Save the ocean - wines under water

 

At the Real Italian Wine & Food Experience trade show at Excel in London, I met this lady who was promoting her wines, underwater wines. The wines are aged underwater, in the cool water.

My favourite design of their attractive labels is the one with the two seahorses facing each other.

The labels

Seahorses - distilled dry gin

Water snails

The label are made from sustainable forest paper. No plastic. They support an ocean charity.

Wonderful Wines & Spirits

Lots more to read on their website.

Useful Website on 

https://marinium.it/en/products/

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How To Identify Original, Organic and Genetically Modified Food

Plum pox resistant plum. Wikipedia.

Fruit. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

I was astonished to discover that pink grapefruit was genetically modified. I prefer sweeter grapefuit. 

Old world wines from France have to be grown on root stock imported from America because it is resistant to the phyloxera beetle which destroyed almost all European the vines accidentally when the voracious citters were imported years ago.

Rose Petal Aroma

 I discovered on a recent trip to Cyprus that the sweet smelling roses whose petals are picked to perfume cordials, wines and cosmetics, last only a day. The huge perfectly formed and long lasting roses without the attractive smell are modifications. So, old fashioned roses which smell gorgeous but wilt fast, or bigger blooms which look good and last but have no aroma - now you know why that's the case and which to choose, aroma or visual appeal.

I try to buy patio rose bushes with aroma, hard to find. I identify them by sniffing them in garden centres, rather than buying from a catalogue. If I buy from a catalogue I check that they smell good as well as looking good.

A more frequent purchase is fruit. I recently discovered that the label numbers reveal what you want to know.

 I wrote this poem for myself as a reminder:

Fruit is genetically modified

Disease resistant, and more besides

I think that we can all agree

What others avoid, leaves more for me

For those who fret, or cry or sigh

It's my belief you will not die

But if you really want to know

The number eight will tell you so

To identify modified, you are are able

By reading the numbers on the label

Four digits means food's the same as before

Five digits organic, starts with eight - added more 

I wish they'd do the same to me

Make me the best that I can be

Taller, slim and young and wise

With high IQ and chameleon eyes.

-ends-

Written by Angela Lansbury Saturday 18 2022.

Comic poem on genetically modified fruit and how to identify it by Angela Lansbury 18 2022.

That's my photo of fruit. Really? Can I be sure? Can I prove it? Yes. 

My photos tend to have the warm colours of red, orange or pink somewhere, and lots of circles or curves. I have two of everything, hence the round woved placemat and the plastic placemat. My husband likes earth colours, neutral colours, but I like warmer colours, rainbow colours, so the pale brown neutral Denbyware china handled cutlery was his choice, but the blue Denbyware plate is from a couple of oddments in the same style which I bought later.

Those blue plates are Denbyware seconds in a discontinued line, same shape as the creamy brown Seville pattern. I bought the blue in a charity shop in the UK and you cannot find any more for love nor money. The brown handled cutlery is also Denbyware seconds, bought from our wedding list in 1976, again almost impossible to obtain. The plastic placemats with the oranges were bought from a shop in Singapore and I cannot find any more to match them. The chance of anybody having and mixing those two sets of discontinued Denbyware and the third odd item, the Singapore discontinued mat are near zero. 

Simplified Tip

Prefix 8 is genetically modified

Prefix 9 is organic

Useful Websites

https://www.food.gov.uk/safety-hygiene/genetically-modified-foods 

Long and technical

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/organic-food-labelling-rules

Label Numbers

https://www.kqed.org/bayareabites/51586/food-labeling-how-to-identify-conventional-organic-and-gmo-produce

Where Is It? Packing, Unpacking And Storing Clothes and Accessories

The airport had lots of smart suitcases for sale. We didn't need them. We could buy cheaper.

SUITCASES
Damaged?
Hard-sided suitcases offer protection. You can balance a handbag on top. You can even sit on some of them. On the other hand, they won't give, and they could dent.

On the other hand, you get home and find your luggage stained and holed, with handles which won't push down, zip pulls pulled off. Even the carry on luggage which is places on racks and buses, dragged along by helpers.

You can probably buy cheaper online - if you spend all year looking.

But what size do you need? One bag per person on the cheapo airlines? How will we get our larger items in this? Weight your luggage. Allow extra time to Check-in Oversize items.

But first we must find items to pack.

