older wine it is always worth using a decanter to remove this sediment.

Also there are more and more wines available now that have undergone minimal or no filtration and/or fining (fining clarifies the wine, filtering then removes the bits). This means there are still ‘bits’ of grape in the bottle that again, will fall to the bottom as sediment. Most wines made like this will mention it on the label so use of a decanter is advisable. It is also wise to put organic, biodynamic, and natural wine in a decanter for this reason.

When pouring wine into a decanter for this purpose pour slowly and towards the bottom of the bottle, turn the bottle as you pour so that the sediment gets trapped in the shoulders. A good tip is to have a candle behind the bottle so as you pour you can see the sediment collecting. Remember, if you do end up with some sediment in your glass, it is totally harmless. Think of it as solid bits of wine, everything in it is intrinsic to the grape. It’s just like if a teabag has split in the pot.

Visit The Perfect Cellar for some of the latest fine wines on the Market here and keep your eyes peeled for new tips on what wines to pick and how to store them.


Category: Food & Wine Tags: ,

The Most Beautiful Golf Courses In The World

From St. Andrews to St. Lucia, golf has exploded in the past century to become a sport as highly prized as football or rugby. The elegance and serenity of golf, coupled with intense concentration, reaches out to attract a vast array of players. Children who make a mess at the Mini Golf courses soon graduate to Pitch ‘n’ Putt and before you know it, you’re being outshone on the 18th hole by somebody half your age.

Architects and golfers alike have combined to make some truly immense courses over the years, combining sporting pedigree with beauty and style. In the international religion that is golf, there are a select few courses that are genuinely beautiful.

Pacific Dunes

The United States is home to some of the most sublime landscapes in the world, such is its vastness. The south coast of Oregon plays an unlikely host to what is believed by many, including the PGA, to be the most beautiful golf courses in the world. The Bandon Dunes Golf Resort sweeps across the Bandon Dunes, reminiscent of the English courses of Dover, and features a section aptly named the Pacific Dunes.

Pacific Dunes sits, appropriately, overlooking the Pacific Ocean at the mouth of the Coquille River. The Dunes are one of the most fantastic examples of integrating natural terrain and beauty into an artificial sports course, masterminded by Tom Doak in 2001. The course is significantly shorter than some of its southern rivals measuring in tamely under 7,000 yards.

But don’t be fooled into thinking that the course will be a brief walkabout; the coastal location makes even the simplest shots a mammoth battle against the wind. Curveballs are the natural shots here; the trick is playing a true line across the green or through the air. Each hole can take on a different persona depending upon the weather, forcing you to take incredible advantage of your caddy’s enthusiasm.

You will find yourself threading narrow paths through sand pits both natural and man-made, and don’t be surprised to see a startled deer flee from your tee. By the course proprietors themselves and contested by nobody, this is “golf as it was meant to be.”

Old Head

The United Kingdom has some of the most historic courses in the world, with a great affinity for the sport across all of the British Isles. Old Head sits upon a spit of land which extends for over two miles into the cool Atlantic, on the southern tip of Ireland. Representing that “edge of the world” feel is one of the greatest things about playing the holes at Old Head, with the greens purposely built to feel open. The panoramic views of the empty ocean are uncontested anywhere else in Ireland.

The designers of the course have implemented the best possible walking routes into the holes, to best showcase the outstanding natural beauty that the course is so lucky to find itself within. Without even taking into account the history or ecology of the course, the experience can leave you dumbfounded with an amazed, slack-jawed and goggle-eyed expression. The newest structure is a dusty 1853 lighthouse and there is even the remains of one tracing its history to the 1600s.

As if to emphasise the monument that is Old Head, if you were to step into the waters off shore you would find yourself confronting with incredible shipwrecks; not least of all the Lusitania.

Old Head and Pacific Dunes are two coastal courses which have been repeatedly selected as areas of incredible beauty, noted for their integration with nature and seamless conjunction with the landscape. If you’re looking for a more modern feel from your green, you can try firing at Padang, Craigielaw or Bunkers.

By Harry Pearce

Harry is an internet media consultant who now advises several companies from within the UK on how to maximise their business potential. If you are looking for any golf hotels for either business or personal use in the Midlands area then contact Belmont Lodge.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Harry_Pearce

Category: Golf Tags: , ,
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