A handmade hallmarked sterling silver Tastevin or Wine taster with a cast serpent ring handle and domed centre. Rather traditional in style and therefore fits both the 'Appetite' and 'Classic' collections. It bears the double line signature of J A Campbell products.

It is an essential if you are going to look the part at the wine tasting. Or it can be a very different silver present for the wine buff who has nearly everything. An essential for any luxury yacht or plane or large house where the subject of wine tasting may arise.

Obviously the main use is for tasting wines before you buy, but it will sit on the bar on display as a talking point until needed.

For those interested John Campbell describes the making of this item. It consists of 2 components, a body and a handle. First a disk 1.1mm thick by 4.74" diameter is spun over a brass chuck on a spinning lathe. It is trapped between 2 centers while spinning rapidly, the blank is coaxed over the chuck using a polished steel burnisher which the spinner(silversmith) fits under his armpit using his body weight to hand force the silver onto the chuck. The silver wants to buckle like any flat sheet of material would when being moved off the flat. It is the skill of the silversmith which prevents this from happening. During the forming of the silver it will work harden and require annealing. This is to make the silver red hot and then quenching it in water. During firings J A Campbell use a process which coats the silver with shield, preventing the oxygen coming into contact with the silver 925 alloy, which because it contains a tiny amount of copper (used to strengthen the otherwise very soft silver) will react and tint the silver slightly purple at the surface. Most silversmiths plate over this fire stain to cover it up, only for it to surface again in the future after the silver plate has worn off. At J A Campbell our standards say we do not allow the fire stain to happen in the first place.

The handle is cast using the lost wax method. This involves making models of the handle by injecting wax into rubber moulds and building them up into a tree like form with a central stem and covering with plaster of Paris. The wax is then melted out of the plaster and replaced by molten silver. Once cooled the plaster is broken away, the silver handles cut away from the tree and prepolished along with the bowl. The 2 components are then fitted and soldered together using hallmarking quality soft silver solder.

At this stage the article is punched with the makers mark, JAC in a triangle, which are the initials of founder John Campbell. It is then taken to the London Assay Office to be scraped and tested. Once a positive result has been received from the laboratory confirming that the article has been made with metal at least 92.5%, pure silver the remaining hallmarks are punched into the surface. This independent hallmarking process began in the 1400's and is one of the world's oldest and most secure forms of consumer protection.

Upon arrival back at our workshop, the hallmarks are inspected and 'set', that is to remove any small dents put in by the punching process. Following this the JA Campbell name punch is applied to the base.

The polishing process can now begin.  First using coarse compound moving up to medium and lastly a fine compound until the high polish associated with silver is achieved. 4 grades are used and around 20 different operations employed.

You can spoil yourself and buy one for your own use or a special present for someone close. It is also very suitable as a silver wedding present, a silver birthday present, a corporate gift or incentive gift. It can even be made in gold for the very special golden wedding present.

As with most JA Campbell products this item is suitable for engraving to personalize as a gift. The design features and quality in every item made by craftsmen at JA Campbell are unique.

In the unlikely event of damage JA Campbell provide a full repair service. You can be assured that all JA Campbell products are made up to a standard not down to a price. Nothing leaves the Brentwood workshop until Master Silversmith John Campbell is completely satisfied.

This sterling silver wine taster is a pleasure to use today and a great investment to be handed down to future generations.

As with most things in life your silver will need occasional cleaning, this does not need to be a chore and can be quite therapeutic. From as little as the wash up of an eating utensil to the occasional buff up to remove light tarnish, and an occasional polish using silver cleaner such as Silvo.