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Wine Accessories for wine drinking


Articles abound that focus on wine coolers, wine storage, wine production, and specific grape varietals. You can read about how to purchase land to start your own vineyard and about the right way to sip and enjoy your wines. But this article will focus on the smaller items that accompany wine tasting that, although important, are sometimes overlooked; the accessories. First we will briefly explore the use of decanters, then transition to bottle openers and aerator pourers, and finally elaborate on some miscellaneous items such as drip rings and recorkers.

Decanting is the process through which wine is transferred from its original bottle to a secondary vessel for oxygen exposure. The length of time the wine is allowed to oxidize varies and depends on personal preference and the wine varietal. Red wines usually benefit from longer exposure to oxygen and often you will see either a decanter used or profuse wine glass swirling. The intent is the same, to allow the wine to “bloom” releasing its flavors and aroma. After decanting, it’s important to place the wine in a wine refrigerator to adequately chill it prior to drinking. White wine, in contrast, can actually be harmed by too much exposure to oxygen. As a result, white wine is almost never decanted and the glasses made specifically for white wine consumption have narrower bowls to allow less oxygen penetration.

The same concept caused the invention of the wine aerating pourer. This small tool is simply held while the wine is poured through an opening at the top. The wine then mixes with oxygen as it makes its narrowing decent into the wine glass. This method is often preferred by those who don’t like to wait for the wine to decant. An aerating wine pourer can be purchased relatively easily in local stores that sell wine or online for around $15 to upwards of $70 depending on the sophistication of the design. Again, it is important to keep in mind that while red wine, especially more expensive bottles, can benefit greatly from aeration, white wine can be compromised with a decanter or the aerating wine pourer.

Wine bottle openers come in several different shapes and styles. There are some that point straight down into the cork with a twisting metal shaft which you then turn at the top until the arms along the sides come up into an outward stretched position. Then you simply push the arms back down to the sides to pull out the cork. Another design variation utilizes the lip of the wine bottle as leverage to pull out the cork once the twisting metal has been driven in all the way. There are also electric wine bottle openers that require charging. Generally, they are advertised as performing so many openings per charge and typically take around 8 seconds to open the bottle. Wine bottle openers range in sophistication and can be purchased from about $7 to $140.

Another very handy accessory is the drip ring. Drip rings come in many styles; some are fairly rudimentary and others are elegant and even engraved. Drip rings can also be acquired with wine accessory sets that may include an aerated pourer and wine bottle opener. You can even find drip rings engineered with a connecting metal handle so the wine bottle is even easier to handle. Drip rings range in price from approximately $5 to $100. A recorker is another useful wine accessory to have on hand. Wine bottle recorkers range in price from about $6 to $200 depending on the level of intricacy. You can even acquire antique wine recorkers if you are willing to pay the cost. Wine recorkers are made from materials such as plastic, metal, rubber, and wood. Additionally, some models are spring loaded to preserve bubbly wines for later drinking. If you plan on frequent wine tasting, acquire some nifty accessories to make the experience even more enjoyable.
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Wine Storage for your home


Wine storage is an important aspect of aging and enjoyment. Often, casual wine drinkers are unaware of the benefits of properly chilling and refrigerating wines. But it is actually relatively easy to learn the methods of wine storage and serving. Owning your own wine cooler can be a great experience and removes most of the thought and effort from storing your wines. With most models, you simply load the wine cooler with your vintages, set the desired temperature, and walk away.

Wine coolers can be used for either personal or commercial use. They range in price from the low hundreds to several thousand dollars. Depending on your interest in wine, you can even have a wine cooler custom built to your specifications or have an entire room of your home converted into your very own wine cellar. One of the benefits of owning your own wine cooler, is that you can stock up on the vintages you prefer without taking up a lot of space in your food refrigerator. Also, most standard refrigerators do not allow you to accurately set the internal temperature. Wine refrigerators, on the other hand, have precise degree controls so you can be sure your wine is aging in the most optimal environment.

Many models of wine coolers can be built-in to your existing kitchen space such as instead of a dishwasher or trash compactor. Wine refrigerators come with front venting exhaust systems or rear venting exhaust for freestanding use. Wine cooler manufacturers and distributors will usually inform you of the best use for a particular model and offer repair service and warranties to ensure the longevity of your unit. Moreover, wine storage devices come in many different styles enabling you to pick the one that not only includes functional features but also best compliments your existing decor.

Wine refrigerators come with many useful features and components. You can find locking wine coolers to protect your wine investment. Most are designed with tempered dual paned glass doors or solid doors for insulation and reduction of UV light penetration. Generally, they are solidly built with hard woods and metals so your wine bottles stay as undisturbed as possible. Additionally, wine coolers are often equipped with LED lighting and touch panel controls for aesthetic appeal and ease of use. Many include slide out shelving or display shelving and even room for bulk storage. The interior capacity ranges from a few wine bottles to units that can accommodate hundreds of bottles.

