Wine Accessories
and Wine Tasting Accessories

So what wine accessories do you need to host your first wine tasting or to start appreciating fine wine? Well, as with any new hobby, you don't need to buy everything at once. Part of the fun is collecting things as you go. But there are some wine tasting accessories which will be very helpful to getting your new pastime off the ground.

There are two wine tasting accessories which are most critical to appreciating good wine because without them you couldn't taste the wine at all! These are, of course, wine glasses and some sort of wine bottle opener. Beyond that, different styles of wine glasses will help to accentuate individual types of wines and other accessories will help take your wine tasting, study and collecting to new levels. Read on for more information about each of these important wine accessories.

• Choosing Wine Glasses
  The proper wine tasting glasses is critical. While you don't need to spend a fortune, there are some types of glasses which are inappropriate for wine tasting. As you get more into wine, there are many specific types of glasses for different types of wine and they really do influence your appreciation of fine wine. These are accessories you don't want to skimp on or buy blindly so get some info here before you fine the perfect glasses for yourself.
• Riedel Wine Glasses
  One of the most popular brands of wine glasses are Riedel wine glasses. Although their beautiful hand-blown Sommeliers Collection is out of most mere humans' price range, they have a huge selection of collections and styles of wine glasses for just about every type of wine imaginable.
• Wine Openers
  There are dozens of wine openers on the market but all fall into just a few general types. Learn about the different types and their advantages and disadvantages here.
• Wine Decanters
  A decanter can help a wine show better and it also improves the presentation and service of the wine. An elegant glass decanter is a wine accessory that we strongly recommend investing in but we also have some tips for "poor man's" versions!
• Champagne Bucket
  A Champagne bucket helps to chill your wines so that you can serve them at the ideal serving temperature. Stop running back and forth to the refrigerator, get a Champagne bucket!
• Wine Spit Buckets
  At a big tasting many people will prefer to spit most of the wines so that they don't get too tipsy from all the wines. This obviously requires a receptacle for the spit! Otherwise your wine tasting party would get pretty ugly. Wine spit buckets can be anything, but here are some tips about when to have them available and what to use.
• Wine Tasting Kits
  There are some products which can help you learn more about wine aromas and flavors to build up your palate. Wine tasting kits that include essential oils can help you identify specific aromas and are also a lot of fun at a wine tasting. Also, wine tasting flavor wheels list common types and specific aromas and flavors to help focus your tasting skills.
• Wine Tasting Journals
  Keeping a wine tasting journal can help you remember wines and helps you to refine your tasting skills. You can ever refer back to it to aid your future wine purchase, cluing you in to things you want to buy more of or to avoid!
• Wine Storage
  Whether keeping wine a short time before drinking or serving at a wine tasting, or aging for an extended period of time, wine is a somewhat fragile product! Improper storage can destroy an otherwise good wine quickly. Make sure you know the optimal wine storage conditions so you don't make this mistake with your wine investments!
• Port Tongs
  Port tongs are a traditional way to open ancient bottles of port. Even if their use is somewhat dangerous and impractical, they can be a great gift for a wine lover and make a great decoration and conversation piece.
• Champagne Saber
  A Champagne saber is a theatrical way to open a sparkling wine bottle. You use the sword or other object to knock the top off the bottle, cork, glass and all. While rarely used these days except by professionals for show, a beautiful Champagne saber can make a great decoration and conversation piece. We even have a few videos to show how it is done!

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