You’ve turned the heat up as high as your landlord will allow, favorite holiday meal simmering away, perfect bottle of wine on the counter ready to be opened and enjoyed, and suddenly you realize―you haven’t a single wine glass. Sure, you could drink your favorite Cab Sav out of the coffee mug won at the office raffle 5 years ago, but you deserve better. Fear not, Thirsty One! We’re not just wine and spirits, here at―well, Wine & Spirits. From totes to get the juice home to glassware and more, we’ve got all the accessories you’ll need to really get in the spirit of things.
Corkscrew
You need a corkscrew. Screwtop wine closures are arguably one of the best inventions of the last century and key to many an outdoor beverage adventure, but don’t limit yourself. Our official Greene Grape corkscrew is stylish, easy to use with traditional bottles, and endlessly useful. (They are great for opening presents in a pinch.)
Glassware
Glass half full? You’ll need the glass first! Truly, glassware is more than a fancy container for grownup juice. “By concentrating aromas, the right glass can have a real impact on the experience of drinking it,” says Michele Thomas, general manager and certified sommelier. “If the glass is too thick or poorly made, you taste the glass first and the wine second. If it’s too wide, you can experience much less flavor because the aromas escape too quickly.” Michele should know. She tested over 50 different wine glasses as part of this guide by Wirecutter. We carry gorgeous glassware for anything on your personal bar menu, from red to white, bubbles, and cocktails. Shop our collection here.
Bottle Stoppers
When it comes to wine, oxygen is the frenenemy. Some wines, such as sherry, benefit from exposure to air during fermentation, while others need a little time to open up after a few years in bottle. Still others, not so much at all. Oxygen starts to change the flavor and aroma of wine almost as soon as it’s opened, which is why the pressure to finish an entire bottle in one evening (or afternoon, live your life!) can be daunting. Corks tend to expand when pulled, so simply re-corking the bottle may not work, either. However, our combination wine and bubbly stopper helps preserve the freshness of red, whites, and bubblies without breaking a sweat.
You’ve got to get these bottles home, somehow!
The holidays are upon us and that might mean travel, even if it's just down the block. We’ve got a new line of custom designed totes that hold up to 6 bottles. Sturdy and fashionable, the wine dividers are collapsible, leaving plenty of room for snacks, books, and more. Shop here.
And One More for the Road
Our beloved Annex was just one of the hundreds of restaurants, bars, and cafes that have fallen during this difficult year. However, the spirit of Annex lives on in our community. These days, you’ll find several former baristas slinging wine behind the registers at Wine & Spirits, and we’ve got limited edition (and we do mean limited) Annex double-lined steel travel mugs. Copper colored to stand out, they keep hot coffee—even Irish coffee—hot and are pretty cool for toting wine or walktails around the neighborhood.
