RSS Electronic Edition | Newsletters Subscribe | Customer Service/Contact Us | Community Buy Photos Modmomsclub

Life

Saturday, Nov. 07, 2009

Living & Decorating with Wine

People make room in their homes to accommadate their growing passion

E-Mail Print reprint or license

Wine is climbing like a vine to a top role in the American home.

Home décor catalogs are filled with items related to corks, labels, bottles and barrels. New homes are constructed with wine bars and even cellars. Neighborhood block parties are turning into wine tastings. What gives?

"There is something sexy about it," said Ryan Sciara, managing partner of Cellar Rat Wine Merchants in Kansas City, Mo. "Even my sister, who doesn't drink wine, decorates with it."

The 37-year-old Sciara, who will be a contestant on Season 2 of the public television reality series "The Winemakers," sees the correlation of wine's rise in popularity with its pricing.

As drinkable wines from Spain and Australia became available for $10 or less, more people invested because it was a way to travel the world without buying a plane ticket.

"Wine has become more democratic," said Samantha Nestor, author of the new book, "Living With Wine" (Clarkson Potter, $75).

"It's no longer a club for sommeliers and rich businessmen. A single working woman is just as likely to become a collector as anyone else."

Nestor, special projects editor at Metropolitan Home magazine, has noticed more wine storage and tasting areas being integrated into homes. Cellars aren't tucked into the caves of basements any more. They're built under stairwells and inside closets.

Floor-to-ceiling wine walls are the main feature in some dining rooms.

Her book showcases wine in dozens of residences, including those in Napa Valley and New York, with traditional wood racking or state-of-the-art stainless steel.

The next big thing in residential wine storage is "very Vegas."

Inspired by restaurants, the future just might be cool-burning LED lighting to illuminate bottles in pink, green and blue. But what most stood out to Nestor as she researched the 256-page book was the people.

"They were each about creating an experience," Nestor said.

"As they opened up a bottle of wine, they delighted in introducing people to new wine and telling the stories of their collecting journeys."

Because wine has become such a big part of people's lives, Steve Bell recently started building wine furniture. The mahogany and cherry buffets, featuring metal grating, store wine that will be consumed within a few months. He has made pieces in Italian, Spanish and French styles.

Todd Klaus, who with his wife, Trisha, owns Off the Vine Design in Overland Park, Kan., says more customers are having wine tastings in their homes.

"Blind tastings are especially popular," Klaus said. Wine bottles are covered up with bags, even brown paper ones, so guests form opinions based on the taste, not the labels, of wines.

"People are experimenting with different countries and regions."

To enjoy wine, Sciara said, just rely on your palate. Pricey equipment is unnecessary. At home, Sciara uses a standard waiter's corkscrew and regular red and white wine glasses, nothing tailor-made for pinot noir. He doesn't always decant.

"I know wine has this mystical quality," he said and shrugged. "But it's just grape juice."