Wine-related assistance required

[taimatsu]

I need help!

My father would like a wine stopper for Christmas. The criteria are: it should be cone-shaped with rubbery bits around it so it fits different-sized bottles. It should have a sturdy handle on top so it can be easily pulled out. It should not be of an 'amusing' design. It should, if possible, be shiny, and of obviously high quality.

I have Googled a lot, and I can't find anything that quite fits the bill.

The stoppers on these are good, but the tops aren't pullable enough (I think).

This looks good and sturdy but isn't the cone-shaped sort he wants.

This one looks good, is cone-shaped with rings, and is recommended by a wine maker, but I am unconvinced by the handle.

This looks pretty good, but can I get something high-quality enough from a website called supercoolgifts.co.uk?

This one has the handle but perhaps not enough rubber bits?

This one might actually be perfect except that it's in an 'amusing' design and I'm always suspicious of those.

Can anyone who drinks wine give me a hand here? Suggestions? Which look good? Which should I avoid? Any help at all is welcomed.

Comments

[leathellin.livejournal.com]

To be honest if it was to actually help keep wine i'd get a one of these (http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0001M0G06/o/qid=1134743718/sr=2-1/ref=sr_bt_1/026-8131852-6465222). But I so also have a shiny stopper and it does look pretty and seal the wine to some extent. Unfortunatly it was a gift so I don't know where it came from, sorry.

[atreic.livejournal.com]

leathellin is right, if he wants a wine stopper to keep wine (instead of just a nice wine stopper because that's nice) the vacuume stoppers are the best thing you can get, and keep the wine fresh for much longer.

[taimatsu]

I did say 'Do you mean one of those vacuum ones?' and he said 'Oooh, no!' so I suspect he's after 'pretty and vaguely functional'.

[leathellin.livejournal.com]

I have noticed that Next sell a stopper (and collar and pourer) looks a lot like most of the others but you might be able to examine it in a shop.

[omentide.livejournal.com]

Have you tried the Lakeland site?

I seem to remember there are some nice ones on there.

[j4.livejournal.com]

Nobody needs to know if the gift came from "supercoolgifts.co.uk", so don't let that put you off. Or are you just worried that it must be rubbish if it comes from somewhere with a silly name? I shouldn't worry -- IME the men's-gadgets-sites often do actually have good-quality stuff sometimes, but really, in this case, how much difference is there going to be? I really don't think there's going to be much difference between "2 rubber bits" and "400 rubber bits". It's not like a stereo system or something -- it's just a bit of rubber to stop air getting in a wine-bottle, with a more- or less-poncey bit of brushed stainless steel on top. Basically, a cork would do the job (and how much would you pay for a cork? how hi-tech is it? ans: not much) but these things look a bit nicer.

Anyway, if he wants cone-shaped, handled and non-amusing, several of those seem to me to meet the bill -- I'd probably go for either the "supercoolgifts" one, or the Ernst and Julio Gallo one from cookinstyle.co.uk.

[cryx]

i noticed that lloyds pharmacies had some the other day...

[my-mundane-life.livejournal.com]

I like the supercoolgifts one (and can't see that it being from there would be a problem - it's not like it's cheap or looks crap) or the one you thought might not have enough rubber bits - I'd say two is plenty. Good luck!

[hairyears.livejournal.com]

Head for Vinopolis of one of the big wine merchants (NOT a high street chain like Oddbins). They will have some pretty cool kit for wine buffs. More to the point, you can see and handle the stuff.