Columns

As a little girl, I shook more than my fair share of Christmas gifts, trying to figure out if I was finally getting a Barbie doll or the annual blue, fuzzy bathrobe.

Many of today’s Baby Boomers find themselves moving into a caregiver role with their aging parents— a role neither generation is prepared for.

Rubber stamps for scrapbooking, silver jewelry, burp-able storage containers, one-size-fits-most-clothing.
What do these items have in common you ask?

They’re all items I’ve been lured to someone’s home to view and guilted into purchasing. Yes, home parties. Proof that hell exists right here on earth and usually comes with a crudité.

If you’ve been reading my columns for the past year or so, you are probably getting a pretty good idea of the wines you enjoy, which new ones to try and maybe even brave enough to experiment with a Barolo, Albarino or a Carmenere.

But now you’re looking beyond the wine and wondering about all of the “other stuff” — the glasses, the decanters, the aerators, the different types of corkscrews — and asking yourself if any of these accessories are needed. Maybe it is time to ask what all of those things are for and if they really might positively impact your wine experience.