How to Recycle Corks - We have hundreds of corks. He's been collecting for 20 years. She's made her contribution in the last 5 years. The wine was drunk by dozens of people, but somehow we got the corks. Uh, thanks?

From reader Carrie H. in Los Angeles, CA ~ thanks, Carrie!

I was researching cork and what to do with used and – since you and your friends drink a lot of wine – decided to share.  I’m especially intrigued by the knifeguard and dinner party placeholder ideas, along  with the idea of adding ground cork to potting soil to help retain moisture.   

 There are also quite a few organizations that take used corks for re-use and recycling – and if you have friends who also have hundreds of corks to recycle, you can pile them all together “a communal cork bag” or barrel, I imagine you’d have enough for free shipping/pick up in no time.  One organization even supports a charity!

 http://www.chasinggreen.org/article/re-use-and-recycle-your-wine-corks/

http://www.wisebread.com/25-things-to-do-with-used-corks-including-making-money-with-them

A quick search reveals many more.   Just me doing my small part toward reduce, re-use, recycle.

You can read even more about how to recycle cork – click here to read our first “recycle cork” post.

SHE says:  Want to send an easy Halloween Gift that will look like you spent HOURS deciding what to put in it?   The little elves over at Fancifull Gift Baskets have already done it for you with their
Trick or Treat Tin   We LOVE Fancifull Gift Baskets.   They’ve spent years traveling the world and finding the best foods and wines to fill out every gift boxes and gift basket you can possibly imagine.

Halloween Gifts all made up for you ~ and at a crazy reasonable price, too:  $31.95
Inside the Halloween Gift basket is lots of dark and scary goodness:

Halloween Gift Tin ~ A big "Trick or Treat" from Fancifull Gift Basketsis lots of dark and scary fun:

• A dark chocolate bar
• Bellagio dark chocolate mocha mix
• Pican Chocolate Bar
•  Holly Bakery Cookie Brittle
• Milk Chocolate malt balls and
• a  pumpkin shaped cookie to top it all off!

SHE says:  Here it is! It was a Cornerstone Fourth of July for us this year!

Cornerstone Cellars 2009 Stepping Stone "Rocks!"

HE continues:  We loved the white, which was a unique blend of chardonnay and muscat.  Well, I’m happy to say that the “Rocks!”  Red Wine follows nicely in its footsteps.  Ok, maybe more like plods over it because this is one big and bold wine.

It’s again a unique blend – zinfandel and pinot noir.  Now, I’m a huge zin fan and I don’t think I’ve ever had, yet alone heard of, such a pairing.  Zin is usually very fruity and “in your face” while pinot noir is more delicate and refined, so putting them together is a bit like having Mick Jagger duet with Sade.  But, you know, it works.

HE says some more:  The nose is really forward as is the fruit in this wine.  I didn’t know the blend when I tasted it and my senses kept telling me syrah.  The flavors are lots of black fruits and black cherry, with a hint of cocoa.  I thought it would have some zin, but I never imagined the pinot noir. Regardless, it’s a pretty juicy bomb of a wine.  The alcohol is up there, at 14.9% and the acid comes through more than the tannins.  So I recommend you have this wine with food, like barbecue ribs or meat or a juicy burger.
I rated it a very good 15.

SHE says:  You, my love have a complicated palate.  And you, my wine:  You’re a sharp, but friendly kinda wine.  Leaving a little fire in your path, I’ll likely follow.

Full disclosure stuff some fed somewhere thinks we should tell you:  This review is not a paid review.  We purchase most of the wines we write about (or steal them if we have to).  We do occasionally receive wine releases from Cornerstone Cellars.  Our readers know that free wine would never interfere with our honest opinions.  (Just glance around the blog and you’ll see that’s true.)

Vampire Lounge, Beverly Hills, CA

SHE says:  You can show up with some standard tiny candies, or be the Halloween gift bearer who brings something healthy ~ or be a Halloween gift giving star.  I suggest you be the Halloween gift giving star this year.

Here’s my secret to a great Halloween gift:  Vampire Vineyards wines, Vampyre Vodka, Vampire Coffee and Vampire Chocolate ~ WHAT?!?

My love affair with Vampire Vineyards continues.  I loved it more when the wine was actually from Transylvania, but my therapist says I’m almost over that shock.

HE says: Yes, the Vampire Vineyards marketing machine has expanded the brand to include all things decadent and SHE’s so happy, SHE might just bite you.

SHE says: Yes, they’ve expanded their brand AND get this ~ Vampire Vineyards has opened VAMPIRE LOUNGE in Beverly Hills. Seriously?  Seriously.  I am finally satisfied.  Their brand just might be complete.

HE says: Do they “complete” you?

