6 Wine Utensils You Should Have at Home

If you’re passionate about the world of wine or starting to build your own home collection, it’s important to know about some of the accessories and utensils that you may need or that will help give you the full experience. 

There are a great many wine utensils, ranging from corkscrews to decanters, as well as wine bottle opening and preservation systems. Here’s a selection of the essentials to get the very most out of your wine. 

A good set of glasses is a must for any wine aficionado. The shape and size of the glass can influence the taste of the wine, so it’s important to choose glasses that have been designed specifically for the type of wine being served. “Should I use a different glass to enjoy El Coto Crianza or a white wine like 875 m Chardonnay?” The answer is yes.

Red wine glasses, for example, tend to be larger with a wider bowl to allow the wine to breathe. Reds have strong flavours and aromas, so the rim of the glass should be wider to enhance the aeration and aromas. White wine glasses, meanwhile, are smaller and have a narrower bowl to preserve the delicate flavours of the wine and keep it at the optimal temperature. White wine does not need as much aeration to appreciate its aromas.  

A wine opener is a key tool for anyone who likes to enjoy wine at home. There are several styles of corkscrews, from trusty hand-held ones to more sophisticated electric openers. The most common is the spiral corkscrew, which uses its sharp tip to extract the cork from the bottle.

Some corkscrews also have a built-in foil cutter to remove the cover from the top of the bottle. The lever opener and air-pressure opener are other common home bottle opening tools.

No matter which type of corkscrew you choose, it’s always handy to know what to do if the cork breaks off. Check out this article to find out how to solve this fiasco:

Decanting is the process of separating a liquid from the sediment it contains by gently pouring it into another container. This technique serves three main purposes: to aerate the wine by bringing it into contact with the air, to improve its bouquet and to get rid of or filter out sediment in the bottle. 

The most practical way to decant wine correctly is to use a decanter. Depending on its design and why you’re using it, there are two types of decanters:

• Maximum oxygenation decanters. These types of decanters have a wide base and neck, making them perfect for reservas and gran reservas. One of the most common types is the duck decanter. 
• Minimum oxygenation decanters. These have a narrower mouth and a longer, less tilted neck. The swan or cornetto decanter are two well-known designs of this type of decanter.

Not all wines need to be decanted. With the exception of reserva white wine, whites and rosés do not need decanting. On the other hand, with red wines like the Coto de Imaz Gran Reserva, decanting aids in aeration, helping to better perceive its taste and aroma. 

Wine chillers are accessories used to keep wine at an optimal temperature. They come in all shapes and sizes, such as ones you can keep in the freezer and portable ones that can be used on the go.

Wine chillers are an essential for anyone who wants to enjoy their wine at the best temperature. Red wine, for example, should be served between 12 and 18 °C (depending on whether it’s a young red, aged, reserva or gran reserva). On the other hand, it’s recommended to keep white wine between 5 and 12 °C.  

There’s always the option to use an ice bucket to ensure the wine stays at the right temperature. However, this isn’t always a great alternative, especially if the table is small or cluttered with lots of plates. 

We all know by now that wine is affected by oxygen exposure. This happens the moment you open the bottle. The best wines actually evolve as they are further oxygenated, offering something completely new to the drinker in the process.

However, leaving a bottle open for an extended period of time leads to a lot of oxygen getting inside, which can have a harmful effect on the wine should you choose to reseal the bottle. A good vacuum pump will allow you to get rid of the oxygen that’s inside the bottle. So you can seal it back up with a good stopper. That way, you can continue to enjoy the quality of the wine at a later date. 

If you’ve started to build something of a wine collection, at some point you’ve probably wondered: Where’s the best place to store wine: on a bottle rack or in a wine cooler? Storing wine incorrectly can lead to disastrous consequences within just a few weeks. 

Both a bottle rack and a wine cooler are great options for storing wine. If you don’t have a lot of space at home, but want to store your prized bottles properly... Buying one of these accessories will be an excellent investment.

However, there are certain differences between the two. Such as the constant temperature in the wine cellar as well as details and more information. You can read more about in our article Home wine cellar: wine cooler or rack.