I am a firm believer that 1 glass of good, quality red wine, served after a generous dinner, has its own benefits on both health, mood and life, in general. I am not advocating for alcohol but for a balanced lifestyle, where wine, a drink that has been around for thousands of years, can definitely find its place in our diets.
One of the things I’ve learned about quite recently is around how to improve the flavor of red wines, especially Cabernets and Syrahs. This not only involves serving the wine at the optimal temperature but another one, which anyone, including you, can do.
Introducing: Aeration
Exposing wine to air a.k.a. aeration, does two things: it triggers oxidation and evaporation. Oxidation is what makes an apple turn brown after its skin is broken, and evaporation is the process of liquid turning into vapor. Wine is made up of hundreds of compounds, and with aeration, usually the volatile undesirable compounds will evaporate faster than the desirable, aromatic and flavorful ones.
This can be done with two methods. I prefer both but I generally recommend you start with one and expand to the second one for a complete, next-level, wine experience.
Option 1: get a decanter
Decanters not only help separating any sediments in old wines by letting them go to the bottom of the device, but also generously exposing the wine to oxygen, enabling unwanted compounds quickly evaporate, making room for the real, amazing flavor of the wine.
I personally think the decanter is a nice-to-have, especially when you have guests coming around pretty often. Displaying this beauty on the table, filled with wine, will definitely catch everyone’s eye. My personal favorite for decators is Amazon’s choice, the Le Chateau:
Option 2 (my favorite): Wine Aerator Pourer
This is a phenomenal product which I cannot recommend more. What it basically does is it creates a swirling stream of wine while its being poured, and over exposes the wine to oxygen so that all the volatile unwanted chemicals are removed.
The Wine Aerator Pourer that I chose is just $14 and it’s incredible. It has a large aerating chamber and air intake system that utilizes the Bernoulli Effect to infuse your wine with the OPTIMAL amount of oxygen.
Also, another thing I love is that the rubber stopper is tapered and ribbed to create a leak-free seal for wine bottles of all sizes and the acrylic pour spout is notched and ergonomically slanted for easy drip-less pouring. The aerator can be disassembled and run under water for effortless cleaning.
Lastly, the Vintorio Aerating Pourer is manufactured with high quality FDA approved materials, which I think it’s great. You can find it on Amazon as well – give it a try and, if you don’t like it, return it:
So, there you have it folks. Next time you sip your Cabernet, make sure it’s oxidized enough so that its flavor is exactly Bacchus, the God of wine, intended it to be!