Bracelet

Show off some of your favorite corks with this simple jewelry project. This piece is bold, but comfortable due to its light weight.

You will need:

* 7–8 corks with cool printing

* Coping saw

* Sandpaper

* Power drill with ¹⁄₈" bit

* 12" (1mm) elastic jewelry cord

* 14–20 beads (about ¹⁄₄" size)

* Craft glue, if desired

1. Cut ¹⁄₃ of the cork off with a coping saw, lengthwise, as shown in the illustration. It’s like you are cutting it in half, but just giving it a little bit more room for the holes to be drilled. Sand cut edges and wipe off any dust.
2. Drill 2 holes in each cork, as shown, making sure to leave enough room at the base so the cork isn’t weakened too much by the holes. You don’t want any pieces breaking off! Clean out dust and crumbs from the holes after drilling.

   

3. Measure your wrist and decide what length you want the bracelet to be. Cut 2 lengths of cord in your desired length.
4. Insert a piece of elastic cord through one hole in a cork, and another cord in the other hole. Then, thread a bead on the cord. Alternate each cord with beads and corks until you reach the desired length, and then tie a knot in each elastic with a square knot.
5. If desired, you can add a drop of flexible craft glue to each knot and let dry. Jostle the knots so they are tucked inside the hole in one of the corks.

OPTIONS!

• If the beige color of natural cork is a bit bland for your taste, try making it with dyed corks. The printing will still show through—just make sure not to leave them in the dye for too long if you’re dyeing with a dark color.
• Another chic alternative would be to use metallic beads and to paint the ends of the corks in a matching metallic paint.

Wine Profile: Sauvignon Blanc

Sauvignon Blanc is widely cultivated in France and California. The Loire Valley produces wines that are 100 percent Sauvignon Blanc, most notably the crisp, tart examples of Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé. Dry white Bordeaux wines are usually Sauvignon Blanc blended with Sémillon and aged in oak.

Sauvignon Blanc is also produced in Italy, Australia, South America, and New Zealand. Historians believe that a Frenchman named Louis Mel first brought Sauvignon Blanc cuttings to California in the 1870s. The vines grew so successfully they spread to other parts of California, such as the Napa Valley, where a vintner named Robert Mondavi was beginning to make a name for himself.

Back in the 1960s when Robert Mondavi introduced a dry style of Sauvignon Blanc, he wanted to distinguish it from sweeter, blander versions. He called the new wine Fumé Blanc. Rather than trademark the name for his exclusive use, he permitted other winemakers to use it. Many American wineries label their Sauvignon Blanc wines Fumé Blanc. The labeling can be confusing, but Sauvignon Blanc and Fumé Blanc are the same wine.

Whatever the particular style, you can recognize a Sauvignon Blanc by its distinctive aromas and flavors. Wines from cooler climates are grassy or herbaceous; from warmer climates they develop citrus and tropical characteristics; and in the late harvest style they take on notes of honey and roasted nuts.