Wine Gear Review: ChillinJoy

I've mentioned this before, but when it comes to wine gadgets I only review those products that I can see myself using in real life. I'm sure that the magnetic ring that goes around the neck of a bottle will align my chi properly, but personally, I'm not interested. However, this item piqued my curiosity...

I got a chance recently to try out the ChillinJoy, a specialty bag for chilling, cooling, or simply insulating a standard 750mL bottle of wine (or any similar-sized bottle containing the beverage of your choice). Inside the bag are three pockets that hold blue freezer gel packs, and the gel packs can be removed so you don't have to put the entire bag in the freezer.

You can use it to chill a bottle of wine, but where it works best is maintaining a constant temperature of a cool wine. Think picnics, think concerts in the park, think keeping that white Burgundy at the right temperature en route to a dinner party (and through the appetizer and soup course, allowing it to be perfect with the smoked trout). It should also be noted that during the weekday you can use it to keep a bottle of water, tea, or your soft drink of choice cool while you're at work.

The ChillinJoy is made out of real Neoprene--the same thing quality dive suits are made from--and it features a handy detachable shoulder strap. Additionally there are two Velcro-enclosed pouches on either side that allow for storage of various wine gadgets, bottles of bitters, whatever you need to pack for a trip. But all that aside, my favorite feature is the hole in the top that allows the neck of the bottle to protrude. This has a negligible impact on temperature, but does permit you to pour and serve the wine without removing it from the bag. While this doesn't allow you to show off the label to your friends, it's not really an issue for the casual whites and sparklers you might enjoy on a hiking trip, for instance.

The bag comes in green or blue, and can be ordered from the website for $29.95.