Wine Racks Blog

St. Patrick’s Day is almost here! While it may be traditional to lift a pint of Guinness on March 17th, there’s no reason you can’t enjoy a glass of wine on Tuesday. But don’t have your usual - branch out and enjoy a glass of mead.

Mead is a honey wine, that has been made for centuries. Traditionally, mead is comprised of honey, water and a touch of yeast. Aging and amounts used lead to many different variations in taste. Some mead is very sweet, and some are a touch on the dry side!

In Celtic cultures, mead enjoys a reputation as being quite the aphrodisiac. It became frequently used in wedding celebrations. In fact, some think that mead helped bring the word ‘honeymoon’ into the common lexicon. There was an old Irish tradition that newlyweds should drink a glass of honey wine each day during the first month of marriage. Since a ‘moon’ was a period of a month, and honey is the main ingredient of mead, well, it makes sense to me!

If you’re drinking a glass of mead (and you can have it chilled, or at room temperature), you should have a couple of good toasts up your sleeves.

May the dreams you hold dearest, be those which come true. The kindness you spread, keep returning to you.

And

May your pockets be heavy
Your heart be light
And may good luck pursue you
Each morning and night

So, you’ve got your mead, you’ve got a toast - what else do you need for St. Patrick’s Day? How about a little green? Here’s the Estate Wine Tote. This kelly green bag holds a bottle of wine, two wine glasses, a bottle stopper and a corkscrew. Perfect for a picnic, or for sharing a moment with your sweetheart. Plus, this tote has an adjustable shoulder strap, so it’s great for hiking the rolling hills - or just walking through the neighborhood.

What are your plans for St. Patrick’s Day?

While driving to a party with a bottle of wine, do you find yourself wincing as you hear the bottle rolling back and forth in the trunk or the backseat? Have you ever tried just keeping the wine in a bag on the passenger seat, but then a short stop pitches everything to the floor? Have you shown up at a party with a bottle of wine that’s practically foamy from being shook, rattled, and rolled? If not, congratulations! You are obviously one of the graceful people of the world! I bet you can also wear white shirts, and they stay white until the end of the day.

For the rest of us, I’ve found something that can help! These neoprene wine totes! These totes are padded and insulated. The insulation is a terrific feature – it means that you can bring a bottle of white wine to a party, and won’t have to chill it in your host’s refrigerator. They also have little handles, so you can loop them on your trunk hooks, or just thread a seat belt through the handle. I found both one bottle and two bottle totes at Stacks And Stacks.

Plus, you could be really nice, and give a bottle and a tote as a complete hostess gift. Much better than flowers!