Gear Patrol

The Mixologist’s gotten you into plenty of blissful adventures, most of which ended without real long term damage to your record or your marriage. He’s a passionate guy, and he knows his craft: beer, that is. Malts, mash, wheat, barley, rye, and oh yes, sweet sweet delicious hops — he sucks them all down, grinning…

The straightforward instruments used to harvest grapes by hand haven’t changed much through the years: A pair of picking shears (sharp and oiled, please), a generously proportioned basket and, God willing, decent weather and bottomless espresso. The process itself remains just as simple an affair. Choose a starting point within the grapevine row, look for mature grape clusters, aim shears slightly below the attached stem — snip — gently place cluster into basket. Repeat until basket is full.

The truth is, we’ve never sipped an ounce of champagne from this silencer-inspired bottle of Bollinger 002 for 007 Limited Edition Champagne (~$160), which opens only when the code “007″ is entered into the gimmicky combination lock. But we have been fortunate enough to taste this particular vintage of Bollinger La Grande Année 2002 once…

White Mule Farms had us hooked at “wine with a kick.” Spodee ($9+) combines prohibition history — one of our favorite eras — with a witch’s brew of flavors that does pretty well to defy genre and description. Its makers call it depression era hooch, but even they admit it’s a drink shrouded in secrecy;…

Need more Dave Matthews in your life? How about on your table, in a carafe or by the bottle? Then you’re in luck, because the jam master himself has teamed up with famed winemaker Steve Reeder to craft a collection of wine designed specifically crafted to be drunk — not just another celebrity collaboration. Named…

Winos rejoice! Though the Peugeot Clef du Vin doesn’t purport itself to transform a bottle of Yellow Tail Cab Sauv to a Caymus, it will give you a glimpse of what your wine could taste like if left to properly age. Utilizing an alloy of various metals, the Clef du Vin accelerates reduction of oxygen…

This week we’re reporting from Edinburgh, UK, and seeing things through the traveler’s lens (more on Edinburgh in the coming weeks). In that spirit, this week’s picks are all about seeing familiar things from a different perspective. We’ve also got two recipes that celebrate the changing of the seasons, which is exactly what happened this…

Leave it to the French to create a better way to schlep wine from chateau to chateau. Wrapped-up in its hexagon tote form, the Zebag can hold and insulate six bottles securely. When not on the move, the carrier can unroll into “bar mode”, functioning as an 11 bottle rack, or simply hang in a…

Wine is a subject we prefer studying with a glass, friends, and a good meal. However, if you’re looking to read up on the subject, Matt Kramer on Wine: A Matchless Collection of Columns, Essays, and Observations by America’s Most Original and Lucid Wine Writer ($12) is a great resource. The title is a little…

The Code38 Stealth Wine Knife ($410) is the type of thing you’d expect to learn about from tales of King Arthur pulling it out of a lake, or by catching a movie with Harrison Ford fleeing a cave with the Stealth in hand. It’s designer, Jeffrey Toering, cut his teeth as an instrument fitter in…

The Mirage Wine Rack ($45) is another ingenious project born from the social product development community Quirky. Its key point of differentiation involves a clever extendable rack system that holds between one and eight bottles of your favorite vintage. That may sound over-engineered for vino, but it helps avoid the pitiful impressions standard racks give…

Thanks to the airlines/TSA imposing a liquid lockdown, stowing your favorite vintage on flights takes serious cojones. So, you’ve got to ask yourself one question: “does my checked luggage feel lucky, punk?” Using a Jetbag ($15, 3 pack) can make the proposition slightly less risky. Each re-sealable zip bag is padded with the same absorbent…

Wine expert Michael Mondavi has created a new Private Cellars club to share his knowledge with those who have the funds to buy top bottles, but not necessarily the time to track them down. Enophiles who join have the option to choose from monthly, bi-monthly, or quarterly shipments which are organized by region and contain…

An excellent glass of wine after a long day of skiing is often just what the doctor ordered, particularly when your quads start to remind you how long you’ve been off the slopes. This Ski Rack Wine ($700) could be symbolic of that partnership, or just clever decoration for a chalet. In either case it’s…

