Wine & Bar Accessories
Fun Wine Glasses for Casual Enjoyment
Lehmann Glass Oenomust Wine Glass
While they are many, many options to choose from when it comes to selecting a wine glass, for the uninitiated the choices can be daunting if you do not know the different characteristics that wine glasses possess and which are correct for your purposes. The wine glasses featured here are unique and should be considered solely based on their aesthetic appeal. These are not the glasses to pull out when the sommelier you happen to know is coming over for dinner. Rather, they are the glasses you use for a fun lighthearted experience that is more about the company than taking wine tasting to new heights. Although some could definitely be your fancy-pants selection to show off with, these are more likely to be the ones you whip out for a rowdy game night with friends.
Madeline Puckette is a wine expert and certified sommelier with The Court of Master Sommeliers. She started the blog Wine Folly in 2011 with her partner, Justin Hammack, and the two have a book coming out this month, “Wine Folly: The Essential Guide to Wine” (Avery). Puckette explains that the experience of drinking wine from what might be considered the “correct” glass, is really a matter of preference.
“Once you learn how to hold a stemmed glass and feel confident in holding it and drinking out of it, it’s a psychological effect that happens,” says Puckette. “It’s the same way that a stemmed water glass makes you feel classy. You go to a fancy restaurant and they serve you water that’s in a glass, you pick it up by the foot and you have this sort of visceral experience of drinking water. The same thing happens for a wine glass.”
Puckette says that when helping a customer choose the best wine glass, it is important to ask the customer what kind of wine drinker they are. Are they the animated type who likes to talk with their hands and arms? Maybe point them to a glass with a large bowl that will help keep the wine in the glass. Do they like to enjoy their wine outdoors? Suggest a glass that is durable for this setting. Must it be able to go through the dishwasher? Are they drinking with kids and pets around? Suggest a glass that is not delicate and might withstand a tumble or two. Do they drink white, red or sparkling wine? There is a different “proper” glass for each type of wine.
The very basic information you need to know about wine glasses is that white wine typically goes in a smaller glass than red wine. This is because white wine needs to stay cool and the more surface area that’s exposed to the air, the more it will warm up to room temperature. A narrower bell shape on white wine glasses also aides in concentrating the zesty aromas that are commonly found in white wines. Glasses for red wine tend to have a bigger rounder bowl and larger opening that allows for more surface area and collecting more aromas from the wine.
Jackie Wine/Martini Combo Glass from B By Brandie
To enjoy wine at a basic level, Puckette suggests choosing a glass that allows space for the wine plus air. In America, a standard pour of wine is 5 to 6 ounces, while in Europe and Australia they are strict about a 150 milliliter pour, roughly 5 ounces. Puckette says that a 22-ounce glass will usually allow for a nice ratio.
“You need some space. You really need a little space to have aromas collect in the glass and be able to actually put your nose in the glass and smell them. It’s the baby bear effect, too small is bad, too big is bad, but just right is just right,” says Puckette.
The Oenomust wine glass from Lehmann Glass features a wide base that rises to a distinctive bulge where the glass then flows into the rounded and narrower upper part of the bowl. The glass was designed by Gerard Lehmann to enhance the wine-tasting experience through the generous shape of the glass that allows for controlled rotation and oxygenation of the wine without the fear of spillage. Six different Oenomust glasses are available, including a stemless spirits goblet and a flute for sparkling wines. The glasses range in size from 20.6 ounces for a vintage wines glass, to 11.6 ounce for a taster glass. Three different shapes and sizes of carafes are also available as well as a 50-ounce decanter glass. The Oenomust collection has suggested retail prices ranging from $63 to $96 for a set of six glasses.
The Jackie Wine/Martini Combo Glass from B By Brandie is the perfect glass for the hostess who doesn’t know what her guests will end up drinking and wants to be prepared for both a cocktail or wine situation. The glasses feature an 8-ounce wine glass on top and a 4-ounce martini glass on bottom. Simply flip the glass to accommodate either drink. The glass is inspired by and named after Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and is made in Poland. A set of two glasses has a suggested retail price of $64.
