Rabbit Velvet Wine and Champagne Sealer
Without December’s endless office parties and once-a-year family gatherings to polish off the bottles of wine, champagne and beer, half-empty libations will find their way down the sink. As always, gadgets are the answer. Metrokane’s Rabbit is a simple gadget—the best kind—that fits over almost any bottle and employs an expanding center nodule to create an air-tight seal within the neck of the bottle. It’s easy to use, just a few twists inflate the rubber center, and the seal keeps wine from quickly oxidizing. Unlike other gadgets, this one can also be used for carbonated items—champagne, soda and beer. Blame it on the fact I needed to drain various bottles of wine, champagne and beer for testing purposes, but the Rabbit seems inspired by various sex toys. The logo and title recall one of the most popular lines of vibrators, and the expanding insert could double as an inflatable dildo for St. Pauli Girl. The Rabbit is $8, made of high quality materials, easy to use, and isn’t an eye sore. Aside from finishing off the bottle, it’s the next best option.
Wine Saver Concerto
The Wine Saver Concerto is a two-part system: first, you place a rubber stopper in the bottle. Next, a pump-action cylinder goes over the stopper and sucks out the air creating the “vacuum.” I could continue the earlier gag and make a joke about the Concerto’s similarity to a penis pump, but come on, we need to grow up at some point. Scientists won’t rely on this gadget for experiments, but by removing some of the air, you can slow oxidation so the wine will keep a bit longer. What’s nice about the Concerto is that you can purchase the rubber stoppers separately so you can seal multiple bottles after a party where guests have inconsiderately opened your entire wine rack. The initial $20 price tag, which includes the pump and four stoppers, is higher than the other gadgets, but right off the bat you can handle four times as many bottles. Concerto isn’t as slick as the other gadgets, but the option to buy additional stoppers and the ability to remove even a small amount of air makes it a serious contender for the multi-bottle household.
Francis Ford Coppola Wine Stopper and Pourer
With gadgets, sometimes less is more. This wine stopper and pourer from the Francis Ford Coppola winery in California’s Sonoma County is simple and elegant. There’s no new tech here, aside from the fact that the top of the stopper comes off to transform the gadget into a pourer, but the heavy silver turns it from a gadget into a gift for your favorite wine lover. It’s available online for $12, but the real treat is using this gadget as an excuse to head to the newly renovated winery to pick it up in person. The winery now boasts a pool, cabanas, museum dedicated to the director’s films, and live entertainment. Of course, they also have wine, which is a perfect opportunity to pick up a few bottles to replace the holidays’ dead soldiers.