1) Pulltaps corkscrew ($8): Simply the best corkscrew ever invented. Articulating arm, Teflon screw, serrated foil cutter, and comfortable on the fingers. Available in most wineshops.
2) Franmara 1030 Cork Retriever ($4.79): For those awful times when you accidentally push the cork into the bottle, this masterful little device will get it back out. www.webstaurantstore.com.
3) Waring Pro WO50 Cordless Wine Opener ($39.99): Waring says this will do 80 bottles on a charge, so folks trying to avoid carpal tunnel problems at a party will appreciate this powerful automatic opener. At Bed Bath & Beyond.
4) Vinturi Essential Wine Aerator ($39.95): A great aerator that really does improve young wines. www.vinturi.com.
5) The WineRack ($29.95): Still looking for a way to sneak your favorite adult beverage into a concert? The maker claims early-stage cosmetic benefits. www.firebox.com.
6) The Pek Preservino ($39.95): Throw away those wine-preservation pumps. They suck aromas out of wine. This works by putting a thin layer of inert gas on top of the wine, preventing oxygen’s ill effect from getting to the wine. www.peksystems.com.
7) The Cooper Cooler Rapid Beverage and Wine Chiller ($99.95): Load it with ice, turn it on, and in six minutes (the one minute refers to a can of beer or soda), you’ve got a cool bottle of wine. Use only on young wines. It turns the bottle, which is good for fast cooling but bad for delicate older wines. www.amazon.com.
8) Schott Zwiesel Pure Tritan Crystal Wine Glasses ($69.95, set of six): Not unbreakable but much stronger than normal crystal because it uses titanium instead of lead. Available in better wineshops.
9) The Personal Wine Curator 3.0 ($49.95): The most cost-effective computer program for folks who like to keep track of the wines they own and what they’ve tasted. www.thewinecurators.com.
10) The AlcoHAWK Slim Breathalyzer ($49.99): Save lives by keeping track of your blood-alcohol level. Available at Walgreens, CVS, and Brookstone.
This article appears in 2008.
