Wine lovers can be the easiest or hardest people to buy gifts for because they are just getting started with gadgets or already have everything. I enjoy giving accessories, especially when they are unique and useful.
THE VALUES
The Ravi Wine Chiller was born from two years of work with oenologists, designers and other wine-making specialists. The Ravi is kept in the freezer. When you need to cool a bottle of white wine you insert the Ravi into the bottleneck as you would a cork, and pour.The wine is chilled as it passes through the frozen stainless-steel tube. The air hole or valve allows you to control the temperature drop. Covering the hole slows the flow of the wine, so the more time it spends in the Ravi the colder your wine will get. (about $40)
Occasionally we’ll open a bottle and not finish it the same day. The Date Wine Stopper is a clever gadget to have for those bottles. It’s not only functional, keeping track of the date the bottle was opened, but also stylish. The stainless-steel and rubber stopper has three rotating rings at the top. Just turn the rings to the date it was opened and you have a quick reference when you come back to enjoy the wine. (about $45)
It’s almost impossible to get the original cork back into a sparkling wine or Champagne bottle unless you carefully whittle it into the bottle. The Screwpull Metal Champagne Sealer has a latch-style bottle sealer, allowing you to easily save your leftover bubbly. The stopper also allows you to keep the bottle on its side without leaking. (about $30)
THE SPLURGES
The Coravin Wine Opener is likely the hottest gift this season for wine enthusiasts. Medical device entrepreneur Greg Lambrecht invented the opener, which seemingly works like magic. He used his expertise in vascular technology to create a device that allows you to enjoy a glass of wine without ever pulling the cork. Say it’s the middle of the week and you want one glass of chardonnay and not the entire bottle - just inject the Coravin needle through the foil into the cork (natural corks only) and extract a glass from the bottle. The opener has a super-thin needle that penetrates the foil and cork to extract the wine, while argon gas pressurizes the bottle, allowing you to siphon out a single glass. As you remove the needle the cork reseals itself, returning the wine to its unopened state. I can’t wait to try this because, according to publicity material, you can return four to six weeks later and the wine is just as fresh. (about $300)
The Italian-made Mathusalem Sommeliers Champagne Saber offers something different with a fascinating story. (Believe it or not I have many friends who have everything wine related and would love this gift.) The act of opening Champagne bottles with sabers dates to Napoleonic times. A saber is used to open Champagne bottles with the meticulous slice of the knife, a dramatic part of wine service left to those experienced in the art. Of course in addition to being theatrically functional, it makes a wonderful centerpiece for wine discussions. (about $400)
Lorri Hambuchen is a member of London’s Institute of Wines and Spirits. Contact her at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, P.O. Box 2221, Little Rock,Ark. 72203, or email: [email protected]
Food, Pages 33 on 12/11/2013