Reviews about Bar & Wine Tools

AnnaBanana says "A corkscrew which has everything but a brand name!" about Italian Stainless Steel Wing-Type Corkscrew

AnnaBanana — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 06:42:07 GMT

I own one of those mysterious corkscrews which have no brand name apparent. This marvelous tool which I have used for years is made of heavy bright silver-color stainless steel and is engraved with the word "Italy". It consists of a heavy central screw powered by a large rotating handle at the top. You prop the corkscrew into the cork of a wine bottle with easy accuracy by lowering the screw's round metal frame over the neck of the bottle, with the wings in a downward position. As you turn the screw down into the cork, the wings slowly begin to rise. Miraculously, when they are in an upward position, all you have to do is push the wings down again and the screw with cork attached will pop up out of the bottle.

It is so easy a child could do it. This corkscrew has been a fixture in my kitchen for years now but I still see them in stores. (I think I bought mine at Crate & Barrel.) As fate would have it, someone just this week is selling a corkscrew just like this on E-Bay...

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sxynstrong says "Makes a huge difference in maintaining freshness" about VacuVin Concerto 3-Piece Wine Saver Set

sxynstrong — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 01:32:00 GMT

using the vacuvin is a great way to prolonge the freshness of an oppened bottle of wine. freshness lasts longer when all the air is vacumed out with the vacuvin.......very easy to use. I've been using a similiar product for over two years now and definetly notice the difference. With many times of just wanting a single cup of wine for the evening I would be left with unused and sour wine days later, basically losing freshness shortly after opening the bottle. Rather then waste a good bottle of wine and money I say its wise to make a small investment to insure freshness and logevity of a good bottle of wine.....Enjoy ...

nicole94 says "GREAT" about VacuVin Concerto 3-Piece Wine Saver Set

nicole94 — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 17:07:58 GMT

This Was sooo Great ! Buy It Buy it Buy it !! I got it as a gift on my birthday, because everyone knows im a wine drinker ! VacuVin is great !This Was sooo Great ! Buy It Buy it Buy it !! I got it as a gift on my birthday, because everyone knows im a wine drinker ! VacuVin is great !This Was sooo Great ! Buy It Buy it Buy it !! I got it as a gift on my birthday, because everyone knows im a wine drinker ! VacuVin is great !This Was sooo Great ! Buy It Buy it Buy it !! I got it as a gift on my birthday, because everyone knows im a wine drinker ! VacuVin is great !This Was sooo Great ! Buy It Buy it Buy it !! I got it as a gift on my birthday, because everyone knows im a wine drinker ! VacuVin is great !This Was sooo Great ! Buy It Buy it Buy it !! I got it as a gift on my birthday, because everyone knows im a wine drinker ! VacuVin is great !This Was sooo Great ! Buy It Buy it Buy it !! I got it as a gift on my birthday, because everyone knows im a wine drinker ! VacuVin is great !...

mom24girls says "Every wine drinker should own this" about VacuVin Concerto 3-Piece Wine Saver Set

mom24girls — Tue, 20 May 2008 22:40:45 GMT

This is a very handy gadget to have around the house. I am a wine drinker and my husband pefers beer. I stopped drinking wine because I did not want to let 1/2 a bottle go to waste until I found the Vacu Vin. Now I open a bottle and have a glass or two and then use the vacu vin to re-seal the bottle. A week later I can have another glass and the wine is still good. I have never kept an open bottle for more then 2 weeks, (having a glass on three seperate nights). There was definitely a decrease in the quality of the wine, but it was stil drinkable and enjoyable.

I have been so happy with my vacu vin that I bought one for each of my family members for Christmas!

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Tidliwinks says "Great gift for all wine lovers!" about Oster 4207 Inspire Wine Opener

Tidliwinks — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 05:43:13 GMT

I bought this for myself and several of my friends have commented on how much they liked it and what a great gift it would make. (I think they were dropping hints that they would like one.) I would have given it 4.5 stars if I'd had that option. I like that it is easy to use, cordless, rechargeable and pops the cork with one touch of a button (and only one more touch to dispose of the cork). The only negatives for me are: that you must charge it first and it takes up more space than your corkscrew. It does charge quickly, though. It also has a nice stainless steel look, so you can leave it on your counter or bar and it will blend in with other appliances. In my opinion this wine opener will make a great gift for the amateur wine drinker and the wine afficianados alike.
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shyfan says "Makes opening a bottle of wine a breeze!" about Oster 4207 Inspire Wine Opener

shyfan — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 14:39:37 GMT

I've tried many corkscrews, only to end up struggling - wings have broken off, corks have crumbled. Too often, opening a bottle of wine became an unwanted game of tug-of-war!

But this opener makes opening a bottle of wine easy, even for people like me who are used to fishing a lot of floating cork from their glasses of wine! It literally works in seconds - and will open many bottles on one charge. Now I can serve wine without being embarrassed by a fight with a corkscrew!

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stocktradr2 says "The easiest sommelier corkscrew you'll ever use!" about Pulltap's Double Lever Corkscrew

stocktradr2 — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 02:34:29 GMT

Pulltap's Double-Lever Corkscrew

The Pulltap's double-lever corkscrew is made in Barcelona, Spain, and features a patented design. The unique double-lever keeps the cork straight as it is removed from the bottle, meaning NO MORE BROKEN CORKS!

