Out With the Old . . .

The large dust-bunny, incredulously staring back at us this morning, reminded us that it was time for some spring-cleaning. The worst part of the job is taking that first step to begin. But you can only procrastinate for so long before you have to come to terms with the dust creatures taking residence under your bed. Sure, there are many good reasons to do an intensive, full-weekend cleaning session, but perhaps the best motivation, is to throw out the old crap to make room for the new things that you just have to have (new crap). Truth be told, we just want to make room for these cool new wine gadgets.

Venus Automatic Wine Bottle Opener, $49.99
Don’t let the name and shape fool you, the Venus automatic wine bottle opener is strictly for kitchen use only. Simply place the Venus on the neck of the bottle, flick the switch and it will extract the cork, flick the switch in the opposite direction and it will eject the cork out. Available at after5catalog.com .

Magnetic Wine Ageing Clip, $49.95
We don’t know exactly how this works but it’s pretty amazing. Simply place the Wine Clip on the neck of the bottle and this device makes young wines more drinkable by softening the tannins and making the flavors in the wine rounder. You can achieve the same effect with decanting but this little guy fits in our back pocket and you never know when you’re going to need to artificially simulate cellar aging. Available at thewineclip.com

Built NY Neoprene Beverage Tote, $14.95
We received this as a gift for the holidays this year and we use it all the time It keeps a bottle of wine cold for hours and then when your done with it simply roll it up and it will fit in your jacket pocket or your purse so you don’t have to carry it around. Available at surlatable.com

Cooper Cooler™ Rapid Beverage & Wine Chiller, $45.90
This silver bullet can chill a bottle of wine in 6 minutes. That’s just enough time for you to grab the glasses and some cheese from the fridge. No longer will we be a slave to the chilled wine selection at our local wine purveyor. Available at www.amazon.com

WinePod, $3,499
When it comes to wine gadgets this is really as big as it gets. Sure we can’t afford it or find a home for it in our tiny kitchen, but we can dream for a moment. This sleek stainless steel wine glass is about the size of a large 7th grader and allows you to make wine in your own home. Just toss in the grapes and this gadget hooks up with your computer to create a customized wine to your specifications. They are out of stock now but to put your name on the waiting list go here.

So maybe we won’t be getting the WinePod this year but we will certainly be clearing enough space for the wine chiller. If we are going to work up a sweat swinging a broom then there better be a cool glass of Chablis waiting for us.