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Tips on keeping wine fresh

<p>We’ve all been in the situation (once or twice) before where we’re the only one home one evening, decide to have one glass with dinner and don’t finish off the bottle. So how can you keep the rest of the bottle as fresh as possible? Here we take a look whether simply resealing the bottle is enough or, is it worthwhile investing in one of the various gadgets on the market.</p> <p>Most wine connoisseurs will tell you that wine is almost always best enjoyed on the day it is opened. You’ll find that some restaurants don’t bother with fancy resealing devices and use the cap or cork it came with, as they say that some wines last well into the next day. So why should you bother with one of these whizz bang gadgets? On the other hand, research shows that some restaurants use an argon gas preservation system and that it works really well.</p> <p>As you may have discovered yourself at home, wine doesn’t go off that quickly, per se, but it can lose its quality before becoming unpleasant. The villain to blame in this process is oxygen. If you’re a red wine drinker, you’ve likely heard that giving it time to breathe is a good thing. Well although a little air is often good for wine, the longer it is exposed to oxygen the more it changes. Some wines, typically robust reds, benefit from a day or two of “development” in an open bottle. But in most, fruit smells and flavours dissipate. The wine starts to oxidise and taste sharp and “vinegary”. That’s why wine-saving devices are typically designed to limit contact with air.</p> <p><strong>Winesave</strong><br />A user-friendly delivery system that uses gas that's used by many restaurants to form a protective “blanket” between the wine and the air in the bottle. The at-home version comes in a canister: you attach a tube to the nozzle to squirt the gas into the bottle before reapplying the original seal. Can keep wine well for at least five days.</p> <p><strong>Wine Shield</strong><br />A piece of flexible, circular plastic inserted into a partly drunk bottle to become a floating lid, claiming to keep wine fresh for up to five days after opening. Fiddly to insert – it’s done via the sachet in which each “shield” is packaged – but not hard once you have the knack. You then reapply the original seal. Will keep the wine in good condition for at least three days.</p> <p><strong>Vacu Vin</strong><br />This gadget is designed to suck air out of the bottle. Popular with wine critics, it vacuums out the air. While it is said to not be as great on day two as some of the other devices, it is better on day five than the others.</p> <p><strong>Screw cap</strong><br />In some cases the original metal seal that came with the bottle will keep the wine pleasant on day two but it won’t last until day five like some of the others. At least it is free, though, right?</p> <p><strong>Wine stopper</strong><br />Often made from stainless steel with a plastic interior, these don’t seem to do much. It’s a stretch to do anything that a cork (or screw cap) wouldn’t. So I guess this is a good option if you lose the cork or screw or you have trouble replacing it after you’ve finished.</p>

Food & Wine

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CCTV catches “ghost" haunting Irish school

<p>An old high school in Cork, Ireland, is no stranger to spooky happenings, but the latest incident – which was captured on CCTV – has to be the scariest. Deerpark CBS has shared a video of its halls, recorded at 3 am on a Sunday, showing some seriously creepy goings-on.</p> <p>In the video, a door can be seen swinging in the corridor, a set of lockers starts shaking violently then ejects its contents, and a wet floor sign appears to be kicked over by an invisible force.</p> <p><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FIndependent.ie%2Fvideos%2F10155914204228470%2F&amp;show_text=0&amp;width=560" width="560" height="314" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p> <p>As easy as it is to dismiss the events as an elaborate prank, apparently this isn’t an isolated incident. The school, founded in 1828, has a long history of paranormal activity.</p> <p>Deerpark Principal Aaron Wolfe told Unilad that the caretaker once reported hearing “the last call” played on the trumpet in the middle of the night when the school was empty. A pupil once heard crying in the bathroom – despite being alone.</p> <p>But that’s not all. “The female members of staff do complain that this particular part is extremely cold,” he said. “It’s also outside the Religion Room – which is weird.”</p> <p>The plot thickens! Tell us in the comments below, do you believe the school is haunted? Or is this just the product of cheeky students and some very suggestible staff members?</p>

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3 fun crafty things to do with wine corks

