Hogwarts Press Release: "Ring of Oden" Transforms Wine into (Better?) Wine

No, I am not making this up.

Two people from Amesbury MA named Aaron and Sue Singleton have invented a "Ring of Oden for Wine Aging." The design came to Aaron in a dream, and does not appear to be related to either the Japanese winter stew, or the Norse god Odin. Though Odin is the god of magic...makes you wonder.

The Singletons claim that the ring (pictured to the left, photo by Robert Branch as reported by the Amesbury News), when placed around any beverage for a period of time that varies from a few minutes to an hour, improves the taste and flavor by ionically changing the charge on the drink's molecules. They are quick to say that they have no scientific data to back up these claims, but they are allowing consumers to test the ring at a local wine and espresso store to see if they agree.

The ring, they claim, makes an $8 bottle of wine taste like an $80 bottle of wine. Wow. If this works, I can start a sister site, Good Wine Under $2!

This ring can be yours for only $99 (cost includes instructional booklet). They love converting skeptics to the power of the ring. Hmm, sounds like Tolkien. Or, maybe the Singletons know the Weasley twins. Available for purchase on the internet, and you can read testimonials and learn how to conduct a Ring of Oden wine tasting there, too.

What Are You Getting Your Favorite Oenophile?

With Hanukkah in full swing and Christmas coming at the weekend, many of us are looking for last-minute gifts. It seemed like the right moment to put up a few suggestions of gifts for wine lovers that they can't drink. Most of these (like most of the wine I review) are under $20, and I've linked each to an online site that (as of yesterday) had the items in stock. Of course, you may find something similar in a local shop and save yourself the shipping costs. Then again, you can just click on over and save yourself the driving aggravation!

I've broken these gifts into categories, but those shouldn't be seen as restrictive in any way--they were just a way to bring some organization into what would otherwise have been a simple list. You can check out my earlier recommendations for gifts for wine lovers by clicking here.

For the beginning wine lover:

Andrea Immer Robinson's Great Wine Made Simple: Straight Talk from a Master Sommelier, from Amazon.com ($18.95). This was the book that got me started, and though a relative oldie, it's still a goodie. Great on varietal characteristics, old/new world taste comparisons, and food-pairing advice.

For the practical wine lover:

These may not scream romance, but they're gifts that any wine-lover will appreciate and use daily. Much better than buying them more wine glasses, or a bottle of wine they may not like. These washing-up products are available from IWA and many other retailers. The brushes are specially shaped to clean stemware and decanters, and the stemware racks help you avoid the problem of opening the dishwasher only to find that your beautiful glasses are now beautiful, stemless glasses.

Crystal Washing Brushes from IWA ($19.95)

Stem Savers from IWA ($18.95)

For the wine lover who entertains:

Dinner Party Journal from Gifts for Professionals ($27.95)

Evan Goldstein's Perfect Pairings: A Master Sommelier's Practical Advice for Pairing Wine with Food from Amazon.com ($19.77)

Both of these gifts are ideal for master entertainers. The journal has plenty of space to record menus, guestlists, seating plans, and of course wines served. (you'll have to go to the site to enlarge it--clicking on it here won't do any good!) Goldstein's book is the best I've seen at not only telling you which wine goes with which food, but also why the pairing works. Highly recommended.

For wine lovers who collect wines, or for red wine lovers who decant wines:

I don't do much decanting, but I probably should. I have a beautiful decanter I received as a gift, and one of my resolutions for 2007 is to decant my red wines more regularly. I found some nice, everyday decanters made from the prestigious Riedel firm over at The Wine Enthusiast, along with some stylish decanter stoppers. The stoppers would also be an excellent gift for klutzes like me who have broken every stopper they ever possessed.

Spherical Glass Decanter Stoppers from The Wine Enthusiast (set of 2, $24.95)

Riedel Merlot Decanter from The Wine Enthusiast (on sale, $18.95)

For wine lovers who also love gadgets:

Most of us serve our white wines too cold and our reds too warm. This nifty gadget (there is a pricier one with a key ring attachment, though it scares me to think of people whipping these out of their pockets at restaurants and parties), enables you to check the temperature of wine inside the bottle before you pour it. A gadget, but one that you might conceivably use!

VinTemp Infrared Wine Thermometer from IWA ($24.95)

For crafty wine lovers:

I have mountains of corks that I can't part with. They sit in bowls, roll around in drawers, and are a complete nuisance. This kit provides you with all you need to turn the mess into something you can use. They also have larger format trays and bulletin boards, but I think the trivet is less overwhelming!

Wine Cork Trivet Kit from The Wine Enthusiast ($19.95)


For wine lovers who love to read:

Ruch Reichl's History in a Glass: Sixty Years of Wine Writing from Gourmet from Amazon.com ($17.71)

Jay McInerney's A Hedonist in the Cellar: Adventures in Wine from Amazon.com ($16.32)

There are lots of wine reference books out there that convey information like what to buy, what to eat with what you drink, and what to collect. These books aren't like that--they are meant for reading. Beautifully written and fascinating, they collect essays on wine experiences that will transport you into private cellars and public tastings. They are also recently released, and may not be on your favorite oenophile's shelf yet.

For wine lovers who are physically fit and/or mow lawns:

The Wine Aroma Wheel T-Shirt from the UCDavis Bookstore ($19.95) comes proudly emblazoned with Ann C. Noble's trademark aroma wheel. The aroma wheels are sold out at the moment, or they would have gone on this list, too. But here's a gift that says "I'm a wine lover."

Happy shopping! And if you have any further suggestions please leave them in a comment.

Saturday Wine Shopping--Friday edition

We needed parmesan cheese and sponges--what an excuse to go to Costco! No one in their right mind would go to a Costco on a Saturday if they could possibly avoid it, so I set out today. Because the local Alhambra warehouse has an uninspiring wine section, I decided to go to the hipper nearby demographic of Los Feliz and check out their warehouse's selection. Final assessment: it was better, but probably not worth the trip. I was clearly spoiled by 7 years of shopping at Costcos in Sonoma and Napa.

Even so, I came home with a great buy on white burgundy, inspired by Brooklynguy's recent wine tasting event experience: the 2002 La Chablisienne 1er Cru Grand Cuvee ($16.99) which is just becoming drinkable. I'm going to hold on to it for a while, though, just to remind myself that you have to buy wine like this whenever and wherever you find it. When it peaks in 5 years it will be very expensive if you can get your hands on it at all. I also purchased another bottle of the 2004 Bodega Norton Malbec Reserva ($12.99), another great buy on a great value red. I took a flyer on the 2003 Ferrari-Carano Siena ($16.69), a Sangiovese blend from the Alexander Valley. Don't know this wine, although I love Ferrari-Carano's Fume Blanc which has been an excellent wine for the money over the past few vintages. I've never had one of their reds, and with fall coming (slowly to be sure in LA) there is certain to be pasta in my future.

Perhaps the best bargains of all, however, came not in wine but in wine accessories and books. I picked up the new edition of Jancis Robinson's The Oxford Companion to Wine ($39.99). This is a huge encyclopedia of wine lore, nicely presented and surprisingly easy to read for a reference work. I will have to do a better review of it in an upcoming post, but Costco shoppers might want to be on the alert for it at their local branch as this is a pretty hefty savings off the retail. I also picked up some of those neoprene bottle holders by Built NY, which were tucked back next to the endpacks in the wine section. Good for toting wine to picnics because they both insulate and protect (the stuff is wetsuit material), they came in sets of 2/2 bottle and 3/1 bottle for $16.99 a set. Lots of folks are getting these at the holidays given the price!