Wooden Wine Boxes & Wine Crates

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Why are Some Wine Bottle Sizes Different?

Different wine making countries are known for making assorted wine bottle sizes. The 750 ML size is by far the most common standard sized bottle (Magnums are twice the size). When we talk about the standard of wine bottle sizes we're referring to Bordeaux. These are high-shoulder with straight sides.

Average Standard Bottle Size: 12" tall by 3" wide

Wineries from different countries craft their bottles like the Bordeaux standard, but they don't make them exactly the same way. Some are wider, taller or have different shoulder lengths.

Burgundy and Chateauneuf wineries make wider sized bottles. These have wide bodies and bottoms, more slender shoulders, and are slightly shorter than Bordeaux. The Wide Bottle format is also used by Italian, Spanish and Australian wineries as well.

Average Wide Bottle Size: 11 3/4" tall by 3 1/2" wide

Outside of France, you have the large and tall bottles made by many Napa and South African wineries. Napa is especially fond of the Large and Tall style. You'll have a great difficulty placing a Napa bottle into a Standard Bottle wine crate.

Average Large and Tall Bottle Size: Can vary. Some Napa bottles can be as tall as 14" tall by 4" Wide.

Lastly we have Champagne bottles. This is usually a flute-style bottle, with a tall, slender bottle and very small shoulders.

Average Champagne Standard Bottle Size: 12 1/2" tall by 2 1/2" wide

There's a great article on this I recommend checking out:

http://www.storageltd.com/blog/how-to-store-wine-bottle-of-different-sizes

Also, when your ready to start placing your wines in wooden wine boxes or crates, please let me know. We can find out which style bottles you have, and measure out the sizes to find your perfect crates!

Patrick
www.winepine.com

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Wednesday, September 18, 2013

What are Wine Panels?

Wooden Wine Panels are the engraved sides of wine crate boxes, crates and cases.

There are three types:

-Collector's
-Border
-Winery Branded

My personal favorite of the three is Collector's because there are many different kinds. Most of them are from wineries that are thousands of years old. A lot of these pieces display priceless artifacts, historical artwork and ancient landmarks that date back to the Roman Empire. You just can't find designs like this anymore. Just imagine how they'll look in your wine cellar!

Below is a brief description on the Collector's style, as well as more info on the Border and Winery Branded. Each one is from either a wooden wine crate, wine box or wine case.

Collector's panels have the designs and pictures of the winery engraved on them, and all are mostly the same size. They're a best seller, and the most attractive of the three.

(3) Collector's Wine Panels

Average size: 12" L X 6" H

Crate type: 12 Bottle Wine Crate

Border Panels are like pieces of a picture frame. They are thin and narrow with smaller winery brandings and winery lettering. They do vary in size.

(5) Classic Border Panels

Crate Type: 6 Bottle Flat Wine Case

Average size: 9" L X 4" H

Winery Branded Panels are often the same size as Collector's, but don't have any designs or pictures. They are branded with winery lettering and numbering.

(1) Winery Branded Panel

Average Size: 12" L X 6" H

Crate Type: 6 Bottle Wine Box

All three of these styles can be mixed and matched into a wall, floor or ceiling plan. A lot of the times I recommend Borders for the frame, and assorted Collector's and Winery Branded inside the frame. This will make your wine panel project into a one-of-a-kind montage.

Wine panels can last forever if they're finished. They can be glazed with Polyurethane or any other wood finish. Also, any kind of stain to match a color in your décor can be used as well.

How to install them:

I recommend working with a contractor, carpenter or woodworker. This will allow you to view the project objectively.

If you decide to finish the panels first, I'd recommend working with a finish carpenter. Once the panels are completely finished, the installation can begin.

Liquid Nails in a can (not a tube) is the preferred adhesive. Use a notched trawl to spread the Liquid evenly across the back of each panel. This is similar to installing tile. Adhere the panel to the surface. Keep going until your surface area is filled with panels.

