After hours of Google searching and my own personal taste test, I can confirm that a few drops of the stuff will turn an entire bottle of white wine green and won’t alter the taste of your wine.  Try it with a bottle of your Artful Winemaker Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay or Riesling!  Just put the drops in slowly to be sure you’re not over doing it on the green. If you don’t have green food coloring on hand (we didn’t), a mix of blue and yellow will do the trick just as nicely. See our green wine pics below!

 Of course, if you’d prefer to keep your wine all-natural, we’ve got a few tips so you can still enjoy the luck of the Irish.

Drink from a Green Glass

Enjoy your wine in a green glass to give it a green tint without the food coloring. 

Add Green Grapes for Color & Purpose

A few hours before your celebration begins, slice some green grapes and put them in the freezer.  When you’re ready to enjoy your white wine, add the grapes to keep your glass chilled and give your drink a pop of green.

Pair your Wine with Traditional Irish Cuisine

After enjoying this delicious steak and Guinness pie last year with a glass of red wine, I can honestly tell you that I didn’t miss the green beer one bit!  Check out our recipe section for more food and wine pairings.

Adding an Irish twist to your white wine

Before: a nice glass of Artful Winemaker Riesling and some blue and yellow food coloring

Add one drop of blue food coloring.

One drop goes a long way! After a quick stir, we have some electric blue wine.

Balance the blue with one drop of yellow food coloring.

Give it a quick stir...

After: Delcious Riesling decked out in full festive St. Patrick's Day coloring.

Sparkles like an emerald gem. Just one drop of food coloring gives a vibrant emerald hue to your wine. Happy Patrick's Day!

Have a Date Night

Try this Beef Wellington with your Cabernet/Shiraz!

Forget the restaurant reservations.  Instead, try a new recipe with your significant other and pair it with your latest bottle of Artful Winemaker wine. Visit the Food & Wine Pairing section on ArtfulWinemaker.com for some great recipes, or check out this food and wine pairing website to decide which wine would best compliment your meal. 

 Watch a Movie

Busy day with the kids? Sipping wine while enjoying your favorite movie is a great way to relax.  Of course, we prefer a flick with wine in the starring role.  So do the good people at Wine Enthusiast Magazine, who shared their favorite wine-centric films here.

Get Crafty

Show off your creative side by making custom labels for your Artful Winemaker wine.  You could even get the kids involved for this one!  Design your artwork on the computer, or create original labels by hand.  Get inspired by checking out some of the great custom labels our own customers have made, and then have a look through these inventive wine labels from all over the world.

Personalize your wine with custom labels like Robert Wilson's "Flex Reserve" labels.

(Pssst – interested in making your own labels? We have some exciting news coming up in the next few weeks. Stay tuned to the blog, our facebook page, or sign up for our e-news to be the first to hear about what’s new from Artful Winemaker!)

Host a Wine & Cheese Party

Have some friends over and encourage everyone to bring their favorite wine and cheese.  Have fun and create your own pairings, or try these suggestions. Not only is this a great opportunity to taste some new wine, it will also allow you to showcase your own personal creation!

Are you doing anything for Spring Break? Or is it just business as usual? Let us know in the comments below.

Award-Winning Winemaker.  Has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?  Stephen Shannon thinks so. Though he’s only been making wine for a little over a year – he received his Artful Winemaker system as a birthday gift from his wife last December –  Stephen has already earned himself the title. After tasting a few batches of his Artful Winemaker wine, Stephen’s wife encouraged him to enter the 2011 Winemaker Magazine International Amateur Wine Competition, and both were “pleasantly surprised” when his Pinot Noir won a silver medal - especially since he’d only been making wine for a few months at that point.

When it comes to technique, Stephen says that he “pretty much follow[s] the [Artful Winemaker] instructions, but I always buy purified water for my wine as it seems more consistent”. He also recommends staying away from spring water because “sometimes it seems to carry a smell that I don’t want in my wine.”

