Wine Gadgets you love...

[BethIrish]

I want to get DH a wine chiller for Christmas. Not a wine fridge (we already have one) but one of those gadgets that you put the wine in and it brings it to the appropriate temperature for that wine.

Any suggestions?

[lil_geek]

We got one for Christmas 2 years ago and took it back (Bravetti?) It never seemed to get the wine cold.

[BethIrish]

We got one for Christmas 2 years ago and took it back (Bravetti?) It never seemed to get the wine cold.

That seems to be an issue with a lot of them, from what I am reading in reviews.

Maybe it's back to the drawing board for gift ideas. Any wino-s have fun wine gadgets they love? DH loves his wine AND loves his gadgets :)

[lil_geek]

Nope, but I hope some people pop in! Because I could use some gift ideas for my dad.

[BethIrish]

I PM'd a mod to see if they would change the title for us :) Hopefully more people will pop in a wine gadgets thread :)

[Tanya]

We have one, it's a Cooper Cooler by RCS. In-laws got it at Costco last year, I think. It works quite well, cools a white bottle to the correct temp in about 6-7 minutes (couple mins on red, but we usually use a freezer pack wine wrap for those which are easier). It works on the same concept as the large chillers in stores, constantly swirling really cold water around the bottle. The bottle sits in almost horizontal and you fill it with ice and water. It can also apparently can be used as a baby bottle warmer.

I wouldn't have bought if for ourselves, because I wouldn't think we'd use it a lot, but it's nice to be able to pull a bottle and have it ready to drink quickly.

On the gadget topic, we do have a nice wine thermometer that we use (sits in the bottle like a cork with the digital readout hanging over the edge), and I've seen the thermometers that have a infrared reading into the bottle so you just place it on the outside and it gives you an instant read, but I can't speak to how well those work.

[KitKat]

I definitely would not get a chiller if you already have a wine refrigerator! Drink the quality stuff you already have chilled in the right zone. Chillers are not really the way to go unless you have no other refrig options.

When friends visit us & bring vino, we usually take something out of our wine cellar instead of serving the new wine, so its chilled exactly right. (Unless it's a special red that they want to drink right away though.)

How about a really beautiful decanter & accompanying rack set. You can spend anywhere from $100- a couple grand, there are lots of options.

[BethIrish]

KitKat, that is a good point. Sigh. This shouldn't be so hard!!! We have a gorgeous decanter already, and we have limited space in the dining room so I don't rreally want another.

[curlygurl]

My favorite wine gadget is the Metrokane Rabbit corkscrew:
http://www.metrokane.com/site_files/wine_tools.aspx
http://www.metrokane.com/images/products/Products_L/Rabbit7.jpg

It's always a huge hit when I have new people over - everyone loves using it.

[Tanya]

I definitely would not get a chiller if you already have a wine refrigerator! Drink the quality stuff you already have chilled in the right zone. Chillers are not really the way to go unless you have no other refrig options....

Not necessarily, we have 2 wine fridges (~100 bottles) and still use our chiller. But, our fridges are full to the hilt with non-everyday wine, so we pull a lot of wine off our racks.

[KitKat]

BethIrish- Do you have a bar? If you do, one of the set-in corkers are really neat.

Something like this:

http://jpeterman.com/product.asp?cat=&sku=NCL%20C180

There are many out there, it would be nice to get corker that matches the theme of your home/bar.

This stand is cute:

http://www.gumps.com/jump.jsp?itemID=7695&itemType=PRODUCT&RS=1&keyword=wine

And Gumps is a great place for other fun gadgets -- wine sets, stoppers, pourers, presentation cases, even a wine journal is fun. How about exotic new stemware? (also some at Gumps)

Or wine of the month membership, you receive a couple of quality bottles every month. You can tailor some memberships to your favorite types of wine. Or it's a good way to try some unique wines and branch out.

[KitKat]

And about the chiller, I personally still wouldn't go that route (even though it works for people like Tanya). But we are total sticklers about having our wine at the perfect temperature for the particular bottle -- unless you'll use it outside of the home for tailgating or picnicing, etc :p.

I live way too close to California's wine country, can you tell? :D

[Tanya]

...But we are total sticklers about having our wine at the perfect temperature for the particular bottle -- unless you'll use it outside of the home for tailgating or picnicing, etc :p. ...

Yeah, so are we, that's why we use the chiller:cool:. But, I agree, if you have empty space in your wine fridge, there's not a great reason to have one unless you entertain a lot.

[meggers]

DH and I aren't wine drinkers so I have a question for those that are. I found a decorative wine bottle stopper that I thought I might give my mom for Christmas. Is that something that you would use?

[KitKat]

Meggers- If it's a theme/style she generally likes, it's a nice gift. For really serious wine drinkers, often they will not save a bottle after it's opened though. Personally I love the stoppers we've received as gifts and I have no problem saving a bottle for the next day. When I use a stopper, I think about the person who gave it to us. But there are people out there (like my DH :)) that just won't drink day old wine. You know your mom best but for most people it would be nice.

[BeachBum]

Does anyone have a suggestion for a wine of the_____ club? We get quarterly shipments from one winery we enjoy. But I would like a bit more variety than choosing a single label again.

[lil_geek]

Nope, but thank you BeachBum! I am going to look for that for my dad!!!

[BethIrish]

Just wanted to throw it out there that Best Buy has a 12 bottle wine fridge for something like $60 - it's a black Friday special :) I believe the fridge is an Oster brand.

[Daisy]

BeachBum - I believe wines.com has a wine of the month club and they distribute a variety of labels.

[Rosebud]

Here's the thread on wine & beer clubs:

Wine/ Beer of the Month Clubs? (http://www.constantchatter.com/forum/showthread.php?t=30976)