Removing Wine Labels

I am often asked what is the best way to peel wine labels off of bottles. I prefer to use Label-Savers™, by the Wine Enthusiast. These nifty 5” x 6” laminating films can tackle most labels. They come in a 10 pack at a price point under $10. Here is a guide on how to use them:

You’ll Need

- Label-Savers™
- a felt tip marker
- a hard smooth object such as a drivers license (I use a hard squeegee made for laying vinyl graphics)
- a straight razor (optional).

Before you begin, wipe the label with a dry cloth to remove any dust. Keep in mind while you are pouring the wine that bottles tend to drip, so try to keep your label clean as you enjoy your wine.

Step 1. If you are not sticking the label to something right away, e.g. a scrapbook or album, I suggest marking the back of the paper side of the label.

Step 2. Peel the large section of the paper backer from the label. It is usually not necessary to peel the small section of the backer unless you have a large label.

Step 3. Center the Label-Saver™ over the label and stick just the center area down. One reason I like the hard squeegee is that the bottle can rest on it while you apply the Label-Saver™ to the bottle; I always do this to keep the bottle from rolling away.

Step 4. Pick up the bottle and use the squeegee to burnish (rub) the Label-Saver™ starting in the center and pushing out toward the sides. This will reduce the amount of bubbles and creases. Once that is done burnish the label from different angles to ensure even adhesion around the label.

Step 5. Starting with one of the sides SLOWLY begin peeling the Label-Saver™. If the label is not coming off with the Label-Saver™ you should stop, burnish the area more, and try again. Many paper labels will separate from there adhesive leaving the back (usually white) portion of the label on the bottle. This is normal.

Step 5a. Labels like plastic, textured, or stubborn ones may require the straight razor. BE CAREFUL! Peel back the Label-Saver™ until the edge of the label is uncovered. Slowly and carefully slide the tip of the blade under the label along the length of the edge. Remove the razor; burnish the Label-Saver™ over the area you just loosened, and try to peel the label again. Repeat until the label starts to lift.

Step 6. Congratulations! The label is now ready to go wherever you want. If you don’t have a place to stick it you can reapply the original paper backer onto the Label-Saver™ and wait until you decide what to do with it.

I have successfully peeled over 100 wine and liquor bottle labels with this method. PATIENCE IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF THIS PROCESS!

7th Street Wine Company

Sari and I finally decided to try out the Seventh Street Wine Company in downtown Ft. Lauderdale. Seeing this building transformed from the ad agency that previously resided in the building to the wine tasting experience it is now was exciting.

Upon crossing the threshold you pass a small foyer then are immediately met with a few low aisles of wine in front of you, coffin coolers for beer on the right, and a window peering into the private tasting room on the left. Beyond this first greeting of wine and beer there is a round counter, and a small bar at the back of the room. Continuing deeper in the direction of the counter and bar the wall to the right opens up and reveals a room filled with enomatic wine serving machines and another room housing the bulk of the available wine stock on vintage view wine racks. For those of you who have not had the pleasure of being introduced to the enomatic wine serving system, it is a new concept hailing from Italy. Wine bottles are uncorked and hooked into a machine that keeps them at the proper temperature and preserved with nitrogen. The driving force behind this new technology is that patrons are able to experience a personalized wine tasting at a reasonable cost. As the taster you get to decide which wines to try, and how much you spend. Utilizing a store issued debit card inserted into the machine it dispenses a 1.5 oz tasting. Seventh Street has bottles ranging from under $10 to over $200 hooked up to these machines. They sometimes run a blind tasting where if you can guess the maker and the style of the wine you get a good discount on that bottle…I surmised it was a Bordeaux or a Meritage, but my hypothesis of location was a state off. It turns out that the mystery bottle that evening was a Kendall-Jackson Meritage Vintner’s Reserve. This particular bottle is a Bordeaux-style Meritage, so I don’t feel too bad about getting the state wrong – California isn’t that far from Washington, right? I did buy a bottle.

Sari and I had a great time at the Seventh Street Wine Company! We were able to sample many wines from across the globe for about the cost of two glasses at a normal restaurant. The entire place has a relaxed feel to it and the employees are knowledgeable and helpful. I look forward to spending a lot more time in this location, and hopefully I’ll get some new wines to review!

Crow Canyon

I am honored to introduce to you a new category on Pulp and Circumstance! “A List Wines at D List Prices.” My first review is of a California Cabernet Sauvignon. This is a special occasion, as I do not normally like California wines. My friends at Total Wine suggested this particular indulgence to me when I explained that I wanted to start a section about good wines for under $10. “Crow Canyon” boasts a price point of about $6. When I first went in search of said wine at the North Miami Beach store they were sold out, but victory was had at the Total Wine in Tampa! (For those of you lucky enough to be attending the Super Bowl XLIII game at Raymond James Stadium on 2/1/2009 this store is just down street before you hit I-275.) Crow Canyon is a light bodied red wine. The aroma of the glass does not reveal much about the character of the drink; neither does the cork. On the first sip it is a little dull, but the finish was honest, silky, and smooth. There are aromas and flavors that I can’t quite pinpoint; I want to say they are herbaceous – almost grassy – yet nicely stated. The more of it I drink, the more it reminds me of the relaxed feeling of smelling freshly mowed grass in a field, subtle and harmonious. I encourage you to pull up a glass, or a bottle. This is a good wine at the end of a difficult day, and hard to beat for the price.

