Aerators Get an "Eh" Rating

Aerators are all the rage this year. You've probably seen them in wine stores, winery tasting rooms, or wine gift catalogs. I've certainly found them in my mail and in my e-mail, as producers and publicists have implored me to write about them. Competition among wine aerators is as fierce as the finals for the House Cup at Hogwarts.

So I've obliged with this week's column in The Washington Post, with brief descriptions of the Soirée, Vinturi, Wine Swirl, Ravi Wine Chiller and the Breathable Glass. But I have to admit, I'm decidedly indecisive about these contraptions.

Aerators are substitutes for decanting a young wine an hour or more ahead of drinking it and may even help simulate the effects of a year or two in your cellar. They offer instant gratification and a sense of security that we won't be wasting our money by drinking our wines too soon.

Intellectually, this makes sense. Many wines indisputably taste better after being exposed to air. Depending on the wine, this improvement can occur in as little as 10 minutes or it could take several hours for the vino to strut its stuff. If you've ever fallen in love with a wine on the last sip, you know what I mean – you've been aerating the wine as you repeatedly tipped the bottle to pour. Aerators offer the chance to capture that improvement with the very first sip.

Are these things worth the money? People swear by them. I've tried several, typically comparing a glass of a wine straight from the bottle with one that had been through an aerator. Sometimes I noticed a difference, sometimes I didn't, and I did not always like the wine better after it went through an aerator. But there are other reasons I'd rather spend my money on wine. Wine is not about instant gratification (well, maybe that first sip of Champagne). I enjoy tasting a wine throughout its evolution in the glass; why wish away those pleasant moments by speeding the wine along? Aerating a wine is easy – it only takes a little patience and maybe a decanter. These gadgets prey on our love of toys and our fear of wine.

So, thumbs sideways, and trending down.

Photo: The Vinturi Wine Aerator, from www.vinturi.com.

Comments

[Jeff Siegel]

Well said... and were you able to get the chiller thing to work?

[Dave McIntyre]

The Ravi chiller? Sure it works - you just have to remember to put the popsicle doohickey in the freezer, and dont lose the plastic base that snaps onto it and fits into the bottle.

[Gregory Dunn]

Dave,

I've been using an aerator for years and I love it. It is one of those pasta sauce jars that are made to look like a Mason jar. I just glug the wine into it and let it sit for a bit. Easy to use. Easy to clean. Oh, wait. Its a cheap decanter, not an aerator. Sorry.

[Dave McIntyre]

Whatever works! ;- Thanks for chiming in.

[Chris Kuban]

Dave,

There is another aerator that recently hit the market and the story behind the Centellino is really cool... Joe Fiorino was aon a retirement trip to Italy last year and they served him a bottle of wine with the Centellino on top. He fell in love with it and started his won company, Fiorino Italian Imports which now has exclusive rights in the United States to distribute the Centellino.

Please check out more info at http://www.FiorinoItalianImports.com. I'm working with him to help launch the company nationally. So, I'm sure we could send you one for testing. The Centellino is Lab Tested and Certified, imported directly from Italy and a really unique top-of-the-bottle wine aerator. Check it out.