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Love Story: Time to Engage

February 14, 2012 By 1 Comment

I have heard many proposal stories working in the business I do.  It is a talking point I go over with clients while I crunch numbers in front of them to keep them engaged.  When I proposed to my now wife (she said yes!), I knew I was going to do something different.

Months prior at opening day for the Tigers in Detroit, Michigan, I was given a towel by the Detroit Free Press as a giveaway.  The message they were trying to sell to new readers was that it was “time to engage”.  I am sure they meant reading the paper and getting into current events but I saw a golden moment as the large text on the towel was time to engage.  I kept the towel for seven months!

Jeff & Melissa. Photo courtesy of Jeff Caldcleugh.

Continue reading “Love Story: Time to Engage” »

No Whine Wine: Novellum Chardonnay

January 25, 2012 By Leave a Comment

“I don’t like chardonnay.”  Are you sure about that?  How well do you really know your Chardonnay?  Here’s one that may change your mind!

Novellum Chardonnay 2009 (Photo by Gourmet Rambler)

Vintage:  2009
Producer:  Novellum
Variety:  Chardonnay
Country:  France
Region:  Languedoc Roussillon
Price:  $10.99 at Binny’s – A BARGAIN!

Continue reading “No Whine Wine: Novellum Chardonnay” »

Cellar Princess: Marilyn Monroe Wines at Binny’s

October 6, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Our wine expert Cellar Princess J’nai Gaither will be at Binny’s South Loop this Friday, October 7, to host Thirsty Girl!  It’ll be super fun.  More for the women but the guys can come too!  Who doesn’t enjoy free liquor?  And there’s a giveaway of fabulous diamond-esque studs!

www.thirstygirl.com

The occasion?  A nationwide event celebrating the 25th anniversary of Marilyn Monroe Wines.  They’re Merlot-based wines whose bottles have a color image of the diva on it.  She embodied everything that Thirsty Girl is about – living life to the fullest… without the overdosing part!

Marilyn Wines Blonde de Noirs (Photo from www.marilynwines.com)

Any of you who have ever been to Thirsty Girl events know how awesome, woman friendly and woman empowering they are.  Thirsty Girl is the brainchild of one of J’nai’s favorite wine personalities, Leslie Sbrocco, a host of “Check, Please!” San Francisco, a prolific and award winning wine writer and an all around great spirit.  Please feel free to post, tweet or send out to all of your folks.  We want a GREAT turnout!

Binny’s South Loop
1132 South Jefferson Street, Chicago, IL

Friday, October 7, 2011
4:30 pm – 7:30 pm

Your Cellar Princess promises to make all your wine selections royal!  Follow her on facebook and twitter.

TIP TUESDAY: Rose Colored Bargain

September 13, 2011 By 1 Comment

Hello, September.  We meet again.  Air is cooler, days are shorter and wine shopping is GREAT!  Why you ask?  In September, most rose wines go on dramatic sale - marked for quick reduction of inventory.  For reasons beyond my comprehension, people don’t drink much rose in the colder months.  Given the option, I would drink it year round, but to each their own.

Rose Varietals (Photo from www.3.bp.blogspot.com)

So, here is my best bargain hunting tip for you:  go out and cash in on rose sales.  Enjoy those wines with fall produce bounty.  Throw a Provencal-themed dinner party.  Sip your rose outside in the fading days of summer.  Or save it for that dreary November day, that is inevitably coming, so that you can dream of sunshine with a glass of liquid sun in your hand.

Summer doesn’t have to end.  At least not in your wine glass.

Hungry?  Want more?  Follow me on Twitter at Gourmet Rambler.

TIP TUESDAY: Poof! It’s Gone…

August 16, 2011 By 2 Comments

We have all been there.  Cocktail party.  Room full of boisterous people, mingling.  You try to stay out of the way, but inevitably, you get bumped and jostled.  Someone runs into you and your red wine goes cascading out of your glass right onto… (A) your white dress, (B) your date’s freshly pressed shirt, (C) the host’s cream colored carpet or (D) all of the above.  Total bummer, right?  Not anymore!

Wine Away (Photo from www.wineaway.com)

Let me introduce you to your best cocktail party wingman - Wine Away stain remover.  With just a few sprays that evil stain begins to disappear right before your eyes.  It is actually quite impressive to watch.  Like magic.  Poof!  Stains be gone!

Wine Away works on more than just wine stains:  coffee, tea, blueberries, tomato sauce, even purple grape juice all yield to it’s magic.  It is a must for any party, wedding emergency kit or just a household like mine, where a lot of wine is consumed.

You can purchase Wine Away at Binny’s in a variety of sizes - the 2 oz one being perfect to slip into a purse.  So, never again let the embarrassing stains spoil your fun!

Hungry?  Want more?  Follow me on twitter at Gourmet Rambler.

TUESDAY TIPPLE: Sparkling Travel Companion

July 26, 2011 By 2 Comments

I am a commuter.  Every morning I get up at the crack of dawn and traverse out to the suburbs for work.  Two hours of my day are spent on the bus and the train.  And that’s just on my way there.  I spend an equal amount of time on the way home.  This is why I haven’t seen a happy hour special in the last six years.  Happy hour specials do not agree with the long commute.  While my non-commuting friends are enjoying half price appetizers and discounted cocktails, I wait for the train, or the bus, crossing the urban terrain.

