Wine-OOHHHH

(left: WineHaven wine, and my Paris snow globe, which is the closest I get to drinking wine in France)


Who doesn't love wine? More importantly, who doesn't love a nice, yummy, “so drinkable I finished the whole bottle how did that happen?” wine that doesn't cost a mint? I know I do. Especially the “whole bottle” part. So I'm always on the lookout for a good, under $20 bottle of wine.

Here's my deal with buying wine. You've got to be willing to spend at least $8+ to get something really drinkable. You can argue with me about this (what about Two-Buck Chuck? What about Wine in a Box), but really. If you wouldn't serve it to your boss (or your boss's husband), why drink it yourself? And Two-Buck Chuck is now $3 per bottle in most states, plus tax. So there.

Back to my wine; most of what I drink costs between $10-$20, and I really love white, sweeter (but not artificially sweet) wines. I also like alternative fruit (i.e. not grape) wines, and honey wine – a.k.a. mead. Now, I know some of you associate mead with the Renaissance Festival and cheap yuckiness. Or you're reminded of pretentious Live Action Role Players who need to live the Dungeon and Dragons experience 24/7. However, well-made mead is wonderful for everyone, IF you can find.

So, you ask, where the heck can I find really good mead, huh, Miss Smarty-pants? Hmmmm? Calm down already, and I’ll tell you. Seriously, chill.

WineHaven in the Chisago Lakes area of Minnesota has been making yummy fruit wines and mead since 1995. And you can go to their web site RIGHT NOW and order all their wines to be shipped to your house. So no one but you has to know what a lush you are. Handy!

Prices range from $9.99 to $17.99 per bottle, depending on the type of wine - example, reds cost more. And WineHaven will usually give you a discount if (please, WHEN) you order in bulk. So being lush just got cheaper. Yay!

However, if you live in any of the following states, you can't get your drink on with WineHaven. They don't ship to: Alabama, Arkansas, Maine, Maryland, Mississippi, Montana, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Utah. If you live in any of these states, perhaps you should move.

However, if they do ship to your state, it ain’t the cheapest thing in the world. Wine bottles are heavy and breakable, you know. But the cost-per-bottle to ship goes down the more wine you order: $20 for 6 bottles, $30 for 12 bottles. If you live in MN or Iowa, shipping is only $15/$25. Wow, can you believe it? There’s reason to move to Iowa. And yes, that’s ANOTHER reason to buy and drink wine in bulk. Come on, like you really needed one.

Today’s Wine Recommendation: www.winehaven.com.
And please, I mean this now, drink responsibly. Don’t make a total Britney/Lindsay/Paris/Mel out of yourself. You aren't famous, so you WILL go to jail.