Stephen’s medal-winning Pinot Noir is his favorite (with Riesling as a close second) and he’s entering it again in this year’s competition, as well as a Merlot. With one competition and medal already under his belt, and a whole year to perfect his method, we think his chances are looking pretty good.

Stephen’s 2011 medal reinforces that you don’t have to be a seasoned winemaker to make really great wine. Your friends and family already think that you make the best wine – now is your chance to prove it! Enter your wine into the 2012 Winemaker International Amateur Wine Competition and compete for gold, silver, and bronze in over 50 categories against thousands of amateur winemakers from across North America – including Stephen.

Entries must be received by March 16, 2012 in order to qualify, and every entry receives feedback from the judges. Get full details and your registration forms here.

Plus, your entry could earn you more wine!  If your Artful Winemaker wine wins a medal, we’ll proudly supply you with a free Artful Winemaker wine kit refill of your choice.

Cheers and good luck to Stephen and all our winemakers who are entering this year’s competition.

Are you entering one of your Artful Winemaker wines in the 2012 Winemaker Magazine competition? Tell us about it in the comments below, or post on our facebook wall.

The original recipe calls for a sweet red wine, but I plan on testing these out with a bottle of  my Cabernet/Shiraz.  With blackberry and cherry flavors, coupled with a little vanilla and chocolate, I can’t think of a reason why it wouldn’t also be delicious in lollipop form. Of course, you could apply that same logic to all of your favorite Artful Winemaker varietals, so I’d say you’re pretty safe to experiment with whatever wine that you’ve got on hand.  Now, let’s get down to business.

You’ll need:

• hard candy lollipop molds or a silicone mat.  (If those aren’t readily available, parchment-lined cookie sheets will also work.)
• a candy thermometer
•  1 ½ cups of red wine – you can drink the rest! (I’m using my Cabernet/Shiraz)
• 3 tablespoons of corn syrup
• ¾ cups of sugar
• 1/8 tsp. kosher salt
• 12 lollipop sticks
• Gold luster dust (optional)

The Directions:

1. Bring red wine to a simmer in a small saucepan.  Simmer wine until reduced to 1/3 cup.  This should take about 20-25 minutes.  Remove from stovetop and let cool completely.
2. In a medium saucepan combine sugar, corn syrup, salt and wine reduction.  Stir until combined.  Clip a candy thermometer to the side of the saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat.  Stir occasionally with a heatproof spatula until all sugar granules have dissolved.  Boil until candy temperature registers 310 degrees on the candy thermometer.
3. Remove from heat and fill greased lollipop molds with the hot candy.  Place lollipop sticks in the stick crevices and rotate until the stick is coated in the hot candy.  Alternatively, you may also drop the hot candy from a spoon onto a silicone mat or parchment paper, making two to three-inch disks and leaving room to place -and rotate- the lollipop sticks.
4. Allow the lollipops to harden completely. These are best if you wait a day to consume them, as this gives the red wine flavor plenty of time to develop.
5. Embellish with luster dust if desired and store between sheets of parchment in an airtight container.

 Don’t forget to show us a picture of your wine (lollipops included) to get $10 off your next refill. 

Happy Winemaking!

Recipe from SprinkleBakes. Visit the site for a printable version of the recipe.

1) GET STARTED – Seriously, just do it. Procrastination is my best friend, don’t get me wrong, but making wine takes time so the sooner you start, the sooner you can enjoy the end product – which, let’s be honest, is key here. Don’t be intimidated if you’ve never made wine before, don’t be scared you might mess it up, and don’t think that it’s going to be ‘work’. Making wine in your Artful Winemaker is one of those things where, once you do it, you find yourself saying “Really? That’s it? That was so easy!”

2) READ YOUR INSTRUCTIONS & WATCH THE DVD. Okay, so no one ever reads the instructions, I know; I’m guilty of it too. But winemaking is a precise process and in order to ensure the process goes smoothly and you end up with a stellar wine, trust me, read the instructions. There’s not a lot involved, but there are things you’ll want to be aware of. Like sterilizing your equipment and making sure there’s always water in your air lock. What’s an air lock? Read your instructions!

