Wine geek alert: Wireless electronic wine thermometer

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When I was living in Paris a friend’s preferred method of bringing a wine to temperature -- at least in winter -- was setting the bottle at the edge of the hearth for a while. That’s because cellar temperature really was cellar temperature, and at that time of the year practically frigid. And he knew his Bordeaux wouldn’t show well if the bottles weren’t warmed a little.

In California, wines that are too cold are hardly our problem. Whites have to be chilled, and sometimes reds, too, because the ambient temperature is too warm. The ice bucket is the fastest way to do that. (And by the way, that means ice with water all the way up in order to do the trick.)

Most people pour a splash of wine to see if it’s reached the right temperature. But for the very precise there’s a new sort of wine thermometer with a probe that transmits the temperature from the bottle (even one in the refrigerator) to the base unit, which can be as far as 25 feet away. No jumping up and down to check on the wine while chatting with your friends. You’ll know exactly when the bottle has reached optimum temperature. An LCD displays both the actual and the target temperature. Ta dum!

It’s called the Final Touch wireless electronic wine thermometer and it’s a little geeky, admittedly, but if you’re the distracted type it could be useful. Temperature settings are adjustable, so if you’re one who likes white only slightly chilled, the thermometer can be adjusted for that. And also for that bottle of Beaujolais or Rosé on a warm summer day. Think about it: You could be hanging out on the patio while still monitoring the temperature of a bottle of wine chilling down in the fridge inside.

Via Brian Krepshaw at CNET’s Appliances and Kitchen Gadgets blog.

Final Touch wireless electronic wine thermometer, $48.84 at www.amazon.com. Info@finaltouchwine.com; customer support (877) 259-7989

-- S. Irene Virbila