Vinturi Essential Wine Aerator
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List Price: Our Price: $29.99 You Save: $9.96 (25%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Kitchen See more product details |
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Vinturi Essential Wine Aerator
Customer Review: Not magic, but works
Summary: 4 Stars
I recently received one of these as a gift and have been very pleased with it. It takes a little practice to get the grip, angle, and pouring speed just right, which seems to account for some of the problems people have reported. Just practice with water until you get the hang of it, which shouldn't take long. You can tell it is working by the funny noise it makes while aerating (too slow and the liquid just trickles through quietly, too fast and it overflows). I've had success tilting the aerator slightly about the axis of the holes, holding the black part, and holding the bottle perpendicular to that axis to facilitate pouring down the side right between the holes.
Also keep in mind that this is an aerator, not a magical wine enhancer. If you start with cheap wine, you will end up with aerated cheap wine, which may or may not be an improvement. Basically, if the wine normally starts to taste better after it has been sitting in your glass for a while, then this device should get it to that state much quicker. If the wine does not improve noticeably with air, then aerating it will not make much difference.
Customer Review: The real deal for a good price
Summary: 4 Stars
This is THE Vinturi wine aerator, an elegant little gizmo that replaces decanting and makes every glass taste that much better. It's $40 in the wine store, so Amazon's price is typically good and delivery is typically fast. (I love Amazon. Yes, it's sucking the soul out of American bricks and mortar retail, but the soul of American bricks and mortar retail was already pretty black and shriveled.) Obviously, the thing to do is compare a few sips right from the bottle with a few that are passed through the Vinturi. With all the cool gurgles and sputters that accompany the wine's flow through the plexiglas passageway, something good has to be happening, right? Well, I'm not sure, but I think it depends on the wine. Garbage in, garbage out, as they say, but if you start out with a $30 2007 California cab, I really do think it opens it up, giving you more consistent taste from first to last pour without having to decant, swirl, or wait. Not sure how a very fine wine would fare, but if someone wants to donate a 1997 Caymus SS I'd be happy to conduct the test and report back.Customer Review: IN PRAISE OF THE VINTURI
Summary: 5 Stars
In praise of the vinturi.
You know, I don't quite know what it is. The wine does seem to taste a smidgen better. Whether it's the gurgling/slurping sound as the wine gurgles into the glass or the array of bubbles that distribute over the surface and pop slowly as one savors the wine. It seems that both the nose and the palate livens a little. It's like the wine smiles. Or maybe it's all in my head.
But on a more practical level, it's easy to live with. I have checked out as many aerators as I could, and they all worked to some degree. Most of them stick like a cork in the bottle. This one you hold like a funnel, and pour the wine through it. At first, you would think this tedious, but in practice, having a mobile aerator that can be used for any bottle of wine is an asset. In addition, there is a fine mesh filter in the mouth that extracts any solids that may be present; that's handy for tartaric acid or cork. Also, there is a handy holder. Drips have not been a problem. This unit gets my vote.
Customer Review: Excellent Gift For A Wine Enthusiast
Summary: 4 Stars
...especially if they like the reds. As you will note from the other reviews here, the Vinturi Essential Wine Aerator really does what it claims, and does it well. The purveyors at my local liquor store were showcasing this little device and I was surprised when I could actually tell the difference. It really opens of the flavor of a wine, giving it a better mouth feel and brings out the aromas. It also give the wine a smoother finish, particularly with tannic reds.
It would have garnered five stars from me but for some niggles. You have to be careful when pouring to do so at the proper rate to keep it full but not overflowing, allowing it to do it's magic. It also drips a bit after pouring so it and its little stand need cleaning afterwards. No biggie though. At $40 it isn't cheap, but just from holding it you can tell it is a quality product, and with this sleek little gadget, you won't need to decant your wine ever again.
Cheers!
Customer Review: It's Wonderful When a Product Meets Expectations
Summary: 5 Stars
I've been using the Vinturi for about a month and could not be happier with it. Unlike many products it actually does what it claims to do. In comparison testing I was able to pick out the aerated wine on each occasion. Although I would suggest not using it on nominally priced (i.e. cheaper) wines because they tend to lose body. It makes drinking wine even more pleasurable and it allows you to enjoy the full flavor without having to wait. I still suggest waiting 5-10 minutes on a chilled red. Finally, while doing some research on the product I did notice some complaints concerning the mess. Since I was willing to deal with some mess anyway it never affected my decision to purchase the Vinturi. However, I have been more than pleasantly surprised by the lack of mess. An occasional drop or two, but I'd do that even if I were simply pouring the wine directly into a glass. I would recommend this product for those not wishing to decant.