Cuts and trims may be needed along the way. This is another reason why it's preferable to work with a contractor/woodworker.

Once your project is completed send us a picture! We'd love to display your beautiful work on www.winepine.com

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Monday, July 1, 2013

Seven Facts You Probably Didn’t Know About Champagne

Champagne is a world famous drink, and is many people’s tipple of choice when it comes to luxury and celebration. As you might imagine, the drink is steeped in history and tradition. To you and I, it might just be a pleasant bubbly beverage, but for many, it’s a lifetime passion and obsession.

Let’s take a look at seven facts you probably didn't know about champagne:

1. You should always be cautious when opening a bottle of champagne. The cork can fly out at an astonishing 60 miles per hour or more, and this could obviously cause someone a nasty injury! Ideally, take the bottle outside and point it away from any windows, animals, or people.

2. Champagne is now synonymous with celebrations, and this tradition goes back a long way. It was an important aspect of parties in Britain during the French Revolution, and the higher price point ensured that it remains to be seen as a luxurious treat rather than an everyday essential.

3. Bubbly was first produced in England in the 1500s. Now though, there are very strict trading regulations that mean that only sparkling wines produced in that particular region of France can call themselves champagne.

4. Glass shape and temperature can have a massive impact on the overall taste and finish of a sparkling wine. If you want to enjoy your drink at its very best, you should make sure that you’re prepared. It may be worthwhile investing in some crystal champagne flutes. Before drinking, place the bottle in an ice bucket, half filled with water, for around 20 minutes.

5. Non-vintage varieties of Champagne account for around 80-90% of all that is produced, and tends to be much less expensive. For a drink to be classified as vintage, it must have been made from grapes harvested in one single year.

6. Though James Bond is perhaps usually best associated with the martini, it’s champagne that he drinks most during the film adaptations. To date, he’s drunk nearly 40 glasses.

7. Marilyn Monroe once took a bath in 350 bottles of bubbly. Surely, this is the ultimate in decadence!

As you can see, the world of champagne is complex and full of wonder. Once you start reading about the subject, you’ll find that there are masses of knowledge out there just waiting to be discovered. And if it’s your choice of celebratory drink, it’s well worth finding out the facts.

Do you have any more interesting facts about champagne? We’d love to hear them!

This article was brought to you by Ruth Hinds on behalf of Gurasu. Gurasu specialises in fine crystal products for the more discerning customer, with ranges that include crystal vases, whisky tumblers and much more.

Saturday, May 18, 2013

Chateau Gracia of Saint Emilion

Picture of: Wine panel

Type:6 bottle

Size:12" L X 6" H

Country:France

Region:Bordeaux (St. Emilion)

Design/Artwork:Extremely high detailed picture of two cherub angels. The picture is painted art, with multiple colors and embellishments

Winery Notes/History: Chateau Gracia is a a rare cult or "Garage Wine" made in France. You generally don't see this type of wine style in France. The picture/logo itself is quite modern and unusual for the generally ancient St. Emilion. So few Gracia wine crates are made making this panel a very hard piece to acquire.

Visit us at www.winepine.com to get some wine crates or boxes for your own unique project!

Patrick -

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Sunday, May 12, 2013

Maya Wood Wine Case from Napa

Maya

Picture of: Wine case

Type: 3 bottle

Size: 14" L X 8" W X 5" H

Country: USA

Region: Napa Valley

Design/Artwork: The Maya crate is rare because it's a cult winery with a small production. The crate is flip-top style, with the elegant Maya logo deeply engraved on both sides.

Winery Notes/History: Dalla Valle Vineyards is a small, family-owned winery that was founded in 1986. The winery and vineyards are located on a plateau 400 feet above the valley floor, in the eastern hills of Oakville, Napa Valley. The combination of perfect sun exposure and the cooling marine influence from the Pacific Ocean make this an ideal site for world class winegrowing. Dalla Valle has reached an admirable level of acceptance in the last decade and produces some of the most sought out Cabernet Sauvignon and proprietary red wine in California. Wines made from Dalla Valle Vineyards are pure unbridled expressions of fruit at its most powerful and concentrated. These wines are of immense stature and richness with well-integrated tannin and acidity.

