Indulgence

wine on a whim

When a hard day’s done, let this dispenser pour your optimally chilled glass. After all, as an oenophile, it’s smarter than you are. By Haley Longman

We easily brew an individual cup of morning coffee these days. Why not be equally spontaneous with a glass of wine in the evening? That’s the idea behind the Plum, a wine dispenser that’s an oenophile’s dream—its makers say it will “automatically preserve, chill and serve any bottle, by the glass.” That old custom of opening a cherished bottle just to enjoy one glass, then letting the rest deteriorate? Why, they think that’s just Plum crazy.

Launched in 2017 by tech expert and CEO David Koretz, the Plum holds two standard 750-milliliter bottles of wine in separate cooling chambers so that you can enjoy, say, either a Chardonnay or a Merlot on a given moment’s impulse. Using artificial-intelligence technology that’s beyond our comprehension, the Plum determines which varietal it’s holding (and the region it hails from), chills each one to its recommended temperature and automatically dispenses the perfect pour each time with a button-push. A 7-inch touch screen displays the labels and specific details about the wine. Why bother Googling such minutiae when you can have it at your literal fingertips?

The Plum’s special double-cored needle automatically pierces corks or even screw caps. And after the bottle is opened, the needle injects preservative argon gas as it extracts liquid, so that the wine stays fresh. Thus the Plum’s AI technology also preserves wine for up to three months, letting you drink by the glass—just as you would in a restaurant—without feeling pressured to consume a whole bottle in a day or two. (Though, Scout’s honor, this thing won’t judge you if you do.)

The latest iteration of the device is what the brand calls Plum Integrated, a plug-and-play variant that can be installed directly in a 24-inch-wide cabinet in your kitchen or bar and will lie flush against it. Its sleek design is not as obtrusive as would be, say, a bread maker or an air fryer plopped on the kitchen island, and you can choose from black or stainless steel to match the aesthetic of your space. Plum and Plum Integrated retail for $2,499 and $3,499, respectively. Many local hardware stores carry them, as do luxury home goods chains such as Williams-Sonoma. And as for that price tag, some will find it well worth it for a product that Plums the depths of convenience—while scaling the heights of techie class.

It’s like a cooler, but cooler.