Wine Gift Ideas

Screwpull - Still the Gold Standard for Corkscrews.

2005-12-04T08:04:00.000-05:00

Over the past 25 years, the Screwpull family of corkscrews has earned a reputation as the gold standard. Unique designs, highly crafted engineering and extremely sharp worms (the pointy part that goes into the cork) have all contributed to this well deserved reputation.

I’ve been using a Screwpull Elegance since we opened Finely Corked (in 1999). My wife and I have opened hundreds of bottles of wine and the Elegance is still working great ... and we haven’t yet replaced the original worm. It’s been a great corkscrew!

The first Screwpull product, known today as the Table model, was invented by Herbert Allen (an mechanical engineer) in 1979, and won him the “USA Inventor Of The Year” Award. Shortly after, he invented the first lever model (the Classic Screwpull) that perfected the self-pulling principle. By applying a minimum amount of effort on the lever, the cork gently slides out of the bottle….

For 17 years (under patent protection), the Screwpull lever model design had the market just about all to its self. During this time, several new models were developed including the Table model, the Lever pull model, and the Elegance model. Each corkscrew shared a common worm. In addition to being extremely sharp, the worm was longer than most, and included a Teflon coating that allowed the worm to penetrate the cork very easily – ensuring the cork was never damaged. Part of what makes the Screwpull so different is the quality of the actual worm itself.

In the late nineties, the patent expired, and a whole new segment of the corkscrew industry was born… Screwpull knock offs from the Far East began to appear in ever increasing numbers…

The first to gain any recognition was the Rabbit. It too won a number of innovation awards. By modifying the shape of the corkscrew, yet retaining the lever pull design, the Rabbit was a big success… We carry several Rabbit models and they all sell very well for us… The Rabbit was a welcome addition to the lever pull corkscrew scene.

Over the last few years, there have been a significant number of very cheap offshore knock offs…. The price was so inexpensive we added a model to our store…. It took us months to find an inexpensive lever pull that actually worked well and looked like it would last a while.

Most of the knock offs look very similar in design to the original Screwpulls, but do not work nearly as well…

My advise …. If you want a lever pull that will last the 5 – 10 years its guaranteed for – buy the Screwpull or the Rabbit. They’re a bit more expensive, but worth every penny. Enjoy!

L'Esprit et le Vin – Direct from France

2005-11-19T07:49:00.000-05:00

The L'Esprit family of corkscrews and wine accessories come directly from France and are hard to find in your local liquor or department store. L'Esprit specializes in 19th century reproductions. They’ve captured all the charm of vintage accessories, but use the latest manufacturing techniques and materials to make world-class products.

The Steel Spring and Grands Crus are two truly unique corkscrews and will appeal to the wine lover with a taste for something antique. While they look 100-years-old these corkscrews can be used everyday.

In addition to L'Esprit corkscrews, we also carry a range of reproduction accessories and vintage decanters. Old world designs with 21-century quality.

Imagine our surprise, when we found a full page spread in the Robb Report's 2001 Christmas edition featuring our L'Esprit products. It seems even the Robb report couldn't resist their charm.

We import all our L'Esprit products directly from France, so keeping these gift ideas in stock can be difficult at times. With Christmas right around the corner, you’ll need to shop early for your best selection…. Our next order will arrive by Nov 30th, just in time for the holiday season… Enjoy!

What do Champagne, Limoges and Laguiole all have in common?

2005-11-13T16:00:00.000-05:00

Champagne, Limoges and Laguiole are all regiones in France that have developed worldwide reputations for product excellence.

The Champagne region in France pioneered the distilling method called Champagne, and is the only region in the world where sparkling wine can be called Champagne…. The Limoges region in France is world famous for their hand painted pillboxes and fine china…

The Laguiole (pronounced “Lie Yull”) region has been producing some of the world finest corkscrews, knives and cutlery since 1880. What first began as a simple folding knife for sheppards to use tending their flocks, has grown into a wide selection of the finest hand made corkscrews, pocketknives and cutlery now know worldwide. While there are several manufactures in the Laguiole region, we carry the two best lines from Chateau Laguiole and Forge de Laguiole. Each manufacturer uses only the finest forged steel and hand polishes each corkscrew or knife.

Recently, a crop of far eastern knock offs have appeared in the market. While these imitations use the Laguiole name (it was never trade marked) they clearly aren’t original Laguioles.

How can you tell an Original Laguiole… It’s easy.. The Price… Original Laguiole corkscrews cost at least $100 US. Knives can be slightly less. If the price seems too good to be true… it’s a fake! Pure and simple. Original Laguioles are hand made and the price reflects the quality.