Other wine cooler features include dual or multi zones for separate cooling of red and white wines, wine ledgers, dispensing functions, hygrometers for accurate humidity monitoring, and advanced thermoelectric cooling technology. With so many wine storage options available at reasonable prices, there is simply no excuse to not consider your very own wine cooler, especially if wine is a lifelong passion.
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Wine Varietal Info


Wine is an alcoholic grape beverage that has been enjoyed all over the world throughout the centuries. Stories and myths have been created around wine and its consumption. The Bible even elaborates on miracles where wine was the central component. Wine is a symbol of luxury and celebration. There are simple and ancient methods of wine fermentation where grape juice is left to the open air to collect ambient yeast which then infuses the juice with alcohol and complex methods such as the modern control over wine making. But whatever the method or story, the fundamental ingredient remains the same and without it there could be no wine. The ingredient is the grape. Grapes come in an abundance of varieties and flavors. While candy may be just grape flavored, wine is complex and imbued with many flavors and aromas.

Grape varieties are often first distinguished by color. Typically, the two main wine grape colors are red and white. Within each group there exists literally hundreds of varieties of grapes. And each grape variety behaves differently when grown and cultivated. Red wine has long been a dominant staple throughout the world. Red grapes produce some of the finest wines and come from regions such as Bordeaux, Chianti, and Rioja. Other areas of the world such as Oregon’s Willamette Valley or Columbia Valley in Washington, are particularly better at growing red or black grapes such as Syrah and Pinot Noir.

White wine grapes typically produce lighter wines or wines with less tannins. The three most popular white wines are Riesling which originated in the Rhine region of German, Chardonnay from Eastern France, and Sauvignon Blanc from the Bordeaux region of France. Usually, white grape varieties are used to make sweet wines and tend to be more dry than their red grape cousins. White wines are typically described as fruity and aromatic and are generally consumed at a younger age with less wine storage than red wines which can be aged for long periods of time if desired. Moreover, white wines are also left in wine coolers to chill to a colder temperature than red wines before serving. Due to this practice, wine refrigerators are available with dual zones for cooling red and white wines at independent temperatures.

Red and white wine grapes proliferate under different climates as well. Some red grape varietals prefer less direct sunlight with longer cool days during the year. Other red and white grapes prefer more sunlight and warmer year around temperatures. Precipitation levels can play an important role in which region of the world a grape can be planted. Syrah and Pinot Noir flourish under the heavy rains of the Pacific Northwest but another grape variety might drown under such intense moisture. There are so many varieties of grapes and well-made wines that investing in a personal wine cooler and varying your wine varietal sampling is highly recommended.
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Wine Making For Beginners

Wine making is not a simple or easy task. Those who choose to make quality wine typically have a passion not found among casual wine drinkers. There are many details to organize and tasks to execute before a well made bottle of wine emerges. The first decision in wine making is what grape varietal to plant. Not all regions are ideal for planting all varietals. Many times a vineyard owner is limited in grape varietal choices based on the region where the vineyard has been established. Other times, personal preference dictates the type of grape to be grown. So the grape has been planted and all year long the vines are monitored and checked and the weather is watched.

Once a date for harvesting the mature grapes has been chosen, the preparations begin. Labor is hired so there will be adequate hands to pick all the grapes before the weather turns undesirable. What a sad year it would be if the harvest was lost to bad weather. Winemakers would have no doubt selected the yeast strain they want to use and probably already have an idea as to the outcome of wine’s flavor and aromas. The wine coolers and wine refrigerators have been prepped, and once the fermenting slows, the wine will be cooled to further slow the metabolizing yeast. Once the grapes have been harvested, they are pressed gently to release their sweet juices.

The grapes have now been harvested, either by hand or mechanically, destemmed and crushed. Sometimes the skins are left with the grapes during fermentation and sometimes most of the skins are removed. With other types of wine varietals such as Syrah, the grapes are left nearly whole to encourage internal fermenting also called carbonic maceration. If not left to carbonic maceration, at this point the grape juice will undergo primary fermentation. Primary fermentation is typically accomplished through one of two methods. Either the grapes will be allowed to undergo fermentation by their naturally present yeast strains, or a preselected yeast strain will be added to initiate fermentation. Often, the latter is preferred because the results are more predictable.

After initial fermentation, the wine may undergo cold stabilization which reduces tartaric acid and potassium build-up. Then it is time for the second fermentation stage that usually takes months. This fermentation is slow and monitored very closely. Devices that measure acidity, sugar content, and temperature are affixed to the fermenting wine. Once the wine reaches its desired alcohol content level, it will be filtered for sediments and preservatives may be added to stabilize the wine. The wine is scoured for unwanted particles and prior to bottling sulfite is added to prevent further fermentation after bottling. The wine is finally bottled and generally stored in wine coolers or using other wine storage methods until it is deemed fit for distribution and consumption.
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