A few of my favorite things

The vinarmour wine carrier

$299

(use link below for 10% off)

The undisputed champion of single-bottle wine carriers

As a sommelier who has seen her fair share of wine totes, it’s always astounded me that not one of them checks ALL the boxes. You have your hard cases that don’t pack in suitcases, soft cases that are just plain ugly, and poorly designed cases that do little to nothing to protect from impact, leakage, temperature, or puncturing.

Why it’s different

As the first puncture-resistant soft case for travel with bottles, Vinarmour is as durable as it is beautiful; designed to age gracefully over time while providing true coverage for your precious cargo inside. The use of patent-pending layered technology using PoronXRD Extreme Impact Protection foam, Kevlar, and Dyneema fabric to prevent puncture and leaking means it’s basically a bullet-proof vest for your wine. Plus, the eco-fleece lining helps to ensure the wine remains at a constant temperature for your journey. In the unlikely event things do go awry, don’t worry — the waterproof closure will ensure the rest of your surrounding belongings aren’t ruined as well.

With an exterior constructed with Halley Stevenson waxed cotton twill, Horween Leather Company straps, and brass hardware, the VinArmour has all the markings of a designer handbag that will naturally patina over the years to make this an investment piece worth holding on to. And unlike other cases, it folds down completely to easily fit into a purse or shoulder bag when not in use.

When and How to Use it

The bag’s design is incredibly simple and nuanced all the same. Whether you need to crunch it down to fit in a suitcase, pack a bottle of wine for a trip, or take it out to a nice dinner — the bag is as much a staple for me as my Louis Vuitton Neverfull.

Limited Lifetime Warranty

A bag like this should never really suffer any damage, but on the off-chance something goes awry, there is a Limited Lifetime Warranty that will repair or replace defective bags. So rest assured, your investment is protected.

Coravin Sparkling System - $399

Preserve your Champagne 🍾 and  Sparkling Wine for 4+ weeks: The wine-worlds most anticipated new gadget

The brand new Coravin Sparkling System claims to keep your bubbles bubbly for at least a month — though word on the street is that it can actually go much longer. After a long and painstaking 4 weeks of not touching a perfectly good bottle of 2008 Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame, I can in fact confirm that Coravin’s claim is true! Check the video here to see that at 4 weeks, the champagne was just as it was the day I opened it!

How it works

Unlike Coravin’s other devices, you actually pop the cork, pour the wine, and replace it with their patented (and very sturdy) universal stopper. It fits any half, standard, or magnum sized sparkling bottle like a glove and only adds about 1 centimeter to the top of the bottle. That means you can store your bubbles on their side (or upright) in the fridge without fear of it popping off when the ketchup elbows it. Plus, the system comes with two stoppers so I will definitely be taking advantage of the fact that I can do champagne side by side tastings very soon.

Once you’ve poured what you’d like to enjoy and replace with the stopper, you’ll charge it with CO2 with the sparkling charger. Anytime you want to grab another glass, just repeat. 

Things to know

The system is VERY user friendly and only took about 5 min to figure out. The universal stopper is absolutely the most sturdy and impenetrable I’ve ever seen. Nothing getting in or out of that bottle. But it does take a little muscle and potentially a few tries to get on the bottle. As you see in the video, I had to actually stand up and put a little weight into it to get it to close seamlessly. It wasn’t challenging, but just good to know and they do point this out in the instructions. 

Replacing the CO2 cartridges was very simple and the “green” indicator lets you know when charging is complete. One important thing to note is that you MUST use the Coravin Pure Sparkling CO2 capsules. Each capsule preserves up to 7 standard sized bottles and are ~ $45/6 capsules.

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