Friday, March 17, 2017

French Wine Crate Find

I would have missed this beautiful French wine crate at a recent estate sale
if Ron hadn't spotted it hiding in the corner of a dark basement laundry room. 
The wood looked old and, when I saw it was from France, 
I went a little crazy and plunked down $7 for it!


I love all old crates but this one had such a warm honey tone,
fancy writing, and even wooden slots for twelve bottles inside. 
It knew it was special but couldn't begin to guess just how special it was. 

When I took it home, I looked up Chateau la Fleur Petrus and found out
it was a fancy Bordeaux wine from a vineyard near Petrus on the famous Pomerol plateau. 
The estate's original French Country chateau was built in 1782 and 
the wine traces its history to the late 1800's. 

I thought the engraving on the front was gorgeous.


I think the little critter may be a wild boar's head???


If the 1962 date is the age of the crate, it's 55 years old,
thus the mellow aged look. 


We thought it might be fun to go to our favorite wine store and buy a bottle to display in the crate. 
Are you ready for a shocker?
A very knowledgeable man there told us they didn't carry this wine because 
it was usually only available at auction and went for between $220 and $3,500 a bottle!
He said people who bought it often rented an armored truck to have it delivered.
So, I guess we'll probably just put something else in the crate. 

(Internet photo)

I wasn't sure how I would style it so I began to layer things to create a pleasant design.
I started with some white flowers in a white vase for height
then added some teal-colored bottles and mason jars for sparkle.


We'd just trimmed the crabapple tree in our back yard so I snagged some branches 
and added them to the design to fill in the gaps.


My big white Limoges platter with pale blue flowers was the perfect backdrop
for the arrangement and the crate's bottle racks worked just like a plate rail. 


I don't claim to be a floral designer
but I think it makes a pretty Spring centerpiece.


I can just imagine this crate in the winter,
filled with big pine cones, some tall candles and a bottle of wine or 
stacked with old books, an ironstone pitcher and some vintage linens in the summer. 
Definitely, one of my favorite finds!

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54 comments:

  1. As soon as I made out "Paillac" in the first photo, I thought, "too bad it wasn't full of wine!" But then I scrolled down to the prices of the wine and gulped.
    BTW $7 is a good price for a crate even in France.

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    1. Yes, it would have been even better filled with wine! I thought it was a steal at $7 even tho I knew nothing about that particular wine. Hope you're having a great weekend, Pat

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  2. You my dear, deserve "Fantastic Find" of the week award!!! What an awesome find! So gorgeous and in wonderful condition, love the boars head on it. It must of held some very fine wine.

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    1. Thanks so much. I'm happy to accept your award! Maybe I'll get to taste this wine someday. Have a lovely weekend, Pat

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  3. What a fun find! Glad you took this one home. It will be fun to use in all seasons.

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    1. Thanks Sarah! I can't wait to see how it looks throughout the year. I have a few other wine crates (domestic) but they're not nearly this cool. Hope you're enjoying the weekend, Hugs, Pat

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  4. Good eye, Ron! That would be a new favorite for me, too - definitely. I love finding cool things in the basement corners. Your styling is perfectly French. Have a great weekend!
    Rita C at Panoply

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    1. Thanks Rita! I guess you never know what you'll find if you look in the corners, under the old paint cans and the half-empty detergent containers! Enjoy your weekend. Hugs, Pat

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  5. Great find and a great deal. You styled it beautifully, too.

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    1. Thanks so much Sharon! It's certainly one of my favorite finds. Hugs, Pat

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  6. I love old wine boxes and new ones too. Whenever we buy wine we always choose those that come in wooden boxes because they have so many uses afterwards and even in the barn they make for very elegant storage! The head is definitely htat of a Sanglier by the way, a wild boar. Have a lovely weekend

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    1. Thanks so much! I'm thinking I might make a tray out of pieces of a domestic wine crate I have, showing the pretty lettering. I'm definitely enjoying this French one! Hugs, Pat

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  7. What a fantastic find! Your styling is lovely too. Thanks for sharing.

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  8. It's exquisitely beautiful. Way to score.

