SoWine-bar
This appliance has two basic functions: bringing your wine to optimal tasting temperature and preserving your opened bottle(s) of wine. A gizmo in every sense, but this one is cool, if a little pricey.
Produced by respected French wine storage solutions company EuroCave, this contraption is not only elegant but easy to operate as well.
The SoWine-bar has two “independent” Peltier system compartments that fine-tune temperature to ensure wines are enjoyed at optimal flavour levels. The device is flexible with various programming options which allow for maximum choice: use it for two reds, two whites or one red and one white. You simply need to pop wine into the compartments, select “white” or “red” on the control panel, and wait for the device to work its magic – in less than three hours your wine is ready to be served.
The temperature is pre-programmed however, which means you would have to make do with the temperature for your white or rosé being between 8ºC and 10ºC and your red between 16ºC and 18ºC. Anything colder and you would have to rely on your fridge or ice bucket. Therefore the bar is not as much a “cooler” as it is a “regulator”.
Not in the mood to finish both bottles? Simply place the opened bottle back into a compartment and plunge down the oxidation extraction cap. The oxygen extraction system will draw oxygen from the bottle, keeping it “fresh” and unoxidised until your next party.
The bar is light and easy to manoeuvre, but even so, it’s probably best installed on the kitchen counter. There are other, less expensive ways to obtain the two selling points this device offers, which undoubtedly makes it an exclusive accessory for the connoisseur. As with many gizmos, the SoWine-bar’s desirability is how successful it is in meeting its hassle-free mandate – and this it does outstandingly well.
The SoWine-bar is distributed by Wine Essentials and retails for R4 299. Visit www.wineessentials.co.za for more information.
