Free Shipping

Everyone wants free shipping. This is an excellent way to market a product but you need to make sure the product isn’t over priced. Let’s be honest the retailer has to make money. The shipping cost is going to be captured either in the cost of the product or shipping fee. If the retailer is large they may buy the product cheaper and sometimes will pass the savings on to the buyer. It’s best to do some price checking but also check on shipping times. Sometimes you will give up faster delivery for free shipping but as long as you order early that may not be a problem. Also, don’t forget about customer service sometimes this is worth more than free shipping. Whatever you decide have fun shopping this holiday season and visit TwistedCorkscrew.com we pride ourselves on providing top notch customer service and try to go the extra mile to make our customers happy. Check out the Artful Winemaker a new innovative personal wine making system and we offer Free Shipping for this product.

True or Twisted

Stick lizards run through the desert holding a stick in their mouth when they stop running they the drop the stick and stand on it because the sand is hot and they have tender feet. Stick Lizards run fast, so the best chance to catch them is when they are standing on their stick because they have to hop off the stick and pick it up before they run off through the desert. The irony is that stick lizards are considered a delicacy and when the American Indians catch stick lizards they roast them over a campfire using the stick that the lizard was carrying. Leave your comments about TRUE or TWISTED on http://www.twistedcorkscrew.com/ and check out our products.

Twisted Discounts

Coupon Code

Additional 5% discount on all corkscrews thru Nov 09

Type Code Thanksgiving1023 during checkout

Save on your Holidays gifts at TwistedCorkscrew.com. Checkout our large selection of quality corkscrews. We have many styles of waiter's corkscrews, winged corkscrews, specialty openers, replica antique corkscrews and more. Check this blog for future discounts throughout the holiday season.

Wine Holders

Just in decorative whimsical metal wine caddies. We have great characters like “Biker Dude”, “Knight” and “Pirate”. We also carry wine caddies for different professions like “Doctor”, “Waiter” and “ Teacher”. These wine caddies are well made and are available in pewter colored and highly polished wine caddies which are especially classy looking. Compare our prices on these to others that you have seen, you will be pleasantly surprised. Any of these would be a great Christmas gift for a friend or relative. Check out the sports wine caddies like the “Tennis Player” or the “Fisherman”. Click this link to see the entire selection on TwistedCorkscrew.

Artful Winemaker - The Personal Winemaking System

I have been making wine at home for about 10 years and it is truly an enjoyable experience. It must be my right brain that drives this creative urge. Whatever it is, it sure is fun. I love the process all the way through bottling but I especially like giving bottles away to friends, taking a bottle to a party and receiving all the surprise looks and compliments about my wine making hobby.
Now this wine making experience that I love is available to everyone, even those who live in a small apartment or condo. After three years of extensive research and development, a revolutionary, one of a kind personal wine making system that offers an exciting and new innovative winemaking experience is available.
One of the newest most innovative products on the market today for personal wine making is the Artful Winemaker. The developers of this system set out to take traditional winemaking practices and produce a system that was easy and convenient to use, plus deliver 12 bottles of premium quality wine in just 28 days.
An important advantage to the Artful Winemaker is that it requires minimal space and time investment, plus this system offers a hands-on winemaking experience that gives wine-lovers the opportunity to handcraft their very own wines and express their creativity in 3 easy steps.
Each all inclusive Artful winemaker package includes: instructional DVD, premium wine refill kit of your choice, 12 bottles, toppers (corks), closures (bottle dressing), funnel, spoon, adhesive thermometer and ingredient packets.

The step by step procedures detail procedures for each step of the following process:
Day 1 – Assembly, Sanitizing, Mixing & Fermenting

Day 14 - Stabilizing and Clearing

Day 28 - Bottling
Current varietal choices include five of the most popular: Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Cabernet/Shiraz, Merlot and White Zinfandel.

