Sunday DIY: Wine to defy gravity

Forget awkward lulls in your dinner party conversations - all your guests will want to know how your bottle stand works. Photo / Michael Craig

Greig Morgan's cool stand may have you thinking you've had one too many

Guests will find it hard to believe their eyes when they see a chilled bottle seeming to defy gravity, but it's not a trick. It's just a wine bottle holder that employs balance very cleverly.

Not only is it an elegant way to display a fine wine, it is also a great conversation starter. Everybody wants to know how this works. Better still, it's simple to make, so you could get cracking on your Christmas gift production line now.

Step 2. Photo / Michael Craig

Step 2 - Set your mitre saw to cut at a 45-degree angle and cut just the very bottom off, creating a mitred end.

Step 4 - Cut a scrap piece of wood on a 45-degree angle and fix it to the piece as a support when drilling the angle of your hole using a 30-32mm drill bit. Take it slowly when drilling, and use a drill press if you have one.

Step 4. Photo / Michael Craig

Step 6 - With the sanding finished, apply a couple of coats of oil, varnish or stain or whatever suits your requirements. Stand the piece on the 45-degree angle and fit the bottle carefully in the hole until you achieve the right balance and there you have it - steady as a rock until you drink it.

Materials
• Nice piece of timber about 20-30mm thick
• Linseed oil, varnish or stain
• Sanding block / finishing sander
• 150g sandpaper

Tools
• Mitre saw
• Drill
• 30-32mm drill bit
• Tape measure
• Pencil
• Square
• Paintbrush r cloth