Wine Rings

I'll admit, despite my parents' best efforts to gift me coasters over the years, I never really saw the point—until I met my wife. Back in my bachelor days, most of my furniture was wood-plastic composite, so water rings weren’t much of a concern. But once I started using some of the older, inherited pieces, those pesky rings started showing up like unwanted guests.

Moving in with my wife meant I had to step up my coaster game. She takes furniture protection very seriously—let’s just say ignoring coasters wasn’t an option unless I wanted to mysteriously disappear. 

Of course, I eventually came around, and now I’m practically a coaster evangelist. It turns out, they do serve a purpose beyond gathering dust in a drawer!

Juan Astanio, The New Yorker, Feb. 10, 2025