Campton Hills couple sells wineVEILS to keep bugs out of wine while outside

CAMPTON HILLS – Lisa and Mark Hirth of Campton Hills always have enjoyed wine and travels to wineries.

But there’s one thing that happens when you sit outside and sip wine al fresco: Bugs.

They can’t help it. Gnats, flies and fruit flies are attracted to the sugar and yeast of fermented grapes.

But now there’s the wineVEIL, a 5-by-5 piece of two-tone chiffon. Charms sewn on each corner – three grapes and one dragonfly – keep the veil in place over the wine glass. The chiffon allows the wine to breathe and keeps the bugs at bay.

“We go to a winery and sit outside and everyone says, ‘What are those?’ ” Mark Hirth said. “We’ve seen people use a cellphone or coaster on top of the glass to keep the bugs out. These are functional, but they look nice.”

The couple didn’t start the company, but bought the brand in April and sell the covers for wine glasses so people can sit outside, sip wine and not worry about insects getting into the drink.

The wineVEIL is available at www.wineveil.com and also at the Geneva Winery and Tasting Room, 426 S. Third St., Geneva and Tasting DeVine, 127 W. Front St., Wheaton.

In an email, Lisa Hirth called it “the perfect companion to outdoor entertaining and the hippest wine accessory out there.”

“They are simply the best addition to any al fresco gathering because they keep the bugs out of your glass,” Lisa Hirth said. “And they are certain to steal the show since they enhance the beauty of the wine in a glass while allowing your wine to breathe.”

The wineVEILs are made in the U.S.

The couple has visited wineries in Michigan, Wisconsin, Tennessee and northern California.

They happened upon wineVEILs while in Napa to celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary.

“We have been toting them around for 10 years and everybody asks us where they can purchase a set,” Lisa Hirth said.

Now they can give an answer: From them.