Accesories that any wine lover must know
If you consider yourself a wine lover and you want to be up-to-date, the list we’re going to share with you in today’s article will help you to know first-hand the latest gizmos, in order for you to improve your experience with wines, preventing them from losing their qualities when you serve them. Some of these instruments serve to preserve them in their fullness, while others allow them to remain optimal when they are on the table before being drunk.
Wine accessories are becoming more and more popular among wine enthusiasts. Just as a good set of glasses is essential to enhance the experience of tasting a wine, there are many accessories - beyond the classic corkscrew - that are gaining ground.
Here is everything you need to know about these accessories to choose which ones are the most suitable for your wine drinking routines at home, what they are for and what to pay attention to before buying.
What elements can be considered accessories for wines?
In general, wine accessories go unnoticed by most consumers who simply observe sommeliers manipulating these tools during service in restaurants, bars, tastings and fairs.
However, wine connoisseurs appreciate having their own set of accessories to replicate the ritual of serving wine in their own home for a pro-like experience.
The most common accessories for wine are corkscrews, drop stoppers, vacuum stoppers, wine thermometer, buckets, decanters, and many others.
Main tools and gizmos for wines
Two-step corkscrew: It is the most efficient and most economical of the corkscrews. A very easy-to-use accessory that allows you to remove the cork in two simple steps without any effort. In addition, this type of corkscrew has a blade to cut the capsule that makes it even more practical and avoids adding another accessory to the list (the capsule cutter).
Drop Stopper: It is an accessory that facilitates the process of serving the wine correctly to avoid spilling any of the bottle’s content. The most famous short drop designs are two; on the one hand, a wooden or metal ring that is placed on the neck of the bottle and has an absorbent lining inside that “catches the drops”.
On the other hand, there are also round and flexible metal sheets with which a cylinder is formed that is partially inserted into the mouth of the bottle. This accessory –which by the way, it can be used as much as you want - cuts the flow of the wine without producing the uncomfortable droplet that almost always results in a stain on the tablecloth or the surface where you’re serving wine.
Wine aerator: On one hand, this tool performs a similar function to that of a drop stopper, as it allows directing the flow of wine into the glass and preventing spillage. However, many of these stoppers have a double ventilation chamber system that allows optimal aeration of the wine, facilitating its expression in the nose and mouth. In addition, they also serve to cover the excess wine and keep it in the refrigerator.
Vacuum pump: This accessory completely extracts the air from the interior of the bottle to maintain the organoleptic characteristics of the wines for longer, extending their life and preventing oxidation for up to several days after uncorking. In the case of foams, the vacuum pump restores the original pressure of the bottle and thus prevents the bubbles from being lost.
Wine thermometer: Serving a wine at the correct temperature is key to being able to appreciate it in all its expression. To drink the wine at a certain temperature, it is possible to choose to incorporate a thermometer to the accessory set to measure the degrees of the drink accurately.
More advanced accessories for professional wine lovers
Decanter: Beyond its distinguished shape that adorns any table, the decanter has two very important functions that allow a better appreciation of a wine. The first is to oxygenate the wine and thus awaken the aromas that sometimes remain “asleep” due to remaining enclosed in the bottle (which is called “transferring”), and the second is to prevent the solids that are formed in the glass from reaching the bottom of it by the passage of time. This action is popularly known as "decanting”, and is all about separating solids from liquids.
Buckets: Buckets are essential accessories to cool the wine or keep it at the ideal temperature on the table or during a tasting. The most effective and immediate way to cool a specimen is to leave it for a few minutes in a frying pan with plenty of ice, water and salt (since it transfers temperature in a better and efficient way).
Sommelier Cloth: Above all, it is used in the most refined restaurants. This cloth, which is normally white, is used to help the waiter or a master sommelier to serve the wine and to prevent the drop from falling on the tablecloth. It is also used to remove the bottle if it is cooling in an ice bucket.
How to properly choose a corkscrew?
When choosing the perfect two-step corkscrew, there are two things to keep in mind:
First, that the corkscrew should be Teflon coated, with a length of between 4 and 5 centimeters, and the tip very fine so that it can go through the cork easily and without breaking it.
Secondly, that the "leg" where it rests on the neck of the bottle is very firm so that it has a good support and does not break the glass when applying pressure.
Importance of the decanter for wine tasting
Decanting improves the tasting of both young, freshly bottled wines and those that have been bottled for years. Beyond separating the solids and opening the aromas, aging wines are generally passed through a decanter to aerate or oxygenate them, and thus enhancing their organoleptic characteristics.
Remember that on our store, finding.wine, you can find an almost infinite range of wine bottles, as well as many of the accessories we mentioned on this article. If you’re not sure on which ones to choose, don’t hesitate to contact our support which’ll gladly help you.
- Fabianni Posteraro