Saturn Wine Glass from SUPERDUPERSTUDIO
The Saturn Wine Glass from SUPERDUPERSTUDIO is made in California by a duo design team. The glass is shaped by hand before being blown into a mold by glass artisans, it is then cut and polished by hand. These spacey glasses are the reimagination of a traditional Italian glassblowing technique, which the designers appropriated to prevent messy spills and stains. Four years of research and refinement has culminated in the patent-pending Saturn Glasses that are surprisingly light and have a unique shape that makes them perfect for stacking. The glass has a suggested retail price of $52 each.
Oenophilia Wino Sipper
From Oenophilia comes the quirky Wino Sippers. The glasses feature a built-in sipping straw and a sturdy three-point base to prevent tipping. The glasses are just plain fun and something for guests to “ooh” and “ahh” over. They hold a standard 5-ounce pour of wine and are sold as set of two with a suggested retail price of $24. While they may not be the fancy glass for a $50 bottle of wine, they would be just great for making sure you polish off that box of wine with help from the built-in straw. Mini 2.75-ounce Porto Sippers for port are also available in a set of four.
Magisso COOL ID Glass
Magisso’s new COOL ID Glass in a 11.15-ounce size makes the perfect stemless vessel for enjoying wine outdoors. The cup features cooling ceramics that self-cool after being soaked in water for just 60 to 90 seconds. The longer the item sits in the environment the colder it becomes, and the effect lasts for several hours. The exterior is a matte black finish with a white rim. The surface is suitable for writing personal messages in chalk that can be easily wiped off, so you can skip the wine charms. A set of two has a suggested retail price of $40. COOL ID items are also available in a variety of serving pieces and barware, including shot glasses and a tumbler.
This story was originally published in the September 2015 issue of Kitchenware News, a publication of Oser Communications Group.
Wine Glass Charms
This story was originally published in the September 2015 issue of Kitchenware News, a publication of Oser Communications Group.
Trend Spotting at the Summer Markets
BIOBU by EKOBO
Whimsical barware, eco-friendly bamboo fiber dishes, and products featuring woods for a modern organic look were hot at this year’s summer gift shows.
BIOBU by EKOBO is a line of tableware made from biodegradable bamboo fiber and other natural plant materials. The dishes are designed for everyday use and are as durable as plastic or melamine, but better for the environment since bamboo is a highly renewable natural resource. BIOBU has a decidedly contemporary look to the line with plates that have rounded corners that softly curve upward so there are no hard lines to be found on any of the dishes. The GUSTO collection is aimed at adults and professionals and is available in six different colors, while the BAMBINO collection was designed especially for kids and features six bright color options to choose from, with Lagoon as a neutral teal color that appears in both collections. The dishes are all stackable, dishwasher safe and intended for indoor or outdoor use. BIOBU has suggested retail prices ranging from $5 for a single bowl to $99 for a set of 12 pieces.
Magpie Ahoy! Collection Bamboo Fiber Trays, Modern Home Collection Catch-All Trays and Platter
Also making a splash with bamboo fiber was Magpie, a London-based line of all vegan housewares and gifts that launched in the U.S. last year. Among the collections from Magpie, that are designed in collaboration with numerous artists, both The Modern Home collection and Ahoy! collection feature items with bamboo fiber. The Modern Home line shows off 26 of the last century’s most iconic homeware designs from A to Z. A set of four bamboo fiber Catch-All Trays feature a different design on each 5.5-inch tray including a midcentury modern swivel chair, a retro kettle, a blocky asterisk clock, and a vintage shelf. A Large Platter in bamboo fiber shows off even more of the designs in a grid across the 12.7-inch diameter. The Ahoy! range is nautical-inspired and features maritime items in a color palette of blues and greens. A large Bamboo Fiber Tray measures 11.2-by-14.9-inches and displays a sailboat, while the Bamboo Fiber Tray Duo showcase either a narwhal and a lobster or a whale and an octopus and measure 7.4-by-5.9-inches.
BIAmboo from B.I.A. Cordon Bleu
Even B.I.A. Cordon Bleu, known as a manufacturer of porcelain and stoneware serving accessories, bakeware and dinnerware, has come out with a line of bamboo fiber, BIAmboo. The range consists of square plates and bowls, trays, and serving pieces available in two different shades of blue, a light green and white. New this year is the Flora pattern that features colorful abstract flowers and can mix and match well with the existing color options. BIAmboo Flora pieces include new 14-ounce tumblers, an 8-inch salad plate, and two sizes of rectangular trays. BIAmboo is all-natural, food-safe, free of chemicals and biodegradable. Suggested retail prices ranges from $6 for an 8-inch round salad bowl to $20 for a large17-by-13-inch tray.
Bottle Openers from zestt
Bar accessories were to be found around every corner of the summer markets, and while they are certainly a mainstay of many brands, some of these barware pieces combined the luxe trend of last year while leaning more towards the whimsical. Take for example the golden bottle openers from zestt, a home accessories design brand. The extremely giftable bottle openers are available in four different designs, including a lobster, fish lure, antler, and hexes shape. The Lobster Bottle Opener, with its claws and body in gold can instantly add a touch of sophisticated whimsy to any bar cart, while also being a completely functional and unique piece.
Spitfire Girl Shot Glasses and Flask
Brands like Spitfire Girl and Trixie & Milo presented bar accessories with a vintage feel to them. Spitfire Girl’s Gold Spirits Glass Flask has a swingtop with the word “Spirits” printed across it in gold and embellished with flourishes, reminiscent of old fashioned print you might see at a saloon. A set of two matching 12-ounces glasses is also available. The brand’s Animal Menagerie Shot Glass Set feature portraits of four different animals in suits. There is a cat sporting an eye patch, a bear with a top hat, a lion in a Kentucky bow tie, and a debonair fox in a Victorian-style frock coat and tie, giving the set a whimsical gentlemanly appearance.
Trixie & Milo Old Buffalo Nickel Portable Shot Glass
Trixie & Milo’s Portable Shot Glasses are just like the collapsible travel cups used for camping when space is at a premium. The 2-ounce stainless steel shot glass has an antique brass finished snap-on cap that is available in a variety of motifs, all featuring vintage designs with old-timey charm. The designs are laser engraved and there are eight to choose from for a suggested retail price of $18.00.
Wink Cat Wine Box Purse
Wink’s newest Wine Box Purse is designed with cat ears and eyes in black and white, and is as over the top as it is full of tongue-in-cheek whimsy. The insulated shoulder strap purse is made to hold a 3-liter boxed wine pouch and has a hole on the side to accommodate the spout. It has a suggested retail price of $40 and is also available in other styles.
Tovolo Skull Ice Mold
Tovolo debuted new ice molds shaped like Tiki figures and skulls. The two separate sets are the latest to roll out from the brand’s many different ice molds and would be great for any themed cocktail party. Each set has three different molds and they are also available as ice pop molds.
Bromance Freaker
Freaker beverage insulators are made in the USA and designed to fit a multitude of different drinks, from wine and champagne bottles, to cans and glass beer bottles. They are essentially knitted socks with elastic at the top that allows them to conform to any shape and then be thrown in the washing machine to get restored to the original form. Freakers aim to end drink condensation while also keeping drinks cool. They are available in over 75 different designs, including a collegiate collection and a states collection, with fun names like Bromance for a teal Freaker featuring a red heart with the word “BEER” in the center. Freakers have a suggested retail price of $10.
Picnic Time Mesarita Margarita/Chip and Dip Serving Table
Another trend spotted around the markets was the use of woods to add a touch of warmth to products. Picnic Time uses acacia wood in its Mesarita Margarita/Chip and Dip Serving Table, giving it a most elegant appearance. The dark acacia wood is combined with two ceramic dip bowls, a ceramic chip bowl, four 8-ounce margarita glasses, and stands on steel legs that fold compactly for storage. The Mesarita has carved out nooks to hold the included glasses and bowls, and has two specially carved out sections to hold salt to rim margarita glasses. It has a suggested retail price of $133.95.
Core Home Bark Edge Cutting Board
Core Home also uses acacia for the new Bark Edge Cutting Boards. The high quality boards lend a natural feel through the vibrant wood grains that are prominently displayed alongside the contrasting rugged edge of exposed bark. The Bark Edge Cutting Board has a suggested retail price of $24.99.
Kate Spade All in Good Taste Cutting Board
For Kate Spade’s new All in Good Taste collection of kitchenware, the cutting boards featured cheeky sayings atop the board’s acacia surface. There is a rectangular 16-inch cutting board, with green enamel along the edges for a pop of color, and the saying “Don’t Cut Corners” in the right corner. It has a suggested retail price of $40. A round 9.2-inch board has a light blue enamel edge and says “Almost Always Above Board,” it retails for $30. A set of four acacia and enamel coaster is also available for $25.
