Wine Aerator - How it works and Why You Need One!
If you are a seasoned wine enthusiast who enjoys a regular glass of wine, you already know that you shouldn't just
open a bottle and simply pour it into a glass and drink. However, have you ever wondered what a wine aerator is and
how it works? Wine, especially red wine,
tastes noticeably better when it has had an opportunity to "breathe". There are many people who say they don't enjoy red wine, but when they taste the difference when it has been given the opportunity to breathe when passed through a wine aerator, they quickly change their minds! A wine aerator allows the flavour of the wine to develop fully, which brings out the small and subtle details of the wine you are drinking.
Initially, people are afraid of using an aerator because they feel the actual taste of the wine will quickly degrade and "escape", but this is a huge misconception! In order for the flavours to fully develop, they need to be in contact with oxygen. The result of this is a much smoother wine and allows the drinker to experience some of the subtleties that might be missed by pouring it straight into a glass from the bottle.
Wine aerators make it much easier for air to interact with wines, and in particular the red wines. They are very easy to use and are very handy to have in the kitchen. It doesn't matter if you have a very expensive wine or a cheap and nasty one, using a wine aerator will improve the taste of any wine, and this is something that your dinner guests will remember.
The way wine aerators work is they force air into the wine by expanding the surface of the liquid. The air is forced into the wine by tiny bubbles, thus allowing the flavours and aromas to be more pronounced. The aerators are quite simple and work surprisingly fast, usually in just a few minutes. While the wine is travelling through the aerator, the air bubbles will be evenly distributed through the whole wine, thus giving the wine a smooth taste.
If you already have one, why not give a wine aerator as a housewarming gift, or maybe a xmas/birthday gift for a wine enthusiast you know who doesn't already have one. Although if you let wine sit for long enough it will aerate itself or
put it in a decanter, most wine connoisseurs normally prefer an aerator because the time to aerateis dropped from severalhours to only a few minutes. These aerators can be found at most liquor stores or specialty wine shops, as well at many kitchen gadget shops. Simple wine aerators aren't very expensive, while some of the more complex ones (ie with several layers) can be a little more pricy.