Exploring Tampa Bay

This past weekend Sari and I trekked to the Tampa Bay area of Florida. We decided to scour the area searching for points of interest, and to our jubilation the bay area delivered a few locales of wine friendly appeal. One place worthy of note is “Wine Design” at the Channelside Shops in downtown Tampa. The store itself must barely cover 600 square feet, but has walls and displays lined with regional, national, and international wines and paraphernalia. It boasts as “Tampa Bay’s Premier Wine Store.” Upon crossing the threshold of the shop a relaxed sense comes over you and the staff is friendly and informative. Finding the quant shop was truly a happy accident!

Our next wine find of the trip presented itself at the end of The PIER in St. Petersburg. The Pier has been a staple in the city’s history – in one form or another – since 1889. The first floor of The PIER’s current incarnation houses The Pier Winery one of The Florida Winery and Cigars stores. This is unique wine store sporting “the world’s largest selection of REAL FLORIDA WINES!” Containing all the trappings of Florida décor including a tropical atmosphere and stuffed gators smoking cigars and drinking wine! They have free wine tasting available at their bartop counter so you can enjoy all that the Sunshine State has to offer. Sari got a few bottles of Strawberry Riesling while I went for the Blueberry, Dry – both hailing from Keel and Curley Winery in Plant City.

In the evening of one of our last nights there Sari and I spotted a Total Wine just off of I-275. Wanting to thank my dad for extending his hospitality during our stint in the bay area we decided to gather a small sampling of our favorite wines. This branch did not disappoint. I was able to obtain the wines for my father, as well as find the Mulderbosch Faithful Hound that I tried at Seasons 52, and the Crow Canyon Cabernet Sauvignon that was advised to me by the North Miami Beach Total Wine staff (that store was sold out at the time).

Sari and I enjoyed our unexpected glimpse into the world of Tampa Bay’s wine culture. If you ever find yourself in that area looking for something to do, look a little harder and you might find a good wine waiting around the corner.

Season’s 52 Autumn Menu

Last night my girlfriend, Sari, and I decided to experience the new Autumn Menu at Season’s 52 in Ft. Lauderdale. If you are not familiar with Season’s 52 it is a self described “casually sophisticated grill and wine bar…” Their food menu changes seasonally, which helps to keep you from ordering the same old thing. Season’s 52 is always packed, reservations must be made a few days in advance, and walk-ups are welcome – just be prepared to wait for about an hour. On this outing we started out with our usual Parmesan Crispbread and perused the menu. The menu has some new delicacies including quail, cedar plank roasted salmon, and the like. I decided on the Pan-Seared Snapper, one of my favorites from the last season it was available, while Sari ordered the Sesame Crusted Tuna. Our waitress, Natalie, suggested the Mulderbosch “Faithful Hound” Bordeaux for my snapper (I will be reviewing this wine in a later post) and a Sokol Blosser “Evolution” Riesling for Sari’s dish. This Riesling has a good flavor and a crisp finish without a lot of sweetness. To finish out the evening they offer “mini indulgences,” low calorie deserts served in square shot glasses. Sari had the rocky road, while I had the tiramisu, both delicious. If you’re ever in Atlanta, or Central or Southeast Florida and want a sophisticated, yet casual dining experience go to Seasons 52. If have the chance make a reservation, if not it’s worth the wait. Lunch is a little less crowded, and just as enjoyable.

Have Bottle Will Travel

I was at a conference recently for designers from around the Southeastern United States. We were all brought together with one goal in mind: Design and how to improve the process, communication, and all that fun stuff. One side effect, however, of packing a few hundred designers into one resort, in a state that many of them do not reside in, is partying…lots of partying. For many of us it is a chance to see old friends, and forge new relationships. As the sun set on one of these conferences, a small caucus of my fellow “creatives” and I wandered the halls of the resort making appearances at parties and social gatherings. Through our travels we had passed Steve, another convention attendee, several times. Each time Steve had the same look of desperation in his eyes as he meandered the corridors holding, what we hoped, was the same unopened bottle of wine – a cheap white wine of unknown origin. After a while, our collection of merry misfits finally settled down at a party in an anonymous hotel room. Concluding our discussions on sustainable design, new manufacturing processes, and all the jargon filled banter we could surmise it was time for me, and some of the other revelers to make our leave. This room was laid out like many a hotel room with the bathroom door just inside the room entrance. As I approached the door I noticed Steve in the bathroom, with the same unopened bottle of wine, searching through our host’s toiletries with the assistance of his newfound friends – none of which were occupants of the room. This peaked my interest. What could Steve, and his equally inebriated cohorts, produce from a stranger’s possessions that would serve to uncork this now warm, cheap, white wine? To the awe of many who had converged on the vestibule of the bathroom, Steve and company produced a toothbrush of questionable sanitary nature. After stripping the bottle of its foil, one person grabbed the base of said bottle while Steve forced the cork downward into the jug with the handle of the toothbrush. Necessity is the mother of all invention! After hours of deliberation, by a more than slightly intoxicated person, the most random of objects was used to free the liquid he desired. I guess that even a cheap, room temperature, white wine has the power to bring happiness…And no, I did not partake in this most unusual of bacchanals.