Problem
Does any of this sound like your family?

Now it's summer, put away the clutter of your winter items, or prepare for your skiing holiday in New Zealand. Think about where you will be looking next time you need the items. Write notes to yourself and everybody else in the family. Two heads, brains, memories, are better than one. Just writing a note, or telling somebody, helps you remember.

Do you have outsize items? Do your suitcases need repairing or replacing?

Photo of snow shoe walking with poles and hats, hooded jacket, and gloves, courtesy of Elves Village, Finland.

FAQ 1 SKIERS AND NON-SKIERS
We go on ski holidays.
CLOTHES & EQUIPMENT
We cannot find the skis - where are they?

We find the skis but no boots. We find the boots but no socks. We find the socks but no hats. We find the hats but no goggles.

MAPS & STATIONERY
Where are the ski trail maps and road maps from last year?
In case we break a leg, we need a book. Where's that book we never had time to read?

We are exhausted - we need a holiday.

FAQ 2 HIKING HOLIDAYS
We go on hiking holidays.
We cannot find the trainers and waterproof boots. We found the trainers and washed them off. But no matching socks. When we try on the socks, we cannot lace up the boots.

We cannot find the zip-off trousers (USA convertible pants) which convert from shorts to trousers and back.

We cannot find the lightweight jacket with the zip-off hood. We find it but it doesn't match the trousers. We had another one somewhere.

We want to get away from it all, all this stress.

FAQ 3 SWIM & GYM
BEACHES: BEACHWEAR & ACTIVITIES
We go on any holiday with beaches and pools - or might have a pool.
Where is the surfboard? The life jackets for the boats? The swimming rings?

Where are the swimsuit, swim hat, beach shoes, sunglasses, snorkels, baseball cap? We have three caps, matching our jackets, but none of them match the colours of our swimsuit.

The hotel has a gym, free or cheap aqua-aerobics classes. To use the pool, you need beachwear. Some Asian hotels don't allow bikinis but want one-piece costumes. Most pools require swim hat, so you don't spread hairs and hair grease, or get your hair caught int he sucking jets.  For a gym, you need trainers and a tank top and shorts or tracksuit.

FAQ 4
Where are the missing items, in the loft/attic, spare room/basement?

Answers
FREQUENT ANSWERS
1a SUITCASES
Wash down or wipe down the outside of suitcases to removed stains. Wipe or change luggage tags. Wipe wheels. Vacuum clean the dust and dirt from the outside and crumbs from inside.  Allow time to dry.
Hide stains and scratches and dents and prevent new stains and scratches with suitcase cover protectors.
You can also change the appearance of your suitcase from plain black to red or yellow or wavy colours or splodges multi-colour pattern so it is easier to identify.

1 b SKIS ETC
Big items could be:
Standing upright in the corner of the room.
Lying flat behind or under a sofa.
Moved to the attic, basement, spare bedroom, store room, outdoor shed, garage, in a relative's larger home, loaned to student son or daughter.

Allow time to sell off the old ones. Use the money for the new ones.
Buy second hand - it's only for a few days.
Hire, because the latest skis and boots with the latest colour and style and the latest technology.

MAPS
Find old maps and brochures. Sort all old maps and brochures by country. Store in box files alphabetically, or piles on shelves, alphabetically, with a label on the shelf or a printed A5 sheet on side of the bookshelf. Keep a copy on your laptop or computer. Email it to yourself under the country name in emails.
Photograph all maps and store in photos. Email it to yourself with the country name in the subject. Store emails in a file called PHOTOS.

2 HIKING
FAQ 2 Answers
Boots.
We need thinner socks.
Picnic box for car or pocket.
Water bottle.
Insulated picnic carrier.
Kendal mint cake.

Food for the journey, enough to share.

Dates. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

3 Answer SWIM & GYM
Allow time to book swimming lessons, diving and lifesaving lessons for everybody before a holiday near a beach. Lessons are available for all ages, from babies upwards. You can buy floatsuits for children.

Wear an old swimsuit and see what others are wearing. Find out suppliers from fellow swimmers and the instructor.

FAQ Answer 4
Ask.
Were they given away to the mountain guides, loaned to somebody on the trip who never gave it back? Are they in the home of a parent, child or another relative. Was the ski or glove lost on a foreign mountain or a beach? Is it still in the suitcase, at the back of the wardrobe.
Maybe it is already packed by somebody else who swears / thinks it is their socks / gloves / whatever.

Pack a week earlier to allow time to hunt through the house. If no luck, order from Amazon or eBay.

USEFUL WEBSITES

SUITCASES Luggage (UK); Baggage (USA)

Weighing Luggage
https://www.epictraveller.co/product/portable-travel-luggage-scales/

Suitcase cover /protector
Look for the words, dustproof, washable, stretch.
Measure your luggage.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Periea-Elasticated-Suitcase-Luggage-Cover/dp
Huge range of designs including mixed animals, amusing big brown scowling bear on yellow background for kids.
Designs with Winter and Summer for storing your winter and summer clothes.

Smaller range of covers in assorted sizes cheaper on eBay.

Repairs
Amazon sells wheels, leather thread, sets of five colours of patches, handles, zipper pulls.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Seattle-Sports-Built-U-S-Repair/dp/B001OPM8T6/ref=sr_1_30?ie=UTF8&qid=1532707974&sr=8-30&keywords=luggage+repair

Swimming AIDS
Amazon sells swim fins for children, flotation rings, noodles, float boards, armbands,

Swimsuits
Amazon
https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=swimming+aids

Trousers
Search for convertible trousers, cargo pants, hiking trousers
https://www.sportsdirect.com/karrimor-aspen-zip-off-trousers-ladies

eBay
I have ordered a suitcase cover. I can upload a photo later when I receive it and give you my verdict.

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

How To Practise the French Language (or any language)

Problem
How do you keep up a foreign language. (In my case French.)

Answers
1 THINK IN THE FOREIGN LANGUAGE
As you look up from your desk, or around you on a bus or train or plane, describe the scene in the language you need to practise.

2 READ LABELS
Read the labels on goods and food. When you see the foreign language, read it aloud, slowly then faster.

3 SPEAK FRENCH TO ACQUAINTANCES
When you speak to friends and strangers, tell them that you speak French (or other languages). If they are a native speaker or speak that language, immediately start speaking in that language.

4 KEEP A LANGUAGE NOTEBOOK
Do what I did to expand my vocabulary when I was learning French at grammar school for A level. I bought a small notebook. I folded the pages in half vertically. On the left I headed the column English. The right hand column was headed French.

Every time I came across a new word in French I noted it down with the translation, or I looked up the translation later. When I thought of an English word and didn't know the translation, I added the English word and looked up the translation later.

5 TRANSLATE TRAVEL PAGES & WEBSITES
Look for the French version of websites. Start with the French, and note the words you don't recognise. Then read the English. Then go back to the French. For example, when reading about the bull fight and fair in Dax, France (described in my previous posts) I went onto the website for Dax, which was in French, started reading the French, got tired, looked for the English, then went back to the French.

I thought I spoke French pretty fluently. However, I had a hard job at first telling the difference between a matador and a picador and a toreador in English, never mind the Spanish and French.

Sometimes I can't find the translation symbol on a website. I think to myself, there's no flag showing either their country or mine, but it's a tourist website, so they must have the translate symbol somewhere. I started clicking on all the tiny double letters. Eventually I found that English appeared when I clicked on the letters EN. (I had been looking for UK or GB.) After I read the English, at least skim read it to get the gist of each paragraph, I was encouraged to go back and try reading the French again.

I also read several paragraphs in Spanish, although my knowledge of Spanish is minimal, so many words are similar to English. However, some sentences made no sense because I missed just one word, the subject! Miss that one word and the ten word sentence is incomprehensible. Translate or learn that one word and you can translate a whole sentence, or have the courage to continue reading an entire paragraph.

6 START A BLOG IN FRENCH
Blogger is blogueur.

Story
This week I was in a sauna and spoke to three women who spoke English as a second language. They were initially speaking to each other in Arabic. One was from Egypt, another from Iraq, a third from Morocco. I addressed them in English and they replied in English. When I was left alone with the woman from Morocco, we discovered that we both spoke French as a second language and both wanted to keep up our French. So we started talking in French.

I told her about Duolingo. That free internet language learning website currently has about 12 other languages for speakers of English. I use Duolingo to learn languages other than English and French. But she could use Duolingo to improve her English and French or learn Spanish.

