Accessories

As pleasurable things go, a bottle of wine is very nearly self-sufficient. A good bottle of wine can be enjoyed without much concern for setting or accoutrement. Nevertheless, most wine enthusiasts yearn for the accessories that make serving and savoring wine more convenient, pleasurable, and notable. For thousands of years inventors and craftsmen have been busy devising and producing handy, beautiful, and artistic accessories to the service and enjoyment of wine. Today, there are thousands of icons and gadgets designed with the wine lover in mind. They range from the practical, to the collectable, to the absurd. Any of these might be a consideration in the season of gift giving and entertaining.

The most obvious starting point should be wine openers. Even though we now see some premium wine on the market with “twist-top” closures, most premium wines are sealed with a cork, so a corkscrew or some other devise for opening these bottles is a great accessory. There are many innovative ways to extract corks, but the tried and true corkscrew is still the handiest item. The standard “waiter’s corkscrew” still has many virtues. It folds up like a pocketknife and is handy to carry around or store in a drawer. Best of all, a really good, serviceable waiter’s corkscrew can cost less than $10, qualifying in size and cost as a stocking stuffer. Look for a waiter’s corkscrew with a long screw so that long corks can be extracted in one piece (always more fun than breaking them in two). Furthermore, choose one with a bit of heft and a solid feel to it, some cheap versions aren’t very durable. Fancy versions abound, Chateau Laguiole even makes versions that sell for $100 and more. They are exquisite and well-designed, utilitarian things of beauty, but may not affect the taste of the wine they open.

Next, and just about as obvious, would be wine glasses. One can drink and even enjoy wine from a tumbler, cup, or jelly-jar, but a good glass adds to the beauty and grace of a fine wine, and yes, it may even make it taste better. A wine glass should be rather large. A bowl of at least 9 ounces seems in order, larger for big red wines. The lovely scents of well-made wine need room to grow. There should be plenty of space, perhaps half of the glass, above the level of the wine. Fortified wines should be served in slightly more "closed" bowls to avoid assaulting the drinker with a face full of alcoholic fumes. Most especially, sparkling wine should be served in tall slender glasses that preserve and accentuate the magical effervescence. Regular glasses can meet all of the above requirements, however, truly fine crystal adds more than just an air of elegance. A great glass can enhance the perception of a wine. True, it is sometimes hard to know where practical improvement leaves off and mystique takes over. Even Riedel, the crystal producer who has the most elaborate (and exquisite) catalog of special wine glasses, has several affordable options in fine wine glasses. Riedel’s machine formed crystal glasses sell for as little as $35 for a pack of four. For more elegant settings, prices can range from about $20 to $100 a stem. Yes, it does seem to matter. Almost everyone seems to prefer wines from fine glasses.

Decanters are hardly a necessity but they are definitely handy. Young wines can be “opened up” and rendered softer by the act of decanting and airing them a bit. Older wines with “bottle aroma” and sediment can be cleaned and freshened up by careful decanting. Even many white wines seem to expand their horizons and broaden their taste with a bit of exposure to air. Like glasses, decanters come in all price ranges. Perfectly serviceable ones can be as little as $15. Really nice crystal decanters can be virtually any price. Among the most functional and elegant are Riedel’s “Cabernet” series, starting at around $40. When decanting young wines, a rather large vessel is desirable since aeration is a major objective. With older wines it is usually best to minimize aeration with a smaller decanter (decant the wine just prior to serving it).

Other wine gadgets abound. They are too numerous to consider here. Some are practical, some are just fun, but for gift giving or entertaining consider the basics first. For that matter, think first of the wine!

12/04

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