October 4, 2019

PINE RIDGE VINEYARDS Chenin Blanc/Viognier 2018

(California) $12

Grapefruit zest, honeysuckle, and white peach. Bright and vivacious. An absolute flavorful steal.

89 points MR

Available at Vivino.com

What is this antique tool called and what does it do?

A. Hoop Driver for tightening, loosening and removing the steel hoops that hold barrel staves together

B. Champagne Pliers for opening a bottle of sparkling wine

C. Wine Bottle Brush for sweeping away powdery mold and cobwebs from long-aged bottles before opening

D. Barrel Bung Puller for unlocking the seal on barrel bungs during fermentation

There’s nothing worse than not being able to get a cork out of a bottle of Champagne. And it happens quite a lot. The answer is not to let the bottle warm up (as some people do). Because if the bottle warms quickly, the cork will eventually come out explosively. A better, safer, quicker answer is Champagne pliers. These “pliers” look a bit like regular pliers only they are more elegant, and they are designed to fit perfectly around a stubborn Champagne cork. One small twist and voila, your Champagne is open and ready to be poured. You can get a new pair here.

“The best wines are those that take you through themselves and out into another world that you could not have gotten to on your own. Great wine has a strange subterranean current of beauty. It is not something you can summon from a wine; but a great wine can take you there.”

—Terry Theise
Wine importer and author

PINE RIDGE VINEYARDS Chenin Blanc/Viognier 2018

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