3) CHECK YOUR EQUIPMENT & WINEMAKING INGREDIENTS. Your instructions have a list of what your Artful Winemaker Personal Winemaking System should include, as well as a list of what your winemaking kit should include. Check these lists against what you have in your kit. Do you have the little red seal for the spigot? Check. Two cones and two rubber seals? Check. I even open all my packages for Day 1, 14, and 28 to make sure everything is there and then put all the ingredients back in the correct pouch and tape it closed until I need it. Rarely will you actually find that anything is missing, but who wants to take a chance at spoiling a glorious batch of delicious wine? Not me! Taking a quick inventory of all your equipment and winemaking ingredients means that you know you’ll have everything you need when it’s time. Should you ever find that you are actually missing something, contact us immediately and we’ll make sure you get what you need ASAP.

4) STERILIZE, STERILIZE, STERILIZE.  There is cleanser and/or sanitizer included for Days 1, 14, and 28. Make sure you use them thoroughly and according to the directions. Wine is delicate and you don’t want some random dirt or gunk throwing off the taste of your drinkable masterpiece.

5) DON’T RUSH. Though you can absolutely drink your wine as soon as it’s bottled, we recommend waiting at least 2 weeks before pouring yourself a glass. Even then, and especially if you’re making a red (Cabernet/Shiraz, Merlot, Pinot Noir) try setting aside a few bottles and then try one at one month, then one at three months, one at six months. You’ll notice a difference in your wine as it ages a bit in the bottle. Waiting can be hard, but is well worth it to see the difference in your wine.

6) USE YOUR WINEMAKING RESOURCES.  The Artful Winemaker website has some great resources available for you. Have a question? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions, or contact us directly. Wondering what will pair best with your newly vinted wine? Read about the principles of food and wine matching, and browse through some of our delicious recipes.

7) SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER. We don’t email that often, but when we do it’s worthwhile. Sign up for our e-newsletter and receive exclusive promotional offers, delicious recipes and wine pairing recommendations, and all the latest and greatest news about wine and winemaking. Plus, you’ll be the first to know about everything new that’s happening at Artful Winemaker. New releases, new programs, and everything else awesome including upcoming contests.

So there you are – seven quick tips for your first venture into home winemaking. The rest is up to you and your Artful Winemaker. Happy Winemaking!

-Janet

Grandpa was of the opinion that wine was good for the soul. He remembered drinking it when he was young, and so despite the governing laws that guide us, he would pour just a little wine into my father’s glass too. My father grew up loving wine and passed that passion on to me and my sister. So, it should come as no surprise that the two of us managed to find ways to make wine a part of our school curriculums in college and, in my case, a part of my career as a sommelier.

Wine has always been part of my family’s life. My parents even make wine. Last year I bought them an Artful Winemaker Personal Winemaking System for Christmas and they’ve really taken off with it. It’s becoming a tradition for my sister and I to head home and have a bottle (or two) of their handcrafted wine while we all catch up.

There is a distinct possibility my sister and I will be following suit, making our own wines then mixing and matching varietals and comparing notes when we visit mom and dad.

It’s easy, fun, and definitely involves something that the four of us share an interest in. In this day and age, with all of us working and bustling about, it’s nice that we can do something together even though we live miles apart.

The Artful Winemaker all-inclusive package includes everything you need to make 12 signature bottles of your very own wine in just 28 days. The clean, easy to handle system fits on your kitchen counter and comes with all winemaking ingredients including grape juices sourced from some of the nation’s finest vineyards, cleansers, and an instructional DVD, and 12 glass bottles with closures, foils and bottle labels.

By purchasing additional refill wine kits, the Artful Winemaker System can be used time and time again to produce all of the great tasting wines available including Cabernet/Shiraz, Chardonnay, Merlot, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Noir and Riesling.

So go ahead and discover the winemaker in you!

For more information, visit: www.artfulwinmaker.com or www.facebook.com/artfulwinemaker

There are three ways you can reach us:

Visit us on the web at: www.artfulwinemaker.com

Or email us at: help@artfulwinemaker.com

Or if you prefer direct assistance or more help, please call our toll free number:
1-800-263-4790 ext. 6449

When I go home for the holidays, I find that it’s best to keep the guest list in mind when bringing along a bottle of vino. Generally speaking, the wines that I would bring to those wine and cheese nights are not necessarily the same wines I’d bring to my parents’ house on Christmas. My parents love a cool new bottle of wine, but my third cousin once removed might not…and I think we’ll all find that most families tend to be that way.

For the holidays, I’d keep to a standard set of wines that people have heard of before, plus maybe one or two varietals that are soft on the palate with a decent amount of flavor. Unless everyone in your holiday party is a wine aficionado, don’t dust the cobwebs off of your favorite ’07 Château Haut-Brion. I promise you, that bottle is for another time.

Generally, I would stick to wines that are between $10 and $15 or make your own using your Artful Winemaker. My go-to varietals are usually a chilled Pinot Grigio or the easily paired Cabernet/Shiraz or Pinot Noir. Not only are these varietals easily recognized by most people, but they are generally very food-friendly and pretty easy to drink.

Serve the white wines chilled and the reds at room temperature. If you can, use a decanter for the reds and try to serve the wines in either red or white wine glasses. Most of all have fun. Relax and enjoy your wine and t he lively conversation it brings.

The Artful Winemaker all-inclusive package includes everything you need to make 12 signature bottles of your very own wine in just 28 days. The clean, easy to handle system fits on your kitchen counter and comes with all winemaking ingredients including grape juices sourced from some of the nation’s finest vineyards, cleansers, an instructional DVD, and 12 glass bottles with closures, foils and bottle labels.

By purchasing additional refill wine kits, the Artful Winemaker System can be used time and time again to produce all of the great tasting wines available including Cabernet Shiraz, Chardonnay, Merlot, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Noir, and Riesling.

So go ahead – discover the winemaker in you!

For more information, visit: www.artfulwinemaker.com or at www.facebook.com/artfulwinemaker

There are three ways you can reach us: Visit us on the web at: www.artfulwinemaker.com
Or email us at: help@artfulwinemaker.com
Or if you prefer direct assistance or more help, please call our toll free number:
1-800-263-4790 ext. 6449

Then I realized why: I was drinking the wrong wines. It wasn’t so much that I was drinking wine that wasn’t good, it was that I was drinking the wrong wine for me. And that is a common mistake.

A lot of people who try wine for the first time and dislike it tend to write it off completely because they don’t realize how truly diverse wine can be. Some wine is sweet, and some wine is bone-dry. Some wine is spicy while other wine is buttery with lots of oak. There is tart wine and sparkling wine, light wine and full-bodied wine. Some are crisp, some are creamy; some wines are better served chilled, and some at room temperature. Plus, external factors like the glass, how much the wine has aerated, and even the food you eat with it can all affect how the wine tastes. See what combinations you can come up with. Explore a little and have fun with it.

You might like full-bodied Cabernet/Shiraz blends because they taste a little peppery with touches of dark berries and mocha, or you might prefer the softer tannins and mushroom notes in a Pinot Noir. If you don’t like how sweet Rieslings are, try Pinot Grigio.

And so, I have come to the conclusion that nobody actually dislikes wine as a whole. It might not be everybody’s favorite beverage, but there is certainly something for everyone in the wine world. In my case, opening myself up to that fact brought me to the point where I would be more willing to try different wine varietals - and started sipping a slew of wines that I previously would have sniffed and swiftly put back down.

I encourage all of you to taste every type of wine you can get your hands on. Some vintages are better than others, and some regions might be more suited to your style. New World wines in California and Oregon taste completely different than the Old World wines of Bordeaux and Medoc. There is no right or wrong answer. As unique as a single brush stroke on a canvas, every palate is different. So, basically, the “right wine” or “good wine” is really up to you. If you like it, it’s good. If not, something else will be.

You may even enjoy making your own wine.

