To Aerate or Not to Aerate. That is The Question.

“Clearly, the pleasures wine affords are transitory – but so are those of ballet, or of a musical performance. Wine Is inspiring and adds greatly to the joy of living.” ……………… Napoleon


Most wine experts recommend aerating wine. Being exposed to air (provided it is not for too long) opens up the wine. It enhances the flavors and contributes to a more balanced taste.  There are many aerators on the market . Vinturi is popular. Its advantage is that you can aerate any bottle by pouring it through the unit.  Have a paper towel handy though because you will need to deal with drips from the aerator. The unit also can fit within an optional stand, which is attractive, but not something you would want to carry around. Another approach is Soiree.  I like its small size, and it does an excellent job. The Soiree fits into the bottle opening, (unlike Venturi) but since American bottle openings are sized differently than Italian, for example, the Soiree comes with different gaskets to adjust the fit. Changing gaskets is troublesome (see / read comment) and the unit is made of thin glass and easily breaks. Still, it does do an excellent job. Another approach is the Nuance.  The advantage here is that it fits into any bottle. It is slim and portable, easy to carry. It also acts like a pour spout and prevents drips. Just remember to upside the bottle or it will act more like a spout than an aerator. 

I tasted a 2007 Groth Cabinet Sauvignon Reserve recently and almost missed the enjoyment by automatically aerating the first glass for my guests and I.  That’s like salting a dish without first tasting it. At the suggestion of one of my guests, we poured a subsequent glass straight from the opened bottle and the wine was much more enjoyable. With a bottle of L’ecole 41 (Washington state meritage) it was better not aerated, than it was aerated.  But these experiences are not the norm. So the WineMizer recommends you get an aerator and experiment yourself.  

Most of these aerators are available through various on line companies and at local discount stores, some accepting coupons.


A Votre Sante
……………………. Jim
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1 comment:

  1. My new Soiree aerator was delivered. I needed a replacement because the original one shattered on the floor. I had tried fitting it into a bottle with a different size opening, and out it popped. You'll recall my complaint with the Soiree was that it needed a gasket change when being fitted to different sized bottle openings. Well, no more! It now comes with a universal gasket that fits any bottle opening. It is still made from thin glass - like Riedel stemware - and subject to breakage if you are not careful. But it does a great job and takes little space on your counter.

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