In case you’re looking for an excuse to own yet another electric screwdriver look no further than the Bosch IXO Vino Cordless Lithium-Ion Screwdriver ($60). The driver includes an exclusive corkscrew attachment to make bottle popping a snap and even ships with a wooden box to fit in with the barback crowd. Of course, that…

Normally we’re not the type to encourage a lack of bar accessories, but in the case of the Nuance Wine Finer ($30) we’ll make an exception. That’s because it combines the functions of an aerator, filter, no-drip serving pourer, and stopper into one convenient wine accessory. That means using it should translate into less digging…

Aspiring wine connoisseurs short on space should make room for West Elm’s Wine Bar ($500). That’s because this nook worthy cabinet integrates a 12 bottle wine rack, and 2 compartments for wineglasses or serving tools into a 30″w x 18″d x 39.25″h package. It even features a removable serving tray should you need to bring…

Distinctive in every sense of the word, this Wine Bottle Chandelier from Pottery Barn ($399) is a creative fixture any wine lover can appreciate. Weighing 30 pounds and measuring 18″ in diameter, 33″ high, with a 6 foot chain for hanging, this chandelier is a manageable dining room table friendly size that won’t give those…

Many of Jon Hughes’s movies may have immortalized nerds in the 80s as the most socially awkward characters to ever walk planet, but at some point nerds eventually grow up. No amount of time though can wash away the fond memories many newly minted adults have of long sessions glued to the tube, button mashing…

Etsy is a veritable treasure trove when it comes to finding unique items. There’s definitely some crap on there, but the gems are worth the search. Recently, while searching around the site, we stumbled onto The Emperor Seat from Etsy seller StilNovo Design. A stool-style seat, it’s constructed from reclaimed oak sources from French wine…

As a man always looking for ways to stretch his dollar, trying to find a good wine on the cheap is certainly never a simple task. After all, there’s no better than for having a few bottles of red stocked, than when you’re throwing down a batch of Gear Burgers or Steak-Au-Poivre. It’s times like…

Today’s wine accessory pick joins our ongoing list of wine gear by being both incredibly affordable and particularly space conscious. Made from solid wood and coated in a Mahogany finish, this slim mini wine tower measures Overall: 9½”(W) x 9½”(D) x 28″(H) and has a max capacity of 12 bottle. A great choice for apartment…

Is there a wine rack with more masculine appeal than this? Survey says no. Built from a vintage ammunition box dating back to the 1960′s and 70′s, with a few minor alterations this rustic wood case has been perfectly re-purposed from that of annihilation to inebriation. Well…perhaps annihilation might still apply if you managed to…

I know people who love wine. I’m one of them. As a matter of fact, I’m apt to throw caution aside in the surroundings of a wine or spirits shop. Of course, money being of issue, I tend to keep my eyes set on wines less than $20, but there’s still a problem. The issue…

Though the methodology for making fine wine might not have changed that much over the centuries, thanks to Cork Pops the same can’t be said for opening it. Packaged with a CO2 cartridge (good for 60-80 bottles) and featuring a custom designed insertion guide, needle guard, and a patented cork release feature; this wine opener’s…

If you keep more than two or three bottles of wine at home it’s time for a wine rack. If you’re like me then you probably prefer keeping them out of sight than some cheesy pompous wine rack that does nothing but show you’re more interested in displaying bottles than knowing what they taste like….

There it is. The moment where you’re out to dinner and looking through the expansive wine list wondering which one you can select that isn’t going to cost a paycheck but isn’t going to make you look cheap. Oh, here’s a decent one – hopefully she didn’t see how much it cost. Then it comes……

Scenario: It’s a hot summer evening and after your day out you get back home and realize there’s no wine in the fridge cooling. Damn. Not to fear, you’ve got the Waring Pro Wine Chiller at the ready. It will get that bottle down to a delicious temperature (via it’s thirty-three preset temperatures) in just…