From glasses and blending kits to cheat sheets on tasting and solutions for what to do with all those corks, the range of wine accessories in US stores are both vast and bewildering.
Here is an assortment of gadgets and gifts that wine lovers may not even have known existed:
1. Silhouette Wine Glass
Most experts agree that the sense of smell is essential to tasting wine so Peter Rigas of Tomzi International, has designed a hand cut glass that is notched on one side that allows the drinker to, as he says “bury your nose in the aroma.” (www.greatestwineglass.com)
2. Wine aroma kits
The human nose can identify more than 2 000 different odours with a variety of aroma kits now on the market that promise to train the nose. With vials of the most common odours, plum, leather, green and black pepper, butter and peach to name a few, along with aroma cards and instructions they promise to help you recognise and discuss wine like a sommelier. (www.aoweb.com) or (www.wineenthusiast.com)
3. Blend your own wine at home
Crushpad, a do-it-yourself winery in San Francisco, is offering people a cheap way to experience blending their own wine at home. The winery will ship its Fusebox, a collection of seven bottles (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Cabernet Franc) some pipettes, recipe and aroma cards to create a unique red. (www.crushpadwine.com)
4. Wine Aerator
Swirling is an integral part of tasting wine as it coats the glass walls with a thin film that releases the concentrated aromas. Decanting also allows the wine to breathe. If you’re tired of the Vinturi Wine Aerator promises to speed up the process and combines what its maker says is the proper amount of air for the right amount of time. (www.vinturi.com)