5 Essential Tools for a Wine Baby
It seems like there are a million different products on the market for the avid wine enthusiast, but what do you really need when you are just starting out?
We could keep it super short and say that all you really need is a bottle of wine! BUT that wouldn’t be 100% true. There are certain products that you actually do need in order to make sure you are getting the most out of the experience. Especially if you are trying to learn while you sip.
These are the items you are going to want available in your kitchen today if you don’t already have them (I have added Amazon links to a few of my favourites for you, to make it easy). But don’t worry, I’ll make a separate list of all the extra fancy goodies you can add to next year’s Christmas list!
1. A Corkscrew
We can’t very well enjoy a bottle of wine without being able to open it, now can we?
There are a ton of different types of corkscrews out there, all designed to make it easier and easier to open a bottle of wine. In my humble opinion, however, you just can’t beat the classic “waiter’s friend” style.
These can be a little tricky to master at first, but once you’ve got it down, it’s very satisfying.
The one I’ve linked above is a really high quality one, but you can get them all over the place for a wide range of prices. Personally, I like to pick one up from tourist shops while travelling. I started out because I kept buying wine and not having a way to open it, but now it’s becoming a fun collection!
Now, some wine snobs will tell you that the waiter’s friend is best corkscrew and snub their nose at anything else. But the fact of the matter is that waiter’s corkscrews are a little complicated, and require decent muscle strength and hand dexterity. For some people, those can be big barriers.
Accessibility is important in all industries, even wine! So here are some easier alternatives as well. There’s an “easy twist”, single lever option, double lever, and full on electric.
2. A Decanter or Aerator
These are technically two different items, and I prefer to have at least one of each, but as long as you have one of these options, you’re good to go.
The purpose of both decanters and aerators is to help get some oxygen into the wine to help it open up. Not all wines need to be decanted or aerated, but some truly benefit from it and you’ll be missing out on the wine’s full potential without it.
When deciding which one to pick up, the key question you should ask yourself is “am I a patient person?”
Aerators are instant. You just pour the wine through them straight into the glass. BAM! You’re done.
There are two types: aerators you slide into the neck of the bottle and pour from, and handheld ones that are held over the glass. Personally I prefer the first option because I find it simpler and smoother, but I’ve listed one of each below.
Decanters, on the other hand, require some patience. You could be waiting for your wine to decant for 30 to 60 minutes, or even longer, depending on the wine.
Why bother with a decanter then? Well first off, many of them are visually stunning. The beauty of the glasswork is unreal. But those ones are more of a wish list item.
The other, more practical reason to get a decanter, is to deal with wines that have a lot of sediment.
Sediment in wine is totally normal and nothing to be concerned about, but it’s not really fun to drink those gritty bits! Instead, we want a way to separate it out. That’s the second purpose of a decanter.
This swan shaped one is beautiful enough to act as a nice piece of art on your table as well.
But here’s my real favourite for a wine baby – a decanter and aerator all rolled into one! And this particular one comes with beads to help you wash all the hard to reach spots and a stand to let it air dry.
3. Proper Glassware
I went to a winery once (I won’t name names) that poured it’s tastings into shot glasses. Let me tell you, it didn’t do the wine any favours.
There’s a reason that wine glasses are shaped the way they are, and if you are drinking out of any old random glass, you’re not going to get the best experience.
The rounded bowl, tapered rim, and stem, are all key to a good wine glass. The wide bowl allows for a broader surface area of the wine to come in contact with the air and start to release those delicious aromas. The tapered rim then contains and guides those aromas up to your nose. Added bonus, it also makes it easier to swirl without spilling your wine everywhere.
Stemless glasses are becoming more popular because tend of be less fragile when they topple over, but the stem serves a purpose too. It allows you to hold onto the glass without your body heat warming up the wine, which is important if you’ve gone to the trouble of making sure you’re serving it at the ideal temperature.
Personally, I prefer stemmed glasses but I’ve accumulated a few stemless as gifts. I now use those for previously opened reds that have been in the fridge, because I want my hands to warm up the wine. Win – win!
Riedel wine glasses are probably the most popular wine glasses out there. They are not overly expensive and very good quality. I started out my collection with a set of four whites, four reds, and a couple champagne flutes, like these below.
We seem to keep breaking them though, so as we get down to the end, I intend to replace them with these ones from Schott Zwiesel. Hidden Bench Winery in Niagara used them for our tasting and I fell in love with the shape, and learned they are machine washable! Yay!
4. A Sealing Method
Unless you’re planning on emptying a bottle every time you open it, you’re going to want to consider how to keep your wine fresh after opening.
Once a bottle is opened and has been exposed to the air, it will slowly start to oxidize. A bottle of wine is only good for a couple of days after opening before it starts to turn, and we don’t want that.
Do you have a bottle of half empty red that’s been in your fridge for a month? Yeah. It’s probably not good anymore. Don’t drink that.
Worse, are you leaving your opened wine bottles on the counter? That’s a no-no. The oxidative process is slower when it’s cold, so at the very least, keep your bottles in the fridge .
When I worked at a winery, we only kept out whites open in the fridge for two days, and reds up to five. If you don’t have a sealing method, you’ll probably want to stick to those guidelines too.
But if you want your wine to last a lot longer, then there a few different levels to consider.
The simplest and cheapest one is a vacuum system. It’s basically a pump that sucks the oxygen out so that it can’t hang out in the bottle, destroying your wine. They come with little stoppers that seal it up tight, too. Up until recently, this is what I have been using.
The next level up is an argon gas system. Instead of sucking the oxygen out, they inject a small amount of argon gas into the bottle. The argon is heavier than oxygen, and acts as a blanket that protects the wine from oxidation. We used an argon gas system on the expensive wines at the winery, but there are versions for home use as well. I’m not familiar enough to make a recommendation though.
If you want to get really fancy, and store your wine for ages, then you might consider investing in a Coravin, or putting it on your Christmas list like I did. But as a wine baby, it’s not really an essential.
5. At Least One Good Wine Book
If you’re a wine baby wanting to learn more about wine then you should have at least one good wine book to have on hand while sipping.
There a ton of books out there, and you can check out my Resource Page to see what all is in my library, but I want to make a specific recommendation here.
Wine Folly’s Magnum Edition is visually stunning enough to leave out on your coffee table, while also being super informative and very easy to read. I pull my copy out nearly every time I sit down with a glass of wine. I cannot recommend it enough!
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2 years
Tagged asti method, cava, champagne, lambrusco, methode traditionelle