Essential Wine Paraphanelia

These days, there are countless wine accessories on the market so we’ve compiled a list of the essential wine paraphernalia to help enhance your wine enjoyment.

Wine Chillers

Last-minute guests call for instant wine chilling, and there are a number of ways to do this that won’t break the bank. A padded insulated tube that you keep in the freezer, to slip your wine bottle into; or a chiller stick, such as the Corkscicle, which is inserted into the bottle after you’ve poured out a little of the wine.

Decanters

Decanting red wine is a way of aerating it, allowing the aromas and flavours to develop. It’s also a way of avoiding any sediment from older wines by leaving it in the bottle. Whichever style of decanter you choose will make little difference to how your wine is aerated. However, some more complex shapes may be hard to clean. Avoid using detergents inside, as they may affect the flavour and aroma of the next wine you decant.

Strainers

A wine strainer is useful for ensuring that any sediment from the bottle or particles of cork aren’t transferred to the glass. Stainless steel is the best choice, as it won’t impart any flavour or odour to the wine. 

Wine Preservers/Savers

A useful solution to an age-old problem: how to save your half-finished bottle of wine from losing its freshness. Any method of preserving wine is based on limiting its exposure to oxygen, the easiest is a wine stopper. An even more efficient way to preserve your wine is to use a pump mechanism to draw out any air and seal it with a vacuum stopper. For wine under cork, using the Coravin allows you to pour from a bottle without removing the cork and adds considerable longevity to the wine – red or white. 

Wine Storage

Specially designed wine cabinets ensure your wine is stored at the correct level of humidity, temperature, air circulation, vibration and light. These days, a wine rack is more of a matter of form over function, as so few bottles come sealed with corks. With screwcap seals, storing your bottles upright is fine, but there’s still something special about seeing a rack of bottles on display.