Dip It & Gift It: Holiday Edition

Why fix something that ain’t broken, right!? Right! Which is why we’re back with another classic Dip It & Gift It option for you to use this holiday season!

Look, we aren’t trying to induce panic here, but the holidays are literally happening, like…right now. NOW. Translation: If you haven’t already, START SHOPPING. And if you need help gifting, keep reading!

Despite the amount of gifts you’re probably responsible for giving, we have at least a few gifts covered for you with this easy and adorable little guy! *Cue the superhero-save-the-day-music* It’s so easy — grab a bottle of your person’s favorite wine (we used, and highly recommend, Storyteller Pinot Noir). Once you’ve picked out your wine, you’ll need to grab some melting chocolate, press n’ seal, a basting brush, and a pot to melt your chocolate. A stove or an electric burner will also be necessary.

And here’s how you make the magic happen: Set your burner to med-high heat. Pour your melting chocolate into your pot and stir every minute or so until smooth. While your chocolate is melting, take your plastic wrap and wrap your bottle, leaving the top open. In this particular case, we used our delicious Rue de Pearl Rosé. Ensure that the plastic goes all the way to the bottom and wrap it underneath, so as to keep the chocolate from touching the actual bottle. Now, you’re ready to dip (or in our case, paint!) We used a silicone basting brush to essentially “paint” on the chocolate which made the process SO easy, but you can use whatever you’d like. At this point, take the basting brush in the chocolate and paint your bottle and again, leave the top clean. We went around the bottle a few times to get the chocolate nice and thick, but this is a total preference thing. You can’t really mess this up, we promise! Lastly, while the chocolate is still melted, add your sprinkles for the perfect finishing touch! After this, let your chocolate dry (about 5-10 minutes in the freezer will do the trick!) Once dry, wrap your adorable bottle in a plastic bag, tie a ribbon around the top, add one of our DARLING gift tags, and boom! You’re ready to gift it.

Not only does this make your life much easier, we’re pretty sure chocolate and wine is gonna make the lucky wine recipient’s life easier, too! We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again — you cannot go wrong with the gift of wine!

For our cute gift tags, download & print here:

And as if you need help showing the lucky recipient how to put this gift to use, it’s literally as simple as this: grab a plate or bowl and place the covered bottle in the center, then begin peeling the the press n’ seal off and letting the chocolate crack off and fall. Toss your wrap in the trash, grab the corkscrew, and get to pouring! Wham Bam — chocolate and wine right at your fingertips!

Here’s to making your holiday gift-giving a little easier, and a lot sweeter!

Happy Holidays, friends! Cheers to life, love, family, and friends this season!

It’s National Zinfandel Day!

What would we be good for around here if not to give you every excuse in the book to enjoy a glass of wine as part of a national holiday!? Another national holiday to celebrate another wine, you ask!? YES and YES. And you’re welcome. Again.

This time, we’re celebrating Zinfandel Day! And instead of just suggesting a glass of Zin for you to enjoy, we’ve included one of our timeless recipes to help you spice it up a little bit! Don’t get us wrong — just a normal glass of Zinfandel is a great option, but sometimes it’s just fun to make it a mixer!

So — allow us to introduce you to our Cranberry-Lime Zinfandel Mixer. It’s DELISH and honestly would be a fantastic drink to serve at all the holiday parties you have coming up! Nothing says holiday cocktail quite like cranberries, right!?

Here’s what you’ll need:
-1 bottle Zinopolis Zinfandel
-2 cups Cranberry Juice
-2-3 tbsp Lime Juice (to taste)
-2/3 cup Sparkling Water
-Lime, sliced for garnish
-Fresh Cranberries

Here’s how you make it:
Disclaimer: as per usual with our recipes, this is about as easy as it comes.
Start by combining your wine, cranberry juice, lime juice, and cranberries in a pitcher, then chill in the refrigerator. Once chilled and right before serving, add your sparkling water. Garnish with lime and enjoy!

Easy peasy!

Not a mixer kind’a gal? No worries! Our Zinopolis Zinfandel is amazing by itself! It’s a full bodied wine with dark berry flavors, and it is incredibly smooth and velvety. We can’t say enough good things about this bottle! Grab yours at your local Kroger!

Come hang with us on social media and let us know how you’re celebrating Zinfandel Day! We’re @corksandcheers on Instagram and Corks + Cheers on Facebook!

Cheers!

It’s National Merlot Day!

Um….YEAH. You had us at MERLOT! (Ha!! We know, it’s cheesy…but it would have been wrong to pass that opportunity up!) BUT YOU GUYS! National Merlot Day! Hello! Another holiday we never knew we needed — and this time, it’s in the middle of fall! If this isn’t God proving He loves us then we don’t know what is!

While we have a few different Merlot’s we love, we decided to feature our gorgeous Storyteller Merlot for today’s post. This wine is sure to please your palate with its hints of berries and milk chocolate (yes, please!). It’s the perfect wine to pair with a hearty meat dish or a delicious pasta. AKA — it’s no coincidence that Merlot Day falls during autumn, the king-of-heart-meals-season!

Take some time for yourself today and celebrate with us! Invite a friend over or grab your spouse for a little night in, and share a bottle together….not that you need a reason to celebrate with Merlot on a random Thursday, but you’re welcome for giving you one!

Happy Merlot Day, C+C fam! Cheers!