SHE says: La, la, la… I can’t hear you… la, la, la…

SHE also says:  Let’s start with Vampire Lounge.  It’s a store, it’s a bar, it’s a real lounge with gorgeous sofas, library books and even Vampire Tarot cards. Downstairs small tables, tall seats at the very beautiful, perfect sized bar.  Upstairs is comfy (the entryway to

Chandelier at the Vampire Lounge in Beverly Hills

upstairs reads Vampire Lyre) and what can I say… I love it when people understand what a lounge really is.

Vampire Lounge is cozy, and gorgeous which is how I like my lounges.   Upsatirs two sofas (one purple, one black), library books, Vampire Tarot cards, mirrors, small lamps, some chachtkas, the ever gorgeous  Haute Living magazine (vampires being about 500 years old live very Haute on the hog  ~ I can confirm this from personal experience) and I won’t tell you everything because you want to be a little surprised when you visit the Vampire Lounge.

With the right companions, it’s a blast.  HE could so totally help them with their food menu as it still needs some work, but vampires are so busy drinking blood that they just don’t eat very much.  (also confirmed from personal experience.)

Halloween gift options at Vampire Lounge? OMIGOSH! So many!

1) The Vampire Vineyards wines – reds and whites

2) The Trueblood wine label (not related to the television show)

3) The Chateau du Vampire label

4) Dracula wine label

5) J’ Taime sparkling wine

6) Vampyre Vodka (red and white)

7) Vampire coffee (so THATS how they stay up all night)

8) Vampire chocolate bars (good, but my guess is even better in the future)

9) Some beers called Witches Brew…

10) Vampire wine glasses

Lots of dark fun.  The only thing missing? A selection of vampire fangs.

Vampire Wine

Do be aware that the bottled wine prices at the lounge might seem a little steep, but they have discounts, so just ask for the details.   If you’re a last minute shopper, just stoppping in- it’s worth it. Consider joining their Vampire Wine Club and you’ll get some really nice perks.

If you’re doing your Halloween gift shopping a bit in advance, you can also find Vampire Wines at TotalWine.com stores near you for $8.99 a bottle.  A quick phone call revealed  the store where I discovered Vampire Wines ~ Robert Burns Wines on Robertson Blvd. in Beverly Hills continues to carry the wines and they will be in stock very soon! Shahe did not yet know their price.

Do you love Halloween?  Leave a comment below and tell us your Halloween traditions!

Thanks for reading The He Said ~ She Said Wine Blog!  If you like it, please us the SHARE buttons below to share it with your friends. Subscribe to the blog (little box to your right) or LIKE us on our Facebook Fan page.   We had a few hundred “LIKES” but had to start all over – so we look all lonely over there. We’re not really lonely, it’s just moving people from “friends” to LIKES… why are y’all so stubborn about that?

Happy Halloween!!

He Says:  Good to know.  I guess you’ll still love me when I’m 64.

She Says: Most definitely.  Especially if you’ve got a plane and a boat and a horse and a winery?

He and She both say:  You can read more about what’s waiting for you in Paso Robles on their website.  And this video publicizing Paso Robles California Harvest Wine Weekend is hilarious!  Enjoy! And get there if you can..

We love Paso Robles and if you visit the area, you’ll love it, too.  If you live near Los Angeles don’t have time to go all the way to Sonoma, you can taste great wine and exceptional food right in Paso Robles.  Just about 2 hours from Santa Barbara if you drive near the coast, but here’s a little time saving secret for you…

She Says:  If you take Interstate 5 from Los Angeles to Paso Robles (instead of driving through the always busy Santa Barbara) you’ll find there’s less traffic, GORGEOUS scenery and you’ll arrive in Paso Robles about 30 minutes faster. Check it out… and if you get there before me ~ tell Paso Man I’ll find him by any means necessary.

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He says:   This cab was really wonderful. It had great dark fruits, terrific balance and a smooth and supple finish. It was tasting fantastic – right at its peak – I give it an 18. I wish I had more in my locker. I do have a ’91 Girard Cabernet so I’ll have to pop that open soon.  A bit of history on Girard. Girard Winery was started by Stephen A. Girard, Jr. a former executive with Kaiser Corp.

She says:  Don’t you wish you’d been there for that career transition?  ”Let’s see –  medical conglomerate or wine industry? Hmmm… medical conglomerate or wine industry… wait, don’t tell me… I’m thinking… “

He says:  The winery was based in Oakville, on the Oakville Crossroad near the Silverado Trail. According to an interview he gave to Jim Wood of the SF Examiner in 1995, Girard bought the vineyard in ’74 and was selling grapes to other producers for their reserve wines and decided to create a winery. “I got my sisters and my dad together, got them drunk and made my proposal,” he said in the interview. Isn’t that great? He added that they wanted his dad to run it, but his dad kept working so he ended up running the winery himself.

