50 years on, Riedel keeps designing wine glasses

Riedel Crystal, a 250-year-old company, celebrated the 50th anniversary of its “wine friendly” stemware in 1961 with an exhibit at San Francisco’s Museum of Modern Art.

At the just-ended 2012 International Home & Housewares Show, the company launched its latest designs, including the dragon-shaped Twenty-Twelve decanter (bottom image), inspired by the Chinese Year of the Dragon, and the Cobra Verde, a limited-edition piece for magnum-sized bottles, designed by Maximilian Riedel himself.

Foldable ice bucket stores flat after use

Foldable ice bucket

Ravi Solution, makers of the Ravi-Instant Wine Refresher, launched its Instant Wine Refresher at the Chicago Housewares show.

Another new product is the Foldable Ice Bucket made of PVC. Available in four colors, it can be folded after use and stored.

The 2-in-1 Vacuum Stopper is a wine stopper and a pump that removes the air in wine bottle to preserve freshness and flavor.

Wall-mounted wine racks made of exotic wood

Vynebar introduced its newest collection, called Allure, at the International Home and Housewares show in Chicago this week. The wine racks are made in the United States with exotic woods accented with brass, copper or nickel metals.  The Vynebar 8 Allure Collection holds eight bottles of wine and the Vynebar 4 Allure Collection holds four bottles. Easy to install, the Vynebar can also be mounted under kitchen cabinets.

Another collection offers eight anodized metal colors in four finishes: Glossy Polished, Flat Bead Blasted, Brushed Stainless Steel and Polished Mirror.

Wine rack displays bottles as 'art'

A wine rack from Pack & Rack in Sweden is a made of solid oak and steel. The set is treated with cold-pressed linseed-oil in order to bring out the natural veining, luster and beauty of the material.

Gifts from France at the NY Gift Show

This wine box is made from reclaimed boat wood. The holes, knots and cracks give a unique character to each piece. The lid holds a Laguiole type corkscrew and a wine stopper. The box comes with a pouch of wood shavings to cradle the wine bottle (not included). It is available from Arceau Marketing, which is showing at the SCIP Booth 2642 in the French pavilion during the New York Gift Show.

Olive wood has a distinctive grain and a Mediterranean look. It acquires a patina and ages beautifully. This collection is made in France by SCIP,  a respected Laguiole manufacturer from Thiers, France since 1850.

Stylish wine totes, chic lunch bags

Todco introduced a new barbecue set, a new line of recyclable wine tote bags (left) and a new and expanded line of Sachi Fashion Insulated lunch bags (below) at the  Housewares Show in Chicago. The three new Sachi Wine Totes hold as many as three bottles of wine (or other beverages). The eco-friendly totes are available in three colors and two styles. They  have fully lined silver insulated interiors to keep wine cool for most of the day.
The Sachi Fashion Insulated Lunch Bag is available in more than 42 styles and colors. The company offers a  point-of-sale floor display that holds up to 32 assorted totes. The bags have a fully lined silver insulated interior that keeps food and drink cool or warm for hours. A cool pack can extend coolness for most of the day.

Colors and styles available include red, grey or magenta woolie, blue rose, cream hearts, magenta rose, pink and blue floral cosmo, silver, lime or brown hobo, black quilt, blue squares, circles, orange, blue or pink floral, pink squares and pink Asian floral.

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Retailers: Contact the manufacturer for prices and minimums.

Shoppers: Ask your favorite independent retailer to order this item for you.

Colorful wine carafes

Fiduz Design from Denmark launched its colorful bag-in-box wine carafes at the Housewares Show in Chicago this month. The "egg" is an alternative to serving wine from a box. Just remove the bag and place inside the dispenser. The base is detachable for cleaning. The product is available in eight colors.

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Retailers: Contact the manufacturer for prices and minimums.

Shoppers: Ask your favorite independent retailer to order this item for you.