THE WORLD’S FIRST SQUARE WINE BOTTLE

California producer Truett-Hurst has launched the world’s first range of wines in square bottles and available in three varieties: Russian River Valley Chardonnay, Paso Robles Cabernet and a red blend.

 

Modeled on classic spirit bottles, design firm Stranger and Stranger created the ornate bottles with embossing and vintage graphics. The Dry Creek Valley wine producer felt a change was in order and citied several benefits like taking up less space; the bottles won’t roll away if placed on their sides and can be repurposed as olive oil dispensers or vases. They also become easy to store with no real need of a wine rack but maybe just some book-ends. If the wine industry turned over to square instead of round bottles we’d save almost a million trees in outer cardboard boxes alone.

According to Truett-Hurt winemaker Virginia Marie Lambrix, introducing an alternative package is tricky. ‘The wine inside has to over-deliver and create a memorable impression for the consumer.’

Its outward appearance aside, the three wines were a huge smash when Truett-Hurst and Total Wine & More featured them in a sneak preview prior to the 65th annual Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles in late September.

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Gisele Bundchen new apartment in New York

Super couple Gisele Bundchen and Tom Brady are reportedly spending $14 million on a New York condo on the 47th floor of the One Madison Park glass tower.

The home is a three-bedroom, full-floor condo crafted by Danish designer Thomas Juul-Hansen. It features some of the most stunning views of the Big Apple available.

Some highlights of the residence include white oak plank floors, oversized doors, a master bedroom with his and hers closets, and a master bath with a soaking tub and custom double vanities.

Supermodel Bundchen and New England Patriot quarterback Brady reportedly made over $80 million last year. They have two children together.

In addition to the New York home, the couple recently built an eco-friendly mansion in Brentwood. They also are looking to build a mansion near Boston.

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Brussels Airlines hires Michelin-starred chef

From this November, passengers on the Belgian airline will have the opportunity to savor a meal created by one of the top names in contemporary Belgian gastronomy: triple Michelin-starred chef Geert Van Hecke.

 The chef, who has presided over his Bruges restaurant De Karmeliet for over 30 years, has prepared a starter with smoked Damme eel, tarragon yogurt sauce and mashed fennel.

 This first course will be followed by a dish of “Bruge-style shrimp,” curried sweet potatoes and steamed snow peas. Flemish beer and cheese will accompany the meal.

This menu will be offered to business class passengers on long-haul flights leaving from Brussels for destinations in Africa or the US.

The collaboration with Geert Van Hecke is the first in a series of tie-ups in Brussels Airlines’ “Belgian Star Chefs” initiative. Every four to five months, the company will invite a different celebrity chef to renew its business class menu with gourmet dishes based on seasonal, regional ingredients.

 Geert Van Hecke

Brussels Airlines is not the first carrier to offer the cuisine of star chefs in its business or premium classes. Since early October, Air France passengers in the front cabin have had the privilege of tasting a five-course meal featuring the recipes of Thibaut Ruggeri, winner of the prestigious Bocuse d'Or prize in 2013. Earlier this year, the French airline brought the cuisine of celebrity chefs Michel Roth, Joël Robuchon and Guy Martin on board. Lufthansa launched a similar concept last spring, featuring the cuisine of Alsatian chef Marc Haerbelin.

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Emirates hooks up A380 planes to Wi-Fi

Middle Eastern airline Emirates has announced the launch of wireless internet access on board its fleet of flagship super-jumbo A380 aircraft.
Customers flying the massive planes, which operate between Dubai and destinations such as Paris and London, will now be able to use wifi-enabled devices on selected routes, Emirates confirmed December 12.
Eleven of the airline’s 19 planes have now been kitted out with the technology, with the remainder of the fleet following suit in the coming months.

Emirates, which has a total of 71 A380 aircraft on order, says that from next summer, the planes will be delivered with the technology as standard.
Prices start from 5.50 Euro ($7.50) for mobile devices, which will be sufficient to keep a Blackberry user connected all the way between Paris and Dubai, and 11 Euro ($15) for laptops.

