Father’s Day is just around the corner. You did remember didn’t you?…DOH!  Well, you still have time to get him something—no, not another funky Jerry Garcia tie or bottle of Old Spice cologne. If dear old Dad is a wine lover, get him something he really wants. A gift from IWA shows Dad just how much you care and will be appreciated for years to come.

Here’s a few gift ideas just in time for Father’s Day:

Avanti 52-Bottle Built-In Mini Cellar – Give your Father the gift of Built-In Wine Storage! This is the built-in mini cellar he’s been hoping to get! It has stainless steel-trimmed glass doors, an LED readout for temperature setting and monitoring, slide out chrome racking for easy access and interior display lights to show off the collection.

SoWine Home Wine Bar by Transtherm – Give Dad the ultimate in wine preservation. The SoWine chills and preserves opened wine for up to ten days! The compact design will fit easily in the kitchen or Dad’s smoking lounge.

Vinturi Wine Aerator Gift Set – This Father’s Day, Dad deserves a great glass of wine…perfectly aerated by the Vinturi. The Vinturi Gift Set includes the popular Vinturi Wine Aerator beautifully packaged with the Vinturi Tower that holds the Vinturi for elegant wine service by the glass.

Ultima Stemware – Don’t let Dad drink wine in those tiny little wine glasses. Give him the strongest, clearest & most resilient glass crystal ever created! The Ultima Series is designed to enhance a wine’s flavor and bouquet. He’ll appreciate this gift every time he takes a sip.

Bronze Estate Opener – Now Dad can open a wine bottle quickly with modern technology and antique charm. Our Bronze Estate Opener works with both standard and flanged bottles and makes opening wine easy while looking great…the opener that is, but Dad will look pretty good too.

Laguiole Black Horn Steak Knives – Nothing goes better with wine than a great dinner. And a great dinner deserves the finest cutlery. Heirloom worthy, these knives are handcrafted in France of the finest quality, stainless steel for the blades. A set of six for when all the guys (and gals) get together for steaks.

So don’t delay. Order your Father’s Day gift today and surprise Dad with something he really wants.

Picture this: you decided to try that new restaurant. You made the reservations weeks ago just so you could get the prime dinner time. The tables have embroidered linens. The menu selections sound delicious. The service is impeccable. You’ve brought two of your best wines which the server is about to pour into their cheap restaurant grade wine glasses. Doh!

Large enough to hold up to 4 of your largest stemware such as these Riedel Sommelier Grand Cru stems

You would think that restaurants serving fine food and wine would use nicer stemware. Unfortunately, the scenario above happens more often than you would think. And even when restaurants have better stemware, they’re still not going to equal your Riedel Grand Cru, Tritan or Ultima stems. Doesn’t your finest wine deserve to be served and enjoyed in the same quality glasses you use at home? Absolutely, so why not BYOG—bring your own glasses—and carry them safely in our Stemware Tote.

It even will carry 5 Ultima glasses.

Our padded stemware tote will easily fit four glasses, even the large ones, each separated and cushioned by adjustable padded dividers. It unzips on three sides, has a snap closure handle and an detachable, adjustable shoulder strap for easy carrying. Never again will you have to settle for inferior stemware.

If you’ve shopped for stemware lately, you’ve probably seen plenty of claims for who has the strongest or most break-resistant glasses. With terms such as magnesium-infused and titanium crystal, how do you really know what to believe. Well, here at the IWA Testing Labs, we decided to put our own Ultima stemware and the big name in the industry, Riedel, to the test with simple, real-life scenarios.

Granted, we don’t have the scientific testing capabilities as do some glass manufacturers with lots of weighted balls, hydraulics and deflection scales, but we think you’ll be able to better relate to our real-world tests. That, and we just wanted to break stuff. So watch the video; you may be surprised by the results. Oh, and if you’re interested in buying some stemware after watching this, just follow this link to the stemware section of the IWA website. We offer all sorts of crystal and glassware for every need and budget.

Do you love Pinot Noir? If you answered yes without hesitation, you definitely should be attending the 8th Annual Passion for Pinot Noir Summit. On Saturday, February 27, 2010, consumers, press, trade and an extraordinary array of palates will gather at the Osher Marin Jewish Community Center in San Rafael, California to evaluate “the best of the best,” from the 8th Annual Pinot Noir Shootout that was held during the past two months.

Yours truly was one of the judges on the diverse tasting panel comprised of wine industry professionals from varying disciplines including restaurant and retail trade, winemakers, wine writers, wine educators, and viticulturalists. Do you trust my palate? Come to the summit and challenge the judges’ conclusions. Taste 40 of the top Pinots from around the world in a blind tasting and be a wine judge for a day.

IWA is a Summit Sponsor

This year, International Wine Accessories is proud to be a sponsor and donating Ultima Burgundy glasses for use at this fabulous event. Our exclusive Ultima stemware is brighter, stronger and more durable than other glasses on the market. Lead-free and machine-made these glasses are extremely resistant to chipping and breaking, and are dishwasher safe. Ultima glasses are the stemware of choice for this prestigious wine event. They’re also perfect for everyday use in your home.

IWA will also be giving away some great door prizes, once every half-hour from 6:30PM to 8:00PM. Be sure to stop by our table and enter our drawing for your chance to win one of four fantastic prizes.

