Why should you aerate your wine? There is a simple answer to this question. When wine is bottled, an air-tight seal is formed. The seal is there to ensure the wine stays in the same state the winemaker intended.
Over time, the tannins break down, causing the wine to become smoother and more drinkable, hence why older wines are more prized and expensive. Aerating a younger wine allows you to skips a few months, or even few years, giving you that smoother, full-body taste and feel.
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How Does Wine Aeration Work?
Aerating your wine allows it to age in just a few minutes. This then gives you the look, taste and feel of a much more expensive wine, without having to shell out all the cash.
When young wines, especially a young red wine, is opened, oxygen joins the molecules, which softens the tannins and in turn mimicking the aging process. In simpler terms, oxygen breaks down the tannins and makes them smoother.
Simply leaving your wine open to the air does not have the same effect. Exposing it to air will do good things for it too, but aerating it actually adds oxygen to the wine, which helps it open up quite a bit faster.
If you were to just expose the wine to air, in a decanter, it would take much longer to have a similar effect on the wine as aeration.
Some wines don’t need aeration, especially if they have already been aged properly and for a sufficient amount of time. Those same wines could benefit from being decanted, however.
Aerating vs Decanting
Although many people believe that aerators and decanters perform the same job, this is incorrect. Decanting is simply pouring the wine into a container with a greater exposed surface area.
The greater surface area allows more air to reach your wine, speeding up the aeration process. Furthermore, this method also helps eliminate sediment. Nowadays though, you can easily find a wine purifier that will clean your wine of any sediment and impurities.
A further benefit of wine decanters is that they are aesthetically pleasing. They look better than regular bottles, with many different shapes and designs.
Aerators, on the other hand, have one simple job – to oxygenate your wine. Aerators don’t deal with sediment in the same was decanters do, but considering most wine bought in the regular household is not aged to the point where sediment is a problem, removing sediment from wine is usually not necessary.
Types of Wine Aerators
You can choose between a wine bottle aerator that fits on the bottle of wine, an aerator which you hold over your glass, or one that drains into a decanter.
While the on-bottle aerator sits on top of the bottle and aerates as you pour, the other option aerates your wine as it is poured. Knowing what each type of aerator does, and how it affects your wine is essential knowledge.
This guide will help you understand the important aspects of aerators and helps you make an informed decision.
Wine Aerator Pourer
A wine aerator pourer is an aerator that will usually have a silicone or rubber stem that fits into the top and neck of a bottle, creating a seal. You then pour the wine into a chamber, which aerates it. These aerators are very simple and fit onto almost every type of wine bottle.
Electric Wine Aerator
Electric wine aerators use battery power to draw the wine through a tube, aerate it, and then pour the wine into an awaiting glass. Unlike other aerators, the battery powered models start the aeration process before you pour your wine. Find out how to use your electric Aervana Wine Aerator.
Wine Aerator Tap
A wine aerator tap is similar to an electric wine aerator in the sense that you would attach it to the top of a wine bottle, a pipe will fit down into the bottle, and with a push of a button, the wine is drawn up into the aerator, and then out of another tube into an awaiting glass.
What to Look For in a Wine Aerator
These are some of the aspects and features to look out for when buying an aerator.
» Function
The function of the aerator depends on a couple of things. Are you going to be aerating whole bottles at a time or just glass by glass? If you are just aerating on a glass to glass basis, a simple handheld aerator will do the job just fine.
If you are going to be aerating full bottles for a dinner party or an event, an aerator that slides onto the bottle would be a great choice. This way, you can leave bottles on a counter, allowing people to pour for themselves.
» Type of Wine
Unlike red wine, more often than not, white wine is not affected by aeration to the same extent that red wine is. Due to when you drink white wine, and white wine being enjoyed when it is younger, aeration is not needed.
Most people will drink white wine when it is younger, as that is when it is at its best. White wine also does not have near to the same amount of tannins as red wine, therefore aeration and decanting is not necessary.
On the other hand, like we mentioned above, red wine benefits the most from aeration. No matter what the age or type of red wine you use, every one of them will benefit in some way from a form of aeration.
» Storage and Design
Nowadays you are spoiled for choice, with so many options when it comes to look of your aerator that you are almost spoiled for choice. How your aerator looks, its aesthetic design, and how easy it is to store can be completely subjective.
You may have a particular theme for your kitchen and want everything to fit in with that theme.
On the other hand, you may want something that simply works well and takes up minimal cupboard space. Once again, it comes to your personal preferences when analysing an aerator aesthetics and storage. There are so many options that you can find one that suits your aesthetic and storage needs.
» Length of Aeration
A popular question how long do you should aerate a wine. This question is easily answered if you are using an aerator. Every aerator is designed to make the aeration process as quick as possible, however the time needed will vary between aerators.
Ultimately, however long the wine takes to enter the glass from the top of the aerator to the bottom, that’s how long aeration takes. Sometimes this process will take a couple of seconds, while automated aerators will take a bit longer.
Wine Aerator Reviews
Wine Aerator Reviews
Aervana Wine Aerator
This electric wine aerator is one of the most unique we’ve seen. The Aervana Original Wine Aerator slots onto the top of your favorite bottle of wine. With a push of a button, it draws the wine up, aerates it perfectly, and then pours into an awaiting glass.
There’s no need to lift the bottle to pour, as the wine comes out of the spout directly into your glass. This keep sediment from the bottom of the bottle from making it into your glass.
