Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Chateauneuf Du Pape Beaucastel

Chateauneuf Du Pape Beaucastel Wooden Wine Box



Beaucastel brings back fond memories. It was the first wine box we sold when Winepine started 11 years ago. The beautifully decorated cote of arms design always takes me back to that time.

Chateaneuf Du Pape Beaucastel is among the most revered vineyard in all of Rhone. Not much has changed throughout the near millennia since it's land has been producing wine in modern France. Although the Beaucastel name wasn't truly established until the 14th century, it's quite likely that it's land was producing wine well before the 1st century. When you look at this wine box your looking at a tiny piece of recorded history.

Many of the ancient vines were destroyed by Phylloxera in the 19th century, but since the replanting a few decades later the vines were restored to their former glory. I purchased a few bottles of 2007 for a Thanksgiving party and they were finished in the blink of an eye. Although it would've been nice to experience wine from vines dating back hundreds of years, I can't imagine the legendary Beaucastel quality to be that much more significant during any period of time.

Country: France

Region: Rhone

Sub-Region: Chateauneuf Du Pape

Established: 1321

Production: 8,000 cases averaged among 5 different single vineyard plots

Grape: Makes both Rhone grape varietal reds and whites

Box design: Historic Beaucastel Cote of Arms engraved on the front side

Rarity: Fairly. Some vintages are made without wooden wine boxes

Crate designation: Collector's ($35.00)

Our opinion/history: Chateauneuf means "New Castle of the Popes" and Beaucastel was the first Rhone vineyard in which the Vatican acquired to make Sacramental wine. There's a deep and rich history of this vineyard that dates back 1,000 years or more, and most of the wines from the region pair well with hearty meats.



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Friday, January 22, 2016

The 8 Best Wooden Wine Box Pictures from Spain

Spanish wooden wine boxes are rare. Very few vineyards make them and the ones that do have either tiny productions or only make them for special vintages. They are one of my favorite regions for wine boxes.

Some have highly detailed pictures or designs. Others have a unique text/font and that's it. For some reason I find them captivating. Maybe it's the smooth Spanish wood or the architecture displayed on some of them. Perhaps it's just because there's so few of them which makes each one a treasure.

Spain as a wine making country is one of the few "hybrid" producers of both old and new world styles. This is seen clearly in their wine crates and boxes/ Some have that charming vintage look and some have a sleek modern appeal.

To be fair, alot of the crates displayed below only came in once so we have none in stock at the moment. I seem to have a penchant of creating blog posts of crates we aren't able to sell...

In any event I want to share these with you and hopefully one day we'll be able to supply you with some!


Prado Enea: Vintage class style large 12 bottle crate with an old world style lid and long side panel engraving 


Aalto: Modern style single bottle crate with a slide-top lid and two long side design engravings.


Numanthia: Hybrid style medium 6 bottle wine box with a highly detailed picture of the winery's old Spanish architecture


*Numanthia: The oak stain finish version of the Numanthia wine box


Termanthia: Modern style oversized medium 6 bottle wine box with a deeply engraved branding of the vineyard's design


Finca El Bosque: Hybrid medium oversized 6 bottle wine box with a delicate engraving of the logo and design


La Nieta: Modern style medium wine box with the winery's estate engraved on the lid, front and back sides


Bodegas Vega Sicilia: One of my all-time favorites. The Bodegas is lightly engraved with a very high detail picture of the vineyard estate on the front and back sides. The lid has an old world logo design. This is a hybrid 3 bottle wine case.


Remelluri: This is a very old world vineyard with a modern style design wooden wine box. Normally I'd call this a hybrid, but the Remelluri vineyard dates back to the 14th century so no dice on that. I love the elegantly designed picture of the vineyard and estate on the front and back sides. This is a medium 6 bottle wine box, and I've only seen two of these in my life.

If you have any questions about Spanish wine boxes or would like to get on our waiting list feel free to give me a call or shoot me an e-mail. Also, we get alot of e-mails from people looking to identify some of the crates they have. If you have a wine box or crate you'd like more info on i'd be happy to help with that.

Patrick
sales@winepine.com
914-565-0134

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Sunday, January 17, 2016

The 9 Best Wine Room Decorations List

These spectacular wine rooms all have one thing in common: They were all decorated with original wine boxes and crates. All have either custom shelving or plenty of room to display them. Hopefully they'll give you some inspiration!


www.indeeddecor.com


Design Interiors Inc


Decolust Wine Room


www.Bloglovin.com


Houzz Wine Room


www.Domainehome.com


www.Custommade.com


Rosehill Wine Cellars


Simmonsbuilding Wine Room

Looking for your wine boxes or crates for your own project? Visit Winepine

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Wednesday, January 6, 2016

How Wine Crates Increase the Value of Your Home

Throughout history wine was considered "The Drink of the Gods". You'd be hard-pressed to find a person anywhere that isn't familiar with wine and wouldn't enjoy a glass as you spoke with them. The soldiers of the Roman Empire considered it food, and drank it instead of water because it was a safer way to hydrate.

It's widely known by real estate agents and experts that a wine cellar increases the value of your home. Wine isn't just a drink, but is often a way to connect with friends and loved ones making a wine cellar a perfect place to entertain. Hosting social events in your cellar gives an aesthetic value but not necessarily a monetary one. Collecting wine however can quickly become a way to invest, and that's a big reason why having a wine cellar often makes your home more valuable.

In order to invest in wine you'll need a place to store it. Hearty Bordeaux and Burgundy wines are the most commonly collectible wines. This is because the grapes used in Bordeaux take many years to peak. You can drink them young but won't get the best experience until they reach full maturity. That can take as long as 15-30 years. Keeping the wine in it's best possible storage condition is the only way to get maximum value. This is called provenance.

There are 3 key characteristics to achieve the best in provenance for fine wine:
  • Darkness
  • Temperature control
  • Keeping the bottles flat on their sides
Once you have a steady temperature-control room the rest of these needs are covered with original wooden wine crates and boxes. Wine crates are designed for bottle storage because they're built to keep bottles on their sides, while maintaining darkness and a slightly cooler temperature than if the bottles were held in traditional racks and exposed to light. They also make moving wine much easier because your moving 12 bottles at a time instead of one-by-one with your hands. When your ready to sell your prized wines at a profit you can simply give the full case to the wine appraiser for sale. Not only will the wine be valued for what it is, but the complete collection of wine in it's original crate will fetch more at auction. 

Wine investing and collecting can be fun but sometimes it's all about business. The aesthetic quality of a wine cellar is also important too.

Most wine cellars are in basements where the temperature is cooler. This is usually the most cost-effective option. Basements are often not selling points when buying a house. A wine cellar with a bar or entertainment area there takes an unused space and turn it into a huge benefit. The moment your buyer steps into the gorgeous wine room you've built it'll take their breath away...



Wine crates have a vintage appeal that adds a special charm to a wine room or cellar. They captivate the imagination while matching both modern and old world decor styles beautifully. A wine room is never quite complete unless it's adorned with them. The above picture is one of my favorites, and everytime I look at this space I get inspired. That's what a wine cellar or room should do for everyone.

If your looking for original wine boxes crates for your own wine room or cellar decoration visit Winepine 

Patrick
sales@winepine.com
914-565-0134