For Wine Lovers: Tools, Pairings, Recipes!
August 27, 2019
If you’re a lover of wine, you’ll like this fruit-of-the-vine guide to accessories and tools, pairings and recipes! The gadgets make great gifts, the pairings are good go-by examples and the recipes – well, if you love wine, you’ll love these, too!
Gadgets and Wine Accessories
Some people will tell you a manual opener is just fine for wine. We’re here to tell you that when the electric corkscrew came to Amazon, it made opening wine such a breeze, we threw away the one that looks like a home improvement tool. Seriously. Why would anyone bother with all that twisting and pulling, when you can push a button and let the tool do the work? Wine Enthusiast showcases four different versions of the electric wine opener, ranging in price from $30 to $70. What’s the difference? The higher-priced versions have foil cutters and the top of the line wine opener comes with more accessories: a pedestal, two bottle stoppers and an aerator/pourer.
There are also corkscrew stands, wall-mounted corkscrews and corkscrews that clamp to a table edge, along with the standard sommelier corkscrews, some with stag horn and rosewood handles, and one made of titanium that sells for $625 – with free shipping. ☺
For the inveterate wine aficionado, Wine Enthusiast also carries unique vintage wine barrel furniture – everything from repurposed sink vanities and bistro sets, to coffee tables and pet beds!
The great outdoors heightens the enjoyment of most things, including imbibing, for those so inclined. But wine glasses can be problematic, not to mention a broken shard hazard outside. Yeti has wine tumblers that not only keep the bugs out, but keep the wine chilled to the perfect temperature. And you can put those new tumblers in a Nordstrom picnic tote, along with your wine, a few crackers and a wedge of choice cheese.
Another tool that will keep wine cold (whites and also to cool down room temperature red), is the Corkcicle Air. It not only chills your wine with a unique freezing gel, the corkcicle has a built-in aerator and easy pour spout – right through the corkcicle, mind you!
Wines to Pair with Favorite Foods
We consulted Wine Folly for nine tips about pairing food and wine. One that’s particularly helpful is that the wine you choose should be more acidic and sweeter than the food you’re eating, and have the same flavor intensity. You’ve heard that red wines pair best with bold-flavored meats (e.g., red meat) and white wines pair best with light-intensity meats (e.g., fish or chicken). Here’s one more universal tip about pairing: it’s better to match the wine to the sauce (rather than the meat). And, Wine Folly has a simple food and wine pairing poster to help you make your food-and-wine matches, including cheeses, starches, veggies, sweets and seafood. 
And for the ultimate 15 rules about pairings, go to Food & Wine, where you’ll learn specifics like, which wine goes best with a Leek and Pecorino Pizza (a spicy Oregon Pinot Noir, by the way — recipe included!), and what to serve with Triple Decker Baked Italian Cheese Sandwiches.
Foods to Pair with Your Favorite Wine
If, rather than matching the wine to a recipe, you’re looking for the best dish to pair with your favorite wine, check out All Recipes where you can find the perfect dish! For example, if you’re a Malbec man, according to All Recipes the best dishes to enjoy with your wine are Carne Asada Tacos and Marinated Flank Steak. More of a Pinot Grigio gal? Try the Chili-Lime Chicken Kabobs or Bodega Bay Fish Chowder.
Wind Down Near Southshore
Southlands is so close to the master-planned community of Southshore, and there’s always something to do there to unplug and wind down, or wine down if you’re an aficionado! For the 21-and-over set, mark your calendars for the September 11 Wine Walk. It’s just one more way to enjoy Life at the Lake. Check out the new homes here from Century Communities, Richmond American Homes and Toll Brothers — available in ranch and two-story designs and priced between the $400s and the $700s.