Regardless of how fine wine is enjoyed—whether you’re sampling or celebrating—the simple actions involved are ritualistic. The mere act of indulging with a favorite vintage encourages a relaxed disposition and serves as a reminder of the process and care required to make a great wine.
Of the myriad wine accessories available, many perform functions that enhance the flavor, texture, and aromas of a bottle’s contents. Others exist solely to inject a little more fun into the proceedings. When it comes to those accessories, we sought the advice of trusted purveyors in California and Europe. Whether intended to heighten the senses or enhance appreciation, their recommendations are—as we were told—items that no wine-lover should be without.
Full Tilt
Certain occasions simply call for a bigger bottle. According to the specialists at the London-based Antique Wine Co. (www.antique-wine.com), bigger is better for a number of reasons. A larger-sized bottle contains more wine—a feature everyone is sure to enjoy—but it also creates a more dramatic appearance when displayed at a table. Most important, wines that age in a bottle are exposed to a smaller amount of air than wines that age in a barrel, which translates to a slower maturation. And because a large bottle has a neck similar in size to a standard bottle, the wine is exposed to even less air—a factor that allows the vintage to remain in prime condition for a longer period of time.
To coddle those large bottles, consider the Antique Wine Co.’s Grand Decanting Cradle. After a mature bottle is opened, the cradle holds it at an angle that allows more air to enter and oxygenize the wine. That angle also helps to separate any existing sediment. The cradle is made of solid, hammered brass and is designed in such a way so as to allow for a slow, easy pour—one that provides the pourer with complete control over the flow of sediment. It’s also available in several sizes ranging from the smallest, which accommodates .75 to 3 liters and costs $6,380, to larger examples capable of holding 3- to 6-liter bottles, which cost $12,270.
Snake in the Glass
Beyond its ability to artfully display the contents of a bottle of wine, a decanter serves a functional purpose for vintages both young and old. Decanting any bottle, regardless of its age, will aerate the wine, opening up its aromas and flavors, while decanting an older wine promotes the separation of sediment that may have formed in the bottle over the years.
The venerable Austrian crystal maker Riedel (www.riedel.com) may be well known for its stemware, but the company also has a history of producing notable decanters, including its Black Tie Series and the Bird Series. In 2009, Riedel introduced a snakelike theme with Eve, an almost 20-inch-tall decanter that took a shape reminiscent of an upright cobra. Riedel’s latest design, the Mamba ($495), is an almost 18-inch-high glass masterpiece named for Africa’s longest poisonous snake, also the world’s fastest.
While eye-catching, the Mamba’s serpentine shape is noteworthy for reasons beyond its ability to spark a conversation. When wine is poured down the neck of the decanter, the liquid makes its way through the air pockets in the base. That extra aeration enables the wine to open up faster than it would in a conventional decanter.
Designed by CEO Maximilian Riedel, the Mamba can hold almost 53 ounces of wine (the equivalent of one magnum or two standard-sized bottles). Those unfamiliar with decanting will appreciate the accompanying instructional DVD, while those seeking a unique wine accessory will appreciate the fact that each Mamba decanter is free-blown by mouth, meaning no two are exactly alike.
Safe Travels
When brothers Guy and Jay Holland teamed up with their father and established the company Mulholland (www.shopmulholland.com) in 1984, the trioset up shop in the basement of their San Francisco Bay area home and specialized in the things that they knew: fly-reel and shotgun cases. Over time, however, the product line expanded to encompass rugged accessories and luggage for almost any need. And since Mulholland is based close to Northern California’s wine country, it was natural that the company would produce items that appealed to wine enthusiasts.
Offered in four sizes—single, two-bottle, six-bottle, and rolling six-bottle—Mulholland’s Endurance wine bags are made of leather-trimmed waterproof polyvinyl, a laminated fabric with a pebbly grain that resists fading and cracking and can be cleaned with soap and water. All of the bags have an insulated liner that keeps whites chilled and protects reds from extreme temperature fluctuations. The six-bottle version, is equipped with a padded shoulder strap and costs $425, while the rolling six-bottle bag, equipped with a telescoping handle, represents an ideal way to vacation with your favorite vintages, or to bring back some new favorites from your trip.
Mining for Silver
The Incas called silver “tears of the moon,” and Peru remains one of the world’s top silver producers. Consequently, it’s no surprise that Sandra Jordan (www.sandrajordan.com), who hails from Peru, would incorporate silver into her new line of wine accessories. However, Jordan brought much more than just a Peruvian spirit to the venture. As the author of The Art of Decanting, Jordan also brought an oenophile’s knowledge to the craft.
Taking into account the escalating price of silver, Jordan’s collection is carefully considered, not only from a design standpoint but from an economic view. She sees the result when she examines the newer silver pieces that are on the market in Peru, which often substitute cheaper materials such as rubber for larger amounts of silver. “Our answer to this problem is to not have so many [products],” she says.
