Boxed In
Box wines aren't bottom of the barrel anymore - even top vineyards
are stocking store shelves with them. One box holds about four
bottles' worth, and the wine will stay good for four to six weeks.
Boxes are also easier to take to the beach. One to try: Dtour
Mâcon-Villages 2004 (which, actually, comes in a tube), $37 (which
works out to $9.25 a bottle).
On the Rise
Torrontes, a Spanish grape now grown in
Argentina, was "basically
put on the planet to make all seafood taste even better," says
Wesson. One to try: 2005 Crisol Torrontes ($9). "It's like biting
into a Granny Smith apple," he raves.
Uncorking the Truth
There's no need to struggle. We found four stylish openers that
will help you get to the good stuff with ease.
If you've got the space and aren't one for the modern look, the
old-world appeal of the
Estate Combo Wine Opener with
Stand - and the very-easy-to-use lever action - is hard to
beat. (Stand not shown.) $95.
www.josephgrace.net
Learn the how-to of using a waiter's corkscrew - and you'll never
use anything else again. They're just so, well, cool.
Oxo
Steel's Waiter's Corkscrew has grippy-soft comfort and
looks perfectly swank in a stylish bachelor pad. $12.
www.oxo.com
Give
Screwpull's Trilogy Table Corkscrew a few
turns, and, like magic, the cork slowly climbs up and out of the
bottle - requiring no upper-arm strength from you. The look? Chic
elegance inspired by a spaceship. $25.
www.screwpull.com
Metrokane's Rabbit Lever Vacuum Pump has been
around for a while, but it's never looked this good. The new
special-edition VIP set in polished chrome and black leather is,
quite simply, sexy. And freakishly easy to use. $125.
www.metrokane.com