WASTE NOT, WANT not was the guiding principle behind Wine Glass Writer. The pens contain special ink that dries smudge-free in a minute and lasts all night, allowing partygoers to easily identify their wine or other beverage. Originated by longtime Marin resident Jeannine Fradelizio, the Wine Glass Writer made its way onto the Bay Area market in 2010 as the first product of its kind and was named Wine Accessory of the Year by the Wall Street Journal in its first year. Momentum has been building ever since: five years later, Wine Glass Writer is carried in thousands of stores across the United States. Jeannine’s daughter Renee has been instrumental in building a global market for it, with a focus on grassroots support through small wine festivals and an online community.
PHILOSOPHY Wine Glass Writers improve social functions by preventing accidental glass exchanges or abandonment of drinks. “They’re a perfect hostess gift or party icebreaker,” Fradelizio says. “Guests will show off their artistic skills and remember each other’s names.” Also safe to use on glazed ceramics such as cheese plates and dessert trays, the pens make parties more organized for the host as well.
THE SCOOP Certified nontoxic, Wine Glass Writers are sold in packs of three and are available in a variety of colors at wineries, gift shops, Crate and Barrel, Williams-Sonoma, Sur La Table, and Paper Source.
BEYOND MARIN The writers are the top-selling wine pen in the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand, and Chile. “We support emerging wine regions and innovative wine festivals such as Garagiste North in Vancouver, the Crush Brew Festival in Arizona, the Colorado Wine Festival and Martha’s Vineyard wine fest,” the founder says.
WHAT THEY SAY “If you love wine like I do, it pains you to see a beautiful glass of wine poured down the drain just because someone forgot if they were the snowman wine charm or the scarecrow wine charm.” wineglasswriter.com
This article originally appeared in Marin Magazine’s print edition with the headline: “Wine Glass Writer”.
Kasia Pawlowska loves words. A native of Poland, Kasia moved to the States when she was seven. The San Francisco State University creative writing graduate went on to write for publications like the San Francisco Bay Guardian and KQED Arts among others prior to joining the Marin Magazine staff. Topics Kasia has covered include travel, trends, mushroom hunting, an award-winning series on social media addiction and loads of other random things. When she’s not busy blogging or researching and writing articles, she’s either at home writing postcards and reading or going to shows. Recently, Kasia has been trying to branch out and diversify, ie: use different emojis. Her quest for the perfect chip is never-ending.