TIPS
www.duolingo.com
https://offqc.com/2013/05/09/clear-up-doubts-about-words-related-to-blogging-in-french-602/ (A French Canadian site)

Author
Angela Lansbury travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Auteur
Angela Lansbury.

I was going to translate only the signature.

Google translate gave me:
Écrivain et photographe de voyage, auteur et conférencier.

I can translate the whole post.

Here is what I got from Google Translate

Problème
Comment maintenez-vous une langue étrangère. (Dans mon cas français).

Réponses
1 PENSEZ EN LANGUE ÉTRANGÈRE
Lorsque vous regardez de votre bureau, ou autour de vous sur un bus, un train ou un avion, décrivez la scène dans la langue que vous devez pratiquer.

2 LIRE LES ETIQUETTES
Lisez les étiquettes sur les produits et les aliments. Lorsque vous voyez la langue étrangère, lisez-la à haute voix, lentement et plus vite.

3 FALER LE FRANÇAIS À DES ACQUISTIVITÉS
Lorsque vous parlez à des amis et à des étrangers, dites-leur que vous parlez français (ou d'autres langues). S'ils sont un locuteur natif ou parlent cette langue, commencez immédiatement à parler dans cette langue.

More Thoughts On The Orthodox and Modern Clothing and Customs and weather

I researched the history of the Orthodox Jews in northern Europe. The Ashkenazis, who spoke a mixture of their local languages of Russian and Astro-Hungarian lands' German and Hebrew which they learned to read so they could read the Bible (which Christians, introduced to Europe by the Romans, later called the Old Testament, adding the New Testament about Jesus and his disciples).

At the time the academic leader expected people to sit in the synagogue (a Greek word for a place where people assembled) reading literature and the words of the ancient leaders from scrolls. The illiterate leader wanted people to dance in the streets communing with God by worshipping his creating of nature and singing in celebration.

After Russian pogroms and a decree by the Czar in about 1880, Jews arrived in England. Some travellers on their way to America were cheated by ticket sellers and arrived on the East coast of England (I was told by a tourist guide in Hull. The travellers could not afford the money or stress of travelling further. They made the best of things and decided they would like to stay in the UK with compatriots who had already landed in England. Those who were rejected at Ellis island , not admitted to the USA, perhaps because of ill health, or wanting to stay wth a parent rejected because of ill health, ended up back in the UK.

I went to an Orthodox Jewish wedding oa  a friend from college in London in the 1960s. I had been to an Israeli dance class (like flamenco it was just enough to let me do once dance in a circle). t was the first time I had seen men dancing with white handkerchiefs, old style.

Handkerchiefs When Dancing
I can see the point of dancing with a handkerchief separating your hands from the next dancer, especially when in the 1700s and 1800s access to clean water was less readily available and you did not want to catch illness from others.

Gloves
The Victorians wore gloves. I wonder whether the fashion for gloves will come back?

Hats
Hats provide protection from the cold in winter. In summer and on sunny days hats protect your eyes and face from the sun. Sunhats.

Covered Arms
I am a frequent traveller to tropical and warm countries, where my skin is exposed to the sun and hospital have posters warning about skin cancer. In the UK, Europe, America and cities, when working from home, I like to walk daily to get a little sunlight for exercise and to get vitamin D, as many people do nowadays for health reasons,

I am already wearing long sleeves with M o s i g u a r d (spellchecker keeps attacking brand names), to prevent myself being bitten by mosquitos carrying dengue fever, or Zika.

I also wear socks - having seen so many pictures of people with melanoma on their feet. People walk out covered from the sun but not head to foot, even going for a daily swim, feet in flip flops are exposed.

Fabrics
The Orthodox are also not allowed to mix different plant and animal sources such as cotton and wool by laws dating back to the book of Leviticus in the bible. the word Leviticus is Greek for laws. This is like a primitive form of quality control. If you make or buy a garment made from cotton, it is not mixed with a different fabric which has different properties.

The seller or maker cannot cheat you not he selling price, nor give you a fabric with different qualities. Until this century, large numbers of the population could not read, even more so in biblical times. So you could not rely on a garment label.

The only way to persuade the seller or maker to produce goods to a predictable standard was to make the rules coming not from man but from God who sent thunder and lightning, water and floods, sickness and health.


Angela Lansbury, travel writer, researcher, author, speaker.

