Perusing Wine Gadgets
Got some Oenophiles on your holiday gift list? Want to show up with something besides a bottle? Boy, are you being marketed to! – it’s Wine Tchochke-city out there.
This stuff tends to look the same from year to year, with a few flashy innovations thrown in to confuse us.
An ex of mine had a Tennis Ball Saver that he loved. It was a silver canister pump-thingy, and looked very CSI. Alas, when it broke, the only one he could find was a bright yellow one that looked more Pee-wee’s Playhouse. My point being: the yellow one kept Nels’ balls as fuzzy and bouncy as the old one – it just didn’t look as cool.
Same deal with wine gadgets: appearance counts, but usefulness is next to godliness. When considering something like a Battery Operated Corkscrew, ignore the ergonomic claims and go with a classic non-electric opener that won’t up end in the Thrift Store box. Things like this are why The Sharper Image went belly up.
Fancy chrome stoppers? Stop it. Thoughtful and effective: the Vac U Vin Wine Saver (who named this?) will help keep an open bottle fuzzy and bouncy – er, uncorked.
Not that new, but colorful and cool are those neoprene wine totes. Made of wetsuit material, this’ll make your giftee feel like a surfer, dude, and they’re truly useful. To the beach!
Goofy but undeniably fun: this Wine Tasting Kit that conceals bottles in cloth bags (Renaissance Faire color scheme, check) for a homespun blind tasting. Simple, and everybody can play – bring this instead of Twister.
Something more classic? I’ll meet you half way: the Riedel “O” stemless glass line is modern, ageless, and fits in the dishwasher – check out the ones that come in the tubes! Yeah, I know, without a stem, your hand changes the temperature of the wine! – but it won’t be in there long anyway. Chin chin!