Pouring new life into your wine glass

Aug 1 2008 By Peter Jenkinson

Use these latest gadgets to give your favourite tipple that personal touch

Fancy becoming an instant wine expert? Just follow a few of these handy hints and to some you'll seem like a fully trained sommelier.

It's important to swill the vino around your glass before sticking your nose in, then taking a moderate swig and slurping it around your mouth. Mention words like bouquet and body, throw in a few phrases from the label on the back of the bottle and your dinner guests will either ridicule you or offer a ripple of applause.

Don't forget to have one or more of these fine gadgets at your disposal.

Temperature Selector

Intelligent Wine Cooler - £69.99 from www.drinkstuff.com

The digital LCD display on this nifty device lets you select from over 30 wine types to get your tipple to the exact temperature. Choose the appropriate level and wait for the "Enjoy" indicator to illuminate before you pop that cork or screw that cap.

Perfect Pouring

Drip Stop Pourer - £5.95 (pack of 10) from www.wineware.co.uk

Original, functional, flexible, washable and re-useable - could you ask for any more from a drip-stopping device?

It's easy to use - and saves your best linen tablecloth from red wine stains.

Immediate Aeration

Spin Wine Pourer - £30 from www.aroundwine.co.uk

The SpinWine device consists of asmall open cup where the wine circulates and goes through that normally laborious oxidation process in seconds. The fit-to-bottle top gadget also doubles up as a drip stopper.

Open With Ease

Red Alert Corkscrew - £36 from www.wineware.co.uk

It was a very tricky process trying to pick just one bottle opener from the legions of lever-based cork liberators but this one had an edge.

This bright red gadget, which is described as being for bottles that can't wait to be opened, comes complete with a foil cutter.

See Through Cellar

Candy Cooler - £172.73 from www.millerbros.co.uk

If you're not lucky enough to have a dark and damp place underground to store your vast vino collection, this cellar for the spatially challenged might be the answer. This temperature-controlled cooler is roomy enough to store 40 bottles on six chrome racks and a shelf.

Bottle Buffer

Wine Wedges - £4.95 a pair from www.firebox.com

The sheer simplicity of these bright green wedges makes them stand out from the stacks of wine racks out there. Shove one at either side of the outer bottles in a row and these non-slip gizmos will enable you to build small-scale structures to wow your friends.