Some empty wine bottles are just too pretty to throw into the recycling bin and never seen again. Perhaps the answer lies in creating a wine bottle fountain. Some DIY skills, a bit of tubing, a fountain pump and a set of tile and glass drill bits (Wickes set of 3 £5.99), plus an electric drill, will allow you to create your own masterpiece for your garden or patio. You think I’m kidding? Then check out Pinterest for a 1000+ ideas and images of wine bottle fountains.
The only drawback to all these fantastic creations is that they are designed to work with water. Now a true oeneophile would want to see wine spouting from their creation. You could use those several gallons of wine you brought back from Calais but haven’t got round to drinking. But decorative fountains work by pumping around the same liquid again and again so that once decent plonk would quickly become oxidised and vinegary and not a great choice for sipping.
If you want to nonchalantly wave a wine vessel under some flowing real wine then one place you could go is Bodegas Irache in Spain. This winery, situated near Santiago, faces onto the Pilgrims’ Way and happily has a wine fountain where travellers can avail themselves of a free glass of wine to help them on their way (only available from 8am to 8pm).
If Spain is a bit far then you could draw inspiration from the pen and ink sketches of the eighteenth century artist Henri Auguste available through the New York Met museum website who came up with a nice idea for a wine fountain complete with a Grecian urn and wine pouring lion heads. He obviously like wine as he came up with a design for a wine cooler too (just scroll down the page to view it).
Still not inspired? Then hop along to YouTube to view the how-to-make video of a wine barrel fountain, complete with wine press and artifical grapes.
PG Wine Reviews
Aldi South African Shiraz 2.25l wine box (3 bottles)
£10.99 Aldi (equivalent to £3.66 a bottle)
Fruity, easy drinking red. Cherry, plum and milk choc flavours with a bit of black pepper.
Sainsbury’s Winemakers’ Selection Spanish Gran Reserva Carinena 2008
£6 Sainsbury’s
Chestnuts, redcurrants and cocoa. Interesting.
Tesco Finest Chianti Riserva 2013
£6 Tesco
Flavours of soft cherry and toast.
Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference French Touraine Sauvignon Blanc 2015
£6.25 Sainsbury’s
Juicy lemon, melon and lime with a hint of honey and herbs.
Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Chilean Valle de Casablanca Chardonnay 2015
£8 Sainsbury’s
Nice and balanced white wine.
Tweet me a wine question @huxelrebe
© Paula Goddard 2016 www.paulagoddard.com