How you can identify bad wines and choose good wines at restaurants

Corked wine smells of damp cardboard. It is still drinkable but the smell is gained by an unsterile cork. Some harbour bacterial infections which get in contact with the wine. A particular chemical called TCA is the culprit. The maker can't tell. This problem is eliminated by screw tops.

Corked wines, pretty obvious, smell musty. A sommelier will detect lower quantities. The wine waiter would if he tasted it. Given the opportunity, if you are in doubt, he would often frown and grab it from you.

Wine can be maderised, kept too hot, smells like Madeira wine, storage problem, oxidation, smells like fruit cake.

Wine can be oxidised because too old, depending on how old you like your wine. Some would accept it, thinking it leather-y. Others would not drink it. Some people will collect wines back to the late 1970s. Others will only buy, drink immediately, or collect for drinking later, winds from the 1990s.

What about a wine that smells and taste completely sour so you want to spit it out?

This is not the same as people who don't like the wine, make a bad choice? You should really have the wine matched to your food, because this will alter the apparent taste. You can check styles of wine with food at home. For example, if you always order chicken and chocolate desserts, or if somebody in your family always orders steak and tiramisu, you can try out a wine at home so as not to waste money in a restaurant..

Serve two meals at home with particular wines. Note on a card index card how the first wine tastes with the main course and dessert. Check how a sweeter wine tastes with dessert. Then how the sweeter wine would taste if you tried it with the main course as well. Make a column on the back of the card index card of the wines which go well with your favourite dish or dishes. Make another column for wines which don't go.

Check the restaurant menu online to see which main courses and wines they serve. You can also check the year of the wine. Do they have wines at two prices, more for the older wine, or less for the older wine? Do you care?

This is up to the sommelier. Some sommeliers have an open bottle (left over from another table? - sh! - or more likely used to serve wine by the glass). Some sommeliers, it's even been offered to me by bartenders at a cheap place such as Water's Edge in Ruislip, if you ask, or are hesitating they might offer - they will pour you a tiny sip. Sometimes just one of the wine you are considering, or two if they have two rose wines by the glass.

I try not to try to many if I don't like either of the first two I'm inclined to refuse more out of politeness or embarrassment. Occasionally at a restaurant or a wine shop which has lots of open bottles for a wine tasting, you are offered even more, even three, (if you are pally or a regular or a big spender or at a wine tasting more) until you like one and choose to stick with drinking and paying for that one.

If you want to try regular tastings, a local wine shop might offer weekly events, sometimes free in the hope that you will buy wine. (Many regular customers feel reluctantly obliged to buy something.) Others are very happy to buy a bottle of one of the wines offered. Alternatively, if they don't like any, quite happy to buy somethings, in exchange for an hour or two's entertainment: drinks and nibbles for two members of their family, a chance to chat to the wine shop owner, a visiting vineyard owner, local shopkeepers, local people, visitors from overseas. if you'd had two glasses of wine in a local wine bar it would have cost the same and you would not have had a bottle of wine to take home. So it seems a reasonable deal to voluntarily top up from the shop (rather than the local supermarket) with one of the wines you want for the next weekend or for taking to a friend's party.

I have two birthdays and an anniversary to attend in the next three months. I will probably have at least one meal at home and at least one meal out.

I have already asked my family which sort of restaurant they would like. One member of my family likes Indian food. I wasn't expecting that. I prefer non-spicy, Italian. They have named a restaurant. Time for a sneaky peek at the menu to choose my dishes. Then at the wine list to select my wine. Rather than arguing on the day, I can discuss in advance.

Studying Wine
I have reached only WSET level one. That involved about 20 hours of studying with self-marked tests which you keep doing until you reach more than the pass mark. Then a one day course with teaching and tasting and tests, ending with a multiple choice test. (The first level might be taken by a waiter or would-be sommelier and worker in a wine shop, or wine buyer or wine enthusiast.)

Every meal with family and friends involves discussion of wines, vineyards, the wines, or the recent discoveries on the internet.

Another member of my family has passed level three and is studying for the diploma, which involves several exams, which are several weeks apart, spread over a couple of years, with many people re-sitting some modules.

We plot our travels around vineyards, wine shops, restaurants, wine events. We check the vineyards on google maps to see the slope, the sun and shadows, the rainfall, the vineyard shop, the local village or city shops selling wines and restaurants serving meals with the local wines.