You can be a wine maker even if you live in a big city apartment. Why shouldn't you experience the enjoyment of creating that special wine to share with your family and friends? This personal wine making system is designed for anyone that wants to make their own wine but doesn't have the space, time, money or patience it takes to make wine the old way.
The Artful Winemaker Personal Winemaking System makes no mess and requires no heavy lifting to hand craft 12 signature bottles of wine. The all inclusive Artful Winemaker Deluxe system includes everything you need to make wine.
The Artful Winemaker is available for $159.99 at http://www.twistedcorkscrew.com/

Wine Holders

We carry a wide variety of fun and quirky wine holders. TwistedCorkscrew brings you these high quality, well-designed wine holders at affordable pricing. These wine holders are unique characters that hold corkscrews, keys, glasses, you decide but they always bring a smile to your face. The manufacturer has captured whimsical and humor at their best in these delightful wine holders. What a great Christmas gift one of these would be for a friend. We carry cartoon type characters for policeman, fireman, tourist, chef, golfer, poker player, cowboy and many land animals and sea animals. Check them out at TwistedCorkscrew.com.

Liqueur Recipes

Nassau Vanilla Liqueur Recipe

2 ½ cups dark rum 1 cup water
4 vanilla beans, split lengthwise 2 tablespoons glyercin (see note)
1 cup granulated sugar

1. Combine rum and vanilla beans in a glass container; shake to mix. Age in a cool, dark place for 2 to 3 weeks
2. Strain aged rum and vanilla bean mixture by pouring through a coffee filter or cloth bag placed in a strainer over a medium bowl. (Save vanilla beans to make vanilla sugar; rinse and let dry completely, let dry completely, then place in a pint jar with 2 cups sugar and let age for a few days. Use in baked goods.)
3. In a sauce pan, combine sugar and water. Stir over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil. Remove from heat; stir until all sugar is dissolved. Let cool.
4. Combine cooled syrup with liqueur. Stir in glycerin, bottle, cap and age in a cool dark spot for an additional 1 to 2 months before serving.

Note: Glycerin is available in drugstores, winemaking supply shops and some hern stores. It’s used to give body to thin liqueurs.

Taken from “Classic Liqueurs” by Cheryl Long and Heather Kibbey

Check TwistedCorkscrew for lead free Ravenscroft for distiller glasses and decanters.

Napa

On a recent trip to Napa Valley we discovered an amazing winery called Castello di Amorosa located on North St. Helena Hwy, Calistogo, California. This winery is 121,000 square foot castle with 107 rooms that took 14 years to build. This castello has everything you would expect to find in an authentic 12th century tuscan style castle winery. The castle produces 15,000 cases of wine which are only sold at the winery.
We of course did a wine tasting and had the pleasure of meeting Michael Skylar who works at the winery. Michael served us well in the wine tasting with great conversation about wine and the winery but in addition his knowledge of music was extensive. It happened to be 9-08-09 and the Beatles re-mastered CD’s was to be released on 9-9-09 and my business partner (John) was wearing a John Lennon t shirt. All this lead to the discussion on music. Michael Skylar had a musical background introduced to him by his father Sunny Skylar (check the internet). Sunny Skylar had an amazing career in music. So while we were in Napa on a business trip (TwistedCorkscrew.com) we discovered a great new winery and enjoyed an interesting and informative conversation with Michael Skylar. This is a must for anyone going to Napa, make sure you stop by and say “Hi” to Michael.

NAPA Valley

On a recent trip to California we were lucky enough to spend a day in NAPA Valley. We stopped at a number of wineries including Robert Mondavi on the Silverado Trail. We had an excellent wine tasting conducted by a very knowledgeable Wine Educator (Doug Nanfria). Doug took time to show us where the reserve wine was stored and let us take a number of photos (John & Jim from TwistedCorkscrew). Mondavi has 56 oak vats each containing 5000 gals of reserve wine……very impressive. In addition to the excellent wine tasting and great photos we learned some very interesting facts from Doug, some of which I have already forgotten. We noticed many vineyards had roses growing around the perimeter and Doug explained that the rose bushes were placed there because roses are more susceptible to disease and therefore would warn the vintner that some action needed to be taken to protect the grape vines. If you want to learn more about wine you need to go see Doug Naufria at Robert Mondavi Winery and get an education on wine. Check this blog in the future for more information on wine education from http://www.twistedcorkscrew.com/

