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Show us your Stems
- Thread starter Oskaar
- Start date
My cheap $.83 wine glass, filled with cheap zinfandel I've been using to top my airlocks because I'm out of vodka. This is the best it gets for my stemware. The only reason I posted this is because taking pictures of glass can be challenging, and it gives me a chance to use my home-made light tent, and fancy-shmancy new lens. 
I guess I need more practice, or better lighting, or something...
I guess I need more practice, or better lighting, or something...
Nice shot Ed,
Did you make the light box, or purchase it. I'm still trying to come up with a good soft box I have some things to photograph for a site I'm doing. I'll shoot my stems sometime tomorrow, but they won't have anything in them! LOL Hmmm, maybe I'll put my 04 Zinfandel in them. LOL
Cheers,
Oskaar
Did you make the light box, or purchase it. I'm still trying to come up with a good soft box I have some things to photograph for a site I'm doing. I'll shoot my stems sometime tomorrow, but they won't have anything in them! LOL Hmmm, maybe I'll put my 04 Zinfandel in them. LOL
Cheers,
Oskaar
![stem.jpg[img]](/community/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fimg.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fv676%2Fmcfeeley%2Fstem.jpg%5Bimg%5D&hash=71054b19e4c70f4aaaed91efbf295dd1)
Oskaar,
Now that's an impressive collection! Can you tell us what they're all called, what their traditional uses are, and how you use them? Some of those I've never even seen before!
-David
Now that's an impressive collection! Can you tell us what they're all called, what their traditional uses are, and how you use them? Some of those I've never even seen before!
-David
OK, here are the stem descriptions and what I use them for apart from the traditionally accepted usage. Bear in mind that I also drink mead from all of these stems and the mug, it depends on what I'm getting from the mead, and how it presents in the stem.
Back Row Center: Burgundy Grand Cru
Traditional Varietals and Wines: Barbaresco, Barolo, Burgundy (Red), Clos de Vougeot, Echezeaux, Musigny, Nebbiolo, Nuits Saint Georges, Pinot Noir, Pommard, Romanee Saint Vivant, Santenay, Volnay, Vosne-Romanee.
My additional uses: Big Dry Oaked Dark Melomels, Big Dry Oaked Cysers, Big Dry Oaked Meads, Big Dry Oaked Pyments, Port style Zinfandel, Dingac, Plavac Mali
1 Left of Back Row Center: Bordeaux Grand Cru
Traditional Varietals and Wines: Bordeaux (Red), Brunello Di Montalcino, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Fronsac, Graves Rouge, Margaux, Medoc, Merlot, Pauillac, Pomerol, St. Emillion, St. Estephe, St. Julien, Sangiovese, Super Tuscan.
My additional uses: Demi-sec Meads, Demi-Sec Cysers, Demi-Sec Melomels, Demi-Sec Pyment.
2 Left of Back Row Center: Chianti Classico
Traditional Varietals and Wines: Beaujolais, Carignan, Chianti, Cotes du Roussillon, Dolcetto, Montepulciano, Primitivo, Red Zinfandel, Sangiovese, Teroldego.
My additional uses: Chardonnay, Posip, Vugava, Grasevina, Sweet Mead, Cyser, Pyment and Dry to Sweet Metheglins
3 Left of Back Row Center: Port
Traditional Varietals and Wines: Colheitas, LBV, Madeira, Tawny Port, Vin Santo, Vintage Port.
Spirits: Single Malt Scotch Whiskey, Irish Whiskey, Grappa, Prosek, Rakija, Travarica, Rogacak, Mandarina, Desert Meads
4 Left of Back Row Center: Loire/Savignon Blanc
Traditional Varietals and Wines: Bordeaux (white), Chenin Blanc, Fume Blanc, Gewurztraminer, Pouilly-Fume, Sancerre, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon.
My additional Uses: Sweet meads, citrus meads, pronounced varietal honey meads (lavender, mint, etc.)
Front Row Center: Red Wine Decanter
Traditional uses: Red Wine
My additional uses: Name it!
1 Left of Front Row Center: Cognac snifter
Traditional usage: Armagnac, Brandy, Calvados, Cognac
My additional uses: Liqueur blends as digestives, heavy flavor high alcohol sweet meads
2 Left of Front Row Center: Brandy snifter
Traditional uses: Armagnac, Brandy, Calvados, Cognac.
