As you can see, I've moved the wine devices and gadgets to this new page. Enjoy!
Opening and closing
The pump shown below is an interesting concept for how to seal a wine bottle after it has been opened. The plug goes into the bottle, then you pump the plunger until it resists pulling up due to the vacuum you’ve drawn in the bottle. Take away the pump and the plug seals the bottle. The concept of the pump is to remove the air in the bottle so the wine does not oxidize. Problem here is that the pump does not really draw a good vacuum in the bottle, so there is still plenty of air available to oxidize the wine, i.e., you still have to put the bottle in the refrigerator.
The pump shown below is an interesting concept for how to seal a wine bottle after it has been opened. The plug goes into the bottle, then you pump the plunger until it resists pulling up due to the vacuum you’ve drawn in the bottle. Take away the pump and the plug seals the bottle. The concept of the pump is to remove the air in the bottle so the wine does not oxidize. Problem here is that the pump does not really draw a good vacuum in the bottle, so there is still plenty of air available to oxidize the wine, i.e., you still have to put the bottle in the refrigerator.
Pumps can also be used to get the cork out of the bottle. The device shown below is equipped with a hypodermic needle. You push the needle through the cork, then pump air into the bottle. The air pressure gently pushes the cork out of the bottle. Assuming you can keep from stabbing yourself with the needle, this can prove to be a very handy device. Also comes with a pump sealer, cutter to remove the plastic seal on the cork, and an aerator.
This set below has both an electric cork remover and an aerator with a battery-operated pump. The pump has a hose that attaches to it that goes into the bottle (not shown). Put the pump on top of the bottle so it fits tight, push the button on top, and pour aerated wine into your glass. Oh, and should you want to take this on a remote site the cork remover battery can be recharged from your computer.
Wine chillers
If you follow my advice (which, of course, I’m sure you do), you’ll drink even your red wine chilled. But, how do you keep it chilled? You can go the standard restaurant way, keep the bottle in an ice-filled bucket. But there are alternatives. For instance, figure 1 shows a unique device consisting of a stainless steel bar that attaches to an aerator pour spout. You chill the device in the fridge or freezer. Then, after you’ve poured that first couple of glasses from your bottle of wine you pull out this device and insert it into the bottle. Stainless steel has a very high heat capacity, enough to keep your wine chilled for a few hours.
If you follow my advice (which, of course, I’m sure you do), you’ll drink even your red wine chilled. But, how do you keep it chilled? You can go the standard restaurant way, keep the bottle in an ice-filled bucket. But there are alternatives. For instance, figure 1 shows a unique device consisting of a stainless steel bar that attaches to an aerator pour spout. You chill the device in the fridge or freezer. Then, after you’ve poured that first couple of glasses from your bottle of wine you pull out this device and insert it into the bottle. Stainless steel has a very high heat capacity, enough to keep your wine chilled for a few hours.
Now, you still have the problem of the wine in your glass warming up, assuming you don’t guzzle it down right away like some people I know (me). Ah, but there is a way to keep the wine in your glass chilled. It is a very simple device – a glass that you put in the fridge or freezer with the wand, as shown in figure 2.
Outdoors
You want to take wine to an outdoor event, say a concert in the local park. Bringing a bottle of wine takes a bit of effort: it is heavy to carry, can break on you, requires a corkscrew, and the bottle has to be disposed of when it is emptied – which I assume will happen. Well, someone has come up with just the right solution: you carry the wine in a bag. Not the bottle in a bag, no, just the wine. Of course, the bag is plastic and has a screw top, and is reusable, as shown in figure 3. The red device is a collapsible funnel used to fill the plastic bag, and the plastic bag with the wine fits into another plastic bag to make it easy to carry.
You want to take wine to an outdoor event, say a concert in the local park. Bringing a bottle of wine takes a bit of effort: it is heavy to carry, can break on you, requires a corkscrew, and the bottle has to be disposed of when it is emptied – which I assume will happen. Well, someone has come up with just the right solution: you carry the wine in a bag. Not the bottle in a bag, no, just the wine. Of course, the bag is plastic and has a screw top, and is reusable, as shown in figure 3. The red device is a collapsible funnel used to fill the plastic bag, and the plastic bag with the wine fits into another plastic bag to make it easy to carry.
You can drink your wine out of hard plastic cups, disposable or otherwise. Or, you can drink your wine out of the soft plastic cup shown in figure 4.
Spilling
No one likes it when you spill good wine – really quite a waste, and a bit of a mess if the wine is red. So, naturally, someone came up with a wine glass that is quite “spill resistant”. Shown in figure 5, it has a heavy metal ball at the base that is not centered. The glass is always canted, but because of the heavy ball does not tip over.
No one likes it when you spill good wine – really quite a waste, and a bit of a mess if the wine is red. So, naturally, someone came up with a wine glass that is quite “spill resistant”. Shown in figure 5, it has a heavy metal ball at the base that is not centered. The glass is always canted, but because of the heavy ball does not tip over.
Travel
If you do travel to another wine area, say Napa or Italy, and get talked into spending way to much money for a few bottles of wine that you can get in the local supermarket and may not be as good as you can buy in one of our fine wineries here in Southern California, or you are spending the holidays with loved ones in some place with terrible weather and want to take some of our local wines to comfort you, you want to make sure the wine bottle doesn't break in your suitcase. There are devices designed for this purpose. A cheap way to go is shown below, a wine bag. There are even suitcases selling in the $250-$500 range that are designed to carry wine bottles safely (no picture available).
If you do travel to another wine area, say Napa or Italy, and get talked into spending way to much money for a few bottles of wine that you can get in the local supermarket and may not be as good as you can buy in one of our fine wineries here in Southern California, or you are spending the holidays with loved ones in some place with terrible weather and want to take some of our local wines to comfort you, you want to make sure the wine bottle doesn't break in your suitcase. There are devices designed for this purpose. A cheap way to go is shown below, a wine bag. There are even suitcases selling in the $250-$500 range that are designed to carry wine bottles safely (no picture available).
