Wine Basics for Your Home

Thanks to the continued love affair  with wines, savvy consumers are making sure  to have the proper accoutrements to optimize the wine drinking experience. Storing and chilling are critical junctures in wine consumption, and if not handled correctly, you may not only diminish the taste — you could lose your investment.

Keep wine out of dark, damp or musty spaces — like your basement! The singular modular wine rack from Pottery Barn ($12.00) is perfect for storing wine. These  iron wine racks are the ultimate in space-saving simplicity. Simply secure one to the wall and hook multiples below to create a chain-like vertical rack.

Fill your rack with a  collection of Sterling Vineyards varietal like the Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, or the Shiraz from the Sterling Vintner’s Collection.

Typically, white wines and roses are to be chilled, while heartier reds are best consumed at room temperature. But when there’s no time to chill a wine the conventional way in a bucket or in the fridge, wine chillers work like a charm. They can cool wines down to the desired temp in a matter of minutes without compromising the wine. Try a Blossom Hill Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio or White Zinfadel in the chiller and taste how refreshing and crisp the outcome is.

Stainless steel chiller available at Target ($29.99). 

Note: Don’t assume a wine with a twist off cap, aka Stelvin closure, is a cheap  wine. Twist off caps are fast becoming the winemakers preferred method for the bottling process, as they practically eliminate the problem of mold-contaminated wine corks. 

Loews Eleven: Brilliance in a Brilliant Town

When visitors approach Atlanta’s  nighttime skyline from the north, the “Capital of the South” looks like Emerald City, a dazzling array of colorfully lit skyscrapers outlined in garnet green, ruby red and diamond-hot white lights. It is a breathtaking display, even if it does border on gaudy. But so what, it’s spectacular.

Stay on course, and you’re bound to arrive at Peachtree Street and find that it is literally jammed with great prospects for night life, dining and entertainment. One of the latest and most spectacular of those is the Atlanta Loews Hotel at Peachtree and 11th streets and its jewel inside — Eleven, one of the hottest clubs in town. Located in the hotel’s lobby, with dramatic story-high windows that entice passers-by to come in for a cocktail at its stunning bar, Eleven features a beautifully lit wall of bottled libations from every corner of the world.

“It’s not just a bar. It’s a venue that spotlights exactly what Atlanta has,” explains Loews entertainment director, DeMarco McMillan. “The point is really to become a part of the community and bring [people] together, regardless of race or class or ethnicity. It’s a comfortable, vibrant and inciting environment. It’s what we call a ‘guestination.’ ”

On Thursday nights, Eleven hosts free jazz concerts featuring performers from both the national and local music scenes. While the well-heeled soak up the sounds, the well-versed indulge in signature drink concoctions and top-shelf cocktails. –roz edward

Where: Eleven, in the lobby of Atlanta’s Loews Hotel at Peachtree and 11th streets

What: “Music and Mingle” event every Thursday. First Thursdays of the month feature industry headliners, which have included Ledisi and Norman Brown.

Guests rush the bar at Eleven where expert bartenders make every effort to accommodate the enthusiastic crowd with superbly mixed drinks and top-notch service.

Signature Cocktail: The lavender drop martini is Eleven’s twist on the popular lemon drop martini. Of course, this is with lavender. The color is subtle, but the drink is potent.