Classic Gourment

This is an attractively priced steamlined version of the Corona classic peppermill. Has permanently affixed stainless steel grinder inside. Durable finish. This pepper mill is a top quality, exquisitely designed mill that you will be both pleased to use and proud to show your guest. We also carry Grand Cuisine Electric Pepper peppermills as well as the personal peppermill. Any of these pepper mills are great gift items for a birthday, anniversary or Christmas. Check them out at TwistedCorkscrew.com

Recycle Wine Bottles into Stylist Outdoor Torches

Think cheap Tiki torches are tacky? Want something a bit sturdier and with more refined looks? Use this simple tutorial to turn recycled wine bottles into swanky bug-repelling outdoor lighting.
Gerardot&Co http://www.gerardotandco.com/blog/recycled-bottle-torch/., a design and marketing agency, put together a tutorial on recycling wine bottles into mounted torches. The design is ingeniously simple, and requires only a few bucks worth of parts from your local hardware store. You'll need a few copper fittings, a bolt, a few nuts, and a mounting plate, along with a standard torch wick and some oil.
Assuming you've got the bottles on hand, or some friends willing to down a few for a good cause, for under $50 you could outfit a sizable yard with wine-torches. Torches, we might add, that have a sizable 750ml reservoir to them burning bright, no matter how late your dinner parties last.

Stone Hill Winery

Stone Hill Winery - Hermann, Missouri
Grapes to Glass 2009

Saturday, August 15, 2009
TIME: 3 p.m. (tour & tasting will last approximately 2 - 2 1/2 hours)
WHAT: A special VIP wine tour and tasting. A member of the winemaking staff will lead you on an insightful journey from our Norton vineyard to our tasting room, where you'll learn a few secrets behind our winemaking success.
Hear about our history and winemaking processTour our vineyard, press house, tank building and cellarsTaste a special barrel sampling of wine or a new tank sampleEngage in a private wine and cheese tasting with our winemakerTake home your free souvenir wine glass WHERE: Stone Hill Winery-Hermann.
TICKETS: Advance reservations are accepted. Tour size is limited to 40 people. Call Aimee Viehmann at 800-909-9463 ext. 21 for reservations.COST: $20 per person. Tickets will be mailed along with your credit card receipt.

Michigan Wine Country

Had a nice time in Traverse, Michigan. We visited a few vineyards L.Mawby, Willow and Black Star Farms and all were enjoyable and in close proximity to each other. We would recommend anyone checking these out. L. Mawby in particular was unique in that it only produces sparkling wine. It was a different tasting experience but we were guided through the tasting by an enthusiast staff. Enjoy wine in Michigan next time your there. TwistedCorkscrew.com

Picnic at Ascot

Just added a new line of picnic baskets and backpacks from Picnic at Ascot. These are top of the line baskets and backpacks with a lifetime warrantee. In addition to the baskets and backpacks we carry barware, barbeque tools and sets, picnic tables and trunk organizers which includes golf trunk organizers.

Personal Winemaker

You can be a wine maker even if you live in a big city apartment. Why shoudn't you experience the enjoyment of creating that special wine to share with your family and friends?

This personal wine making system is designed for anyone that wants to make their own wine but doesn't have the space, time, money or patience it takes to make wine the old way.

This innovative wine making kit simplifies the wine making process into 3 steps using the Artful Winemaker. This wine kit was designed to take the hassle out of wine making and leave you with only the enjoyment of the wine making. You can craft premium wine in just 28 days, in 3 easy steps.

