SOIREEHOME We’ve all fallen prey to nifty gadgets and tasting room merch while out wine tasting, but what products are really worth purchasing? Local goods like candles and wine swag seem to always find me when I’m buying wine, but I’ve always been able to avoid the inclination to buy gadgets until I spotted the soireehome line. According to soireehome, they offer an “expanded collection of innovative housewares and barware that are designed to make entertaining more fun,” and enticed by their claim, I decided to explore. I started my exploration with a little Q & A with soireehome’s designer and managing director, Andrew Lazorchak. SL: What are your best-selling products? AL: The tempour deluxe gift set contains our best-selling items, soirée, stopair, & tempour. Soirée is one of the best all-time selling wine aerators because it is made of hand-blown glass, goes directly in the bottle, aerates instantly as you pour, is easy to clean, and makes wine taste better. The stopair is a bottle stopper with a built-in vacuum preserver, which is so simple and easy. It remains one of our best sellers because the consumer gets it intuitively, and it can be used on wine, oils, vinegars, port or anything that will oxidize. And the tempour is our pristine diecast stainless steel in-bottle chiller. It is designed to augment temperature and filter sediment; it lightly aerates, and has a stopper. It is the absolute end-all-be-all of in-bottle chillers. SL: How do your products enhance the wine tasting experience, and why use them over traditional methods? AL: Traditionally, people do not think to aerate, monitor temperature, or preserve their wine unless there is a special occasion. Our products are simple yet dramatically enhance the way one can enjoy wine. One of my biggest lessons for people who want to discover wine is this: keep it fun and explore as much as possible! Play with your wine, learn your palate, and know that you can improve any beverage with simple tools. We design for people who pay attention to gourmet lifestyle trends and like to be the ultimate host. So it’s not a matter of gadget over traditional method, our products simply enable the consumer to explore wine with ease. With soireehome products, you can just pop and pour a perfect bottle. SL: Why Napa? How do soiree products embody the wine country lifestyle and expand the epicurean experience? AL: I picked Napa Valley as my base because it is the Wall Street of wine. It’s a hotbed of world-class wineries, restaurants, hospitality centers, and culinary-enthused people. So what better place to live, dine, taste, observe, learn and design? The epicurean audience is comprised of curious people who appreciate food and drink, and also celebrate the art of hosting, which is really the pulse of wine country. We create culinary lifestyle tools that are a little bit about style and panache, but more so, innovative tools to heighten the experience of eating and drinking, even if it’s just the average Wednesday night at home. We didn’t always have cheese graters or zip-lock bags, but they sure seem like obvious ideas now. In this way we are encouraging the consumer to explore. 26 www.nAPAVA L L E Y L I F Emagaz ine.com p. 4 | The INK by Sara Little When I am planning an event or putting together a wine country trip for guests, it’s all about authenticity. I think a lot of people get lost in over-planning or non-stop tasting appointments, and this can really take away from the inherent beauty of Wine Country. Of course, I send guests to my favorite tasting rooms and vineyards, but I also encourage them to also enjoy a simple Wine Country picnic. Here’s how… what to pack A screw top wine, soft cheeses, loaf of bread, finger foods, govino glasses, and the tempour deluxe from soireehome. Why screw cap wine, you ask? It’s is a great choice for a picnic to avoid the risk of forgetting your corkscrew. Soft cheeses and finger foods like olives, charcuterie, or almonds mean skipping the flatware and plates in your pack. And with the tempour deluxe, you have an in-bottle aerator, a bottle stopper with vacuum, and an in-bottle chilling rod (which you can use for reds or whites). This makes an impromptu picnic even easier and gives you the tools to really enjoy any bottle of wine. Lastly, skip the fancy picnic basket. All you need is a simple canvas bag, reusable grocery bag or backpack. where to go Robert Louis Stevenson State Park This park is just seven miles north of Calistoga and has amazing views of the San Francisco Bay area at the end of a lovely five-mile hike to the top of Mt. St. Helena. And don’t worry if you are not an expert hiker; there are amazing vista points that only require a short walk from the parking lot. Marin French Cheese Triple Crème Brie Photo by Sara Little Photo by Sara Little
NVLife_NovDec_2014
To see the actual publication please follow the link above