Although it is always a great thing to have a fabulous bottle of wine handy, there are a few accessories that you will need to have as well to enjoy the experience. For example, you will need something to open your bottle? Also, do you want your wine to breathe first? If you do, what will you be pouring it into? Do you have the right kind of glass that goes with the type of wine you will be drinking? If you have several bottles at least, how will you store them without them breaking? Where are you going to store them? Those are some of the things that need to be considered that many people don’t think about. The following are some of the most popular wine accessories that you might want to consider getting:
Wine Glasses
A majority of people drink their wine from glasses (rather than directly out of the bottle), however, do you own the right kind of glasses? Although many people think any glass will work, for the experienced wine taster that is definitely not true. There are different kinds of glasses that come in various shapes. The glass shape can actually affect the drinker’s perception.
Wine bottle openers
You need one of these whenever a wine bottle is stoppered by a cork, although today many wine bottles are closed using a screw cap lid. A sommelier knife, also referred to as the “waiter’s friend,” is the most popular kind of wine opener. It resembles a pocket knife and has a small blade (to cut the foil surrounding the cork) along with a levered corkscrew. Also, wine poppers are becoming increasingly popular, especially in busy wine bars. A wine popper has a hollow spike that is completely driven into the cark and that causes a small carbon dioxide burst inside a cartridge to be released into the bottle, and that forces the cork from the top.
Wine Refrigerator
As the name states it is a refrigerator for storing wine in. However, these are designed specifically to maintain the proper temperature for storing wine. That can be particularly helpful for individuals who live in warm climates. Many designs allow you to store your white wine (at a lower temperature) on one side of your refrigerator and red wine on the other side, with the fridge having the ability to maintain two separate temperatures for your convenience.
Wine Aerator
The small device is put on top of a decanter or bottle to aerate the wine. It can be used as a substitute for needing to pour the wine into a decanter or swirl it. The Wine Dojo suggests that there are many different affordable aerator styles that are used to achieve aeration. Hand-held injection-style acrylic aerators are the most common. There are also in-bottle and decanter top aerators that are available.
Wine Decanter
These are serving vessels made of glass that you empty the whole bottle of wine into. There are several different purposes that are served by doing that. The sediment on the bottom (which commonly occurs with red wines) is removed, the wine is aerated, it makes it easier to pour the wine into glasses, and provide a very elegant presentation. Wine accessory shops have many different styles and types of decanters available.
Wine Racks
These racks are used for storing bottles of wine for long periods of time. Most wine racks are designed so that the bottles are stored slightly downward toward the cork and on its side, which benefits the long-term ageing process. The downward orientation in the direction of the cork helps to prevent it from becoming dried out and letting oxygen in to spoil the wine. These days, it is easy to find wine racks that are made out of stone, steel, and wood. They may hold dozens of bottles, and in some cases, even thousands of bottles. They also can serve as a decorative item in your home.
Wine Collar
This excellent accessory its around the bottle’s neck. It is used for absorbing any drips that may run down the neck of the wine bottle after pouring from it. The advantage of using a wine collar is it helps to prevent staining your clothes or any surfaces the wine bottle may be in contact with. People who drink red wine on a regular basis will certainly appreciate this!
Wine Stopper
For anyone who appreciates wines, this useful accessory is definitely a must-have. It is used for sealing leftover wine in a bottle since it can be hard to replace the cork. They can be made out of rubber, plastic, or cork, although the tops may be made out of any type of material, and they have a tendency to be very decorative.
Wine Thief
This doesn’t relate to anything criminal! A wine thief is a food-grade pipette that winemakers use when making wine to remove a small amount of the wine from the fermentation device to test its progress. If you are considering making wine, you should consider this helpful accessory.
Contrary to what most people think, there are numerous wine accessories beyond just a corkscrew that people might need. Many accessories are available that can make your wine experience much more enjoyable and convenient.