The Artful Winemaker Personal Winemaking System makes no mess and requires no heavy lifting to hand craft 12 signature bottles of wine. The all inclusive Artful Winemaker Deluxe system includes everything you need to make wine including the bottles and labels. Premium wine kit refills are available in five popular varietals.

Every bottle is as memorable as the last with fine flavors and bouquets as unique as an individual brushstroke.

Replica Antique Corkscrews

Replica Antique Corkscrews are unique, attractive and functional. TwistedCorkscrew.com carries 7 styles all of which will add style and elegance to your cellar. Six of the styles we carry come in a leather clad wooden box, which is an excellent way to display these unique corkscrews. These replica antique corkscrews are reasonably priced and make a great gift for wine lover. Our biggest sellers are the Hinged Wonder and the Lever but my personal favorite is the Waiter’s Vintage Corkscrew.

Hand Painted Cartoon Style Wine Glasses

Come celebrate with our exclusive hand painted Celebration Wine Glasses celebration wine glasses. These glasses are very unique with funny cartoon characters. They are a big hit as a gift for that special celebration. We have a large selection to include Life's a Beach, It's 5 O'Clock Somewhere, the Lucy look alike Girl Grape Stomper and the standards like Happy Anniversary and Happy Birthday.Each glass comes with a designer gift box. All glasses and paint are lead free

Personal Wine Making System

We are really excited at TwistedCorkscrew about the new product we have coming in late June 2009. It's called the Artful Winemaker and it will bring wine making to your home even if you live in a big city apartment. This personal wine making system is designed for anyone that wants to make their own wine but doesn't have the space, time, money or patience it takes to make wine the old way. This innovative wine making kit simplifies the wine making process into 3 steps using the Artful Winemaker. This wine kit was designed to take the hassle out of wine making and leave you with only the enjoyment of the wine making. You can craft premium wine in just 28 days, in 3 easy steps. Why shoudn't you experience the enjoyment of creating that special wine to share with your family and friends?

How much should I spend on a corkscrew?

I was recently ask if it was worth spending the money to get a Laguiole corkscrew versus a less expensive one. The Michelangelo is a large corkscrew 5.75 inches long and heavier than most corkscrews. I like the larger size of the Michelangelo, some people prefer the smaller (normal size). It comes in a natural wood box.
Laguiole is the Mercedes of corkscrews which sets the standards but it is pricey. You can't go wrong with a high end corkscrew like Laguiole if it's in your budget however, I think you would be pleasantly surprised with the quality of the Michelangelo corkscrew. With the cost savings in buying a Michelangelo you can afford to buy some other wine accessory like the Vinturi Wine Aerator and still end up spending less than the cost of a Laguiole.
Personally, in my wine cellar I use the Michelangelo corkscrew and I keep it displayed in the wood box which sits next to my wine aerator.

We carry a large selection of corkscrews which should satisfy anyones needs.

Any opinions on this topic?

Shop From Home and Save

Shopping is a great way to compare prices and also a good way to reduce your environmental impact. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon Design Institute estimate that comparison shopping online instead of driving from store to storecould result in 35%less energy consumption and carbon-dioxide emmissions. So save more money, time and energy by shopping online.

New Wine Accessories at Chicago Housewares Convention

We saw a number of new wine accessories at the Chicago Housewares convention. There are quite a few wine aerators on the market plus a product called The Wine Clip, which works with magnets. We tried both the aerator and wine clip and they do seem to make the wine smoother but they also reduce the nose. Has anyone tried these products if what did you think of them? Wines that are high in tannins appear to improve with these products. Do these products over aerate the wine? Comments?
TwistedCorkscrew.com

TwistedCorkscrew now carries Ravenscroft Crystal Decanters and Wine Glasses

Ravenscroft is the leader of handmade Lead Free Crystal for Fine Wines and Spirits. These quality crystal decanters and glasses combines the old world European craftsmanship with modern understanding of how the shape of a wine glass can significantly enhance the tasting experience. Visit www.twistedcorkscrew.com to see the complete line of Ravenscroft products.