My additional uses: Liqueur blends as digestives, heavy flavor high alcohol sweet meads
3 Left of Front Row Center: Cordial
Traditional uses: Cordials
My additional uses: Rakija, Grappa, Sljivovica, Loza, Frozen Vodka, Frozen Tequila
1 Right of Back Row Center: Burgundy (red)
Traditional varietals and wines:
Barolo, Barbaresco, Burgundy (red), Grand Cru Beaujolais, Nebbiolo, Pinot Noir
My additional uses: Dry Spiced Cyser, Dry cherry melomel, Lavender-Rosemary Metheglin, pyment, hippocras
2 Right of Back Row Center: Burgundy (white)
Traditional varietals and wines:
Burgundy (white), Corton-Charlemagne, Montrachet, New World Chardonnay
My additional uses: Dry blended honey mead, Dry single varietal mead, pyment, hipporcras
3 Right of Back Row Center: Cuvee
Traditional varietals and wines:
Champagne, Luxury Cuvee Champagne, Rose, Vintage Champagne, Vintage Sparkling Wine
My additional uses: Dry sparkling melomel, Dry petulant mead, dry sparkling mead, aged sparkling mead
4 Right of Back Row Center: Champagne
Traditional varietals and wines:
Cava, Champagne, Prosecco, Sparkling Wine
My additional uses: Dry sparkling mead, semi-sweet sparkling mead
1 Right of Front Row Center: Etched Crystal Mug
Traditional varietals and wines:
Mulled hot wine, mulled hot mead, frozen margarita, frozen daquiri, frozen mead slushie!
Back right portion of picture under photo: Cigar humidor; Black Walnut
Contents: Montecristo No. 2, Montecristo Especial No. 2, Montecristo No. 4, Romeo y Julieta Churchills, Hoyo de Monterey Double Coronas, Partagas Lusitanias, Cohiba robustos, Cohiba Esplendidos. (total of about 400 mixed)
Cheers,
Oskaar
Back Row Center: Burgundy Grand Cru
Traditional Varietals and Wines: Barbaresco, Barolo, Burgundy (Red), Clos de Vougeot, Echezeaux, Musigny, Nebbiolo, Nuits Saint Georges, Pinot Noir, Pommard, Romanee Saint Vivant, Santenay, Volnay, Vosne-Romanee.
My additional uses: Big Dry Oaked Dark Melomels, Big Dry Oaked Cysers, Big Dry Oaked Meads, Big Dry Oaked Pyments, Port style Zinfandel, Dingac, Plavac Mali
1 Left of Back Row Center: Bordeaux Grand Cru
Traditional Varietals and Wines: Bordeaux (Red), Brunello Di Montalcino, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Fronsac, Graves Rouge, Margaux, Medoc, Merlot, Pauillac, Pomerol, St. Emillion, St. Estephe, St. Julien, Sangiovese, Super Tuscan.
My additional uses: Demi-sec Meads, Demi-Sec Cysers, Demi-Sec Melomels, Demi-Sec Pyment.
2 Left of Back Row Center: Chianti Classico
Traditional Varietals and Wines: Beaujolais, Carignan, Chianti, Cotes du Roussillon, Dolcetto, Montepulciano, Primitivo, Red Zinfandel, Sangiovese, Teroldego.
My additional uses: Chardonnay, Posip, Vugava, Grasevina, Sweet Mead, Cyser, Pyment and Dry to Sweet Metheglins
3 Left of Back Row Center: Port
Traditional Varietals and Wines: Colheitas, LBV, Madeira, Tawny Port, Vin Santo, Vintage Port.
Spirits: Single Malt Scotch Whiskey, Irish Whiskey, Grappa, Prosek, Rakija, Travarica, Rogacak, Mandarina, Desert Meads
4 Left of Back Row Center: Loire/Savignon Blanc
Traditional Varietals and Wines: Bordeaux (white), Chenin Blanc, Fume Blanc, Gewurztraminer, Pouilly-Fume, Sancerre, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon.
My additional Uses: Sweet meads, citrus meads, pronounced varietal honey meads (lavender, mint, etc.)
Front Row Center: Red Wine Decanter
Traditional uses: Red Wine
My additional uses: Name it!
1 Left of Front Row Center: Cognac snifter
Traditional usage: Armagnac, Brandy, Calvados, Cognac
My additional uses: Liqueur blends as digestives, heavy flavor high alcohol sweet meads
2 Left of Front Row Center: Brandy snifter
Traditional uses: Armagnac, Brandy, Calvados, Cognac.
