Wine Thief

A device for drawing a sample of wine from a vessel the wine is fermenting, clearing or aging in. In home winemaking, a wine thief will have a small enough diameter to just fit through the hole of a carboy. There are two holes in the wine thief: one at the top and one at the bottom. When pushed into the juice or wine, the liquid enters the bottom hole of the wine thief. When the desired amount is reached, the wine maker presses his/her thumb over the top hole which keeps the liquid in the thief. When releasing the sample, for example into a test cylinder to measure specific gravity, the wine maker releases his thumb from the top hole and the liquid empties out the bottom hole.