Decanter Banter
Wine Aerators: Red, White, Worth it?
SHOP - February 25, 2010
By Michelle Locke
Wine and oxygen are frenemies - all about the drama. Too much oxygen and the wine will fade. Too little and wines, especially young ones, won't release their full aroma and flavor.
Traditionally, oxygen is introduced into a wine by decanting. But what if you don't have the time, patience or counter space for a bulky glass carafe? That's where aerators come in, gadgets that infuse oxygen into the wine as it's poured.
There are a lot of wine gizmos, some on the dodgy side, so we asked experts: Are aerators worth it?
Yes, says Gilles de Chambure, director of wine education at Napa Valley's Meadowood resort. Staff use decanters at the property's acclaimed restaurant, but for home use aerators are a good way to dose wine with oxygen. "People really taste a difference," he says.
But David Vogels, editor of "Sommelier Journal," doesn't think aerators do much. "I haven't really seen the need for them," says Vogels, who's sticking with decanting to wake up his wine.
Aerator models vary. Some go in the neck of the bottle while others you hold over the glass and pour through. Many work by creating a vacuum, forcing wine and air to interact. Decanting, or aeration, is most commonly reserved for reds, although some experts recommend getting air into whites - just not as much as with a red. Aerator companies have picked up on that trend with companies like Vinturi making red and white wine versions while the Soiree brand has an adjustable pour to moderate aeration.
Most aerators aren't terribly expensive, running $25-$50. So this may be one issue you decide to air out for yourself.
For more information:
Vinturi
www.Vinturi.com
Soirée
www.WineSoiree.com
Michelle Locke writes a nationally distributed wine column for The Associated Press and works as a freelancer in Northern California, specializing in wine, food and travel.
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