The Artful Winemaker all-inclusive package includes everything you need to make 12 signature bottles of your very own wine in just 28 days. The clean, easy to handle system fits on your kitchen counter and comes with all winemaking ingredients including grape juices sourced from some of the nation’s finest vineyards, cleansers, an instructional DVD, and 12 glass bottles with closures, foils and bottle labels. By purchasing additional refill wine kits, the Artful Winemaker System can be used time and time again to produce all of the great tasting wines available including Cabernet Shiraz, Chardonnay, Merlot, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Noir, and Riesling.

So go ahead discover the winemaker in you!

For more information, visit: www.artfulwinemaker.com or at www.facebook.com/artfulwinemaker

There are three ways you can reach us: Visit us on the web at: www.artfulwinemaker.com
Or email us at: help@artfulwinemaker.com
Or if you prefer direct assistance or more help, please call our toll free number:
1-800-263-4790 ext. 6449

Still need a great gift for the wine lovers on your list? Order your Cabernet/Shiraz or Pinot Grigio All Inclusive Personal Winemaking System by Dec. 14 for holiday delivery.  Still on sale for just $99.99 plus free shipping.

You see, the company I work for decided to host their annual office Christmas party and, when it came time to draw names, I drew Jon’s.

Jon’s a cool cat for the most part. He’s one of our photographers and has always been into comic books and Anime, but when it comes to buying gifts that fit within the preset budget, it tends to get a little difficult.

I could buy him comic books, but he gets those sent to him on his Kindle. Photo equipment is out because it generally doesn’t fit within the aforementioned budget, and I can’t go with anime because even if I knew the type he watches, I could never scour his collection to see what he does and doesn’t have already.

I could probably go all James Bond and break into his office after hours by lowering myself through the AC vent, but I don’t think I have a long enough rope and I’m pretty sure that, given my luck, I’d wind up breaking into my boss’s office by accident.

As fun as concocting an acceptable explanation for that would be, the scratches I’d get lowering myself through said vent don’t seem worth it. I’m scrappy enough, thank you.

And so I resigned to go about this the normal, adult way and spy on him while he talks to others. I figure that way I still get to pretend to be a private detective and successfully extract the information I need.

During my little covert operation, I found out that he has a dog named Ares, that his mother lives in Fort Myers, Florida, and that he drinks wine.

Wine it is.

Fortunately, I happen to be a bit of a wine-o myself. Last year, my vino-fixation led to my sister buying me an Artful Winemaker kit for Christmas I just finished handcrafting 12 bottles of Cabernet/Shiraz (because, now that she’s had it, my roommate refuses to drink anything else now).

Perfect! Not only do I have a gift well within the set budget, but I won’t even have to venture out among the public (a concept that, given the holly-jolly spirit of the season and the gift-buying that comes with it, leaves me feeling oddly sympathetic to the Grinch).

So I took one of the bottles and wrote Jon’s Reserve on the label. I even raided my niece’s art kit and put a gimmicky little sticker of a camera on the back. Jon’s enough of a nerdy nerd to accept, if not fully appreciate, the corniness.

And he did. He got such a kick out of it that he cracked it open that night and drank it with every one.

Now everybody wants a bottle. Looks like I’m starting up a new batch for New Year’s.

The Artful Winemaker all-inclusive package includes everything you need to make 12 signature bottles of your very own wine in just 28 days. The clean, easy to handle system fits on your kitchen counter and comes with all winemaking ingredients including grape juices sourced from some of the nation’s finest vineyards, cleansers, an instructional DVD, and 12 glass bottles with closures, foils and bottle labels.

By purchasing additional refill wine kits, the Artful Winemaker System can be used time and time again to produce all of the great tasting wines available including Cabernet/Shiraz, Chardonnay, Merlot, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Noir, and Riesling. So go ahead – discover the winemaker in you! For more information, visit:

www.artfulwinemaker.com or at www.facebook.com/artfulwinemaker

There are three ways you can reach us: Visit us on the web at: www.artfulwinemaker.com

Or email us at: help@artfulwinemaker.com

Or if you prefer direct assistance or more help, please call our toll free number:
1-800-263-4790 ext. 6449