Five Essential Wine Accessories

Here are five essential wine accessories every wine enthusiast should consider:

1. Wine Opener – Duh! This one is obvious, but there is a myriad of styles, including “winged butterfly”, “bunny ears”, electric, or air pump openers on the market.  The classic waiter’s friend is a great choice. It’s the choice of sommeliers for a reason.  It includes a foil cutter and a bottle opener.
    
2. Wine Glasses – If you want to maximize your enjoyment of wine, then you’ll need decent wine glasses. There is credible scientific evidence that proves that the shape of the glass affects how the flavor of wine is perceived.  As with wine openers, there are a multitude of choices.  We recommend being practical about it and start by purchasing a good all-purpose glass for wine.  As for stem versus stemless glass, the choice is yours. When it comes to getting decent glassware, buy the best you can afford.
    
3. Champagne Stopper – Sparkling wine bubbles don’t last long.  For those times when you don’t finish a bottle of sparking wine, you’ll want a quality wine stopper that will keeps the bubbles in for as long as possible.
    
4. Decanter – In our Wine 101 Series we shared with you that the point of decanting your wine is to expose it to the oxygen to improve the taste of the wine.  A good decanter will increase the rate at which oxygen brings forth the wine’s best characteristics.  When choosing a decanter look for one with a wider base than neck. That aside, let your budget and your personal taste be your guide.
    
5. Wine Preserver – For those times you don’t finish a bottle of wine the same day its opened, you’re going to need to find a way to keep it fresh as possible. Since excessive exposure to oxygen degrades wine, we recommend investing in a wine preserver. There is dizzying array of wine preservers on the market.  The vacuum pump type of preserver, which removes oxygen from the bottle. is the most popular and reasonably priced.  How well it works is debatable. Sticking the cork back in the bottle and storing the wine in the refrigerator (the colder temperature slows down the oxidation of the wine) is another option, especially if it’s only for a day or two.
    

While the wine accessories will enhance your wine experience, the best way to learn more about wine is to taste and drink wine.  With 85+ wineries, Lodi Wine Country offers an amazing variety of tasting opportunities.  We hope to see you soon!