Favorite Wine Essentials

Wine is all about the experience. Enjoy life, family, and friends with a great bottle of wine, and make sure you have the right tools for that perfect experience.

Wine

I love the experience of walking into a wine store, reading all the bottle labels and talking wine with the staff. However, when I'm pressed for time, and looking for value, I take my list of go-to bottles for every day or special occasion and shop on Wine.com. They have a great selection and good prices. For a very reasonable one-time annual fee, all deliveries direct to your home, no matter the size, are free, and that is definitely a bargain. Highly recommend!

Quality Corkscrew

One of my favorite lines in all three Somm movies https://www.sommtv.com/ is from “Somm: Into The Bottle”, answering the question, “What is a Sommelier?”. “I feel like I’m a Sommelier when I’m opening a $5 bottle of wine with a $300 corkscrew.” -Ian Cauble

A quality corkscrew makes all the difference. I purchased my Laguiole en Aubrac, pictured below, several years ago. Yes, I am that person who’s opening $15 bottles of wine with a $200 corkscrew. The heavy weight and quality steel construction will make you wonder how you ever survived without it. It’s beautiful stone design also attracts much attention from your guests.

The Best Corkscrew

Ah-So Wine Opener

Have you ever tried to open an older bottle of wine and the cork broke in half and crumbled into the wine? I tend to make these types of mistakes three times before finally learning my lesson. The lesson in this case was the purchase of this very inexpensive, very easy tool that works wonders. Gently insert the two prongs on either side of the cork, careful not to push the cork into the bottle, turn the cork and gently pull as you’re turning. Voila! Yes, it’s that simple and that cheap. About $12 on Amazon.

Ah-So Opener

Wine Preserver

I use this Vacu Vin Wine Saver every week to remove oxygen from open bottles. The stopper keeps it fresh for at least a few days, usually up to a week, if I’m that disciplined. There are many different options for wine savers at different price point. I bought mine over 10 years ago for about $10, and it does the trick every time. I now have two pumps on hand (one for traveling) and about 6 stoppers. The extra stoppers are good for leftover wine from parties, if you’re drinking reds and your partner is drinking whites, for creating your own home blind or horizontal tasting sessions, etc.

Best Wine Preserver

Wine Glasses

Yes, good quality glasses make a difference in the taste of your wine. I have Riedel Veritas – just the Cabernet style for reds and Viognier/Chardonnay style for whites – not the entire lineup of varietal styles, though I really should expand more. Amazon: https://amzn.to/3ffDSxv

Another brand to try is Spiegelau. They are owned by the same company that makes Riedel but sell at about half the price. I volunteer for a local wine shop that uses these glasses for tastings and classes. Very elegant and durable. Amazon: https://amzn.to/2SyIdCh

Finally, for large parties, I have three cases of Libbey wine glasses purchased from a local restaurant supply store. They look good, they’re dishwasher safe, and for the price, you don’t care if they break. These are not for wine tastings – just for parties.

Glass Towels

I always have microfiber wine glass towels on hand for drying my wine glasses. Make sure your glasses are free from spots, lint, and watermarks. This also assists in ensuring an oil and lint-free glass if you’re looking for those good wine legs on your glass. Prices can vary widely. The link below has 2 for $8.

Wine Glass Towels

Disclosure

Some, not all, of the links above are affiliate links. That means that if you click on them, and/or purchase an item on those links, I’ll receive compensation, at no additional cost to you. This enables me to buy another bottle of wine and write more content for you! These are all products I love. All content is my own. Thank you and enjoy!