Wine Aerators - How They Work or Do They Work?

Experts say your wine needs to breathe and for most red wines and some white wines that’s true.  All wines have some tannins but more so in red wines especially noticeable in young red wines.  In an older red wine the tannins will soften whereas in young wines the tannins are strong and may give the wine a harsh taste.  

Let’s talk about red wine aerators first.    Red wine aerators do make a noticeable difference in the wine in that it will smooth out the harsh tannins and improve the taste.  I have personally done taste test with the Vinturi and Franmara aerators and they work well but do I use the aerator with every bottle of red wine, no I don’t.  Wine drinkers all have different pallets and taste buds so what I perceive to be too tannic may be just perfect for someone else.  That’s why I always taste the wine first to see if it is pleasant and smooth tasting to me.  If I feel it has a harsh or biting taste I will the use my Vinturi aerator to smooth out the tannic taste.  It’s about your taste and what you prefer but I recommend red wine drinkers buy an aerator to have on hand when you feel the wine does not meet your taste pallet. 

What about white wine aerators, do you really need to aerate white wine.

I drink more red wine than white but I do like some whites.  If you prefer white wines and like a bold full bodied white like Chardonnay or Viognier then a white wine aerator might be worthwhile.  This again depends on you taste preferences.

I like the crisp taste of Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, which are light and medium bodied.  I don’t believe aerating a light or medium body white wine is worthwhile for me. 

What is the difference in the red and white wine aerators?  Can one work on both red and white?  I tried using a red wine aerator to aerate white wine (Sauvignon Blanc) but I couldn’t distinguish any difference even when I ran it through a 2^nd time.  I’m not a Sommelier so I may not be the best person to make this determination and I also used a red wine aerator but I would think that would make a more decisive change.  The question is how many wine drinkers have the taste buds of a Sommelier my guess is not very many.  So if you are the average person drinking white wine unless it’s Chardonnay, you probably won’t benefit as much buying a white wine aerator as you would buying a red wine aerator.

Can you over aerate?  Absolutely, try leaving a bottle out all night without preserving it.  It is exposed to the air, which will aerate it all night long but it will be flat in the morning.  The Vinturi , Franmara, Soiree, Selection decanting pourer and other aerators will not over aerate your wine.  Some are more aggressive aerators (Franmara) than others but all of them perform the worthy task of improving the wine to match your taste.

What about decanting wine?  Decanting is a perfectly acceptable to aerate wine but it takes longer (up to an hour for bold reds) and doesn’t have a cool sound like the Vinturi.  Decanters can be are very elegant looking and make a great presentation but we will talk about decanters in another article.

Bottom line is that the more tannin in the wine the more benefit you will receive with aerating the wine.
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