Tuesday, August 25, 2015

Screaming Eagle Wine Wooden Case



Screaming Eagle

The Screaming Eagle vineyard has a tiny production and a long waiting list. Right now you can only buy Screaming Eagle new releases if you subscribe to the waiting list which is 2 years long. It is possible to buy a bottle at auction or in the open market, but the cost per bottle is over $1,000 for any given year. Much more for better vintages.

The winery only makes 3 bottle wooden wine cases, except for 2011 where they released the "Second Flight" which was the only 6 bottle wooden wine box ever made. It was a vertical of different vintages and the demand was extraordinary. There are a handful of double-magnums made every once in a while and those command significant prices as well.

The lids of all cases and boxes are branded with the iconic Eagle. All four sides of the crates are engraved as well. It's an eye-catching and artistically designed piece. Most vintages receive a perfect score.

Country: USA

Region: California

Sub-Region: Oakville, Napa Valley

Established: 1986

Production: Approx. 400 - 800 cases per year

Grape: 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc

Crate design: Large iconic Eagle on both sides of the flip-top style lid, and the Screaming Eagle lettering logo on all four sides as well.

Rarity: Nearly impossible to acquire. Investors keep the crate because a complete collection of the case and wine yields more at auction.

Crate designation: Exclusive ($150.00) 

*We don't have any in stock

Our opinion/history: Not only is there a waiting list for the Screaming Eagle wine, but also for the wooden wine cases. Our waiting list surprisingly goes back about 2 years as well.


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Tuesday, August 18, 2015

Sin Qua Non (Napa Cult) Wooden Wine Box

"Eleven Confessions" Oversized 6 Bottle Wine Box


Sin Qua Non

The Sin Qua Non winery wooden wine cases and boxes can be summed up as "Eclectic and Innovative". They are a renowned and limited Central Coast Napa cult vineyard, and their wine boxes and cases seem to change on a whim based on vintage and the 6 different grape varietals they craft. So far I was able to take a picture of 3 different wine boxes and cases which are: 
  • Eleven Confessions (Shown above), and there's actually two distinct designs for this box
  • Mr. K flat two bottle flat wine case
  • "Heart Chorea" 3 bottle wine case. 
These pictures can be found at the end of the post.

Sin Qua Non only makes flat wooden wine cases and wine boxes as of now. They don't make large wine crates. Their 750 ML bottles are over-sized, and they also make fairly tall half bottles (375 ML) 

Country: USA

Region: California

Sub-Region: Central Coast, Napa Valley

Established: 1994

Production: Approx. 3,500 cases per year.

Grape:


Reds: Syrah, Grenache and Mourvedre

Whites: Roussanne, Viognier and Marsanne         

Crate design: Varies a great deal. I believe different artists create graphics and designs for the vineyard on a regular basis.

Rarity: Very. Sin Qua Non is extremely limited and do very well at auction. The "Heart Chorea" wooden wine case and wine inside was numbered. Most investors keep the original wine in the original case to increase it's value.

Crate designation: Exclusive ($100.00) 

*We don't have any in stock

Our opinion/history: Sin Qua Non is one of my favorite producers of wooden wine boxes and cases. They are always very eye-catching and creative. The few that come in get sold within days and we currently have a waiting list on them. I always try to keep one for myself until a collector comes in and is willing to pay more than retail.


Mr. K Two Bottle Wine Case



"Heart of Chorea 3 Bottle Wine Case



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Thursday, August 13, 2015

Wooden Wine Crate Profile: Chateau Ausone



Chateau Ausone

My original goal when I started writing was to complete the profiles on all the wine crates from every vineyard that ever made them. A difficult task I'll admit, but my direction on that changed over the years. I found most people were interested more in what can be done with wine crates as opposed to the history behind them. I think that's changing though..

What got me thinking that I should do profiles again was several clients called me today looking for specific wine crates for their cellars. One in particular told me that he found the history of wine crates so interesting, and he was looking for a Chateau Ausone crate or box. Well, unfortunately Ausone is an extremely rare crate because they have a tiny production that are bought up quickly when released. Investors put down virtually every Ausone for 20 or so years until they're peaked for auction (or personal consumption). Once that happens we sometimes end up with only a few every year.

So here's a quick profile on the Chateau Ausone winery from an older vintage we had a picture of. It's a fascinating winery with deep historical value. It happens to be only one of only four vineyards classified as Premier Grand Cru "A". This level is one step below First Growth,

Country: France

Region: Bordeaux

Sub-Region: St. Emilion

Established: Location was growing wine since the Roman Empire. Established as Chateau Ausone in the 1700's

Production: Less than 2,000 cases per year.

