What?
Corkcicle Air (£20, root7.com), a liquid-filled plastic tube with cork stopper and split spout. Keeps wine chilled and aerates as it pours.
Why?
Dude, who cares – let’s chill for a bit then grab some air. Tubular!
Well?
It lies in a narrow box, itching to be picked up and looking like Dumbledore’s wand. That’s according to some. It looks more like a duck’s penis to me, but I wasn’t raised right. These gadgets have been around for a while, the basic idea being that you freeze one and stick it in a bottle to cool wine. It’s neither complex nor new. So why have the makers called the new version Corkcicle Air? Are they comparing this upmarket Calippo, modelled on duck junk, to a fifth-generation iPad?
In fact, they wish to draw your attention to a nozzle in the stopper that oxygenates your vino as it pours. The box has a few winey truth bombs to drop: reds should actually be served at cellar temperature (ie slightly chilled), while white wine benefits from light oxidation as much as its bloody cousin. In other words, whatever you drink, you need a Corkcicle. Which is … convenient.
To investigate further, I took my knobbed wand on the road. By “road” I mean a party full of wine experts. And by “wine experts” I mean friends that drink a lot. They’re intrigued by the object’s tactile length and cork-plug bottom. “We’ll be seeing these in A&E before long,” muses Tom, a doctor. “I wonder if it’s radiopaque.” I scribble this in my new-words journal and press the others for more. Can they detect, or dispute, any of the benefits of aeration on white wine? “I like wine,” confirms Cathy, who, unbelievably, is a writer. I think she likes it too much.
As you can see, they were no help at all. I didn’t feel the wine stayed cool for noticeably longer than normal – the Corkcicle thawed quickly. However, a taste comparison suggested aeration worked surprisingly well at unpacking the wine’s flavours, even the cheap child’s rubbish I drink. Of course, one could just pour a drink and leave it a minute. But who has time for that? In conclusion, more research is needed. Much, much more.
Any downside?
Corkcicle fails the ice-bucket challenge by being less effective than one. No proceeds will be going to charity.
Counter, drawer, back of the cupboard?
Drawer. I like wine.
2/5