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World's ten most ambitious hotel properties

Atlantis Dubai - Underwater suite

From budding romances and weekend getaways, to honeymooning couples, family vacations, celebrity clients and even downright depravity, they have seen it all. Furthermore, they have fashioned a sort of culture trail and tradition, all the while oozing a luxury that stupendously surpasses the ordinary. And they’re everywhere, from Las Vegas to Singapore to China, to Turkey.  Now it’s time to list the 10 most ambitious hotel properties.

 10) Atlantis, The Palm, Dubai
Unless you have been living under rock for the past few years, there is no way that the name “Atlantis Dubai” could be news to you. Patterned after its Bahamas namesake, Atlantis, The Palm is the ultimate place when it comes to beach resort luxury. Located on Dubai’s reclaimed artificial island, The Palm, it is based on the myth of Atlantis and is an epitome of Arabian hospitality. The building costs of about $1.5 billion were used to blend the best water features and elements of exclusivity to create a marine fantasy.

 9) Burj Al Arab, Dubai
When you say ‘Dubai’, the mention of Burj Al Arab can’t be far behind. After all, it was built over six years at a cost of 650 million dollars. And when it finally opened in 2000, the iconic sail-shaped spire was the tallest hotel in the world. The striking view of a 1000-foot sail with hotel rooms inside rising from a small island is identified world over making it most recognizable luxury hotel anywhere and an architectural marvel of Dubai.

 8) Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi
Moving over to its Emirati cousin, we meet Abu Dhabi. The Emirates Palace there is the crowning glory of luxury hotel chain, Kempinski. One look and you know why. Its construction cost close to 5 billion dollars making it one of the most expensive hotel properties. Located on the shores of the Persian Gulf, the main building stretches out over a kilometer from wing to wing and is a mark of splendid supremacy.

 7) The Cosmopolitan, Las Vegas
Next up, the latest Vegas hot spot is a mecca for celebrity sightings with an event calendar choc-a-bloc with the most-awaited performances. Probably what puts this luxury Las Vegas hotel and casino on the maps of most pop culture lovers besides indulgent inhabitants! Located in the heart of The Strip, it’s the largest German-owned property in Vegas because the original developers defaulted to Deutsche Bank. The eventual 4.9 billion dollar investment initiated a party destination chain reaction, one featuring tantalizing terraced cabana-style rooms, with the Boulevard Pool becoming the see-and-be-seen summer spot of decadence.

 6) The Venetian, Macau, China
When there is talk of casinos, The Venetian, Macau, is a name to reckon with. And otherwise too! It is a step up from its western counterpart, the Las Vegas Venetian in terms of grandeur and elegance. Built for 2.4 billion, it was the largest casino in the world at completion and features top notch amenities and accommodations. It is accented by additions such as a custom-built theater and a club named Paiza Club that caters to premium guests and comes with its own entrance, besides the Grand Canal Shoppes resembling the Venice canals and featuring a retail area of occupying 90,000 square meters.

 5) City Of Dreams, Macau, China
Located right opposite The Venetian, this mega-sized property in Macau is yet another name to reckon with, when it comes to opulence. It is actually a complex featuring three hotels where The Hard Rock Hotel, Grand Hyatt Macau, and the Crown Towers make up the room space. The rest of the development is everything one would expect from a spectacular casino destination. Cost overruns pushed the price tag to well over 2 billion dollars before the first openings occurred in 2009

 4) Mardan Palace, Lara, Antalya, Turkey
Another property to see its opening in the year 2009, it had what was termed the largest hotel launch in history. Rousing romantic fantasies of the past alongside the stark modernity of the present, the hotel hones the art of blending the best of what’s old with new formed trends. Think Ottoman Empire meets modern Mediterranean! Developer Telman Ismailov spent 1.4 billion dollars and perhaps a lot of thought to create what is clearly a palatial resort. It houses the largest swimming pool in the Mediterranean, one boasting a sunken aquarium.