Talks and Workshops
I am Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, researcher, author, speaker. (Not related to the actress, who does wonderful publicity for the name which is shared by at least four people on the internet.)

I am the person you can contact f you would like a free talk to Toastmasters (of which I am a member of two clubs in the UK, probably joining another in Singapore) or a low price amusing talk to a group of under 30 for amateurs and novices on wine labels and wine personalities such as the merry widow, Verve Cliquot. I can also do a well-organised proper formal talk or workshop for a higher price for businesses or charities with a larger audience. (Anywhere in the world via Skype or if you pay for transport and any accommodation needed such as at a conference.)

If you want a workshop with slides and vertical tasting, the same wine such as one from Rioja through the years to compare different styles or production, go to grape deal.com

Angela Lansbury, BA Hons, CL,  ACG, travel writer and photographer, researcher, author, speaker.
More about Angela Lansbury on Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Amazon, Lulu.com

Souvenir Corks, Labels, Bottles, Cases and Posters

I save empty wine bottles from restaurants on my travels.

Souvenir Corks
I have corks stuck onto a picture frame. You don't need a glass cover. You just let the corks project. 

That reminds me. I have a picture frame which has no glass. (Somebody else broke the glass.) I was wondering what to do with. I'll use it to frame corks.  I can create something new and personal and get rid of the clutter of a broken frame and lots of corks lying around. 

The other thing you can do with corks is put them in a carafe or see-through empty bottle, the larger the better, or a goldfish bowl or clear vase. I've seen a display like this at The Wine Society.


Other uses for corks are suspended from an Australian style cowboy hat to ward off flies. Or as a joke hat for a fancy dress party, or hanging from a lamp shade.

Dozens more projects from table tops, coasters, pinboards, jewellery holders, drawer pulls, plant put holders, bottle and four glasses stand - see them on Pinterest. Just google what can I do with old corks and you'll find lots more.

https://uk.pinterest.com/ladyandhershoe/1001-uses-for-wine-bottle-corks/

Use corks as replacement handles for old knives. 

http://yarnigras.blogspot.co.uk/2011/07/ironcraft-28-and-recipe.html

If you don't have enough corks for a project, on eBay you can buy sets of 50 corks.

Labels
Souvenir labels can be floated off and stuck into a book, for example one with self-sticking transparent pages.

The supermarket size souvenir shops at wineries in California sell books designed for storing labels. If you are on a budget or having a lets clear clutter day, you can make a wine label book from any scrapbook. to make a suitable cover, you could photography one of the labels and print the copy for the front cover. Or use one of the labels for the front cover. Or print out a suitable label just using a fancy typeface and black ink and a word such as wines.

Alternatively label the cover with years and places where you travelled to drink the wines, whether it's within a mile of your home or all around the world.

Bottles
In the 1960s it was popular to save Mateus Rose Bottles to re-use as table lamps. You could buy a cheap kit to stick in the neck of the bottle. Just add a bulb and buy a cheap lamp from a budget store.

You could store bottles across the top of kitchen cupboards. 

If you have a Corvavin to preserve wines, empty bottles are handy for decanting leftover wine and re-bottling. You can use half bottles to save half bottle leftovers in a bottle with less air so it lasts longer. Re-cork it with one of those cork stoppers with a horizontal hat. 

Making Labels
Make a new label from your printer or simply stick on an address label with the name of the wine and the new date. Float the label off the old bottle and ra-apply it. Or get a photo of the wine from a wine catalogue from your nearest wine shop or a general supermarket such as Tesco or Marks or their weekly newspaper. Cut the picture of the bottle out of the magazine, with or without the text describing the wine.

These are on the cellar wall of The Sampler, in London.

Cases
Packing cases from prestigious or favourite houses. You can stick them on the wall unframed. Or frame them.

This one I saw at the Rose pub in Fulham, London.

People most likely to get wine boxes are pubs, bars and restaurants. Boxes can be used for decoration, for flower pots. You might be able to get somebody to give you one.

Collage
Wine labels could be used as a collage for a table top, for a home or business, for a wine bar or conservatory or cellar. Even to cover a suitcase or handbag.

Inspiring Sketching
A stored bottle is useful for inspiring a still life drawing or painting. You could even paint a mural in your kitchen or cellar, copying the bottles of the labels, the corks and the packing cases.



Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer,