ONCE UPON AN indulgent time, you thought about vino like a wino. Thunderbird, Night Train — fortified, Drano-like drinks in screw-top bottles, unmatched in their ability to numb, procured with a handful of change. Then, in the ’80s, you were awash in kiddie-colored concoctions: tropical breezers, spritzers, and other fanciful air-headed carbonations. They went down like soda pop; the next day, your head felt as if it were hosting a glockenspiel jamboree. But now you’re ready to drink wine the way adults do: thoughtfully, patiently, and in a glass! And that means you’ll need some essential accouterments.
For those who aspire to bibulous sophistication, wine racks are de rigueur, and your stolen milk crate from Dunkin’ Donuts does not count. Bliss in Cambridge offers groovy Lego-like structures, designed by Ron Arad for Infinity ($105). These brightly colored, interlocking pieces create a delightful weird-science bottle holder that can be added on to. For those serious about stocking their cellars, Hold Everything imports simple, sturdy, smooth-sanded rack systems from Sweden ($119 for a six-shelf unit or $219 for a 14-shelf unit).
Once you select a bottle from your new rack, you have to open it with panache. To put an end to digging with a butter knife or contemplating bashing the bottle neck, head to Home Restoration for a Zig Zag corkscrew ($14); it boasts fine workmanship and sturdy materials, so you can pop even the most cantankerous corks with grace.
Of course, now that you have to get up for work in the morning, you may not be able to finish the whole bottle. But did you ever try to fit the cork back in? Chiasso, purveyor of super-hip home accessories, puts a temp lid on the grape juice with gleaming, Brillo-designed silver-toned stoppers topped with gem-like finials ($28). Then, to display your elegantly topped bottles, stop at the South End’s Laboratory for a smooth, egg-like wine bucket made by the artful folks at Umbra. Or, for a Deco look, try Zinc’s French bistro-style bucket ($49), which features a matte-metal finish with elegant banding and divinely curved handles. No room for a bucket in your picnic basket? Williams-Sonoma and artist Guy Buffet can wrap up your vino and keep it cool with freezer jackets decorated with whimsical figures ($14 for a set of two).
So now you can store, open, and serve, but what? Before you get lost at the liquor store, let two local experts help you choose your first bottles. In the $20-to-$50 range, Robert Shire of Back Bay Wine & Spirits recommends a Côtes-du-Rhône or a St. Supéry California chardonnay; Michael Kudisch of Best Cellars suggests a Chateau Ste. Michelle merlot or a crisp cabernet from the Beaulieau vineyard. That’s all you need to know to start imbibing in style.
??Back Bay Wine & Spirits, 704 Boylston Street, (617) 262-6571
??Best Cellars, 1327 Beacon Street, Brookline, (617) 232-4100
??Bliss, 2257 Mass Ave, Cambridge, (617) 497-4499
??Chiasso, 800 Boylston Street, Boston, (617) 859-1808
??Hold Everything, 351 Newbury Street, Boston, (617) 450-9846; 1000 Mass Ave, Cambridge, (617) 354-9771
??Laboratory, 577 Tremont Street, Boston, (617) 266-7300
??Williams-Sonoma, 100 Huntington Avenue, Boston, (617) 262-3080; other locations listed at www.williams sonoma.com
![[Urban Buy]](/images/boston/news/urbanbuy_header.gif){kind=small}