 3) Resorts World, Sentosa, Singapore
But the hardest-to-miss resort in the world is well, Resorts World. It poses a huge price tag, costing over 6.5 billion and actually has six hotels. The integrated resort includes the region’s first Hollywood movie theme park, Universal Studios, the world’s largest oceanarium, and one of the world’s most expensive casinos along with featuring the formidable the Lake of Dreams show. Signature shopping experiences are formed at Festive Walk even as several more amenities and culinary adventures await you there to ignite your imagination.

 2) Sheraton Huzhou Hot Spring Resort
Another applicant in the resort race is this horseshoe-shaped hotel on Taihu Lake. Its 27-storey structure is touted as one of the most fashionable, for its ring-shaped architecture and ostentatious interiors. The lobby is lit by 20,000 Swarovski crystals and the property covers an area of 75 acres with a total floor area of 95,000 square meters. The ravishing reflection of the vast construction can be seen across on the wonderful water body even as it comes alight at night and glows in different colors. Sheraton pegs its cost at $1.5 billion.

 1) Marina Bay Sands, Singapore
Speaking of igniting the imagination one can’t not get reminded of the ravishing Marina Bay Sands hotel. Built on a budget of 8 billion dollars, the complex features an incredible top section connecting the three towers. Termed the SkyPark, it stars an infinity swimming pool and astonishing views. In fact, there, everything from theaters to an ice rink and the world’s largest atrium casino scream superfluity. The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands boasts close to 1,000,000 square feet of retail space with over 300 stores including luxury duplexes for the likes of Ralph Lauren, Cartier and Chanel.


 

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Luxury villa in the exclusive Cap Martinet, Ibiza

Modern villa is only minutes away from Talamanca beach and the chic Marina Botafoch with its designer shops, restaurants and the famous Cappuccino Grand Café, Lio club-cabaret-restaurant and Blue Marlin Marina.

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The Penthouse suite at 45, Park Lane, London

 

Book the Penthouse suite at 45, Park Lane, London and experience the Rolls-Royce Wraith

 Not one to offer anything mediocre to their guests, the Dorchester Collection’s Mayfair hotel, 45 Park Lane now allows guests the opportunity to enjoy the best of London in Rolls-Royce’s newest model Wraith, when they book a stay in the Penthouse Suite. The bespoke offer allows for an exhilarating half-day drive experience during their stay, available from November 1, 2013.

What better way to take a tour of gorgeous London! The guests will be among the first in the world to take what is considered the most powerful Rolls-Royce ever built – to the road. The hotel recommends a drive itinerary that includes the Buckingham Palace and Trafalgar Square, Whitehall to skirt Big Ben and along the Victoria Embankment to Tower Bridge. If you’d like to hear her engine purr more, an ideal route to open up the engine would be to head towards Coworth Park, Dorchester Collection’s luxury country house hotel in Ascot for lunch, a polo lesson or a spa day by the pool.

 Back at the hotel, guests will also have access to enjoy a special Wraith cocktail in Bar 45 mixed with ingredients that conjure the Wraith experience. The Wraith experience offers a choice of three ‘speeds’, of Rémy Martin Cognac – VSOP, Coeur de Cognac and XO – to suit different levels of intensity, flavor and finish. The Wraith cocktail at Bar 45 starts at £16 ($24.8) for the Rémy Martin Cognac – VSOP, £25 ($38.8) with Coeur de Cognac, and £50 ($77.7) with XO. 

 45 Park Lane is the pinnacle of luxury in central London. Designed by Thierry W. Despont, the hotel’s Penthouse Suite took home ‘Best Hotel Suite in Europe’ at the annual European Hospitality Awards in November 2012. Accessible only by a key controlled lift the two-bedroomed Penthouse Suite covers the entire top floor of the hotel, and features a wraparound terrace with outdoor seating and panoramic views over London. An oval dining-room allows its guests to enjoy Wolfgang Puck’s CUT menu in the comfort and privacy of their own suite. Rates for the Penthouse Suite at 45 Park Lane start from 8.400 Euro (£7,194) ($11,184) including breakfast and VAT. Two Wraith cocktails are offered complimentary to guests at the Penthouse Suite.

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