My additional uses: Liqueur blends as digestives, heavy flavor high alcohol sweet meads
3 Left of Front Row Center: Cordial
Traditional uses: Cordials
My additional uses: Rakija, Grappa, Sljivovica, Loza, Frozen Vodka, Frozen Tequila
1 Right of Back Row Center: Burgundy (red)
Traditional varietals and wines:
Barolo, Barbaresco, Burgundy (red), Grand Cru Beaujolais, Nebbiolo, Pinot Noir
My additional uses: Dry Spiced Cyser, Dry cherry melomel, Lavender-Rosemary Metheglin, pyment, hippocras
2 Right of Back Row Center: Burgundy (white)
Traditional varietals and wines:
Burgundy (white), Corton-Charlemagne, Montrachet, New World Chardonnay
My additional uses: Dry blended honey mead, Dry single varietal mead, pyment, hipporcras
3 Right of Back Row Center: Cuvee
Traditional varietals and wines:
Champagne, Luxury Cuvee Champagne, Rose, Vintage Champagne, Vintage Sparkling Wine
My additional uses: Dry sparkling melomel, Dry petulant mead, dry sparkling mead, aged sparkling mead
4 Right of Back Row Center: Champagne
Traditional varietals and wines:
Cava, Champagne, Prosecco, Sparkling Wine
My additional uses: Dry sparkling mead, semi-sweet sparkling mead
1 Right of Front Row Center: Etched Crystal Mug
Traditional varietals and wines:
Mulled hot wine, mulled hot mead, frozen margarita, frozen daquiri, frozen mead slushie!
Back right portion of picture under photo: Cigar humidor; Black Walnut
Contents: Montecristo No. 2, Montecristo Especial No. 2, Montecristo No. 4, Romeo y Julieta Churchills, Hoyo de Monterey Double Coronas, Partagas Lusitanias, Cohiba robustos, Cohiba Esplendidos. (total of about 400 mixed)
Cheers,
Oskaar
Now you've done it! I will get out my collection and take photo's.
Do you guys have a Homegoods store near you? They sell overstock and broken box kitchen/ house wares stuff. They occasionally have great deals. Over the weekend I picked up 24 various Spiegelau Authentis stems for 4.99 each (they tend to run 8-11$ mail order). They don't have that good a quality stems often, maybe once a year or so.
Brian
Do you guys have a Homegoods store near you? They sell overstock and broken box kitchen/ house wares stuff. They occasionally have great deals. Over the weekend I picked up 24 various Spiegelau Authentis stems for 4.99 each (they tend to run 8-11$ mail order). They don't have that good a quality stems often, maybe once a year or so.
Brian
Oskaar said:
Hey Oskaar,
Sorry for taking a week to reply. I made my light tent out of pvc (straight lengths and 90 degree joints), a white sheet, and some poster board. I made just a basic box frame out of the pvc, attach a couple of small screws to the upper rear horizontal span to attach the poster board, and drape a white sheet over the top, sides, and back of the contraption. The height of the box should work with your poster board so when its attached to the box frame, it will drape down and forward to create a seamless background.
Other than that I use regular household lights on stands pointed at the sheet, and the sheet diffuses the light. I only use two 100 watt bulbs, and that really isn't a large amount of light. So I always use a tripod, and set my white balance to the poster board once I'm all setup.
Looks like my photo was whacked during the latest round of house cleaning so here's a link to my stems:
Photo of my Stems
Cheers,
Oskaar
Photo of my Stems
Cheers,
Oskaar
Nice Oskaar! My tastes run a little more mundane and since I'm in the SCA I prefer the retro vessels (although in reality, I'm like a bull in a china shop and glasses like Oskaar uses wouldn't last two weeks in my house!). Although I'll admit that I frequently use the glass at the right for critiquing my meads and for those times when I just want a sip. Anyone recognize it?
http://www.worldisround.com/articles/239797/photo20.html
http://www.worldisround.com/articles/239797/photo20.html
I bought the horn in a pawn shop so it wasn't that expensive. There was a small tag written in Cyrillic attached to the horn's chain. A Russian friend said it was made in the old Soviet Union by one of the many ethnic groups in the former USSR. It had apparently never been used and I coated the inside with bee's wax for my own use.
Oskaar,
I am amazed at your stems and the description you have added to what you would consume from them. I have looked around the forum and have gathered that you have a slight *sarcasm* interest in mead. So what would you pair the different types of mead with, ie food wise, cheeses, redheads, etc?
By the way thanks for all the posts so new folks to mead making, like me, can learn and attempt to improve!!
I am amazed at your stems and the description you have added to what you would consume from them. I have looked around the forum and have gathered that you have a slight *sarcasm* interest in mead. So what would you pair the different types of mead with, ie food wise, cheeses, redheads, etc?
By the way thanks for all the posts so new folks to mead making, like me, can learn and attempt to improve!!
