TresSugar

Removing Wine Stains

DearSugar — Mon, 07 May 2007 09:30:00 -0700

Accidents happen, but when they happen with red wine, someone is bound to get quite upset. If the spill is caught in time, luckily there are ways to remove red wine stains.

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While your first reaction is to want to rub, wash, or even smear the stain, which could set it, the best thing to do, regardless of the fabric or surface, is to simply blot the stain and excess wine immediately with a dry paper towel
If you stain a dry clean only garment or table cloth, do not pretreat the fabric
If you stained a machine washable fabric, after you blot, mix one teaspoon of mild dish soap (Joy, Dawn, etc.) with one cup of hydrogen peroxide in a bowl. Soak a clean sponge in the mixture and blot the stain away. (Best to test a small corner of the fabric just to be safe the peroxide won't stain)
Make sure to place a towel or napkin in between the two layers of your shirt or pants so the wine doesn't bleed onto the stain free side
If your fabric is washable, wash immediately in cold water and air dry. Repeat if necessary. If your fabric is dry clean only, again, don't pretreat it and take it to the cleaners as soon as possible
If you do not have peroxide handy, club soda is another good home remedy. The carbonation has been known to lift stains right up
Pouring white wine over the red wine stain is another good tip. The white wine will neutralize the red. Blot with a thick towel and remember, do not rub or smear the stain
Salt is another proven household remedy that works on both fabrics and carpets. Simply blot the stain and pour salt on the surface. The salt will prevent the stain from setting until you can properly treat the surface
Baking soda is yet another option. Once the wine has been blotted, pour some water on the carpet, cover with excess baking soda, and once it is dried, vacuum

I hope these tips help you the next time you have a dinner party disaster or a spill at a restaurant. Wine Away is a great product sold at most grocery stores that every home should have and if any of you have tips that I have missed, please share below!

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The French Sleep and Eat Better Than Anyone

TresSugar — Mon, 04 May 2009 11:15:00 -0700

In addition to producing great literature and perfume, the French can now boast that they they also have the most sated sleepers and eaters. Among the world's wealthiest nations, France has a populace that sleeps and eats longer than anyone, including Spaniards, Italians, and Americans.

The average French person sleeps almost nine hours every night, and more than two hours a day are spent eating. Wow. Maybe if I eat a lot of amazingly stinky cheese with bread and red wine (slowly, of course), I can catch up on my zzzzz's!

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The How-To Lounge: Developing a Taste for Wine

DearSugar — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 09:35:00 -0700

Have you ever been put on the spot on a date, or at dinner with friends by the wine sommelier asking you what type of wine you fancy? Many people know what they like by taste, but aren't quite sure how to put their preferences into words, so here are some tips to help you refine and master your taste in wine.

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Wine is meant to be enjoyed, and everyone has different taste so don't get boggled down with the specifics
Start with what you know and like and branch out from there
There are 5 components to tasting wine: aroma, color, taste, body, and finish
The aroma can be the most revealing characteristic of the wine so pay close attention to its smell. Smell for fruit, spice, smoke, leather, oak, etc.
The color of the wine can give you clues on its age. White wine tends to gain color with age where as red wines loses color
When you taste your wine, swirl it around in your glass before sipping and roll the wine around in your mouth for a few seconds before swallowing. Taste for sweetness, acidity, tannin, fruit, alcohol and overall body
The body of the wine refers to the texture and weight, oftentimes compared to milk-- strange I know! Deciphering if you have a full body or medium body can be best described by whole milk, low fat milk, and skim milk, etc.
The finish of the wine refers to any lingering after notes you taste after swallowing. Often time the aftertaste, or finish, is extremely different from what you tasted originally
Always feel free to ask for assistance when you taste wine. Explain the flavors you enjoy or if you can't pinpoint what you are tasting, name off some bottles you often drink and enjoy
Taste as many different wines as you can in the same genre. Report back to your sommelier what you liked and didn't like so he or she can steer you in the right direction for your pallet
Like everything else, practice makes perfect so I suggest going to as many local free wine tasting events as you can to teach your pallet about new wines
Keep in mind that the best wines are not necessarily the most expensive, so don't be fooled

Learning about wine can be really fun, so enjoy yourself, keep an open mind, and have fun with it. Make sure you keep notes on the wines and flavors you like and don't like so you remember how to order next time, and most importantly, never drink and drive!

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Cheers to That! Would You Pour a Glass of Palin?

CitizenSugar — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 11:00:00 -0700

What's organic, from northern Chile, rich, full-bodied, and listed on the McCain campaign stationery? Nope, it's not Sarah - it's Palin Syrah (no relation, of course.) The red wine carries the vintner's name and "describes a ball that was used in an ancient game played by the Mapuche, a group of people indigenous to central Chile."

Not surprisingly in our all election attention span, the similarity is making it both a hot and drop-it-like-it's-hot commodity. Staunch Obama supporters won't swill a drop of it saying, "'Oh, I don't want to drink that. That's too close,'" according to one wine bar owner. But McCain/Palin fans are snapping up the $13 bottles for their GOP-themed parties.

And what does a Palin taste like? According to the distributor, "The wines are outstanding. Very rich, full-bodied. There's nothing political about the wine in any way." Would the name stop you from indulging or encourage you to say cheers?

How Long Does A Bottle of Wine Last After It Has Been Opened?

DearSugar — Fri, 02 Feb 2007 10:00:00 -0800

Dear Sugar
How long can I keep a bottle of red wine open before it spoils, two days? One week? One month? Wino Wendy

To see DEARSUGAR's answer read more

Dear Wino Wendy
Red wine can be kept for several days after opening if air is removed from the bottle before re-corking. Oxygen in the air starts a process that initially softens the flavors and opens up the aromas of the wine, so if you can, try to finish the bottle before the oxidation turns the bottle bad. If that isn't an option, there are ways to re-seal wine. One is a "pump" where you simply suck the air out of the bottle and re-cork it.

Another method involves spraying inert gas into the wine bottle, which helps disperse any oxygen. It is recommended to refrigerate all wines after they have been corked, even red, but remember to take it out of the fridge at least a half an hour before serving. As a rule of thumb, I would not wait more than three days after opening. Otherwise, enjoy the vinegar!

Meet September's Top Talker!

CitizenSugar — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 12:55:01 -0700

After watching Sarah Palin's fiery debate performance the other night, I realized it was time to tally up another month's worth of fantastic comments. Since September started with the Republican National Convention, I was in a "red" state of mind when I started counting, and I decided a nice glass of red would be the perfect accompaniment to my counting. As the numbers mounted I realized my glass of wine may have just predicted the Top Talker, whether or not she can currently enjoy one herself. . . .

Think you know who it is? To find out, read more.

Congratulations Great Sommelier! With a fantastic 937 comments in September, she's picked out her CitizenSugar prize. Rounding out the top five, is Michelin with 870 comments, newcomer to the top five dreamsugar with 708, former champion lilkimbo with 707 and tied with top five perennial favorite UnDave35 who also had 707. Thank you to everyone who's made the debate so compelling. Here's to a great October!

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Come Story Telling with me!!! The Completed Story

DearSugar — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 11:09:49 -0700

I hope you all enjoyed this new feature as much as I did! Your wild imaginations made for a great story line! To read the completed tale you all helped create, read more

This short week keeps throwing me off, I thought to myself as I unlocked my front door. Pushing the door open, I took my heels off, relieved. "Hmmm..." I said to myself. Today was Friday, time to relax! I made my way into the kitchen and poured a glass of water, and looked at the calender. "Meeting with client, check. Doctor appointment..check." I said. My eyes trailed to Friday, today. "OH NO!" I shrieked... I stared blankly at the calender, staring at the words "Boss coming for dinner at 6:45." It was already 4:20. what was I going to do?? Wait! I remembered reading something about hosting a no fail impromptu dinner party on YumSugar earlier at work! I ran over to my computer to open firefox when an email notification side tracked me. My gmail notifier was telling me I had an email from John, asking if 7:00 was good for dinner tonight. Apparently this was going to be more complicated than I thought! Normally I'd just cancel, but this was a date I'd been looking forward to for two weeks, and the ONLY chance I had to see him before we both left for vacation!

I cant cancel on my boss, and I cant cancel on him so I guess the only thing to do is to really turn it into a dinner party. I clicked the reply and typed in "6:30--my apartment, I want to cook something special," I didn't want to make it too conspicuous. I immediately ran over to my purse and grabbed my blackberry to send out immediate invites to some coworkers and some friends to make it seem like a real dinner party. It wasn't long before I had 7 RSVP "Yes's" and 5 "No's." I ran to the freezer and searched through to find ingredients for something tasty.

The choices were scant. Microwave burritos, microwave pizzas, and ice cream were all that lay lonely in my freezer. I frowned and closed the freezer. "What a predicament I've gotten myself into," I sighed. I stood still for a minute with my hand to my forehead. I walked to the phone. I couldn't believe I was doing this, but I dialed my mother for help. She picked up and of course "Of course ill help you," she said. "Meet me at the grocery store and we will whip something up." I grabbed my keys and bolted out to the car. I drove down the street with the trees passing by and the thoughts on my mind. What did I get myself into? I pull into the busy parking lot. The mesh of car stereos and summer heat mesh into my head. Gangster rap, Avril Lavigne, and my guilty pleasure Madonna all collide. I see a vacant spot. I parked the car, but before I ventured outside I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. "I can do this, I can do this."

That was my mantra for the day. Right in front of the grocery entrance was my mother, looking happy as ever. One would think she took a shot of botox in the face while she was smiling. I loved the woman and all, but as I walked up to her she was already criticizing me.

"Darling you know you should be more prepared for situations like this, didn't I teach you better?", she said staring at me up and down. "I hope your going to do something with that hair of yours", she said as she pointed out my roots. My mother is always quick to point out my flaws. We made our way through the store and my mother was going on, and on about some dinner plate recipe she saw on Martha Stewart. " I think you should serve your guests simple finger foods to start", she said while taking a sample of the gourmet cheese. "Something light and easy" She kept going on her own tirade of how she wants to prepare my dinner. Dealing with this my whole life I figured how to ignore my mother.

It felt like our trip to the grocery store had taken a lifetime as we walked up and down every single aisle, my eyes staring into space, envisioning the dinner disaster. I looked at my watch and we'd been there 30 minutes. The cart was already loaded with an assortment of fancy cheeses, bottles of wine, and a variety of random foods I never thought I'd find myself cooking. I rushed my mother to the checkout and the bill made my jaw drop. Thankfully, my sweet, sweet mother paid for everything. Progress had been made.

Back at home I got down to business. I remembered something I had read on YumSugar about setting up stations of food so I set the cheeses and salami on the island in the kitchen and the olives and blueberries on a counter at the other end near the entrance way. Next I turned to the refrigerator to get out the chilled wine. I put it in the ice bucket and glanced around. What am I missing? It's 6:15, crap I forgot to get dressed. I run to my room to slip on my red strapless dress that was hanging on the back of my door. I looked in the mirror ans gawked because I had forgotten my boss was coming over too, not just my boyfriend. I ran back to my closet and grabbed a black knee length dress that always flattered me, put on some black pumps and quickly ran to the bathroom where I had ten minutes to put on some makeup. Just as my lipstick was painted on I heard the doorbell. Crap! I took one last look at myself and decided to grab the hairspray flip my head over and give it a little volume. As I ran to the front door, I hit the stereo to play a little music to set the mood. As I got to the door, I stopped, took a deep breath and put on my biggest "So glad to have you over" look and opened the door.