Well, Stephen wasn’t the winemaker, but he hired great winemakers, had wonderful grapes from his estate to work with and produced great wines. Girard made wonderful cabs, chards and other wines (I remember enjoying a great Chenin Blanc in the tasting room once) and had a tremendous reputation in the ‘80s and ‘90s as kind of a boutique winery. I say “was,” “made” and “had” because in the mid 90s the winery was bought out and renamed Rudd Estate. Rudd did a massive overhaul of the winery and vineyards and discontinued the Girard label a few years later, which was a real shame because Girard produced some truly excellent wines. I haven’t heard much about Rudd Estate since their purchase and, sadly, Stephen Girard died in 2004.  There is a Girard label out now, but it is produced by Patrick Roney (formerly of Ch. St. Jean and Kunde).

So if you’re rooting around a wine store and come across a bottle of Girard cab from the ‘80s or ‘90s, consider getting it. You may have found a true gem.

Here’s a link to the Girard Winery website.

She says: What is “black wine” ? Black wine is a malbec wine from the region of Cahors, France which has such a deep purple color and is 99% opaque, so that you cannot see through it. Those of you fond of eyeing your wine tasting friends through the rosey lens of your filled glass will find that it is not possible to see them through the “black wine”.
Tell me more you say?  While on a recent trip to France, I learned that this Cahors region of southern France is also the original birth place of the malbec grape. I didn’t know that, did you?

He Says:  Actually, yes, I did know.  According to Jancis Robinson, malbec likely originated in Burgundy and was once widely grown in Bordeaux and all throughout France. But the grape is susceptible to frost, mildew, rot and other nasty things, so most malbec vines have been ripped up and replaced with other more reliable and productive vines. Today in France, malbec is most widely grown in the Cahors region.

She Says: The Cahors wine region, where our “black wine” comes from, is legendary with history going back to 50 BC (over two thousand years old, my friends). The Malbec vines have been wiped out a few times by frosts and/or that pesky phylloxera (as He refers to above)  but you can read a much more thorough history of the Cahors France wine region here.

Imagine my delight when we returned home and a few weeks later learned that a short film about the black truffles and the black wine of the Cahor’s region, “The Scent of Black”, was awarded The James Beard award.  The film comes from the incredibly talented team at Grape Radio. Watch the film when you can.  Just 12 minutes – we’ve posted it for you here. We trust you will enjoy the film.

He Says:  To be a Cahors malbec, the blend must be at least 70% malbec. It is often mixed with merlot, another soft and fruity grape. And yes, the color of the wine is as close to black as you will find.

Here are the two Cahors Malbecs we tasted:
Black Wine: Malbec Wine from Cahors, France: Pigmentum 2008 Malbec, Georges Vigouroux $8

Black Wine: Malbec Wine from Cahors, France: Chateau de Mercues, 2007 Malbec, Georges Vigouroux $19

He says: Try a cross cultural tasting of your own.  If you’re into malbecs, try the 2007 Chateau de Mercues from Cahors alongside one or two from Argentina. You’ll notice some pronounced differences in the wines. The Argentine malbecs are not as dark in color – more of a deep purple – and burst through with more fruit and richer, more approachable flavors.  Taste both and let us know, which region do you prefer?  Leave a comment in the comments section.

He and She both say:  We had a unique opportunity to taste two “Black Wines” from the Cahors region of France.  Black Wine is the name given to the merlots from this ancient wine region. It’s fascinating and a little mysterious. There’s even a short film about the region at this link.  More information about the history of the Black Wine here.  http://wp.me/p9Qfi-mN

He says: This bottle came from the same winery, but was significantly better than the Pigmentum malbec.  It had an inky purple color and dusty, leathery nose. The flavors were dark fruits, prunes and leather. It had medium tannins but could be enjoyed now or sit a couple of years. (In general, malbecs don’t age very well). A very nice wine, worthy of a 15 score.

She says:  You, my friend, can stop by for a drink anytime.

Served with: Roasted chicken sausage and roasted summer vegetables.

Pigmentum label - not so easy to remove - but it's here!

Black Wine: Pigmentum 2008 Malbec, Georges Vigouroux $8

He and She both say:  We had a unique opportunity to learn about the “black wine” from Cahors. You can read more about our discovery here and watch a short film about “The Scent of Black” referring to truffles and wines from Cahors France.   http://wp.me/p9Qfi-mN 

He says: This Cahors malbec was very dark in color, indicative of the black wine of Cahors. It was easy to drink, but didn’t really display many of the characteristics I’ve come to associate with malbecs from Argentina. It was OK, but nothing special. Then again, it only cost $8.  I gave it a 13.

She says:  You’re hot. But that doesn’t give you permission to slap me.

Served with: Grilled spicy chicken sausage and grilled summer vegetables – corn, asparagus, green peppers. Perfect.  If you can find black truffles from the region  – do it!