After assigning SLM's next Liquid Assets article--a piece tentatively titled Wine Essentials 2.0--to Chris Hoel, our resident sommelier and Zen (or is that Zin?) master of all things drinkable, I considered the items that changed the way I drink and appreciate wine:
1. Big-bowled, thin-lipped, lightweight, knock-off lead crystal glasses. How something so basic can totally transform the wine experience is flat beyond words. Mine came from Mikasa - $20 at an outlet mall for a set of four. Riedel, schmiedel. No reason to let breakage break you.
2. A can of inert gas, such as "Private Preserve," - keeps partial bottles of wine fresh for weeks, free from oxidation. This stuff must be made in Weirdistan...you'll swear the full can is empty.
3. The Wine Merchant's half-hour rule...half an hour in the fridge for reds, half an hour out for whites and roses. Simple brilliance. I give the Merch credit because that's where I heard it first.
4. A Co2-powered, looks-like-a-hypodermic-syringe corkscrew - yeah, call me lazy, call me an old lady, but sometimes I just don't want to do battle with another plastic cork, most of which, I maintain, have been lubed into bottle necks with LiquidNails.
Will Chris' suggestions jibe with mine? Dunno. We’ll both have to wait for the June issue. - George Mahe