If you’ve got a wine lover on your list this year, treat them to an original hand made Laguiole corkscrew or knife. I guarantee they won’t be disappointed!. In return they’ll need to give you back a penny. It’s a France tradition they’ve been practicing for over 100 years! Enjoy.

Do wine glasses make a difference?

2005-11-05T17:54:00.000-05:00

Does the type of Wine glass really make a difference…?

The answer is absolutely. But you can go over-board and end up with over 50 different types of wine glasses. Buying that many glasses isn't just expensive, it's impractical—to store and clean them, and even find room for them on the table for dinner or a party.

The shape of the wine glass, and the grade of glass used, both make a big difference in how your wine will actually taste… really! I'll spare you the scientific jargon, but the shape of a wine glass determines where the wine falls on your tongue. Different parts of the tongue are responsible for different tastes and so wine companies (Riedel was first) spend a lot of time and energy designing the shape of their glasses to match certain wines….

For example, robust red wines like a Burgundy and Pinot Noir use a very large glass (up to 37 oz) with a wide bowl so the wine has room to breath. Others like a white Chablis are smaller (12 oz) and are tall and thin. Each glass is engineered (yes engineered) for a specific type and color of wine.

The other factor to consider when selecting a wine glass is the actual grade of glass used. Good wine glass use 5% lead crystal (Spiegelau - $54 US for 6), better glasses (Riedel Vinum $109 US for 6) use 24% lead crystal, and the finest wine glasses (Riedel Sommelier $129 US for 2) are hand blown and use 24% lead crystal…. Not only can you feel the difference a fine wine glass makes, but if you flick the glass and put it to your ear – it sings to you.... just try it and see what we mean!

In addition to traditional glasses, Riedel has recently created a whole new category of wine glasses they call Wine Tumblers. Just like in Roman times, you can now drink your wine from a wine tumbler using the same shapes as the much more expensive Vinum and Sommerlier series, but without the actual wine stem… odd as it sounds, these glasses feel great in your hand, and are a lot of fun to use.

You can also buy specific wine glasses for sake, scotch, spirits, beer and champagne… as we said you could easily purchase over 50 types of wine glasses if you work at it a bit.

Here’s what most of our customers do:

1. Decide how much they want to spend on wine glasses
2. Purchase two different glasses – one for white and one for red
3. Select a specialty glass for spirits, beer or champagne
4. Add to their collection of wine glasses over time

Like any fine glass product, the more expensive the glass, the more careful you need to be…. The Spigelau and Riedel Vinum can be put in the dishwasher, while the Riedel Sommelier should be hand washed and dried.

Wine glasses make a great gift, as most people won’t buy fine wine glasses for themselves unless they’re real wine enthusiasts. No matter how sophisticated the wine drinker, they will be able to taste the difference a good wine glass makes. All our wine glasses are packed extremely well for shipping and arrive in great shape… Any problems and we ship a replacement at no charge!

Choosing a wine glass can be a bit of an adventure, but once you figure out how much you want to spend, it can be a lot of fun… the best part is actually filling the glass with your favorite wine and taking your first sip…. enjoy!

Wine Lovers Gift Guide

2005-11-04T15:21:00.000-05:00

This time of year we get a lot of email from our visitors asking us to recommend a special gift for a special friend. (On December 23rd last year, one customer asked us to recommend any gift for under $75 that we could deliver to Autin Texas by Xmas. Turns out the gift was $59. and the overnight FedEx delivery was $39.. more than $75 in total but the customer was happy to get what they could at that late date.

Sometimes the questions we get are much more specific!

- What's the best corkscrew for under $100?
- Should I buy the Vinum Series or the more expensive Sommelier
Series of Riedel wine glasses and PS. does the shape of the glass
actually make a difference (of course:-)
- Are hand made Laguioles actually made in France or in China and
how do you pronounce Laguiole anyway? (Lie Yole)

We get a lot of questions this time of year about Wine Gift Ideas. To
help make our customers lives just a bit easier, we put together our
first Top 20 Gift Guide back in 2001. We've update the guide ever since.
This year the 2005 Wine Lovers Ultimate Gift Guide may be the just
the ticket you've been looking for to help find a great idea for the
wine lover on your list.

The Gift Guide is Free just click below...enjoy!

Click here for the Gift Guide ----> Wine Lovers Ultimate Gift Guide

Our very first post

2005-10-23T10:50:00.000-04:00

Well, this is our very first post as we begin to explore the world of Blogging.

On these pages we'll share our experiences over the past 5 years helping visitors find the perfect wine gift idea..... We'll give you some insight into some of the 200 gift ideas we carry. We'll also encourage you to add your own comments and experiences for other to enjoy.

Watch for many new posts to come!