Fred Tasker’s Wine Gift Suggestions
Every holiday season people buy gadgets for wine lovers – things that are mostly fairly useless, but so cute the wine lover says they’re just want he wanted, then puts away in a cabinet and never uses. Here are some of those gadgets, from the Wine Enthusiast Catalog. At the end I’ll give the Website where you can find them.
* A “Winesceptre” – a stainless steel cylinder you chill in the freezer, then plunge into your bottle of wine to instantly chill it. And there’s a little spout on top that aerates your wine as you pour. It’s $129.95.
* A “Clef du vin” – a piece of mysterious metal alloy you dip into your wine to age its instantly, softening its tannins and improving its tastes. It’s $89.99. Tell you what. You buy it and try it and tell me if it works.
* Wine tumblers. Why do wine glasses have stems, and why do wine lovers always hold their glasses by the stems? Easy. To keep our warm hands from warming the wine. So what do they make now? Wine tumblers, with no stems. I guess warm wine is OK now. One advantage: They’re easier to put in the dishwasher. They’re $12.95 for a set of two.
* Blitzen Family Bottle Stoppers. Every wonder why one of Santa’s reindeers is named Blitzen? Well, according to this, it’s because he’s blitzed. As in drunk. This is a set of three cork and plaster wine bottle stoppers shaped like a drunk reindeer. You could even hang them on your Christmas tree. They’re $49.95 for a set of three.
* Wine Master Pocket Wine Buying Guide. Are you ever stumped for the proper purple adjectives to apply to wine? This device gives expert ratings and reviews for 10,000 wines at the push of a button. Lets you know which wines taste of mulberries, iodine, red meat, leather and so on. It’s $39.95.