WINE ACCESSORIES
Consuming wine, we use various accessories. They help us enjoy the process of drinking wine in a comfortable environment. Each of them is important in its own way, and in the aggregate accessories create a special atmosphere.
WINEGLASS
Of course, the first thing I would like to say is a glass. The influence of glasses on the perception of taste is very important when drinking wine. But in order to satisfy not only the taste buds, but also to visually enjoy the process, its appearance is of no small importance.
When creating your own collection, experts advise to have the following wine glasses:
A glass of champagne – it serves both champagne and sparkling wines.
A glass for fresh white wine – a glass of Riesling / SauvignonBlanc.
A glass for aged white wine in a barrel – a glass of OAKed Shardonnay / Montrachet.
Glass for non-tannic berry red wines – PinotNoire glass.
A glass for tannic, structured red wines – a glass of CabernetSauvignon.
Glass for fortified wines – a glass of Port.
CORKSCREW
Of course, you need a corkscrew to facilitate the process of opening the bottle.
There are various models.
The very first model, created in England in the distant 1795, is an ordinary screw rod with a handle.
The Screwpull Corkscrew, created by Herbert Allen in 1979.
Knife sommelier – lever corkscrew, very easy to use when possessing special skills. Opening a bottle with a knife sommelier – you may interest your guests.
DROP HEATER
Pouring wine, there is the possibility of staining or drops on the tablecloth. In order to avoid this problem invented several devices:
DropStop is a flexible, metallized disc, 76 mm in diameter. Covered with special cling film. It is inserted into the neck of the bottle and is suitable for bottles of different diameters. Very simple and effective to use. Also, it is very durable. Due to its subtlety, it cuts off the stream and does not allow the formation of drops.
Ring – suitable only for bottles of classic shape. The material that is inside the structure absorbs the fluid and prevents leakage. The ring is easy to clean.
Petal – not very practical to use, because it is made of plastic and quite fragile. The plus of such a drift catcher is that it looks very stylish on the bottle.
Nozzle – used for standard neck. The design itself is designed in such a way that the last drops of wine fall back into the bottle. This accessory has a simple design made from food-grade plastic.
BOTTLE COOLER
To maintain the correct temperature when serving wine, special bottle coolers are used:
The cooler is an iron or plastic bucket. The amount of ice depends on the ambient temperature, usually 2/3 of its volume is filled. Differ in color and size.
The case is a very convenient device. Put on the bottle while serving wine. Prior to this, the case filled with a special gel is cooled in the refrigerator. It is convenient because there is no need to wipe a bottle of wine every time, as when using a cooler.
BASKET FOR WINE
A wine basket is used when serving red wines. Especially important when drinking old wines with sediment.
The bottle placed in the wine basket collects sediment in such a way that prevents its uplifting, for example, when pouring wine into the decanter.
DECANTER
Now a few words about the decanter. This is a glass decanter. Older, mature wines often need decanting, as sediment forms at the bottom. When transfusing pay attention to the sediment did not get into the decanter. Not only old wines with sediment need decanting. Young tannic wines need transfusion. This makes it possible to get enough wine oxygen and be ready for use. This process is called aeration. Sometimes the decontation of young wines can take from 30 minutes to several hours.
Usually decanters are made of glass or crystal. They are transparent and designed for a standard volume of a bottle of wine.
KEY WINE
Measuring tool for wine. It was created by chemist and enologist Lorenzo Zanon, who, in turn, worked with the best sommeliers in Europe. “The key of wine” – allows you to get information about what the wine will be in a year.
The principle of operation is quite simple – the “key” is dropped into 100 ml of wine and in literally a second you will receive information about the wine. More than 95% of the information is correct.
It is important to know – “the key of wine” does not age wine. The ingress of metals into the liquid is excluded.
NOSE WINE
Special set for determining the aroma of wine. He was created by French enologist Jean Lenoir. The set includes 54 bottles with the most common and typical wine smells, as well as cards, which describe the flavors and types of wines in which they can be found. There is also a set of smells of spoiled wines.
The kit is used by professionals, but for beginners it can be very interesting.
