Holiday Gift Guide 2018: You Can’t Carry Around a Magnum (Stocco or Otherwise) in Just Any Old Case. Think Inside the Box!

Stocco Wines has created special wood boxes for transporting its maganums. Photos from Stocco Wines website.

HEADS UP: Dear reader don’t fret / We didn’t forget / You don’t have a clue / Thankfully we do … Until 24 Dec., the elves at The Wright Wreport will introduce at least one or a series of products, items and brands that we believe are worthy of consideration as holiday gift(s).

BY VW

YOUR magnum of wine is ready to hit the road. But how to transport it to the celebration? In style?

Out of the question is a paper or plastic bag. A wine-carrying tote is a couple of rungs up the ladder but rather blah. You’re getting warm with the notion of a gold or silver bag.

You are carrying a magnum, though. You wish to make a statement. For that, you need an elevated affair. Just the thing then, is the Stocco Magnum case.

The Italian winemaker, whose best practices are steeped in centuries-old traditions, has produced a custom wooden box for its magnum series: Botis, Doghis, Sericus, Roos dai Lens, Refosco dal Peduncolo, Rosso Ribolla Gialla Brut and Prosecco Extra Dry. It is made from a sturdy, blond wood with a fastener of some kind of hard medal and short handle made of what appears to be thin braided rope.

The carrier box bears the Stocco name and its logo – a sword that is also the family crest. Incidentally, “stocco” is derived from the Italian word for sword.

The Refosco dal Peduncolo
is loaded and ready to be locked.

Naturally, at some point the box will hold magnums that are not Stocco. However, it is not at all clear whether one can get one’s hands on a box without a Stocco magnum inside. But the good people at Stocco may part with a box – for a price, of course – unaccompanied by a signature magnum.

Can’t hurt to inquire, for the case is a looker. Happy carrying!

Visit http://www.vinistocco.it/stocco/en/magnum-series.html to learn more about the Stocco wines and the Stocco Magnum wine case.

Holiday Gift Guide Day 5: Step Out, 'Baby' and Sparkle!

Audrey Hepburn photographed by Steven Meisel in Andrea Carranos for an article that appeared in the May 1991 edition of Vanity Fair. Photo from Andrea Carrano Web site.

HEAD’S UP: Where did the year go? Already? Yes, the Yuletide Season is in swing. And, yes, once again you are bewitched, bothered and bewildered. What to get auntie, grandpa, madea, nana, papa … little Virginia? Don’t get yourself into a lather when the elves at VEVLYN’S PEN are on the case. Continuing every other day or so through 24 Dec., we will introduce one or a series of products, items and brands that we believe is worthy of consideration as a holiday gift(s).

BY MARIE T. DRISCOLL

THESE are the ballets Audrey Hepburn wore and now you can, too.

The flat comes in myriad colors and fabrications, including metallic, calf leather, suede, satin and selected fashion fabrics (animal print and camouflage). Special orders can be taken, too, for exotics and those covered in Swarovski crystals.


The Baby is the creation of Andrea Carrano, a 60-year-old Italian luxury footwear brand that is readying for re-launch in 2014. One of Andrea Carrano's signatures is its Italian artisan construction, along with a clean design sensibility - a first “classic with a twist!”

For now, the iconic Baby is available at the Andrea Carrano Upper East Side boutique in Manhattan (1326 Third Avenue/76th Street) and online at http://www.andreacarrano.com

Baby, baby, baby, there are so many of you! Photo from Andrea Carrano Web site.

This reporter loves the pink python. It would be some mean feat to find a better Italian-made luxury flat at double the price of the Baby (upward of $250).

Meanwhile, all this fashion-forwardness in one piece and at the same time so very practical.

Emeralds on the feet; that is pretty neat. Photo from J. Crew Web site.

Meet Lulu Frost, designed by Lisa Salzer, a New York-based jewelry company that makes pieces that blend antique, vintage and modern elements to reinvent timeless classics. These clips transform your shoe from a basic pump or flat - Andrea Carrano, too - into glittering footwear that sparkles as you walk.

Trust J. Crew duo Mickey Drexler and Jenna Lyons to suggest trinkets that sparkles like a jewel, has a bit of retro chic, and that won't break the bank. On offer are Emerald Deco, Crystal Deco and Deco Wreath.

LuLu Frost for J. Crew shoe clips put a little sparkle in each step. Photo by Marie T. Driscoll.

Shoe clips hark back to the '20s, that stylish decade when jazz was new to the scene, hems rose, and some women went braless and danced the shimmy.

Jewels on feet, very neat!

Visit http://www.andreacarrano.com/products-page/baby/ to learn more about the Baby; http://www.bit.ly/1jnAWiu to learn more about the LuLu Frost for J. Crew Shoe Clips, and http://www.lulufrost.com to learn more about LuLu Frost.