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    1. Thanks Monika! Score one for me! Have a lovely weekend. Hugs, Pat

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  9. Great score! Congrats , LOOKS GREAT ON YOUR TABLE ,

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    1. Thanks so much Cindy! I love compliments in all CAPS! Thanks, Pat

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  10. A very great find,it looks in mint condition. It looks wonderful with your decor.Thanks

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    1. Thank you Marlene! Yes, it's in great condition and has writing on all four sides. Now, if it only had a bottle of wine inside. Have a wonderful weekend. Hugs, Pat

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  11. Fascinating story! What a great find and now that you know more about the winery it's even more fantastic. I like how it's so well preserved and that it has the engraving on it. You made a great centerpiece with it! Visiting from Dishing It & Digging It.

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    1. Thank you Liz! I think things are always more interesting when you find out about their history, don't you? Hugs, Pat

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  12. What a great find! It looks perfect styled with your bottles and flowers.

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  13. I think the wine crate is a great find and you've used it in a great looking Spring arrangement. Wow -- the $$$$ of wine!

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    1. Thanks so much! Can you believe people actually pay that kind of money for wine. And then, they don't even drink it!!! Hugs, Pat

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  15. I love the idea of using the vintage bottles in the wine crate. Pretty arrangement!

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  16. Pat, what a score! I love the image on the front as well. You did a great job of styling it. Aqua bottles are one of my favorite things. Thanks for sharing with SYC.
    hugs,
    Jann

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    1. Thanks so much Jann! I'd never styled a wine crate before and wasn't sure how it would turn out but I liked it too. Can't go wrong with Mason jars! Hugs, Pat

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  17. What a wonderful find. I love it and how you styled it. Thanks for linking to Monday Social.

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  18. Wow, what a great find. :) I'm glad you are enjoying it.

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  19. I do love wood boxes! I have a whole wall display of them. I love what you did with yours.
    :) gwingal

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    1. Thanks Nikki! Your wall of boxes sounds wonderful; wish I could see it. Hugs, Pat

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  20. That is such a gorgeous box. I love those kinds of finds. You have styled it perfectly!! Love the aqua bottles next to the white and pretty color of the box.

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    1. Thank you so much AnnMarie for your sweet comments. Hugs, Pat

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  21. Great score Pat. I can see endless possibilities with this fantastic crate. You have set up a lovely display. Thanks for sharing at DI&DI.

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  22. Pat, Congrats on the great find! Wow that is expensive wine. I love the colors you selected to go with the crate. It is a lovely arrangement. Looking forward to other arrangements throughout the year. Have a great day! Sylvia D.

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    1. Thanks so much Sylvia. I'd like to learn more about creating arrangements like this. I was winging it but it did turn out pretty. Thanks for your kind words. Hugs, Pat

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  23. Today, my favourite photo is of you holding your new find! We have an old crate like yours that we leave out for our guests in our rental home in France for their empty wine bottles. When we returned to France on our last visit, it was gone. I imagined someone thinking that it was to go out with the recycled bottles. Happily, I tracked it down. It had been scooped up by mistake by one set of tenants when they were packing their things. Sentimental not financial value!

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    1. Thanks for visiting Catherine! I enjoyed your story of the missing crate; so glad you got it back. I agree with you, the most treasured items are those that mean something special to us. Hugs, Pat

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  24. What a find...love it!
    Thanks so much for sharing at AMAZE ME MONDAY!
    Blessings,
    Cindy

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  25. Thank you for joining Home Sweet Home!

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  26. Such a great find, Pat--Kathy's going to be featuring you tomorrow at Vintage Charm!

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    1. Hi Diana! Yippee! Thanks in advance for the feature! Can't wait for the party. Hugs, Pat

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  27. I love old crates and this one is truly amazing!Well done!
    Karee

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  28. I have many old crates. This one is fabulous. That is great you do research. Isn't if fun to find out facts like that? I love you you styled it as a centerpiece.

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  29. Love, love, LOVE that crate, what a terrific find!!! Our dining room tables are very similar, I bought mine with the house as I fell in love with it instantly! Yours is in better shape, it appears.

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  30. I'm inspired. I have a crate in the garage on top of refrigerator, don't even know what it written on it, but who cares?? I'm seeing it on the dining table . . .
    Thanks!

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