erving wine is a pleasurable occupation but it is no light task. After the grape grower, winemaker, taster, bottler, shipper, importer, wholesaler and retailer, the sommelier represents the final link in the chain between the wine and the consumer. He or she must provide information, offer advice and answer questions which require a thorough knowledge of the subject.
Presenting wine in its most favorable light requires the proper tools. The following is a short list of accessories needed for top-flight restaurant service of wine:
Small wine service tables, on rollers, so that they can be shifted from place to place.
Carafes or pitchers, of fine glass or crystal, for decanting wines that have sediment or that need to aerate, or breathe, before being served.
Buckets, half filled with ice and water, for quick cooling of sparkling wines and certain dry whites and dessert wines - or for maintaining temperatures if they are already chilled.
Insulated containers may also be available for maintaining temperatures of certain wines.
Special pincers that resemble a nutcracker for freeing corks on sparkling wines if they are too stubborn to be removed by hand.
