Yvonne Lorkin: Ice cubes in wine

I won't name names, but there are people close to me (people who look a lot like my husband) who continually test every ounce of what I believe to be true and right by putting ice cubes in their glasses of wine. They don't like the way their wine warms up in the glass.

"But I like my white wines really cold," they'll bleat whenever I cringe and moan about that deliciously rich, flavoursome chardonnay being turned into a watery waste of a drink. So hooray for the ChillBall!

Designed to keep cold drinks cold once poured, the frozen ball is inserted in its holder, which is then clipped to the rim of the glass.

The clip keeps it in place when you drink, meaning no ice in your gob. And, unlike a real ice cube, it does not melt and dilute your wine.

I love these things!

There's a size for every type of glass, and to clean them you just run them under water, or put them in the dishwasher before putting them back in the freezer.

Distributed in New Zealand by brightidea.co.nz, they cost around $30 for a set of six and, if you should need further convincing as to how handy they are, just watch the video on www.brightidea.co.nz/intelligent-ice.html

Fix your cork conundrum It's rare that I encounter "corked" wine anymore, mainly because screwcaps have taken over most of the wines in my life and the local wines still sealed under corks seem to use high quality examples.

However, I was invited to a tasting recently, which compared some of New Zealand's most prestigious chardonnays with their French counterparts - some of the latter being priced between $100 and $350 a bottle.

Rather than boasting beautiful, complex fruit, toast and mineral flavours, as our homegrown examples do, sadly, some of those expensive French wines actually smelled more like a wet dog asleep on a damp sack inside a mouldy, cardboard box.

Faulty corks were to blame.

So, if you ever are in this situation, this little tip I found on the internet may help.

Simply pour the wine into a bowl or a big jug lined with clingfilm.

Let it stand for a couple of minutes, then pour it into a decanter.

The guilty molecule responsible for cork taint is 2,4,6-trichloroanisole, which is supposed to be chemically similar to polyethylene, meaning it sticks to the plastic - leaving clean wine behind.

I'm no scientist, so it could be bonkers, but I'm definitely going to try it.

Wine Cooler is cool again

Truth be told, my first actual, drinkable, wine experience was sitting in a Cobb & Co circa 1988 sipping a Miami Wine Cooler.

It was a little bottle with a screwcap and it had a little picture of a palm tree on it.

It was tropically sweet, light, slightly spritzy and I thought I was as cool as it got.

But, sadly, poor old wine coolers became uncool too soon.

However, hope has sweetly sprung courtesy of the lads at Invivo wines, who have re-introduced a new style of wine spritzer.

Created at their Mangawhai winery by Rob Cameron (who learned to make spritzers while working in vineyards in Europe), Scarlett's Spritzers are available in 330ml ($17 for a four-pack) and 500ml ($7) and in two snappy flavours.

The Red Berries has just a tweak of pink and hints of raspberry and strawberry; and the Elderflower and Lime is exactly that: clean, floral, fruity and zingy.

Named after the Scarlett's Duck, New Zealand's now-extinct native duck whose bones were discovered by a Ron Scarlett, and with a groovy label designed by Norwegian artist Bjorn Lie - they're a lovely new thing.

Best of all, at just 5 per cent alcohol, they won't knock you sideways and they'll keep you remembering summer long into the coming months.

Little Harvest Gisborne Moscato $19

For lovers of low-alcohol wines, here comes a really satisfying peach, apple and apricot-laden wine that offers all taste and a positively demure 6 per cent alcohol.

This moscato has a spritzy-fresh texture and is best sipped super-chilled. Widely available.

Amisfield Pinot Gris 2012 $30

This is an absolutely lovely example from one of Central Otago's premium producers. Classic pear, guava, quince and apple flavours merge with all sorts of exotic spices to make this wine quite un-put-downable. Luscious and packed with beautiful, fresh, lip-smacking character - this is superb stuff. amisfield.co.nz

Mills Reef Merlot Cabernet 2012 $19
A great little red that's chock-full of aromatic spices and red berry fruit on the nose and palate. Gentle, smooth tannins give this wine a really elegant mouthfeel and it finishes with a lovely dried herb and cocoa character. Terrifically tasty. millsreef.co.nz