A wine journal is a journal for recording notes on wine consumed or tasted. It provides a catalogue for the wine enthusiast to record information such as producer, region, vintage, price, date, name of store or restaurant, ranking and tasting notes for wine, champagne and liquors for future review. Some journals offer a space for pasting in the label. At that time, wine was sold in barrels and served in pitchers. Wine bottles were rarely used before 1800. Diners and guests carried their own knives, and ate with their fingers. Louis XIV refused to use the fork which had become fashionable in Italy, so the use of forks did not even begin in France until about 1730. One could drink using a wooden or terra cotta cup provided by the host, but carrying your own cup was more sanitary and more distinguished.

Besides its affordability, we noted during testing that it is easy to use and requires less skill than a waiter’s friend. If you’re not one to drink a lot of wine, but desire an opener for when guests swing by, this option is an excellent all-purpose option. However, keep in mind that there is no foil cutter, so you will have to use kitchen scissors or a paring knife to open the foil. Your standard wine opener works by inserting a metal worm into the cork to pull out the cork smoothly, giving you full access to your favorite wine. Wine openers come in many forms, though. A waiter’s key stabilizes the cork to help you remove it, while a more automated wine opener will pop the cork without any effort from you. A simple opener is a piece of metal with a rectangular or rounded opening in one end and a solid handle large enough to be gripped between the thumb and forefingers on the other. The opening contains a lip that is placed under the edge of the bottle top, pulling it off when upward force is applied to the handle end of the opener. A Coravin is every wine pro’s secret weapon. While it’s not technically an opener, it not only pours your wine but preserves whatever you don’t drink. Essentially, you’re accessing your wine without actually opening the bottle. Think of it as a fancy tap that bypasses the cork using a needle and inert gas, allowing you to pour your wine without exposing it to oxygen, so it will keep as if you'd never opened it at all.

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This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( July 2010) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message) The saucer-like cups were originally named by Burgundian winemakers [4] and allowed them to judge the clarity and color of wine that was stored in dim, candle-lit wine cellars. Regular wine glasses were too deep to allow for accurate judging of the wine's color in such faint light. Tastevins are designed with a shiny faceted inner surface. Often, the bottom of the cup is convex in shape. The facets, convex bottom, and the shiny inner surface catch as much available light as possible, reflecting it throughout the wine in the cup, making it possible to see through the wine. Winged corkscrews are a bit old-school, but they have their perks. They’re also relatively affordable, generally speaking (particularly this model). D.C.-based blogger and wine pro Alicia Chew recommends a winged-style corkscrew for a few reasons: “[These have] an additional lever, and this is a popular option because it's easier to use than the standard wine key,” she says. “It's almost impossible to angle the lever incorrectly with a winged corkscrew.” A simple, double-walled or otherwise insulated container that keeps a chilled bottle of wine cold, also called a glacette.

There are several distinct designs of such bottle openers. Wall mounted openers are typically found behind bars in pubs, whilst hand-tool bottle openers tend to be found and used in domestic environments. The functional elements of bottle openers (a tooth or lip to catch the underside of the cap, a fulcrum across which to exert the force that will remove the cap, and usually a lever for mechanical advantage) tend to be consistent, although they can vary in design and aesthetics. During testing, we noted that while pros will love this unit, it has a learning curve. Consider testing out your first Ah-So with a few low-stakes bottles before opening a premier cru Burgundy. Also, note that no foil cutter is included with this unit, so you will have to use a separate knife.If a lever opener is more your style, consider this elegant tool by Brookstone. With its ergonomic grip, streamlined metal construction, and new design defined by its extra-long lever for optimal leverage, you can pull any cork (natural or synthetic) with little to no effort in three seconds flat. A wine thief is a glass or food-grade plastic pipette used in the process of wine making. It may be anywhere from 30 to 60cm (12 to 24in) in length and may have a bend near one end. The wine thief is used to remove a small amount of wine from a cask, carboy, or other fermentation device for testing. A bottle opener is a device that enables the removal of metal bottle caps from glass bottles. More generally, it might be thought to include corkscrews used to remove cork or plastic stoppers from wine bottles. If you drink wine often, you want something durable that will last through many bottles for years to come. It's also wise to think about extraneous parts that you may have to replace from time to time, including batteries. New Zealand has had in average 40 injuries recorded by the Accident Compensation Corporation per year due to injuries while opening a beer bottle that required to remove a metal lid. [2] Two ophthalmologists Cam Loveridge-Easther and Sacha Moore wrote a letter recommending for warnings to be put on bottles. [2] See also [ edit ]

A good, high-quality Ah-So makes an excellent gift for any wine collector or advanced enthusiast in your life. MONOPOL Germany’s expertly crafted two-prong steel opener comes in a sleek, silver satin finish with a decorative cover and five-year warranty. A wine aerator is a small, in-bottle, hand-held pour-through or decanter top device for aerating wine. These devices mix air into the wine as it flows through or over, increasing exposure to oxygen and causing aeration. They offer an alternative to swirling, traditional decanting, and to aldouze (i.e. to wait for wine to breathe). Purpose-built wine aerators became fashionable among enthusiasts by around 2010. [5] The Ah-So style is something that most wine professionals own. Featuring two prongs that slide down the sides of the cork, this tool is designed to gently and effectively pull old and brittle corks. This type of opener is great to have around if you drink the occasional older wine, but it’s not exactly essential for the casual everyday drinker and shouldn’t be the only one you have on hand. Still, having one is essential for wine lovers; if you feel that the cork in your older Barolo or your aged port is at risk, whip out this two-pronged opener to avoid having to use cheesecloth and a decanter. There are a number of styles of wine aerators and approaches to accomplish aeration. While injection-style hand-held acrylic aerators are currently most common, in-bottle and decanter top aerators are also available. Sieve-style decanter top funnels have long been used for aeration and catching sediment. Aerators are made from food-safe plastic or glass, and decanter top aerators are commonly stainless steel.Injection-style aerators work by the Venturi effect, an application of Bernoulli's principle: they feature a wide tube that narrows. This effect is widely used in engineering applications, for example to mix air and fuel in carburetors. This method has been noted by wine experts [ citation needed] to be too harsh for thinner skinned varietals such as Pinot noir or Gamay.