Holiday Gift Guide Day 4: Charm Wine Guests the Grownup Way

The Illumination charms from Alex and Ani celebrate wine's role in nature and life. Photo from Alex and Ani Web site.

HEAD’S UP: Where did the year go? Already? Yes, the Yuletide Season is in swing. And, yes, once again you are bewitched, bothered and bewildered. What to get auntie, grandpa, madea, nana, papa … little Virginia? Don’t get yourself into a lather when the elves at VEVLYN’S PEN are on the case. Continuing every other day or so through 24 Dec., we will introduce one or a series of products, items and brands that we believe is worthy of consideration as a holiday gift(s).

BY TAMARA FISH

OH, the dilemma every good host faces: “Will we run out of wine glasses? Dare we break out the plastic SOLO cups in a pinch?”

To wash, or not to wash, that is the question. The answer depends on the formality of the party, the fussbudgetness of the host or the fine pedigree of the wine. Let’s assume that for this party, the host insists on the best.

But how many times in the past have we witnessed a mad-dash to the kitchen, hoping the dishwater won’t make too much noise, or the assembly line frenzy of washing, rinsing and trying to get the last bits of tea towel lint off the goblets? Then, a second dilemma: the freshly cleaned glasses are nice and warm, a death knell to good wines and Champagnes. What is the hostess-with-the-mostest to do?

Invest in wine charms. Better than those paper circlets with a little hole for the stem, the wine charm requires no extra table for folks to write their names, eliminates the ubiquitous problem of the disappearing pen – and being reusable – remains eco-friendly. What’s not to love?

Hundreds of wine charms have been sorted through to bring you the very best

At Williams-Sonoma, the Presidio wine charms are an extension of familiar flatware designs. Photo from Williams-Sonoma Web site.

Ask any guest: the silly designs. While the typical little charms help people snare their own stem each and every time, relieving the host of the wine glass terrors, the charms themselves are often … well … uh … stupid looking.

Know someone who treasures an elegant table? Give the Presidio Silver Wine Charms The set of six from Williams –Sonoma takes as its inspiration timeless silverware designs. (http://www.bit.ly/1cdXoGY)

Did the host really raid her tweeny-bopper daughter’s earring collection and clip them on the stems? Did that weekend warrior at the party truly wince at the last glass standing, the one with the ballet slipper dancing along the base?

Spiritual seekers who imbibe? Try the Illumination series from Alex and Ani. The set of four charms bears insignia that depict wine’s connection to nature, its role as a ceremonial drink and as a healing tonic. (http://www.bit.ly/19AysXV)

Enter: the grown-up wine charm. No need for wine glass jewelry. No crystals. No twirly-whirlies. No over-the-top beads.

Super Bowl party hosts may face a dilemma: who gets the football charm? Tennis, anyone? Photo from the Wine Rack Store Web site.

How about sports enthusiasts? Send All Balls from the Wine Rack Store. The set of six charms includes a basketball, football, tennis ball and soccer ball. (http://www.bit.ly/1cCV6vU)

Just one simple identifying tag. Why?

Because a good host wants people to chat about the wine in the glass, and not the silly do-dad at its base.

Holiday Gift Guide Day 3: It's not Greek, it's MoMath

The Harmony of Spheres is a symphonic space of sights and sounds. Photo courtesy of Museum of Mathematics.

HEAD’S UP: Where did the year go? Already? Yes, the Yuletide Season is in swing. And, yes, once again you are bewitched, bothered and bewildered. What to get auntie, grandpa, madea, nana, papa … little Virginia? Don’t get yourself into a lather when the elves at VEVLYN’S PEN are on the case. Continuing every other day or so through 24 Dec., we will introduce one or a series of products, items and brands that we believe is worthy of consideration as a holiday gift(s).

BY TAMARA BECK

EVER wonder what the MIT student, RPI grad, middle school math teacher, or Bronx Science sophomore in your life needs? Of course, you do!

How about a membership to the Museum of Mathematics aka MoMath? Yes, Virginia, there is such a place right in the Flatiron District of Manhattan. (See video below of "Math Encounters - Random Search, Ordered Results.”)

In its 19,000 square-foot space off Madison Square Park, MoMath offers 30 exhibits that encourage hands-on participation from visitors with various levels of mathematical skill and knowledge.

The Hyper Hyperboloid is a chamber walled by vertical cords in which you sit on a revolving chair while strings form amazing patterns around you. Touch glowing spheres to make and see music exploring harmonies, major and minor chords while patterns of colored lights move through space.

Find out how to make tracks and what it takes to predict the outcome of a good business transaction … More shortly.

Visit http://www.momath.org/ to learn more about the Museum of Mathematics.