<p>After our<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="/lifestyle/diy/2015/06/succulent-plant-magnets/"><strong> last cork project</strong></a> </span>was so popular, we found some more ways you can use those leftover wine corks for something useful, beautiful, or just plain fun.</p> <p>NOTE: For any projects that require corks to be cut in half, we recommend using a bulldog clip to hold the cork, instead of holding it with your fingers – you’ll avoid any painful cuts that way.</p> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Trivet</span></strong></p> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><img width="500" height="329" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7158/cork_500x329.jpg" alt="Cork" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/></span></strong></p> <p><strong>You’ll need:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Corks</li> <li>Sharp craft knife</li> <li>Sandpaper</li> <li>Craft paint</li> <li>Hot glue gun/strong craft glue</li> </ul> <p><strong>Method:</strong></p> <ol> <li>Cut the corks in half using your knife (and bulldog clip). Use the sandpaper to even out the cut ends.</li> <li>Paint the tops of your corks in your chosen colours and allow to dry.</li> <li>Hot glue your corks together into the desired shape. You can go for an abstract shape, or be a little more careful with your positioning and go for a geometric shape.</li> </ol> <p><em>Image credit: EverdayDishes.com</em></p> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Cork snake</span></strong></p> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><img width="320" height="240" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7159/cork-2.jpg" alt="Cork 2" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/></span></strong></p> <p><strong>You’ll need:</strong></p> <ul> <li>10 x corks</li> <li>Drill</li> <li>Needle and thick thread</li> <li>Sharp craft knife</li> <li>Texta</li> </ul> <p><strong>Method:</strong></p> <ol> <li>Cut 9 of your corks into quarters. Drill holes directly through the centre of each slice.</li> <li>Use the needle to thread the thread through the corks, tying a knot between each piece.</li> <li>Use your knife to shape the 10<sup>th</sup> cork into a snake’s head, draw on eyes with a texta and drill a hole through the centre.</li> <li>Pull the thread through the snake’s head and tie a knot at the end. Leave a little extra thread to be the snake’s “tongue”.</li> </ol> <p><em>Image credit: GoodLuckWithThat1</em></p> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Cork sailboats</span></strong></p> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><img width="500" height="500" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7160/corks-3_500x500.jpg" alt="Corks 3" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/></span></strong></p> <p><strong>You’ll need:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Corks</li> <li>Paddlepop sticks/tongue depressers</li> <li>Hot glue gun/strong craft glue</li> <li>Craft foam</li> </ul> <p><strong>Method:</strong></p> <ol> <li>Glue about 5 corks together in a row to form the base of the boat.</li> <li>Cut out sails and flags from the foam and glue them to a paddlepop stick.</li> <li>Glue the “mast” to the boat and you’re ready to set sail.</li> </ol> <p><em>Image credit: CreativeJewishMom</em></p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="/lifestyle/diy/2015/05/button-bracelets/">Make bracelets using colourful buttons and yarn</a></strong></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="/lifestyle/diy/2015/06/how-to-rainbow-pots/">Brighten up old pots by making them psychedelic rainbow pots</a></strong></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="/lifestyle/diy/2015/06/crayon-canvas/">Rainbow crayon canvas art to do with the grandkids</a></strong></em></span></p>

Home & Garden

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How-to mini succulent planters fridge magnets

<p>Here’s a great use for those wine corks you’ve been throwing away – make them into cute magnetic succulent planters to stick to your fridge. It’s a fun and unique way to brighten up your kitchen with a little colour, and succulents are such low-maintenance that you can pretty much stick them on and enjoy their beauty without worrying about taking care of them.</p> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">What you’ll need:</span></strong></p> <ul> <li>Wine corks</li> <li>Succulent clippings</li> <li>Soil</li> <li>Small magnets</li> <li>Hot glue gun (or strong craft glue is fine)</li> <li>Phillips head screwdriver</li> <li>Paring knife</li> <li>Newspaper</li> </ul> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Method:</span></strong></p> <ol> <li>Lay a sheet of newspaper down on your work surface to catch all the cork shavings.</li> <li>Use the head of your screwdriver to punch a small hole in the cork.</li> <li>Carefully use the paring knife to carve out that hole into a deeper cavity that goes about halfway down the cork. Don’t go too close to the edges, or you may split the cork.</li> <li>Glue a magnet to the back of the cork and let it dry completely.</li> <li>Add a little soil to the cavity in the cork and plant your succulent clippings in. Add a little more soil to fill up the cork.</li> <li>Arrange your magnets on the fridge and admire your handiwork, you clever person.</li> </ol> <p><em>Image credit: UpcycleThat</em></p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="/lifestyle/diy/2015/05/diy-river-pebble-trivet/">Make this beautiful river pebble trivet for your kitchen</a></strong></span></em></p> <p><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="/lifestyle/diy/2015/05/ribbed-scarf/">Get out your knitting needles for this simple but gorgeous ribbed scarf</a></strong></span></em></p> <p><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="/lifestyle/diy/2015/05/leaf-stepping-stones/">Make your own leaf-shaped stepping stones</a></strong></span></em></p>

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