Eye protection is a concern for any number of activities in the wine industry, and the versatile VIAR Goggle Kit is perfect for everything, from bottling lines to chemical clean-up to pruning the vines.

Manufactured by H.L. Bouton Company in Massachusetts, the goggles’ sole distributor in the United States is BWS Distributors in Sonoma County, California.

The eyewear “kits” come with different “lenses” and, depending on the activity, are easily changed out of the pliable frame.

The first lens that I saw is a proprietary BWS design. With a protective metal screen, it is perfect for vineyard workers when pruning, picking or trellising. Called the Vineyard-Arborist (VIAR), it protects the eyes from flying particles and scratching.

A high-impact screen is molded into a poly-carbonate support, which then fits into the frame. It has both direct and indirect ventilation so there’s no fogging.

The “kit” includes two additional lenses: a polynium-coated smoke and a clear. They are scratch-resistant, fogless and 100 percent UV blocking. Meeting all American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Z87.1 and CE166 standards for impact and splash resistance, they are perfect for working on a bottling line or cleaning in the cellar. Other colors available are gray, amber, silver and IR green.

They have a terrific wraparound design with wide peripheral vision. They are accommodating enough for most prescription glasses to be worn underneath. Ventilation is great, and the first thing I did was experiment on my motorcycle. At 80, it is really a clean design.

What’s Cool: Since eye protection is needed in so many operations, from winery to vineyard, it is great to be able to purchase a single pair of goggles that can be quickly re-configured for the task at hand. With all-in-one protection, from flying particles to splash in the cellar, an affordable kit is too good to pass up. As always, pricing is quantity-sensitive.

This would be a nice perk for the entire crew. And they even look cool.

For more information, contact BWS Safety at 1-800- 862-4685 or visit www.bwssafety.biz. wbm