Holiday Discounts

Black Friday, Small Business weekend, Cyber Monday what's the big deal.  These are just more sales promotions.  In reality it comes down to getting the best price on a quality item from a reliable supplier. Our prices at TwistedCorkscrew are rival the best plus when we send out a discount coupon it's for 30 days or longer not a 1 day sale or a weekend blowout sale.  We have great wine accessories and an excellent shipping record, so check us out.  One
more thing we have a discount for you and it's good thru 31 Jan 2013, now that's what I call a sale.  Just type this code (holiday2012) in the coupon box
during the checkout process or in the floating shopping cart.  This discount applies to sale items as well, which isn't offered by many stores.  Free shipping is offered on all purchases over $150 but it can not be combined with other discounts.  One discount per order. Have a great Holiday and thank you for visiting us at  TwistedCorkscrew. We hope you enjoy shopping with us, please let us know how we can serve you better.

What does it mean when you’re told to let your wine “Open Up”.

Well of course, if you don’t open the bottle you can’t drink it, right, yes that’s accurate but that’s not what they are referring to.  “Open Up” for wine is kind of like letting your steak rest after you take it off the BBQ pit, covering and resting a steak helps it soak up the juices so it will taste better. 

Open a bottle of Cabernet and pour a little in a glass then taste it, notice the flavors tart, smooth, smoky, etc.  Set the bottle aside and busy yourself with something else, go back in 10 or 15 minutes and pour another small amount in a glass, when tasting it take notice in the difference from the previous tasting, it has likely improved. 

All wines will benefit from this process, bolder wines more than light bodied.  What you are really doing is letting the wine breath much like the steak breaking in the juices but the wine is breathing in the air.

Can this process be sped up?  Yes, using a decanter or and aerator will add air into the wine and assist it “Opening Up”. 

Enjoy your wine at it’s best potential by letting it “Open Up” naturally or by using a decanter or wine aerator.  You won’t regret it.

Visit TwistedCorkscrew for your wine accessories

How Missouri Saved French Wines

German and Italian immigrants played important roles in Missouri’s first wineries when they moved to the rolling hills of Missouri searching for fertile ground to cultivate vineyards.  By the mid 1800’s Missouri had established wineries that were known and respected worldwide.

In the late 1850’s a blight struck the French Wine District of Rhone Valley caused by an American born louse that destroyed much of the Vitis vinifera grape crop in France.  This was a devastating loss to the economy of France.  Fortunately, Missouri's first entomologist (bug scientist) Charles V. Riley made an important discovery. In 1871, at the invitation of the French government, Riley inspected France's ailing grape crop. He diagnosed the problem as an infestation of phylloxera, an American plant louse. He found that some Native American rootstocks were immune to the advances of the dreaded louse. By grafting French vines onto them, healthy grapes could be produced. Millions of cuttings of Missouri rootstock were shipped to save the French wine industry from disaster. The city of Montpellier, France erected a statue in Riley's honor, because of the significance of his work and to commemorate this rescue. 

Information sources for the article were Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missouri_wine) and Missouri Wine Country (http://www.missouriwinecountry.com/articles/history/)

We hoped you found this article interesting and informative.  Visit Twisted Corkscrew for top of the line wine accessories. 

Credit Card Disputes

Many online retail stores are a family of store that fall under the umbrella of a corporation.  These corporations usually own more than one internet website.  These corporations would be considered the parent companies and when you make a purchase your credit card statement will most likely reference the name of the parent company instead of the website where the purchase was made. 

Most merchants will send out an email thanking you for the purchase and advising you how your credit card will be charged.  This is where you will see the parent company name mentioned so please read the email sent to you after you make an online purchase.  It's is important that you read the emails because it will provide information that is important and may help you avoid embarrassing issues with your order. We have recently had some issues with credit card disputes because the buyer was unaware that Perpetual Mercantile LLC is the parent company of Twisted Corkscrew.


 If you dispute credit card charges because you don't recognize a merchant those funds are removed from the vendors account until there is a resolution.  It can take weeks for a dispute to be resolved and if the resolution goes against the merchant they will lose the money plus a penalty fee will be applied to their account, which is justified if the merchant is at fault.  But if the buyer is at fault because they couldn't remember the purchase then you could be blocked from future purchases on the website and possibly be turned over to a collection agency.  Generally, this is an innocent mistake that can be avoided just by going online to verify the merchant corporate name.  Any additional expense to the legitimate merchants will push the product prices a little higher, which doesn't benefit anyone.  So do your best to make sure the charge is incorrect before you dispute it.

If your unfamiliar with the website visit their “about us” page, this will give you more information about the site.  You will likely find out how long they have been in business, parent company name, address, email address, return policy and a contact telephone number.  If the website does not have a contact telephone number listed I do not buy from them……why, because they don’t want to talk to anyone.  That is not good customer service policy in my book.  Type the name of the website in the search box on Google and see what you can find.  If you find links to Facebook, Twitter, You Tube and coupon code sties, this is most likely a legitimate website.

I hope this information has been helpful and next time you're shopping for wine accessories please visit Twisted Corkscrew.

Chocolate Wine Trail - Hermann Missouri

Today we have had great weather in the ST. Louis Metro area but that's not the norm so I'm sure we will be back to those cold and windy days.  No need to let the weather get you down or slow you down.  The Chocolate Wine Trail is getting closer.  This event is just 1 weekend February 18-19 so sign up for tickets at The Hermann Wine Trail and be prepared for a great time.  They are 7 wineries in Hermann that you can taste a variety of wines and chocolate desserts, how can that be anything but a great time.  Tickets are $30 per person with a limited number available.  So if you happen to have out of town visitors that weekend this would be an excellent way to show them some of Missouri's beautiful rolling hills and have a really fun time in Hermann on the Chocolate Wine Trail.  Next time you're shopping for wine accessories please visit Twisted Corkscrew and browse our many pages of accessories.

Valentines Surprise

It’s never too early to think about a gift for a special day.   Sure you could wait for hints from your sweetheart for this valentines but how is that a surprise.  Be creative show them you care and let them know how special they are by creating special dinner on that special day.  It will take more effort than normal but it will be appreciated and remembered.  Take the time to find the perfect dish and perfect wine that will show your true feelings.  You might find out how much fun it is to make surprise dinner preparations that it could become a routine event.   If you need elegant glassware for that special dinner be sure to consider Ravenscroft Wine Glasses and Decanters, which are hand made lead free crystal wine glasses are of the highest quality and have an elegant feel.  Once you taste wine from Ravenscroft wine glass you will understand the importance of owning quality glassware.