The French Chefs Medium Roaster
The French Chefs showed off white porcelain bakeware and dinnerware along with rattan accent pieces. The Medium Roaster is 9 by 13 inches and comes with a rattan holder for oven-to-table presentation. The use of rattan certainly differentiates the roaster from others and also lends a touch of rustic charm. Accent pieces include a bread basket, tray, bottle caddy, placemats, and a set of coasters.
This story was originally published in the September 2015 issue of Kitchenware News, a publication of Oser Communications Group.
Savino: The Perfect Plastic Wine Preservation System to Pack for a Picnic
Savino was one of the largest wine related projects in the history of Kickstarter and is manufactured in the USA from the highest quality materials to provide every wine lover the ability to enjoy great tasting wine, every day, for years to come.
It all started 15 years ago, when creator Scott Tavenner opened his refrigerator to find a glass of wine sitting on the top shelf. Asking his wife about the glass, she responded, “I wanted to save the wine for later.” This simple statement sparked a journey which led him to try almost every wine preservation system available. Years of disappointment with available products led Tavenner to develop an innovative solution to this common problem – Savino.
Unlike other wine preservation solutions on the market, Savino does not try to control the environment of an opened bottle of wine. Instead, it creates a new, beautiful environment designed to preserve and serve wine. Savino started with a simple premise – great products begin with a great experience. Savino centers its experience on a product that is effective, elegant and easy-to-use.
Savino is now pleased to introduce the new Enthusiast wine preservation system, a more affordable BPA-free Tritan version of Savino. Akin to the original glass Connoisseur Savino, Enthusiast still keeps your wine fresh for up to a week. However the Enthusiast is gently priced at $29.95. It shares the same patented Savino technology, is made in the USA, and is dishwasher safe.
Unique features to the Enthusiast are its BPA-free Tritan construction that protects wine with a locking lid and is perfect for the outdoors. Savino holds a full 750ml bottle of wine but is shorter than a wine bottle so it easily fits in your refrigerator. It is elegantly designed to look great in the kitchen and on the dining table as well.
Simply open a great bottle of wine and enjoy a glass. Then, pour the remaining wine into Savino, insert the float to create a physical barrier between the wine and the oxygen and place the top on the carafe to prevent any accidental spills. You can open a great bottle of wine on Tuesday, and know that the following week you can enjoy the same bottle of wine. When you’re ready to have more wine, remove the top and pour yourself another great tasting glass of wine as you watch the float automatically adjust as you seamlessly move from storing to pouring your wine.
Ideal for gift giving, the Savino is an extremely easy to use wine preservation system that allows you to confidently open any bottle of wine wherever the night may lead, and will still be able to enjoy the fresh flavor all week long.
Making Cocktails The Smart Way with Perfect Drink
Before I gave the Perfect Drink app controlled bartending system a try, I made sure to stock up my bar. Or so I thought. After one liquor haul that ran around $50, I opened up the app and entered the contents of my liquor cabinet for drink suggestions based on the ingredients I had on hand. I found that I could just nearly make a Rainbow Dee-Lite. All I needed was some blue curacao and the rainbow-colored alcoholic beverage would be mine. It seemed easy enough, but let me tell you right now that blue curacao is hard to find. Four stores, an hour and a half later, and I finally had some blue curacao in my hands. But boy was it worth it.
Let me back up and clarify that when I say “stock my bar,” I mean create a bar by buying a bunch of liquor at random and placing it on my kitchen counter. Let me back up even further and actually explain Perfect Drink. The system is a smart scale that works with an app to provide hundreds of drink recipes, step by step instructions, and weigh out ingredients without measuring. The app can scale drinks so you can select any quantity to make, from one glass to a full pitcher. It will correct over-pours by adjusting the recipe automatically. You can enter the ingredients you have and get suggestions on what drinks to make listed by the level of completeness for your ingredients. If you decide to dream up your own concoction, you can immortalize it in the app to admire in the light of day – and actually remember it the next morning. Since the system is based on the app, it is able to receive continual updates to add new recipes and improve upon user-friendliness based on customer feedback.