One of the smallest pieces in Jordan’s collection, a tasting cup called the Petaluma Tastevn Ombelic ($65), also happens to be one of the most interesting for its shape. According to Jordan, the cup is shaped to resemble a belly button and boasts a raised center that reflects light. An 18th century merchant’s tasting cup provided inspiration for its design, Jordan explains, since wine often was inspected in dark cellars without the benefit of electricity. According to Jordan, when a sample of wine was poured into the shiny, reflective silver cup, “light would hit the bottom so he could see what condition the wine was in.”
By contrast, one of Jordan’s larger pieces, the Healdsburg jeroboam wine cooler ($1,765), is hand-hammered for a subtle patina. And, as Jordan suggests, “It also makes a lovely statement as a vase.”
The Perfect Pour
Not every occasion calls for a decanter. For those who lack the patience or the time to decant a bottle, and for the moments when a single glass of wine will suffice, the Essential Wine Aerator by Vinturi (www.vinturi.com) does the trick. Recommended by Christian Navarro, co-owner of Wally’s Wines and Spirits in Los Angeles, the $39 portable aerator fits over a wineglass and acts as a funnel. In the time that it takes the wine to pass through it, the gadget mixes in the proper amount of air and produces a glass of wine with an enhanced flavor and bouquet, as well as a softer finish.
Adding to its convenience, the aerator comes with a no-drip stand and also is dishwasher safe. Besides a red wine aerator, Vinturi makes a model for white varietals, a more compact model for traveling, and one for spirits.
Utility Uncorked
The story behind the lowly corkscrew dates as far back as the late 1700s, when vintners first decided to store wine in bottles instead of barrels. As vintners stuffed cork stoppers deeper and deeper into the bottlenecks, a time soon came when those stoppers could not be extracted by hand. The cork, made from oak bark, was a find, in that it was relatively odorless and tasteless, and it expanded to fit the bottle opening. But it wasn’t so easy to remove when it was pushed in with any enthusiasm. Apocrypha has it that an English gunsmith/wine drinker invented a device, modeled on a gadget he used to extract shot from muzzle-loading guns, to remove the pesky corks. After a few years a British minister patented such a corkscrew, in 1795.
About 150 years later, a Texas inventor named Herbert Allen, who made his mark designing jet engine parts and oil-drilling tools, traveled to Europe in 1951 and discovered that he liked wine. Over the next two decades, he assembled a noteworthy wine cellar back in Texas, though his wife often struggled with the task of extracting the corks. After a particularly troublesome extraction, she finally challenged her husband to invent a better corkscrew, and in 1975 he came up with the Screwpull—now a part of Le Creuset’s kitchen empire (www.lecreuset.com).
The Screwpull LM-G10 lever corkscrew ($150) is engineered to perform several simple tasks perfectly: it swings open, grips the bottle, swings closed, drills through the cork, and swings open again to remove the cork. A Teflon-coated worm prevents the cork from breaking apart, and the smooth enameled surface is scratch-resistant and easy to clean.
Quality Control
As any passionate oenophile will tell you, the details matter. They matter when contrasting a good vintage from a great one, and they matter when one seeks to create a memorable moment. That being the case, International Wine Accessories (www.iwawine.com) proffers a stemware tote that undoubtedly will appeal to anyone who has experienced a time when an otherwise perfect moment came up just one detail short.
With this carrier, as IWA’s Jody Tullos explains, “you can pack your Riedel Sommelier Series wineglasses and take them with you to a restaurant, so you don’t have to drink from those rolled-rim glasses.”
The padded case, which measures 15 by 18 by 5 inches and costs $35, has dividers that will cushion for large glasses and, of course, is suitable for picnics, tailgating, or any celebration that calls for good stemware.
Over a Barrel
Texas Hill Country’s rolling landscape is well suited for two things: raising cattle and growing grapes. As such, it’s not unlikely that the two forms of agriculture sometimes intertwine, as is the case with the furnishings made by Tyson and Genine Gilbert.
When Tyson, an erstwhile rancher and part-time furniture maker, married Genine, a local winemaker, they started Barrel Designs (www.barreldesigns.com), a business that repurposes retired oak wine barrels into various furnishings. The wood retains characteristics of the cellar-aging process, in that a piece can show the stains from the wine it contained. Most barrels are toasted on the inside, which adds those tinges of caramel, vanilla, and other flavors, and gives the wood a smoky appearance, as well.
Barrel Designs’ tasting table and stools are certain to blend into the decor of any wine cellar. The pieces retain the original cooperage imprints, and the wood has a French-waxed hand finish. The table, which is 37 inches high, has a top made from the flat barrel head and legs made from the staves, and it features a removable tray and a storage shelf. The 30-inch stools are built entirely from barrel staves. The set, which costs $1,149, is available from the company or from IWA.