It’s Wine O’Clock!

Wine for one, please.

Whenever I want, please. If you know me, you know I like wine. And as the only wine drinker in my house, it’s tricky when I want to open a fancy bottle. Either I have to drink the whole thing pretty quickly or I am pouring it (and my money) down the drain.

With the pandemic, I am not having friends over to share wine, so all the good stuff just sits on the shelf, waiting for when I’m REALLY THIRSTY or feeling like Leonardo here.

via GIPHY

Yeah, no.

In case you are new here or don’t remember how I felt last year at KBIS when I discovered Plum, sit down with a glass and let me fill you in.

Plum hit the market last year and quickly became the darling of KBIS, the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show. The DesignHounds basically swarmed their booth and we all wanted one for ourselves!

And this year, they are sponsoring my post here. Our relationship is blossoming, I believe. I think next year we will get married.

What is it?

Besides AMAZING? I dunno. No, seriously, this is a game changer for the wine lover.

A Virtual Sommelier

Plum can actually teach you things about your wine. You don’t always learn this stuff at the store when you’re selecting something to drink, do you? Maybe you picked a pretty bottle, or a new type of wine you’ve never tried. Pop it into the Plum unit and next thing you know, it automatically identifies the vintage, varietal, region and winery and it displays the label on the touchscreen. Now you have your own personal virtual tasting room. (Sidenote: if you got your wine from a winery, the winery can easily add their info through Plum. The cool thing is that this unit’s software updates all the time, so as new wines get added, your unit will just know. CRAZY.

It’s constructed with stainless-steel tubing that is modeled after those found in wineries, to preserve the integrity of the wine.

Make it Last

90 days of wine preservation at the exact temperature the winemaker intended. Not only that, it will tell also you how many days left before it’s not super tasty anymore, and how much wine is left in the bottle.

How does that work? It uses a motorized needle to pierce the foil and closure (including natural cork, engineered cork, and metal screw caps), preserving your wine with argon gas. The integrated, refillable argon canister preserves up to 150 standard size (750ml) bottles.

Yeah yeah, with the pandemic I’m sure a bottle of wine doesn’t last 90 days in your house. Or maybe even pre-pandemic. I am not judging! I’m just saying you have OPTIONS. Maybe you tend to drink more white than red. The red is going to still be good for awhile so you don’t have to worry about opening the bottle and letting it go bad.

Options!

There are a few options too. As you can see, there are countertop and built in options, as well as a black or stainless finish on the trim kit on the built in version. If you’re planning a kitchen or bar area, this is something I would strongly consider adding!

You can also customize the temperature of your wine. I have friends that, for some reason, always pop a couple of pieces of ice into their wine. Why not just chill it to the temp you like and keep the wine tasting the way it should? Now you can.

Each chamber is individually chilled too, so it will set the right temperature for each side. It’s not just a basic wine chiller!

Wine Time is a Fine Time

Now that you are probably more like me and WANT one, let me know if you’d like me to help you purchase one. I’m going to be a Plum Pro, and would love to help you get one into your home.

Plum is sponsoring a select group of DesignHounds and I am lucky to be a part of this impressive group.

We got to see the launch of their new design council, Plum Wine Heroes. A few of my good design friends are on this list, which is awesome! More on that in a minute.

It’s a Wine Party!

We were gifted a beautiful bottle of wine from PerUs in Napa Valley (which makes me miss California even more right now). We discussed their 2016 Alessio wine, which is a Bordeaux varietal. They sell in a members type of program, so you would have to sign up and get on a mailing list. You can’t just buy it in a store.

This wine is old and rich, and they recommended some good stinky cheese to go with it. I mean, they said good and pungent. I say stinky and yummy. Bottom line, get some good flavorful cheeses to go with their wine.

Plum also sent us each a gorgeous, delicately hand blown universal wine glass from Zalto. I did a little research and this humorous post from Bon Appetit pretty much covers the quality of this glass and the need for one. I didn’t KNOW I needed it, but now I know it’s going to make my wine experience all the better. I feel so fancy!!

_{Sponsored posts are written by me and are my own opinion. I may earn a little money if you click on the affiliate links to some of the products in my blog and make a purchase, at no extra cost to you. It helps fund this blog, so bonus for you and bonus for me.}

The ever-talented Ronda Carman was going to talk to us as well, but with the freaky Texas weather, she was home without power or internet service. She is someone I befriended online in her cooking group on Facebook. I have since learned that, besides being a really good cook, she is a renowned author and entertainer. Now I’m kind of embarrassed for posting avocado toast pics in the group.

Her book Entertaining at Home is gorgeous.

She wasn’t able to make it but she sent along some great advice about “style ideas for everyday” that the group discussed. I feel like so many people have been just schlepping around in pajamas for the last year, and for many, the idea of dressing up or decorating and feeling fresh seems unnecessary, but let me tell you, it IS a mood booster to do a little extra something for yourself, or your home. And we ALL could use a mood booster right about now.

Use the good china, wear real pants. Put on lipstick and/or mascara once in awhile. Maybe real shoes! Also try to hang out in a room you don’t usually hang out it, and explore different ways to use your home. It helps keep things fresh!

Working Meeting

Before you go on thinking all I do is drink wine on Zoom calls, it really is a learning session. Aside from getting to meet new design friends, it’s great to network with some of my peeps across the globe. And Modenus CEO, Veronika Miller Eagleson, led us in a think tank discussion to talk about how our businesses have had to pivot (more like pirouette!) in the last year, as we design homes for people who are using their spaces so differently than before the pandemic.

How are people using their spaces now vs before the pandemic? Will we see more separation of rooms? More outdoor “rooms”? More multipurpose rooms? More home entertainment spaces with bars and lounge-y vibes?

YES!

All of the above, and more. I just got an email about a walkout basement hangout space that might incorporate a new kitchen area that works with their outdoor entertainment space and pool area. So exciting!

I am also currently working on a bedroom that is being converted into an office for a work from home husband but still needs to have the capability to turn into a place for visitors when that opportunity arises. Soon people! Soon we will have some ability to have people stay over safely again!

Plum Wine Heroes

Lastly, the Plum Wine Heroes for 2021 have been announced and I am excited to see how they incorporate Plum into their designs. I have met almost everyone on this council. They are all so talented! We all got to toast to this new inaugural program.

A great night

It was great to see some old design friends, drink some wine, make new friends, and learn more about PerUs wines and the benefits of Plum. And even though I stayed on mute (for their benefit, I know, you don’t need to remind me), it was great to be a part of a really valuable conversation.

I look forward to having more connections like this. It helps me deliver an elevated, educated experience to clients’ homes.