So there I was, four stores later and I was ready to make a Rainbow Dee-Lite: orange juice, vodka, pineapple juice, grenadine and blue curacao. I had my iPad placed on the included stand and connected to the scale from the headset jack, ready to lead me on my rainbow drink journey. I changed the quantity from one to two so I could reward my friend who had accompanied me on Blue Curacao Hunt 2015. I poured my first ingredient, the vodka, into the included shaker and immediately poured too much. The virtual glass on the screen that was filling up as I poured turned red, and the app made a disapproving sound and then diligently adjusted the rest of my ingredients accordingly. Next up was the blue curacao. This time, I poured the right amount and the app let out a happy “ding!” I stirred these two together and then set them aside to begin layering the drink in a separate glass. After pouring in the grenadine, orange juice and pineapple juice into a glass with ice, it was time for the blue mixture as the final layer and I was done with my first Perfect Drink.
It was the most beautiful drink I have ever made. I was so proud of myself. I took pictures and showed them to anyone who would listen for the next week like a proud parent. However, I was a bit too excited in the moment and didn’t think through some elements that might have been helpful if I’d paid attention to them earlier. First, there were useful tips on assembling the drink on the left panel of the app screen. I completely missed those while I was so intent on getting the pour to weigh out perfectly. For the Rainbow Dee-Lite it suggested pouring the layers over the back of a spoon for smoother unmixed layers. Not a huge deal, but it’s probably a good idea to read through all of the steps of the recipe first if you’re easily distracted, like me. To do that, you have to tap ahead through all the drink steps and check the panel on the left each time.
My very first Perfect Drink, the Rainbow Dee-Lite. Not bad, right?
A Rainbow Dee-Lite as shown in the Perfect Drink App
Another aspect I didn’t think about was the fact that I had attempted to make two layered drinks at once but in the same glass. This amounted to a double portion drink because in order to split it I would ruin the presentation by stirring together the layered ingredients and then pouring them into two separate glasses. The rainbow absolutely had to stay intact. So instead I opted to be the bigger person by taking the doubled up drink for myself and making a single for my friend.
Next, my friend and I were feeling the need for a little pick-me-up and wanted a coffee drink. Fortunately, I had randomly picked up some coffee liqueur during Blue Curacao Hunt 2015. I didn’t quite have the ingredients on hand to match what the app was telling me I could make based on the ingredients I had entered earlier, so we decided to let the app guide us as far as measurements and let intuition take us the rest of the way. I had my friend take the lead as she has a natural knack for mixology, and Susie’s Red Eye was born: a mixture of coffee, vodka, coffee liqueur and half and half shaken up and then poured over ice.
My drink concoction, Susie’s Red Eye, officially saved in the app
Upon entering it into the app to save the recipe we decided that a finishing touch of a cinnamon stick would be perfect, if we had had a cinnamon stick, which we didn’t. So we added that to the recipe too. We weren’t very scientific about the shaking; we just decided it was fun to do and that it must be a step in the instructions. Within Perfect Drink, a programmed recipe that calls for shaking has a timer to let you know exactly how long to shake the drink so it’s mixed without being watered down.
Further ventures with Perfect Drink produced a Sex On The Beach that tasted so spot-on that it had us remembering times spent in Rocky Point, Mexico, spring break territory for University of Arizona students, where that drink is abundant: “It’s good! Tastes like a dirty bar in Mexico, brings back memories!”
Perfect Drink Appletini
I learned along the way that sometimes you just need to make substitutions for ingredients and call it close enough. The Sex On The Beach called for cranberry juice, but I only had cranberry pomegranate juice. It worked for me, although it didn’t look exactly like the picture. My friend wanted to recall her days of being 21 and asked for an Appletini. The recipe called for a cherry garnish, which I did not have, so instead I added some grenadine at the end. Again, it was close enough for me!
The Perfect Drink bartending system from Pure Imagination definitely lends itself to entertaining. With a suggested retail price of $49.99 it’s not too expensive to try out with a crowd and make it the highlight of your next party. Darin Barri, Partner at Pure Imagination, tells me that customers have been throwing Perfect Drink parties where guests bring a bottle of liquor or a mixer. All the ingredients are then entered into the app and folks make drinks from that. I will be trying this for sure because the worst thing about Perfect Drink is all the money you will end up spending on alcohol. It’s so much fun knowing you can make any drink under the sun that you can easily get carried away in the liquor store, so beware, gentle readers.
This story was originally published in the April 2015 issue of Kitchenware News, a publication of Oser Communications Group.
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