Wine Gifts For Your élite Pals
by Eve Bushman
For your holiday gift-giving pleasure I have scoured everything I keep on hand in my purse to items I use for wine tastings. Every item in this little list I either own, or have used.
Not into wine gadgets yourself? Then think of this: A non-wine-drinking reader recently queried me on a wine she could purchase within her budget for a friend with a great cellar. I thought long and hard about this dilemma and finally told her to skip the inexpensive wine (as most people that cellar their wine have tastes a little more eclectic and costly) but, instead, to surprise her pal with one of the latest wine gadgets:
Wine Gifts For Your élite Palsby Eve Bushman For your holiday gift-giving pleasure I have scoured everything I keep on hand in my purse to items I use for wine tastings. Every item in this little list I either own, or have used.
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Champagne opener: When I helped host our last Vine 2 Wine event, I found that our wine chair, Jeff Jacobson, had assigned me to the sparkling table. Unbeknownst to Jeff was my mortal dread of opening Champagne, no matter how many lessons my favorite teacher/sommelier, DiMaggio Washington, coached me in how to do it safely. When I mentioned this to my friend John Carter, owner of the locally run BarParts.com, he surprised me with a Champagne opener. Remove the foil wrapper – but you can leave the wire cage just loosened – and then squeeze the device so that the small serrated edges grip the cork for you while you twist the bottle. The cork stays in the device, not lodged in your forehead! |
| The “Travel” Vinturi Wine Aerator: I bought my first Vinturi at Vino 100 when they came out a few years ago, then after trying it, I went back and bought a few more as gifts. The gadget introduces air quickly to wine, avoids the wait while decanting or excessive swirling that could induce carpal tunnel syndrome. The travel version is very sleek as it’s kept in its own swiveling holder. I keep mine in my purse nestled next to my corkscrew. It comes in uber-handy when I’m faced with a wine by the glass, or in tasting a flight. (A “flight” can be found at wine bars and wineries. They are usually a 1-2 ounce pour of multiple wines being compared.) If the bottle was just opened, and it doesn’t taste the way I want it to, I ask for another wine glass and transfer the wine from one glass to the other – by way of my Vinturi. And, yes, it gets a lot of attention and requests to try it out. www.vinturi.com |
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Corkscrew-To-Go: Sometimes my corkage fee is waived in restaurants, not because I contacted the sommelier in advance, but because in my earnest desire to get my wine really fast, I open it myself. I am also known to open bottles at Valenica Wine Company during events and when at a friend’s house just to help them out…again in my urgent NEED. I like something small, but weighty, that I can use really fast (I think I might have mentioned speed being important) and the Pulltap brand is my favorite. Both of the above items can be found at www.Barparts.com |
| Hide a Wine: Local resident, and wine pal, Laura Garcia, loves blind tastings. Guess the varietal, it it’s a new or old world wine, and what I saw in a video recently, if the color of your wine is hidden, guests can’t tell red from white. What fun! I would much rather used these sleek black snazzy sleeves than a brown bag with a rubber band on the neck. http://hideawine.com |
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A Simple Toast: Former resident, now with an internet-based biz out of Apple Valley, Minnesota, Eileen Elliott makes a wine necklace of sorts loaded with charms and a personalized gift card that you can use to adorn the neck of any kind of liquor…in a gift to your favorite wine writer. Write your own sentiment, or choose one ready to go. http://asimpletoast.com |