Thankfully, it was Samantha, my work best friend. After a fit of laughs I filled her in on the situation. She said she would help me keep our boss occupied while I was able to put in face time with John. I don't know how but she convinced me to change back into the red dress. Although Samantha reassured me that the red dress was safe enough to wear for the dinner, I couldn't help thinking that nevertheless it was inappropriate for a work-related dinner. I surveyed myself in the mirror and pushed a piece of hair behind my ear. I kept the dress on.

About an hour after Samantha arrived, the doorbell rang time after time. It wasn't long before the seven guests, including my boyfriend and boss arrived. My boss walked in with a ruffled look on his face, seeing a group of other people. Then I realized I forgot to tell him that others were coming. 'Um.. er.. hi Rachel. How are you?" he asked, clearly perplexed with the other guests in my apartment. "Great. Thanks for coming." I immediately pulled him into the room and introduced him to the others. hen he asked if he could speak to me, "outside". I said sure, but was getting a bit nervous over why he seemed upset there were other guests here, and why he needed to speak to me outside. When we reached the back door he said "Rachel, the reason I wanted to have dinner tonight was because I wanted to discuss with you..."

"OMG" I thought to myself. Um.. OK.. calm down.. ".. that I think you would be perfect for the position. And I wanted us to talk about the process of applying and essentially transitioning as my right-hand person." I'm sure I must have looked like an idiot. I stared him in the eyes with my head slightly tilted, looking confused. He coughed in the midst of an awkward silence and that seemed to wake me up. I started. "Oh my. Well -- I had no idea. Thank you so much for the opportunity. I really do appreciate it." I glanced sideways nervously and said, "I apologize for the presence of the other guests. If I had known the importance of the dinner, I would have made sure that the environment was a bit more professional."

"That is okay. I kind of like the atmosphere and it will be some nice mingling and networking with some of your fellow workers. Who else is here?"

Then I remember my boyfriend ws bringing over 10 of his old college buddies and a beer keg! OMG, I thought to myself....what am I going to do??? I frantically try to call my boyfriends cell phone....4 times, and no answer. I racked my brains to think, did I know any of his college buddies? Think, think! I called Samantha discreetly to my side and filled her in on John and the beer keg. "But I thought you said it was a date?" she said with a look of disbelief painted on her face. Yeah that's what I thought too! You need to stall them at the door...or better yet in the lobby downstairs. Tell John to come up, I want him to meet my boss but his friends cannot come in!" She laughed at the fact I was getting so worked up over this and replied with "Okay okay! Don’t worry, I am sure I can keep them all occupied downstairs with me." She sarcastically smiled and walked out of the kitchen. Samantha said she would be stepping out to the other guests and as she turned to the door I could see her spray some perfume on her neck and pull down the front of her dress a little bit...leave it to sam to be promiscuous in the face of an emergency.

After she left I grabbed the wine bottle and went around to refill glasses and to mingle. It wasn’t long before I heard the door open and saw John walking in. Thankfully walking in solo with some flowers and a big smile. He looked gorgeous, a pair of khaki slacks, a mint polo shirt and his sandy hair tousled with a little gel. I prayed to whatever God existed and thanked him/her that he hadn't shown up in a basket ball shirt and sneakers. At least he looked smart but casual! I came up to him with an obvious look of relief on my face.

"Sorry about the gang," he whispered sensually in my ear. "Forget about it!" I replied and hastily introduced him to my boss. "Joe?" he said. "Uh, you two know each other?" I said. "That's my son." My eyes opened wide. "OH.MY.GOD." I thought to myself. Could this ruin my promotion, or my relationship??

I just smiled, and Joe blurted in...
"Yeah Dad, she's my girlfriend, we've been together for a bit now." My boss kind of looked shocked, then said he couldn't of chosen a better girl for his son. I took a deep breath, so relieved.