Click on the banner below to register. Here are the details:

Passion for Pinot Noir Summit

Saturday, February 27, 2010
12:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Osher Marin Jewish Community Center
200 N. San Pedro Road
San Rafael, CA 94903

Noon – 3:30 PM
Pinot Noir Shootout – The Final Showdown

3:30 PM – 5:45 PM
Pinot Noir Workshops

6:00 PM – 8:30 PM
Pinot Noir Reception and Awards Ceremony

Read more about Pinot Noir, the judging process and the results from last year’s Pinot Noir Summit.

Right here in the heart of Northern California’s wine country, a group of food and wine aficionados meet monthly to share the fantastic cooking of DL Catering, along with great local wine. Combine great food, great wine, and a diverse mix of people, and we have the perfect setting to demonstrate The One Glass and offer them to members with proceeds to benefit a local food bank.

The One Glass, designed by Andrea Robinson, truly are the only wine glasses you’ll ever need. One made for red wine and one for whites. Don’t believe me? Well, don’t take my word, just watch and listen to these members of the Healdsburg Food and Wine club as we asked them to compare the same wine in The One Glass, side-by-side, with a varietal-specific glass.

I can’t believe it’s almost Thanksgiving! Where has the year gone? Well, it’s not too late to get your table and wine ready for the holidays. Let’s take a look at some ways to dress up your table and serve your wine in style.

Cylindrical Suberin Helical Extractors

Sorry, I geeked out for a sec. They’re better known as corkscrews, and they come in a variety of styles and prices, but here’s a few that are perfect for the holidays.

Bronze Estate Opener

This reproduction of an ingenious 19th century opener will accommodate both standard and flanged bottles. It clamps directly onto a table or can be displayed on a handsome table stand. With one swing of the handle, the cork is penetrated and removed. To re-cork, simply reverse the motion. Opening wine has never been so easy…and so elegant.

Vertical Rabbit

If you’ve never used one of Metrokane’s Rabbit corkscrews, you have to try it to understand just how easy it is to use. I have the original Rabbit corkscrew and think it’s great but the new Vertical Rabbit has given me corkscrew envy. Just like the original Rabbit, the Vertical Rabbit can extract a cork in 3 seconds and automatically ejects the cork. But this one is sleeker and beautiful to look at too.

Waiter’s Corkscrew – Rosewood Corkscrew with Pouch

Perhaps you’re a little more traditional and like the feel of wood and leather. This Rosewood Corkscrew with a Mulholland Brothers leather pouch is the one for you. Flawlessly crafted and beautifully finished, this waiter’s corkscrew will last a lifetime worth of wine.

Decanters

With all the new gadgets out there now to aerate wines, are decanters really necessary? Absolutely. Decanters will never go out of style and it’s still the best way to present your finest wines allowing them to breathe while showcasing the wine in an elegant way. And what better time to add a little elegance to a meal than when family and friends gather for Thanksgiving?

Eisch Dripless Silhouette Decanter

What make this decanter different from the rest? The surface of the glass on this decanter is specially treated keeping those pesky final drops of wine inside the decanter and off your dinner table. A perfect pour every time!

Ravenscroft Spiral Decanter

The unique spiral design of this lead-free decanter allows for better gripping while the 7″ wide base allows for maximum aeration of your wine. Perfect for not only the holidays but also for everyday use.

Riedel Amadeo Lyra Decanter

For the ultimate in elegance, the Riedel Amadeo Lyra Decanter can’t be surpassed for a combination of form with function. Created to commemorate both the 250th anniversary of Riedel Crystal, as well as the 250th birthday of Amadeus Mozart. Handmade, mouthblown 24% lead crystal crafted in Austria.

Stemware

You’ve had those wine glasses since college. You know the ones I’m talking about: dinky little bowls with a big thick rolled rim. They’ve served you well, but isn’t it about time you kicked it up a notch and invest in a nice set of wine glasses. If you’ve looked at your stemware lately and said to yourself, “We need to get some better wine glasses,” then don’t put it off any longer. Here are some wine stems in which you’ll be proud to serve wine to your family and friends.

The One by Andrea Robinson

Andrea Robinson’s The One Glass eliminates the guesswork and complexity from stemware selection, and rivals the finest European stemware for both grace and performance. No need to fill you cabinets with different glasses for each varietal; all you’ll need is The One for Red and The One for White. These glasses optimize the aroma and taste of any wine, old or young, steal or splurge. Go ahead and put them in your dishwasher The One glasses will continue to shine like a diamond!

Ultima Stemware

Ultima Stemware is the greatest innovation in glassware since the invention of the stem. They are brighter, stronger and more durable than other glasses on the market. Lead-free and machine-made these glasses are extremely resistant to chipping and breaking. They’re dishwasher safe and won’t dull or become clouded.

Riedel Sommelier Stemware

The Sommeliers Series is Riedel’s top of the line. Each varietal specific stem is individually mouth-blown and hand-finished to a level of perfection unparalleled by machine-made stemware. This 24% lead crystal glass is unsurpassed in its ability to enhance your fine wine experience. “The best wine glasses ever made.” Robert M. Parker Jr., The Wine Advocate