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

The Top 11 Best Wine Crates

Not all wine crates are the same. Some are more valuable than the others, and this is based on a few factors:

Who designed the wine crate, and how highly detailed it is

What class the winery is in (First Growth, Second Growth, Grand Cru etc.)

When the winery was established (Many wineries are over 1,000 years old)

How rare it is (Some wineries only produce a dozen or so crates per vintage)

Where the winery is located (The most expensive are generally from France or California)

Below are the top 10 best in the world:

1. Domaine Romanee Conti (DRC)

This is the most expensive wine in the world. Made in Burgundy, the winery is ancient. The logo is highly detailed, and there's always a bidding war by private investors for each case almost every vintage. This means that the crate is almost always kept by the buyer, usually as an investment for years to come.

2. Chateau Petrus

Petrus is the most well known label to the general public. A bottle from Chateau Petrus isn't as expensive as a DRC but it's close. The label is exquisite and very unique. Petrus is an extremely rare and difficult wine and wine crate to acquire for the same reasons a DRC is.

3. Chateau Latour

Dealing with the First Growths on this list is tricky because they're all rare. Chateau Latour happens to have the lowest wine production, so it's a more difficult crate to acquire. It also happens to be the second most highly detailed crate (After Chateau Mouton Rothschild).

4. Chateau Mouton Rothschild

The amazing thing about Mouton Rothschild is that the label is redesigned every few years by a different French artist. The crates are always very distinctive based on the vintage, yet the overall design remains essentially the same. Some vintages also have slightly larger bottles made as well.

5. Chateau Lafite Rothschild

Lafite Rotshschild is the most expensive of the First Growth wineries, and arguably the most acclaimed among wine enthusiasts. The logo is unique, but not as highly detailed as some of the others.

6. Chateau Margaux

The Margaux region is considered the best of Bordeaux by many enthusiasts, and Chateau Margaux is arguably considered the finest of the First Growths. The engraved design logo is of the ancient and highly recognized chateau mansion, and many other wineries fashioned their own chateau mansions like it.

7. Chateau Haut-Brion

This is the only First Growth winery that is owned by an American corporation. The other four are still owned by families in France dating back many generations. Chateau Haut-Brion is ancient, and dates back well before the French Revolution. It happened to be Thomas Jefferson's favorite wine.

8. Screaming Eagle

The first wine crate from Napa Valley on the list, Screaming Eagle is nearly impossible to acquire because it's very difficult to purchase the actual wine on the open market. Many of the bottles are already pre-purchased by private collectors and buyers who are on the waiting list directly from the winery. The logo on the lid is large and highly detailed. Most Screaming Eagle crates hold either 1 or 3 bottles. There aren't any 6 or 12 bottle sizes.

9. Cakebread

Cakebread isn't a particularly renowned winery but the wine crate is incredible. All four sides and lid are engraved with an exceptional design of the vineyard. The lid is slide-top style, and all the sides are 3/4" thick. Cakebread is the number one choice for wine-themed tables and unique woodworking projects for wine cellars.

10. Robert Mondavi Continuum

The second most requested piece among those that create wine-themed woodworking projects, the lid of a Continuum crate has the highest detailed design logo in all of the winemaking world. The crate itself is oversized to hold their uniquely shaped bottles, and the picture is lush and eye-catching. Continuum is only made in 6 bottle flat style.

11. Nickel & Nickel

Another extremely high detailed wine crate, the Nickel & Nickel piece is engraved with a large and thick picture of the chateau mansion on the front and back side of the lid. The left and right hand sides of the crate have carved handles, and the lettering font of the winery which is gorgeous and like no other. The lid is a flip-top style which is also rare. Most Napa 6 bottle crates are slide-top, or sit atop the crate unattached.