The unique aspect of the Aervana aerator is that is aerates the wine and it dispenses it too. It gives just the right amount of air contact to the wine as it pulls it into the aerator, resulting in a really smooth-tasting wine.
The kit comes with the electric aerator, two tubes for use in both red and white wines, batteries and a manual. Keep in mind that it uses 6 AAA batteries.
It works well with almost every type of wine, even white wine, although the benefits of aeration will be far more noticeable in red wine. It’s also quite easy to clean. You just run water through it, as you would wine, and store it in a dry place.
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Buy Now on AmazonVinturi Essential Wine Aerator
The Vinturi Red Wine Aerator is a handheld aerator that allows you to quickly and easily aerate your favorite red wine, improving the feel and taste of the wine in seconds.
The internal design creates an increase in the wine’s velocity, and a decrease in its pressure. The pressure difference draws in even more oxygen to perfectly aerate every glass you pour. Unlike some other aerators that attach to the bottle, the Vinturi is a hand-held plastic device that you pass wine through.
You just hold it above your glass and pour the wine directly from the bottle through the aerator and into the glass. You can hear the air being sucked into the wine as you pour, which is a sign that your wine is being properly aerated.
It comes with a small base stand where you can put the aerator after you’re done pouring. Cleaning the Vinturi is quite simple. You just need to run water through it and allow it to dry.
You can also put the Vinturi in the dishwasher (top rack only) for more thorough cleaning. If you don’t like the idea of having to hold the Vinturi over the bottle as you pour, you should go with the set that includes a no-drip stand, no-splash grate and sediment filter.
For more information on your Vinturi Aerator, have a look at Vinturi’s FAQ page.
Buy Now on AmazonRabbit Aerator
This is the classic wine aerator that you’ve probably seen many times before. The Rabbit Aerator slips onto the top of any wine bottle, allowing you to aerate your wine as it is poured.
You can hear the air being sucked through the holes at the front of the pour spout and mixing with your wine as it pours. You’ll notice the difference in the smoothness, flavor and aromas in the glass.
The slim, silicone tube and base fits into the top of any bottle and it is tapered to prevent leaks or spillage as you pour. There really is no easier aerator to use. If you’re looking for something simple to use yet just as effective, this is the one.
The look of the aerator is basic, but it’s still a nice, sleek design that doesn’t look cheap. It is made of stainless steel and polished silicone. It’s also easy to dismantled so it can be properly cleaned inside and out.
Buy Now on AmazonVintorio Aerator
The Vintorio Wine Aerator has a large chamber and air-intake system that uses the Bernoulli Effect to ensure your wine has the optimal amount of oxygen.
The concept is difficult to explain, but has to do with the speed of the liquid moving through the chamber and the amount of pressure placed on it, resulting in air particles mixing with the liquid.
It helps the wine breathe just the right amount to release the flavors and aromas. The design of the aerator is smart and sleek. The rubber stopper is tapered and ribbed to ensure a tight seal on the bottle, preventing any leaks and spills.
It’s made with high-quality, FDA-approved materials for the best possible durability and a long lifespan. We like that the spout is tapered at the end so it’s easier to pour without dripping wine on the tablecloth. It comes with a lifetime money back guarantee in case you’re ever dissatisfied with the product.
Buy Now on AmazonVinluxe Pro
The Vinluxe Pro Aerator is a handheld aerator that has consistently been in the Top 10 wine aerators in the world. You simply hold the aerator above your glass and pass the wine through the device, the aerator does the rest of the work.
Using the Vinluxe is incredibly simple. As you pour your wine through it you will hear the aeration bubbles pass through your wine. The Vinluxe uses a patented 3-step system that works 300% faster than a decanter, because you’re actually adding air to the wine as is passes through the system.
You will notice a marked difference in the wine after it’s passed through the device. This aerator comes with a lifetime guarantee and a carry pouch to put it in.
Buy Now on AmazonMenu Winebreather Carafe
If you’re serving your wine at a dinner party, it’s a little less appealing to use an on-bottle wine aerator. You’ll want to use a decanter instead. The Menu Winebreather Carafe is just the thing to marry wine aeration and style into one easy-to-use system.
It’s a two-in-one aerator and carafe that allows you to oxygenate your wine as well as have a very appealing serving vessel. The process is simple. You just attach the decanter to your wine bottle and turn it upside down so the wine pours through the aerator and into the carafe.
The aerator is in the top of the carafe, so the wine is oxygenated again as it is poured. Once the wine is in the carafe, you can then either serve it from the decanter, oxygenating it even more as it’s poured, or even pour it back into the bottle if you wish.
This one simple trick will allow you to aerate wine in advance of your party and have more than one bottle ready to serve. The decanter it comes with isn’t anything super fancy, but it is a unique design and still looks nice on your table.
The only issue with the carafe is that the rubber stopper must be placed in it correctly to form a seal tight enough to hold the wine bottle as the contents pour through.
Buy Now on AmazonConclusion
An aerator is the best way to add years and flavor to a young wine. You can instantly change a one year old wine, making it taste as if it was made 15 years earlier. Experience the same bouquet, taste, and feel at a fraction of the price.
If this has excited your inner wine connoisseur, have a look at our recent wine tour in France, and discover where some of your favorite wines come from.
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Laura is the founder and editor of the travel blogs Savored Sips and Savored Journeys. She is dedicated to sharing the best information about drinks found around the world.
Thank you for featuring the Vintorio Wine Aerator Pourer in your list of best wine aerators! 🙂
It’s a good one. Deserves to be in the list!