NOW’S THE TIME TO SNAP UP THOSE OLDER FRENCH WINE BOTTLES. Here’s why: We’ve heard recently from several sources that France’s Interprofessional Committee of Champagne Wine has announced that its wine/champagne bottles will be manufactured weighing less, which will cut carbon dioxide by thousands of tons each year. France is going green, it seems. From this, we can only conclude that those lovely, older, green wine bottles with their thick glass will be getting harder to find and even more highly sought, particularly since France is also guarding more and more their antique wine bottles.
Old wine bottles can be identified by numerous characteristics. Some of the easier characteristics to spot include thickness of glass (generally the thicker the glass, the older the bottle), waviness or bubbles present in the glass, and possibly lines called “straw marks.” Such “imperfections” indicate glass that was blown and then cooled in straw.
Whether you are a decorator or an antiques lover or both, MAI has the bottles you’ll want. Prices of our wine and champagne bottles, from vintage/”older” to antique, range from around $175 for a 1920s French magnum to a wicker-wrapped 26″ height wine bottle at $315, and on up in price.
EUROPEAN WICKER BASKETS AND CHAIRS WITH RUSH SEATS MAY BE GETTING HARDER TO FIND, TOO. According to some importers, the USDA is increasingly clamping down on imported wicker items, due at least in part to the time-consuming inspection procedures required at customs. While these items may be growing more difficult to find, MAI fortunately has many in-store. We currently have chairs, settees, baskets, backpacks, and more that have already made it through customs and are on the floor.
