The $9 Kitchen Find I Would Replace Immediately if It Broke (My Mom Gave It to Me 15 Years Ago)

I love an occasional glass of wine. It's the perfect punctuation mark to a busy weeknight or a relaxing start to a lingering weekend dinner. For years, though, uncorking a bottle felt like a huge commitment. Unless I had company over, I'd rarely finish a bottle in one sitting, and watching good wine slowly turn dull and flat on the counter felt like a waste. Even after I met my husband, we rarely polished a bottle off in a single night.

So when I was gifted this manual wine saver pump for Christmas one year, I didn't realize how much I would come to appreciate it. My mom snuck it in my stocking on a whim, so she'd be thrilled to know that it's still one of my most-used kitchen products. It's been in my life for about 15 years now, and it has completely transformed (if and) how we enjoy wine at home. Once we put that pump in, the wine lasts at least a week and a half, sometimes even two. 

Why I Can't Live Without My Wine Saver Pump

"Live without" is a bit dramatic, I know. But it's so valuable that if it broke, I would likely replace it immediately. It's a simple mechanism that works by removing the air from an open bottle of wine, dramatically slowing oxidation—the process that turns fresh wine flat and sour.

It also couldn't be easier to use. I insert one of the silicone stoppers into the bottle, place the pump on top, and pull the handle a few times until I feel resistance. The seal keeps the wine fresh for at least a week, sometimes even two, whether it's chilling in the fridge or sitting on the counter.

I also learned recently that popping red wine in the refrigerator after pumping slows oxidation even more, making it last even longer. And when I want to drink it, I can bring it back to room temperature in about 20 minutes on the counter.

It's so nice not to feel pressured to finish a bottle just because it's open, or feel like I'm tossing money down the drain by letting it sit on the counter to sour. I can have one glass on Wednesday, another the following weekend, use a splash for cooking a day later, then finish it off the following week, and it tastes bright and full of life the whole way through. I feel especially grateful for it on the nights we want to uncork something nice.

I now sometimes even keep a bottle of white wine specifically for cooking, because it stays fresh for weeks in the fridge. And when we have friends over, we can open multiple bottles and easily preserve whatever's left.

I'm not exaggerating when I say this is one of the best things in my kitchen. It has made enjoying an occasional glass of wine simple, guilt-free, and delightfully easy for over a decade and a half. For $9, that's a serious return on investment.

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