We all have unnecessary things in the kitchen. The pasta machine that you used only once, a malfunctioning espresso machine. Maybe a sous vide machine that was thrilling for a couple of weeks. Many wine gadgets are also unnecessary. Take port tongs, for example; it is not an essential item for any of us.
Actually, isn’t it enough to have a good corkscrew? More or less, yes.
However, it is essential also to have good glasses. But one or two different types are enough. We have a slightly smaller glass for aperitifs and sparkling wines and another, slightly larger one, for the meal, the same for reds and whites.
Fortunately, we haven’t felt tempted to buy different glasses for different types of wine. We often play the game of letting one of us taste the dinner wine blindly. How would that work if you immediately see that the wine is served in a Chianti glass? Glass fetishism is more a kind of brand snobbery than a way to taste the wine better.
DropStop is a fantastic invention and good to have and doesn’t take up much space. But one should sometimes practice pouring without. A champagne sealer is definitely necessary. You have to be able to take a glass of bubbly as an aperitif and then close the bottle and keep the bubbles.
Do you need a wine thermometer? Not really. But it can be interesting to see from time to time if one’s perception of how warm/cold a wine is, corresponds with reality. On the other hand, the technical temperature does not really matter. The only thing that is important is that you think the wine has the right temperature when you drink it.
Wine gadget inventors are creative. By decanting through a filter, it is said that you can get rid of any sulphur in the wine. And there is an infinite number of “wine aerators”. Some are said to give the wine a maturity that usually requires several years in the cellar. There are also various metal discs that you immerse in the wine and which “quickly age” it, a fast-forward time machine for wine. Yes?
Vacuum pumps? No, logically, a vacuum in the bottle should make the volatile aromas disappear faster. Most wines will anyway last a week in an opened bottle in the fridge. Unless you drink it, of course. If anything, you can use a neutral gas, although that 300 euro gadget doesn’t tempt us.
Nor does any other of those fast-ageing, sulphur-removing clever miracle invention.
What about you? Do you have any wine gadgets that you really think are indispensable? Or maybe some that you never even took out of the box?
Brief of the Month
This month, you get more to read than ever before in the Brief. If you do not have time right now, save it and read later.
We have, for example, our two new articles series:
One where we explain what organic wine is, and also biodynamic, natural and sustainable. Most of what you may have read is not really accurate. We are always amazed that so many people misunderstand what organic wine really is. If you want to know, then read our article series.
The second series is about grape varieties. We present some of the world’s most important grape varieties, important either because they are some of the world’s most planted or because they are particularly interesting. For each grape variety, we also give you suggestions for wines that you can taste to learn the flavours better.
But we have lots of other articles and news in this Brief too, about glaciers, attacking birds, forest fires, Swedish wine, GDPR, exclusive vinegar and much more.
Travel
Right now, it’s pretty calm on the travel front. We are beginning to long to get out into the wine regions again. How about you? Does it feel too long since you were on a wine tour? This coming autumn, we only have a few tours. It goes without saying that we follow all advice and recommendations on health and safety.
By next year, we hope that the situation will improve so that we can all travel a little more freely. We have the spring wine travel program ready, with two great classics. The autumn program is also partly ready, but there will be more, so keep your eyes open.
We hope to meet you soon on a wine tour.
Enjoy the Brief!
Britt & Per
This is just the introduction to the latest issue of the Brief. Subscribe to the BKWine Brief and you will get the whole edition in your mailbox next month.
What’s on at BKWine Tours
BKWine is also one of the world’s leading wine tour operators. Here’s what we currently have on our scheduled wine tour program:
- South America, Chile and Argentina, January 18 – 31, 2021
- New Zealand, February 18 – March 5, 2021
- South Africa, March 17 – 26, 2021
- Bordeaux, April 21-25, 2021
- Champagne, May 19-23, 2021
- Champagne, September 22-26, 2021 (possible combination with Bordeaux)
- Bordeaux, September 29 – October 3, 2021 (possible combination with Champagne)
We also make custom designed wine tours.
We’re different than most other wine tour operators. We are people who know wine inside out, who travel constantly in wine regions, who write award winning books about wine. Who do this out of passion. Our tours are different from others. More in wine tours: BKWineTours.com.
Read our books
We have written several wine books, ten at the last count. Unfortunately, only one of them has been translated to English; the others are (so far) only available in Swedish. This is the one that is available in English:
All our books are on wine, but on different subjects: wines of the Languedoc, wine growing and wine making, the wines of France, Tuscany, Bordeaux, Piedmont, Burgundy, Champagne. Several have won prestigious prizes and awards from Gourmand International, OIV and others. Read more on our wine books.
