While the word accessory brings to mind trinkets, pretty jewelry and other decorative objects, the word itself refers to an item that is designed to be added onto something else to enhance it. For instance, jewelry enhances the appearance of who wears it, while a phone charger is a necessary accessory for a phone to function. Accessories that accompany wines are diverse and many, some are necessary for drinkings, such as a wine opener or a glass, while others can enhance the experience.
Wine has a rich and long history, dating back to at least eight thousand years ago, and as such has had many accessories designed for it. These can range from common items drinkers might take for granted such as a simple wine glass or corkscrew, to more outlandish accessories such as sabers specifically designed for opening champagne. Below is a handful of accessories that will make for great additions to new wine enthusiasts looking to get useful wine drinking tools.
Decanter
Let’s start with some familiar territory, the decanter. Almost everyone who drinks will know of this commonplace accessory. The decanter works as a jug of sorts for wines and helps aerate the wine due to the increased exposed surface area of the wine within the decanter. The aeration process benefits the wine through a list of ways, some such examples being, softening tannins, reducing excessive sulfites, reducing ethanol, and maturing the flavor of the wine. Simply put, there’s a good reason that a decanter is a common accessory among wine drinkers and collectors.
Wine Preserver
Aerating your wine can improve it, but only in moderation. Once a bottle has been opened, oxygen has been introduced into the bottle. With enough time, the oxygen in the bottle will cause the wine to go bad. This is where the wine preserver comes in. The wine preserver can fill your bottle with a non-reactive gas, such as argon, allowing your opened wines to remain preserved for much longer. Aside from wine preservers that fill your bottle with gas, other kinds include preservers that suck the air out of the bottle.
Wine Funnel (With Filter)
Wine funnels are a handy tool for those worried about making a mess when pouring wine. When used together with a filter, it not only helps strain out larger particles such as bits of cork, sediment, and other deposits but also helps aerate the wine a little. When paired with a filter, a wine funnel can find use to both those who are prone to make a spill when pouring wine, and those who want to rid their wine of larger particles.
A Wine Opener
Last but not least is the trusty wine opener, an example of a necessary wine accessory, with the Waiter’s Corkscrew being common knowledge to even those who don’t drink. Unknown to many, however, the wine opener comes in a myriad of variations. The most commonplace type of wine opener is the aforementioned Waiter’s Corkscrew, resembling a Swiss Army knife in design and having a small and convenient shape.
More classical designs include the Wing Corkscrew and Legacy Corkscrew. The Wing Corkscrew is often overshadowed by the waiter’s corkscrew, despite its invention taking place six years after the waiter’s corkscrew. Compared to the Waiter’s Corkscrew, the Wing Corkscrew is far less versatile and requires the user to exert more physical strength. Yet where it sacrifices versatility and ease, it makes up for it with its reliability. The Legacy Corkscrew on the other hand requires far less effort, it is a stationary mechanism that is often attached to a table or bar, sacrificing flexibility and mobility for ease of use.
On the opposite end of the spectrum would be the electronic wine openers or those that use unique modern mechanisms to open wines. Easily used by those without experience opening wines, electric wine openers require little effort to uncork a bottle of wine. Those who do not like having to plug in their wine openers to charge, however, might appreciate using an air pressure pump. The air pressure pump simply requires the user to insert the needle through the cork, and pump air into the bottle, either through a manual pump or pressurised gas, allowing the cork to come out easily with air pressure from within the bottle. These types of wine openers are perfect for wine enthusiasts who dislike the hassle of uncorking a bottle.
- Jack, YWF Writer.
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