Grape: 50% Cabernet Sauvignon and 50% Merlot

Crate design: Changes every 10 years or so. Generally there's a large Chateau Ausone on the front side, and a very large Chateau Ausone logo on the long side.

Rarity: Very. Investors and Collectors generally buy out most vintages and keep the crates to store the wine. 

Crate designation: Exclusive ($50.00)

Our opinion/history: I'm a big fan of Ausone and would love to try any vintage. I went on wine searcher and found that there's only 4 wine stores in the US selling only 1 bottle each. They probably got these bottles from liquidated wine cellars, and it's quite shocking that virtually no Ausone is available.

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Wednesday, August 5, 2015

7 Wine Crate Furniture Ideas!

7 Wine Crate Furniture Ideas (And a little about how this post came to me)

Patrick - 
www.winepine.com

I'll admit that I both read and listen alot. I'm always looking for new content ideas when it comes to wine boxes and crates. That being said, I'm in the middle of the latest marketing book I've purchased, and upon reading one of the pages it occurred to me to create this post.

Yesterday I was at one of our storage areas where we keep some of our excess crates. I do alot of manual labor work with the team to get myself out of the office and to keep myself active. I frequently questioned my time management skills in the past and often asked myself if I'm making the most of my time. I was happy to realize that the business investor Marcus Lemonis shares a good deal of his team's physical work from watching his show The Profit. Now I try not to think about the value of my time in terms of what I should be doing, but instead I try to focus on getting whatever I'm doing at the moment done right now.

Work in progress..

Anyway, back at the storage area, I was pulling out crates from our unit when one of our storage neighbors asked me: "What do you do with those wine crates?" I responded that we refurbish them, and she quickly came back with "Do you make wine crate furniture?" I said no, but we do have some partnerships with companies that do. She asked what the name of our company was and I told her Winepine. She ended the conversation with "Ill be in touch".

That brief chat stuck in my mind throughout the long day, but I forgot about it right before crashing into my bed from exhaustion. I worked a solid 16 hour day and was ready for rest.

I awoke the next morning fairly sore, but dragged myself to the kitchen for a cup of  coffee. As I looked out the window I had a keen desire to write something meaningful. So with a sip of coffee and a mission I set out to generate some great content. I was still a little blank on what I wanted to write about so I picked up that recently purchased marketing book. I had researched the book well before moving forward on it, as I've bought many marketing and e-commerce books in the past that did me little good. I wasn't about to pony up another $20 prior to at least having a good idea that I'll gain new insight from it. Surprisingly, after 40 pages, the wine crate furniture idea came rushing into my mind. Shortly after I was at my seat typing words and time was flying. The book explained simply that it's crucial to make your customers and readers part of your team. So for my storage area neighbor; this article is for you..

7. Industrial Chic Petrus Vineyard Wine Crate Table


I found this on Pinterest under an Etsy listing that was no longer available. I have no idea how they got that pipe to attach to or go through the crate. Looking at it gives me a bit of nostalgia for some reason.

6. Vintage-Style Wine Crate Coffee Table


Another Pinterest/Etsy find and it's called the "Slim Jim". I believe the crate was finished with a vintage stain and legs were built into the bottom. Lovely work.

5.Storage Wine Box with Casters


This piece is from www.frugelegance.com and is a 6 bottle Napa medium wine box with casters built into the bottom so it can be wheeled around easily.

4. Warres Vintage Port End Table w/ Glass Top


This is like artwork and it matches the surrounding decor brilliantly. The heavy glass top is a testament to the durability of wine crates

3. Man-Cave/Wine Bar



One of my personal favorites done by one of our clients, this bar top is professionally covered with dozen wine crate panels from all over Europe - www.winepine.com

2. Wine Crate Dresser with Table



Meticulously crafted dresser and table with wine crate shelves. Another piece found on Etsy, and sometimes I wonder why Etsy doesn't redirect to the stores that make these. A great deal of time and effort must go into these projects.

1. Wine Crate Ottoman


Yet another Etsy find, the Wine Crate Ottoman is quickly becoming one of the more sought after items in the wine crate world. They are not as easy as they look to make. Believe me..

In closing I want to point out that I'm looking for new content all the time. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions I'm very open to them. Feel free to leave a comment below and I'll get back to you and possibly write an article based on your comment. I'm aiming to get a new blog post out there every Wednesday so I can use all the help I can get!

Thank you again,

Patrick
www.winepine.com

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