When people know that you like wine, a lot of them will try to get you something as a gift, to show that they thought about you, and this is laudable. These gifts have some whimsy and they will be used.

First let me say that my Bride loves candles, in fact I joke that we have enough candles in the house that if the Vatican City ever has a shortage, we could cover it. We have tapers, votives, scented both with wine and with other fragrances, multi-wick inventions and all the rest. There is even a wicker wrapped fiascha Chianti bottle that we are trying to have with dripping wax cover, but so many candles nowadays are drip-less, probably as a safety measure. We received a gift of a small glass hurricane top to place on a wine bottle that will be filled with liquid wax, and there is a wick that dangles into the bottle, and it becomes a candle. Now we just have to find the proper bottle to use, probably one that has a decorative painted bottle, instead of one with a paper label.

We also received a package of “Wine Ice” though we may have to wait until the summer to try this one. The concept is to make a red wine “slurpee” for the lack of a better term. I will have to think about what type of red wine will be best enjoyed in slurry of ice. With the cold weather that just hit our area, I think that I have time to ponder this question. Of course I am not big on adulterating wine, as I am not a fan of mulled wine either.

The last item is some cocktail napkins, which can always come in handy, as there are plenty of times to avail ourselves of these. Most of our friends will also appreciate the sentiment on these napkins “Live Life one glass of wine at a time.” In our house all things can be tied in to wine, and why not; in fact I think it is time to have a glass of wine myself.