Shingleback and Chocolate

I enjoy perusing the aisles at my local wine merchant’s shop reading labels, and admiring the artwork bestowed upon them. Last time I was strolling I came across a Cabernet Sauvignon from Australia called Shingleback. The label peaked my interest a little having an abstract lizard-like animal embossed on the label over a splash of silver. I picked up the bottle to read the back; I discovered that this lizard is a shingleback and it apparently happily lives in the very vines that produce this concoction. On further inspection of the written description it had the standard explanation of their fermentation process, types of barrels for aging, and the flavors that make up the bouquet. Blackcurrant, blueberry and dark chocolate, all flavors I enjoy. The description was enough to sell me, so up to the counter I trotted with my other purchases for the evening. Upon getting home, I ceremoniously put the bottles away in the bar. It was a few evenings later when the time had come to uncork this particular bottle of Cab. The cork had a nice aroma to it, so I poured a tall glass as usual. The taste of blackcurrant was quite striking as I took my first sip, it immediately let me know that this was a full-bodied wine. As the flavors developed, I swallowed and was met with a pleasing aftertaste. This continued through the first half of the glass. Then it struck me. That aftertaste was not just pleasing; it was dark chocolate! It had been a few days, and a couple of wines, since I read the bottle. So I dashed over to it. Finding my suspicions where now confirmed as to the origins of my desire for chocolate I started searching. In a frenzy I raced about the kitchen. Doors, drawers, and containers were flung open. Cats were confused, but still gathered to watch what had now become their evening’s entertainment. And my girlfriend stood on in mild amusement, and bedazzlement, as she had been partaking in her traditional Riesling, and was unbeknownst as to the reason for my longing. The search spanned from the kitchen to the bedroom, and finally the office, by this time my glass had run dry, but not the hunt for the chocolate it had made me desire. After circumnavigating our dwelling I decided that there was no dark chocolate anywhere in the living space. With the harsh reality of this setting in and my lazy in the lateness of the evening, I decided that the only thing to do was to pour another glass and enjoy the dark chocolate flavors between sips. If could bestow upon you one piece of advice about purchasing Shingleback, it would be to buy chocolate with it!

The Milliliter to Ounce Conundrum

I was heading towards the checkout counter at Total Wine the other day when I saw a couple standing midway between the checkout line and the spirits section. They had a wide look of anticipation and bewilderment. Naturally I thought back to the first time I stepped into a Total Wine and peered through aisles upon aisles of wine, beer, spirits, cigars, and other treasures that are housed in this Mecca for the alcoholically inclined. But then the young man spoke, “do you know how many ounces are in a milliliter?” I was taken aback by such a question. I know that both the wines I was carrying were the standard 750 ml. I know from a lifetime of urinal reading that 3.78 liters are in a gallon. I even remembered, from my medical days, that a 15cc syringe is almost the same as one tablespoon. What I failed to remember was how many ounces are in a gallon or tablespoon! As a result of this lapse in memory I apologized to the couple, purchased my wine, and set out to my truck. Upon loading the recently purchased bottles, I remembered that a bottle of wine usually holds about 3 glasses of wine at 8 ounces per serving (I’m a little heavy handed on the pour). Triumphantly I walked back into the store proclaiming my abilities at linguistic mathematics. As I did the math in front of them, I asked what this mass of mangled math was for. Apparently, they were trying to figure out how many shots they could get out of a small bottle of Grey Goose Vodka. With this information I scanned the shelves of airline sized bottles to see if they would confirm or debunk my skills as a mathematician (there’s a reason I became a designer instead of an aerospace engineer), and behold, there was a 50 ml bottle of Grey Goose! Now a new question arose. Is an airline size bottle of our spirit one shot, or two? Oh, sweet conflagration! Here we go again with guessing numbers. With phone calculators unsheathed, by this time we had gathered a group on intrigued helpers, we worked the math. 15 servings if we are comparing to a 1 oz bottle, but only 7.5 at 2 oz. With this figured out I decided to make my leave. I handed my business card over to them with a plea to fill this void in my knowledge of the milliliter and how it relates to the good old US fluid oz. Driving home from this chance encounter, my head spinning with other ways to figure out this simple dilemma, I received a text message: “29.583 ml in an ounce.” So, if anyone asks this question, you don’t have to remember what the pre-flush liquid content of a toilet is, or how many ounces are in a tablespoon, just remember that your bottle is 25.4 ounces and there’s just a few more milliliters per ounce than that. And by the way, those airline size bottles are about one 1.5 oz shot.