The only way I could think to break the ice... "Well everyone, dinner is served!!"

You Asked: How Do I Blow Him Away?

DearSugar — Thu, 08 May 2008 17:00:00 -0700

Dear Sugar,

My fiancé is coming home in a week from being gone for a year at school in another state. I want to surprise him with the best night he's ever had. It needs to be completely unforgettable, but I don't know what to do. Obviously something sexy will ensue, but how do I start it? Dinner? Wine? What can I do to totally blow him away?

- Enticing Tisha

To see DearSugar's answer, read more.

Dear Enticing Tisha,

It can be overwhelming to see someone who you haven't see in a while: Expectations run high, and there's added pressure, so I think it's a good thing to start slow and rev up. Set the mood with soft lighting, great music, and of course, you, in something cute.

Beginning with food and wine is a great idea, but instead of cooking a lavish meal, which can be very stressful, come up with some easy appetizers - cheese, crackers, cured meats, and fruits are great when served elegantly. Once you guys have reconnected, it's time to turn up the heat! Use some sweet-smelling massage oil and give him a complete rubdown from his shoulders to his toes or pull him into the shower for a steamy rinse.

When he's completely relaxed (and totally excited!) it's time to take it up another notch. Surprise him with a sexy new piece of lingerie. If he's into the more sultry look, choose something black or red, and make up your eyes to match. If he's all about classic beauty, find something light pink or off-white and tousle your hair. I'm sure that from there, things will pretty much take care of themselves! Above all else, it should be fun and stress-free, so only do what works for you guys!

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Is Your Pantry Partisan? Having Our Vote and Eating It Too?

CitizenSugar — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 08:01:59 -0700

In a tight race, political advisers have to stop at nothing to figure out how voters are thinking - all the way down to scrutinizing what's in their shopping carts. By looking closely at consumer behavior, including how people eat, savvy advisers are seeing a way to scavenge for votes. In the voting biz it's called microtargeting (hello Soccer Moms!) and it's as much political discipline as cute concept.

In the Coke-vs-Pepsi United States, the brands we buy and how we spend our free time can be a pretty good predictor of our politics. So the same way you get a mailbox full of targeted catalogs, people can figure out your votes based on shopping habits.

Although advisers still consider gender, religion, and other big categories most useful, info about eating, travel, and hobbies provide a good second-tier crystal ball into the mind of the voter. Clintonite Mark Penn wrote a book all about this practice of microtargeting - and said about Obama in an email just last week, “He has more of the arugula vote.” Are you an arugula or an iceberg vote? To see which parties eat what, read more.

Pepsi-Cola and Sprite are Democratic sodas.
Dr Pepper is a Republican soda.
Most clear liquors, like gin and vodka are Democratic hooch.
Brown liquors like bourbon or scotch are Republican.
White wine and Evian water are Democratic.
Red wine and Fiji water are Republican.
Democrats prefer Popeye's chicken.
Republicans eat Chick-Fil-A.

Though the chicken-and-beer info is useful, it's how you use the platter that matters. The managing director of American Environics says,

“Knowing that your base drinks gin doesn’t give you a clear idea on how to communicate with them effectively on issues. But if you take it a level deeper and say, are there psychological drivers that will help understand the values behind the behavior, you can speak to those values and persuade voters.”

Do your ballot and your pantry match? Are you a Dr Pepper Republican? Do you think this in an accurate way to predict votes or just a bunch of leftovers?

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Headline of the Day

GiggleSugar — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 04:00:00 -0700

Wasting Time Online? You Might Be Mentally Ill

Oh, man. I'm screwed. I'm getting paid to waste time online. How will it ever end? Click here to read about the dubious study of the day. I forget, are coffee, red wine, and dark chocolate good for you this week? Or toxic? (Don't mind me - I'm crazy as a loon!)

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