Keeping opened bottles
What really helps in the fridge, how long opened wines keep, and when a pump, gas or sparkling stopper is worth it.
Read the guide: Keeping opened wine bottles: what really works?Accessories
Wine accessories for home and on the go
An opened bottle, a picnic in the vineyards, a new set of glasses: often a very practical question comes up before you buy anything. We answer it here first, and we also say when you do not need any accessory at all.
Topics
What we want to help with
Enjoying wine on the go
How to keep wine cool on a picnic, carry it safely and still enjoy it outdoors.
Read the guide: Taking wine on a picnic: chilling, carrying and servingChoosing the right glasses
Which glass shape suits white wine, whether you need variety-specific glasses and how many glasses a household really needs.
Read the guide: Which wine glasses do I need for white wine?Guides
The answers in detail
Guide
Keeping opened wine bottles: what really works?
How long opened wine keeps, why the fridge is the most important helper even for red wine, and what vacuum pumps, inert gas and sparkling stoppers actually do.
Guide
Taking wine on a picnic: chilling, carrying and serving
How to keep wine cool on the go, which glasses make sense outdoors, where broken glass belongs, and what applies in Austria to drinking outdoors and driving.
Guide
Which wine glasses do I need for white wine?
What glass shape demonstrably changes, whether Grüner Veltliner and Riesling need their own glasses, and what matters in terms of material, size and the dishwasher.
Accessories
Our selection at a glance
Wine stopper
WMF Vino bottle stopper
- Who is it for?
- For anyone who wants to close an opened bottle of wine again without forcing the cork back into the neck.
- Why we chose it
- According to the Amazon listing, it is simply placed on the bottle, can be opened and closed with one hand, is made of chrome-plated cast metal and silicone, and is dishwasher-safe.
- What to keep in mind
- A stopper keeps new air out, but the air already in the bottle stays there, so the bottle still belongs in the fridge. The Amazon listing also describes it as suitable for sparkling wine bottles. For sparkling wine, our guide recommends a stopper that hooks under the rim; we have not tested whether this stopper holds the pressure.
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Waiter’s friend
Foho waiter’s friend corkscrew with bottle stopper
- Who is it for?
- For picnics, outings and the kitchen drawer, whenever bottles with natural corks need opening.
- Why we chose it
- A simple waiter’s friend is enough for natural corks, as we also say in our picnic guide. According to the Amazon listing it is made of zinc alloy and stainless steel, has soft-touch panels, also opens beer bottles, and comes with a bottle stopper.
- What to keep in mind
- Screw caps need no corkscrew at all. We have not checked how well the screw grips old, crumbly corks. The reviewed Amazon listing includes an international-products notice: labelling and instructions may differ.
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Wine cooler
ZWILLING Sommelier wine cooler
- Who is it for?
- For warm evenings at the table or on the terrace, when a chilled bottle should not warm up too quickly.
- Why we chose it
- According to the Amazon listing it is double-walled, made of 18/10 stainless steel, requires no added ice or water and is designed for 0.75-litre bottles.
- What to keep in mind
- A double-walled cooler does not actively chill; it only keeps the temperature for longer. The bottle therefore has to be cold beforehand. In our experience, white wine can happily get a little warmer at the table than straight from the fridge.
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Small gift
Felt coasters with wine sayings, set of 10
- Who is it for?
- As a small gift for wine lovers, for example when invited round or for a birthday.
- Why we chose it
- Intended as a resting place for wine glasses. According to the Amazon listing they are round, about 10 centimetres across and made of felt around 5 millimetres thick.
- What to keep in mind
- According to the Amazon listing, clean them only with a damp cloth, not in the washing machine. The sayings are a matter of taste, so it is best to look at the designs in the listing first.
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From us
Wine with a wink
Three wine-inspired T-shirts from our Wearable Lines shop.
Bottle, glass & terraces
View in shop ↗
Vines & sunshine
View in shop ↗
Cheers to good moments
View in shop ↗Our own designs · Opens the external Spreadshop. Printing, shipping and service by Spreadshirt. Our wine portraits remain independent.
Selection
How we choose accessories
- Question first, product second: we only recommend something that solves a concrete problem, and we say when you do not need it.
- Documented properties instead of advertising promises: we label manufacturers’ information as manufacturer information.
- An honest status: every recommendation says whether we use the product ourselves or chose it on the basis of sources, and when we last checked the details.
- Everyday practicality: cleaning, storage and durability matter more to us than feature lists.
- We never link to wine itself for a commission.
Transparency
Affiliate links
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Links marked “Ad · affiliate link” lead to Amazon. We may receive a commission on qualifying purchases. It does not influence our selection or our texts, and we do not use affiliate links for wine.
Our wine portraits and personal reports stay separate and contain no affiliate links. The T-shirts are our own designs in the external Wearable Lines shop; sales there may earn us income.