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Cookie time: Red Wine Pairing Box. $7.95. Cookies & Corks. 888.499.3677. www.cookiesandcorks.com
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CIRCLE #944
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How Things Wine Up
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Cages, chillers, cookies and chocolates — pairing vino goes well beyond meals. B Y T I N A B E N I T E Z - E V E S EACH WEEK MATT DUBOW GETS ON THE AIR AT HIS LOCAL RADIO STATION, KFWB, IN SANTA ANA, CA, TO TALK WINE. KNOWN AS THE AREA’S “GADGET GURU,” DUBOW HAS A SPECIAL
GOURMET
SEGMENT HE CALLS “GRAPE ENCOUNTERS.”
The wine-chilling Corkcicle. $29.95. Corkcicle. 866.780.0007. corkcicle.com
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CIRCLE #943
Paso Robles-grown olive oils. $25-$35. Pasolivo. 805.227.0186. www.pasolive.com CIRCLE #940
№ 182 gifts and decorative accessories
gda1201GOwinefeaid 182
| january 2012
Surrounded by the largest wine regions in the country, DuBow can easily chat about seasonal wines or pairing with meals. Instead, DuBow prefers to tell listeners about some new accessories for “playing” with wine. Recognizing the popularity of some of these wine gadgets and how they enhance the atmosphere around wine appreciation, he offers hundreds of items in the category through his company Epic Products. Corkscrews, bottle stoppers, wine glass charms and other miscellaneous accessories are part of the Epic lineup, but the company’s wine cork cages barely stay in stock. A top seller, the sculpted metal designs let wine fans collect their favorite corks in an artful, decorative accessory. DuBow believes that these items are such a hit because more people are beginning to explore wine and favor an item that can also work as a gift or add to their decor. “There’s this romance with wine,” says DuBow. “It’s different with other spirits. The
presentation [with wine] is different whether it’s decanters, preservation systems or home decor.”
Accessories Rock Out Cages, rocks, jewel-like charms for glasses and other accessories take the see, swirl, sniff and taste to a whole new level. Although rocks are something most don’t think of to go with wine, RabLabs’ vibrant lava rock coasters can add an element of elegant earthy ambiance to any tasting or entertaining event. Each coaster is unique and made of natural rock, so no two are alike. The decorative aspect of the coasters and the company’s other wine accessories fits into the merchandise mix of retail venues from gourmet and fine gift shops to jewelry and home decor stores. When it comes to rocks, True Fabrications’ Glacier Rocks are one of the more unique items in its range of home entertaining wares that include slate cheese boards, ceramic bottle stoppers and antique-style
giftsanddec.com
12/20/2011 5:53:53 PM