But I am the maker of my own fate.  Instead of feeling sorry for myself about missing happy hour, it was time to get creative and start my own!  How, you ask?  Well, the suburban Metra trains in Chicago allow people to indulge on board.  The idea isn’t new.  There have been bar cars as long as there have been train travel.  Bing Crosby and Marilyn Monroe enjoyed cocktails while riding trains in their movies.  Problem is, suburban commuter trains do not have a bar car.  But one can always BYOB.

Gourmet Rambler waiting for the Metra train with Sofia

Allow me to introduce to you my travel companion, the proud sponsor of Gourmet Rambler Movable Happy Hour:  Sofia Blanc de Blanc sparkling wine from Francis Ford Coppola Winery.  This delightful little thing comes packaged in a cute 187 ml pink can with a pink straw included.  Perfect grown-up juice box, don’t you agree?  Sofia cans come four to a box and are sold at most Binny’s for $13.99 a box.  Talk about your happy hour special!  No bar is serving a decent sparkler for $3.50 a glass.  Believe me, I’ve checked.  On top of being extremely convenient, Sofia is delicious:  citrusy with good effervescence and just a hint of sweetness.

Sofia cans are perfect for a train happy hour, a picnic or even as party favors.  They are cute, they are pink and they are delicious.  So, next time you are on the go, grab a Sofia for that train trip.  You will be just like Marilyn in Some Like It Hot.

Hungry?  Want more?  Follow me on Twitter at Gourmet Rambler.

Binny’s Buys: Bridesmaid Red & White

June 30, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Something wedding related in the wine aisle at Binny’s, you betcha! 

Why not try Bridesmaid Red 2007? 
“Restaurants/bistros and consumers looking for a sumptuous, ready-to-drink California red should definitely check out the 2007 Bridesmaid. Coming from a top vintage, it’s not surprising that this wine has a dense ruby/purple color, a big, sweet kiss of charcoal, toast, and black currants, sweet, jammy cherries, and a hint of wood spice in a medium to full-bodied, luscious, hedonistic, fruit bomb style. This is delicious wine, and reasonably priced for as good as it is.” Reviewed by Robert Parker.  The Wine Advocate 92 points.  $34.99 at Binny’s.

Bridesmaid Red (Photo from www.binnys.com)

Or perhaps Bridesmaid White 2009:
“The 2009 Bridesmaid White displays loads of spring garden-like floral notes intermixed with some honeysuckle, white peach, pineapple, and melon. This exotic, luscious, dry, mid-weight white should be drunk over the next year.” Reviewed by Robert Parker.  The Wine Advocate 90 points.  $17.99 at Binny’s.

Bridemaid White

Thirsty?  Call for more recommendations at (312) 664-4394 and ask for Binny’s Beverage Buyer Jeff Caldcleugh.

www.binnys.com

Binny’s Buys: Do More Than Watch DVR!

June 22, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Your DVR tells a sad tale from Sunday to Thursday:  bad reality shows, reruns of crime dramas and repeats of your favorite sitcoms.  This shouldn’t constitute your idea of a good time every night of the work week!  Sure, you can’t be raging until 3am on a Tuesday but you and your friends don’t have to be strangers until the weekends roll around.

Friends Drinking (Photo from www.discover.winecountry.com)

Welcome to the wine/beer club!  Recently, a small group of my own friends started a rotating, bi-monthly wine/beer club.  Each week, one person hosts and each member brings an adult beverage and a food product from a specific region/country.  The goal is to spend about 15 minutes talking about the items and tasting then another hour or two consuming and hanging out.  Wine/beer clubs are also a great way to try new products and experience new foods without spending the full tab at a restaurant.   What a great reason to put the remote away and have a few AND some fun with your friends!

Thirsty?  Call for more recommendations at (312) 664-4394 and ask for Binny’s Beverage Buyer Jeff Caldcleugh.

www.binnys.com

Binny’s Buys: Hum Liqueur

June 13, 2011 By 1 Comment

Be the toast of the town at your next get together by introducing a new, exciting and mysterious liquor into the mix.  Made by a local Chicagoan, Hum Botanical Spirit is an interesting blend of hibiscus, ginger, cardamom, sugar cane and kaffir limes. 

It can take your cocktails to the next level while allowing you to impress your guests by serving up something different than standard booze your friends are used to.  Mix Hum, your favorite sparkling wine, lime juice and simple syrup in a pitcher over ice and you’ll have a perfect summer cocktail!

Do you want to know what Oprah is drinking?  Yup… she is drinking Hum!  At her star studded wrap party at the Four Seasons last month, they created the Magenta Mule.  And just for you, here is the recipe directly from our friends at Hum:
- 1.5 oz Hum
- fill glass with rocks
- top with ginger ale or ginger beer
- squeeze of lime

Magenta Mule (Photo from Hum)

Thirsty?  Call for more recommendations at (312) 664-4394 and ask for Binny’s Beverage Buyer Jeff Caldcleugh.

www.binnys.com

 

CONTACT US!

June 12, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Do you want MORE MORE more more more?
(Thanks to Jay Z and Linkin Park for the inspiration!)

Hungry?  Follow Gourmet Rambler.
Getting fit?  Follow SKo-Fit.
Cynical?  Follow Himmel Ink.
Planning?  Follow AS YOU WISH.
Traveling?  Follow TraveLin.
Thirsty?  Follow Binny’s Buys.
Glamour?  Follow Beauty on Call.

Got questions?  We have answers.  Every Wednesday, theBrideScoop goes LIVE! with everything bridal, planning and wedding Q&A.

Please email your questions to editor@theBrideScoop.com

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