With it's double-lever, the Pulltap's doesn't require "brute strength" to remove a cork, and is favored among wine stewards, sommeliers, waiters, and bartenders. You can find the Pulltap's being used in some of the finest restaurants in the world.

This is THE EASIEST sommelier style corkscrew to use in the world! With about 10,000 corkscrews in my stock, this is still the corkscrew I use to open wine on all but the most special of occasions. Simply insert the worm completely into the cork, rest the first (top) lever on the top of the wine bottle and lift the handle (the unique design affords tremendous leverage), when the cork has moved about halfway out of the bottle, lower the handle and place the second (lower) lever on the top of the wine bottle,...

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stocktradr2 says "Used by the top sommeliers around the world." about Chateau Laguiole Corkscrew

stocktradr2 — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 17:20:27 GMT

Handmade by artisans in Thiers, France, the authentic Chateau Laguiole corkscrew is a beautifully crafted piece. These are undoubtedly the highest-quality handheld corkscrews in the world, and are backed with a lifetime warranty. As durable as they are beautiful, the Chateau Laguiole is truly the "Rolls Royce" of wine openers.

Because the name "Laguiole" isn't copyrighted, there are several lower-priced versions available across the price spectrum (almost all of which are excellent corkscrews), however, an authentic Chateau Laguiole corkscrew has a trademark at the base of the boot lever. Another way to help identify an authentic Chateau Laguiole corkscrew is the ornamental steel used in the spine of the corkscrew, and the distinctive "Bee Emblem" made famous by Napolean (the "Bee Emblem" was used to demote high quality). All new Chateau Laguiole corkscrews come with a leather pouch - if it's advertised as new and there isn't a pouch, you're probably looking at a knockoff version.

Made...

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mudpuppie says "Leave it on the store shelf" about Napa Essentials Air Pressure Cork Popper

mudpuppie — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 09:18:46 GMT

Just insert the needle into the cork and pump to raise the cork from the wine bottle. The needle was easy to insert, but despite how hard I pumped, it was impossible to generate enough pressure to raise the cork. Perhaps a man with very strong hands would be able to pump hard and fast enough to generate the necessary pressure behind the cork to lift it, but the average female would not have the hand strength....

joshuamay100 says "Inefficient, unnecessary, and useless" about Emerson Single Bottle Wine Cooler and Warmer, Black / Silver

joshuamay100 — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 03:03:48 GMT

When a person is on the go, we don't want ice-cold milk irritating our sweet little bundles. This might lead us to buy a milk bottle cooler/warmer. Though I can see the motivation and the marketing angle, the product itself comes up short. It takes longer than just running it under warm water and actually takes more time to use it. It often doesn't work at all and is quite generally...Lame!...

jazzybean01 says "Entertain with the appropriate glassware" about Circle Ware Event Entertaining Set

jazzybean01 — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 21:59:24 GMT

Nothing screams cheap like not having the right glassware (or any for that matter) when entertaining. I would know. When guests came over they were drinking wine out of a mickey mouse juice glass. I don't think that's very G rated.

So when my boyfriend and I went to Kohl's the other day we happened to pass a discount shelf. We shuffled through and found this set for only $20 (normally around $40 I think). So of course we bought it because, hey, Mickey doesn't want to be an alcoholic.

This set is a six piece set with four - 10 oz. martini glasses; one glass and stainless steel cocktail shaker (nope didn't have one of these either) and a 14 inch lacquered tray.

I'm definitely happy to have my shaker. Now I can have a nice martini in the right glass and feel sophisticated at the same tame. This is a great little set and will get lots of use.

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KimberlyBrock says "Solve the problem of pouring and dripping - all in one product." about Drop Stop Wine Pourers

KimberlyBrock — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 16:19:36 GMT

What a great idea - and one of those "Why didn't I think of this?" gadgets.

Drop-Stop Wine Pourers are 3" round mylar discs that you roll to fit inside the mouth of a wine (or any other) bottle. That's it....and they do exactly what they say: stop those annoying drips that inevitably ruin your good tablecloths. Whenever I use them, people comment on their effectiveness.

Cost
$5 for a CD case of 3

Availability
Hard to find. I bought mine about a year ago at Williams-Sonoma, but haven't able to find them there since. Your best bet may be to purchase on-line.

The Bottom Line
Simple and effective. If you find them, stock up.

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KimberlyBrock says "When you can't finish your wine, store it properly" about VacuVin Concerto 3-Piece Wine Saver Set

KimberlyBrock — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 17:38:36 GMT

I must admit, I tend to finish what I start and a bottle of wine is no exception. But on the days when I can't finish a bottle, or use just a little for cooking, I certainly don't want to just throw out the rest.

Exposure to oxygen ages wine and the more oxygen it is exposed to, the quicker it ages. During the aging process, the flavors will open and change, and you can have a completely different wine 48 hours after you open it, just from oxygen exposure.

More years ago than I care to admit to, I worked at a restaurant that served wine by the glass. Great for patrons, not so great for the restaurant that is faced with the problem of that (sometimes very expensive) bottle being open and having to be dumped after three days if it wasn't completely sold. In the restaurant, we had a large, wall-mounted oxygen removal device...can you say expensive and complicated? Very few people have either the space or money for such a system. Since then, several companies have come up with home systems...

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