review : corkcicle

I was super excited for the opportunity to try out this new product, the corkcicle, I kept seeing on giveaways around blogs I read. It's basically a plastic "spear" with an attached cork. You stick it in the freezer for a few hours, then put it in your wine to keep it chilled outside, on a table, etc.

Here it is in its sturdy box.
Guess I could have cropped this photo. My bad.

I was planning on using it for the first time at a lovely spring picnic in a New Orleans park, where alcohol outside in a public place is legal (and highly encouraged) -- although technically you're not supposed to have glass, so it may have been a little risky anyhow. Livin' on the edge, that Hilary. Anyway, then it got cold again, so that was a bust.
So naturally my first thought regarding alternative situations was to try it out during the Bachelor finale. A pretty serious event necessitating wine, duh. And since we would obviously be glued to our seats -- lest miss a minute of the most. dramatic. finale. ever. -- the wine would need to stay on the table, so a trip to the fridge wouldn't be required. Instead, the wine stayed close at hand and out of the fridge, with only the corkcicle to keep it cool.

Tracey did the honors.
Obviously this was not a difficult task (not to minimize Tracey's wine-related skills).

Here it is in action, a perfect fit for my bottle. With our good hero Sean in the background.
Also, yes, that is an energy efficiency sticker on my TV. I just got a new one (please see two posts down to see why). Never hurts to have a reminder of how energy efficient you are? Clearly it's not just that I'm lazy. Clearly.

As you can see, the corkcicle even works on cheap inexpensive wine. I was pleasantly surprised by how tightly the cork fit -- I'm not sure why this was surprising to me, but suffice it to say there was no wine escaping without intent. 

When you do want more wine, this is how you're supposed to pour it. This super intense strategy probably prevents spills maybe. I don't know, we were just following directions.

As you can see, Bachelor finale and corkcicle still going strong.

So, I bet you're wondering, when will this review end? does it really work? As you probably can't tell because of my semi-crappy cell phone pictures, the wine was still cold when Chris Harrison made another appearance about half way through the three hour finale (this is time none of us can get back, folks). Yep, almost two hours later, the wine was still chilled. Now, admittedly I was inside, so the wine was never exposed to temperatures warmer than room temperature, but it still did a pretty good job. I'm pretty confident it would keep wine cold for at least 30 or 45 minutes outside in summer in a reasonable temperate city.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this product if you're a wine fan. I also think it'd make a super cute hostess gift with a bottle! (Want your own? Buy one here!) 
So yes, I was happy with the product, as well as the results of the Bachelor -- Sean picked my early favorite. Not as excited about the next Bachelorette, but you know I'll be watching anyway. 

Boo the cat? Not quite as impressed with the corkcicle or The Bachelor. 

x Hilary

Disclaimer: I received this product in exchange for a review, but all of the opinions are my own.

Aaand I'm co-hosting the Almost Friday Thursday Blog Hop again over at MorganHarperNichols.com. Visit and link up if you like!