There have been a host of gadgets and ‘new’ technology which supposedly help improve the taste of wine out of the bottle. We’ve seen magnetic trays and wands, elaborate glass bulbs which send the juice through a tortuous path to the glass and all kinds of other things. Do any of them work? Does aeration really matter? All good questions, and ones we asked ourselves again when the people at Unbiased Wine sent us a Vagnbys Wine Decantiere to try. Since we have a small collection of these aforementioned gadgets and find them intriguing we agreed, not knowing exactly what to expect.
We will state, categorically, that aeration, or exposure of wine to the atmosphere, has a profound effect on wine. It happens over time in the barrel and over longer times in the bottle. It happens much quicker in the glass, as the amount of surface area exposed to air increases dramatically. Time can soften harsh wines and bring out nuances in their aroma and flavor profiles. We have seen some wines change incredibly over a few hours, or sometimes a few days. Younger wines tend to benefit most. In some older wines this process is actually problematic, as they tend to oxidize much quicker and you don’t want to leave them hanging around too long. You can read about a little experiment we conducted with aeration by clicking here.
So there is justification for these gadgets, as they are meant to quicken the aeration process by mixing the wine around and exposing as much of it to the air as possible. They range from fairly simple to very intricate. Some are quite expensive and fragile. Some are a pain in the butt to use. Some are a pain in the butt to clean. They all vary. In the end we tend not to use the ones we have very often, and prefer to just let the wine sit in the glass or in an old fashioned decanter (which works quite well by the way).
The Wine Decantiere is much more than just an aerator. It is a wine stopper, sealing the wine in when you are not pouring. It
Elegant addition to the bottle
is a flawless pourer, at least through the few wines we have used it on. We couldn’t get it to drip. It is easy to attach and fits firmly in the neck. It also aerated, and you can tell by the sound as you hear the wine traveling back and forth before exiting into glass. There is a built in strainer, ensuring that deposits in the bottle don’t make their way to your glass. It also looks great, bringing an elegant and streamlined look to the bottle. After a few uses we must say we like the Wine Decantiere a lot.
Does the aeration really make that much of a difference that quickly? You are likely to get different answers depending on who you talk to. We can say that it certainly does make a difference, and that you’ll notice it in some wines and not in others. Some people we know bring small, bottle aerators with them to restaurants to use on bottles they purchase. They absolutely swear by them. We are more ambivalent. All of that is somewhat irrelevant when you’re talking about this product however. The Decantiere does many things well.
Decantiere and cap
Clean up is a snap, as you just run some warm water through it. About the only thing we would warn against is when you remove the Decantiere upon finishing the bottle, as you’re likely to see a drop or two of wine come with it. Other than that this thing is pretty flawless.
Good looks, good function and easy to use. It’s all good.
We recommend the Wine Decantiere. You can find it on Amazon. The only thing we would recommend is that the clever people who designed it consider building in the ability to pump the bottle and evacuate the air inside. This would keep the wine longer. It would also make the Decantiere pretty much perfect. Still, it’s pretty good just the way it is. Expect to find it available for around $45.
A votre santé!
Leave a Reply