What do you do when you are taking a bottle - or several bottles - with you not as a gift but for your own use whether it be a party, a picnic, a short trip or even to the pool (yes, I said the pool). There are several different things to consider when looking at what kind of wine tote/carrier best suits your needs - one bottle or several, insulated or not, accessories included, hard or soft outer shell, space for food as well, color and style, etc. Even when you think through all of these factors you may decide you need to have several different kinds of wine totes for different occasions/activities.
There are a multitude of different wine totes and carriers out there from a variety of vendors and we offer several of them at WineGiftsUncorked.com but I am going to focus here on a company out of California called Picnic Time that has a line of good quality wine totes and baskets for any occasion. First there is the Corvina Tote and the Wine Sack that offer you an easy way to carry one bottle of wine in an insulated bag to help keep your chilled whites cool. The Duet line offers the same thing but for two bottles along with a few accessories like an opener, stopper and cheese board.
If you are taking your wine on a trip such that you are concerned not only about insulation but safety of your wine bottles, there is the Platinum series of carriers that offer a nice aluminum outer shell with insulated pockets inside and comes in one, two or six bottle styles. Then there are the times when you need to transport your wine and food all in one and there are a variety of options for that, some of which include wine glasses, napkins, accessories, etc. - the Vino Basket, Wine Country Tote and Meritage Totes.

Finally, what do you do when you want to take that bottle of wine, red or white, to the neighborhood pool with you for evening social hour (yes, I know it is not summertime pool season) but your pool has a strict "No Glass" policy. Acrylic wine glasses are fairly easy to come by so you are covered there so I got a bit creative with one of the Picnic Time products which I am calling the Kona (Vino) Express. Yes it is a coffee thermos but there is no reason that it cannot be used for your wine to take to the pool - or anywhere that there is a concern about glass breakage. The stainless steel vacuum flask will hold one bottle of wine and will keep your favorite white wine chilled for a while. I must credit my friend Margie with this idea as it came from a conversation she and I had at the pool this past summer when she asked me what I had to serve this purpose on my site and has since bought several of these for herself and as gifts.

There are several other styles that I have not mentioned here but suffice to say that there many different wine totes/ carriers available which can suit your needs. If you find one you especially like, think about sharing it with a fellow wine lover as a gift this coming holiday season...I am sure they will be forever grateful.
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