Michelle Edwards and Daniel Fischl, owners of Linnaea Winery in Victoria Australia have an unusual system when it comes to wine testing. Each bottle has a label that reads: Approved by Miss Louisa Belle (and may contain dog snot).

Fischl tells The Herald Sun that Miss Louisa knows if a glass or barrel of wine is off due to tainted corks just by raising a nostril at it. Daniel says, “Most wineries rely on the human nose but that is time-consuming, costly and nowhere near as reliable as Belle, whose nose is 2000 times more sensitive than ours.” Miss Louisa’s nose can also sniff out mildew leaves on vines and faulty corks.

Coming from a long line of search-and-rescue dogs, Miss Belle has a keen sense of smell, but opted to abandon the family profession for sniffing wine. We’re sure her lineage of superior olfactory sense sure comes in handy!

For all you dog loving oenophiles you don’t have to travel to Australia to incorporate the two. This Wednesday, you can help mans best friend and enjoy some delicious wines!

Bideawee is collaborating with 67 Wine for a summer wine tasting event on August 10, 2011 from 4:00 – 7:00PM to raise funds to help support that wide variety of programs that Bideawee offers pets and the people that love them. Below is the information Bidawee has put out about the event:

The partnership between Bideawee and 67 Wine brings together two New York City mainstays to offer pet lovers the opportunity to taste three distinct styles of wines from the Les Compagnons collection from Gabriella Wines at 67 Wine’s Columbus Avenue location on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. At this pet friendly event, attendees will also enjoy light snacks and the pleasure of mingling with other pet lovers and their dogs. To commemorate the event each guest will receive a Bideawee wine glass and 67 Wine will donate $1.00 for each bottle of wine purchased during the event to Bideawee. Raffle drawings and prizes for wine enthusiasts and dog loving attendees will be held throughout the evening.

Bideawee adoptable dogs will be on site in hopes of finding a new forever home.

67 Wine
179 Columbus Avenue (at 68th Street)

Wine tasting event fee is a $10.00 donation to Bideawee. Well-behaved dogs are welcome and will receive complimentary treats and gifts from The New York Dog Shop.

For more information, contact Amy Hraniotis, Bideawee Event Manager, at (516) 785-4687, ext. 369

Maybe you’ll find a Miss Louisa Belle of your own!

"That batch has got to go!"

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Wine Australia is using social networking to present an opportunity for Australian wineries to connect with some of their core audience and also donate profits to a great cause.

First, they have hooked up with the Open Space Alliance of North Brooklyn (OSA) for the Williamsburg Waterfront concert series taking place through September (this is their 3rd year running!). Wine Australia, the sole wine sponsor for these sold-out summer events, will serve a total of 19 Australian wines, in rotation, at the concerts. (100%of the profits from the wine sales at the concerts goes directly to OSA’s park developments and greening of the urban landscape in Brooklyn.)

In addition, this year you can actually find one or more of these 19 wines at participating retailers (see list below). What’s more, if you “check-in” via foursquare and also buy a bottle of one of the participating wines, you’ll get a Wine Australia gift-pack (take away glass and corkscrew) to go with your wine.

Picture yourself sipping on an ice cold glass of Woop Woop Verdelho while getting your boots dirty to Sonic Youth. Maybe the bold and spicy Running with Bulls Tempranillo is more your speed during Widespread Panic.

And remember to check in with Foursquare at one of the participating wine shops, get a few “tips” on the program as well as insider info on Australian wine and let your friends know where you got this special gift… or leave your own tip?

This is going on ALL summer so there are lots of chances for you to try different wines from Australia whether or not you actually get to a concert or not.  Whatever the case may be, this is an event not to missed.

Here’s the lowdown:

Remaining AUGUST/ SEPTEMBER Concerts: