Geek Alert: Wine Gizmo Comes Complete With Sound Effects
I'm not looking to expand my wine gizmos, especially because I've been skeptical of these dealie-bobs that promise to aerate wine as it's poured from the bottle to the glass. The tool is designed to allows you to skip the carafe when decanting older wines or, when drinking low-brow, bring out another dimension.
But then I got a chance to taste the results a trip through the Vinturi made in a wine I brought to a family dinner party. The wine was a 2003 reserve Cabernet Sauvignon from Eagle Creek, a tiny winery near Leavenworth, Washington, home to a growing number of producers. My brother was pretty pumped about his recent acquisition of a Vinturi, so we decided to put it to the test in a side-by-side tasting of wine poured through the aerator and one simply swirled in the glass. The aerated wine had a deeper, more intense flavor while the other glass was still good, but slightly less spectacular.
The plus or minus, depending on how you look at things, is that this gadget is downright noisy by design. It sounds like a faucet running at full force as the wine trickles through the aerator into the glass. I think it's pretty funny and incredibly useful, so have added it to my must-buy list.
What's your favorite wine accessory?
-- Leslie Kelly
Brian Hepler on August 15, 2010 at 07:07 AM
Hands down, my favorite wine accessory is a stainless steel Rabbit bottle opener. I have a couple different corkscrews and none of them match the ease and reliability of the Rabbit. Since I started using it, I have yet to lose a cork or have chunks of an old cork break off or any other of the cork nightmare stories you hear of.
BlogDog on August 15, 2010 at 08:28 AM
I was gifted a Rabbit wine aerator and I find it a great thing with red wines that are VacuVin-d. And the Rabbit corkscrew is a wonderful thing. A bit of space hog, but beautiful of function.
David Schmeltzle from Vintner's Circle Winemaking Shops on August 15, 2010 at 11:39 AM
At Vintner's Circle, we use the Vinturi in our winemaking shops. It is a fantastic product and really improves the taste of young wines by aerating them. As wine breathes, it opens up, and releases its intended aromas and flavors.
sean on August 15, 2010 at 12:07 PM
Be careful with the Vinturi. Understand that its use is basically force-feeding oxygen into the wine, possibly over-oxygenating and definitely subtracting from the 'journey' of the bottle. Many great wines change character by the minute in the glass, which can be exciting. There may be many nice increments of flavor and texture that you are passing by by jamming air through the juice.
I have had it help many bottles along, mostly young Malbecs and other affordable varieties, and I have also seen it destroy delicate older bottles.
It also does nothing for sediment that a decantor does. a great little tool, but one to be used carefully.
P. Coddington Underbite IV on August 15, 2010 at 12:25 PM
Um, what sound effects?