The deluxe set includes:

• A Vinturi Red Wine Aerator
• A Beautiful stand to hold the Vinturi above your glass
• A drip catcher screen
• A travel pouch

Here is how it works:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Beyond the gift set we also offer a cleaning brush, designed just for the Vinturi red wine aerator. It slides easily into the Vinturi to scrub at the hard-to-reach areas, leaving a spotless aerator for the next use.

We’ve also received inquiries about using the Vinturi with an old wine that throws a sediment. A great solution to this is our aerating funnel with removable screen. Place the funnel over the Vinturi as your pour your wine. The screen in the funnel will catch all of the sediment, and you’ll have clear, perfectly aerated wine in your glass. The funnel also controls the flow of wine into the Vinturi, so you won’t have problems with overflow.

Of course, the Vinturi Red Wine Aerator works perfectly on its own, these helpful tips and tools only complement it, to make it even better!

The answer is that it can, in subtle ways. Letting your wine “breathe” in a decanter softens harsh tannins and releases its full bouquet. The more space there is in the decanter, the more air can reach the wine. Thus a narrow, tall decanter would aerate more slowly than a wide decanter with a large bowl. The use of a stopper would affect the aeration as well because the stopper prevents air from getting in, slowing aeration. The opening at the top can make a difference too as this is where the air flows. The larger the opening, the more aeration.

In January we launched our first Decanter Design Contest, calling on our customers’ creative juices to design an elegant and exciting new decanter for us. Our first and second place designs are great examples of how a decanter shape can affect aeration.

Our winning design was a fluid-catamaran-like form with ample room for wine aeration. This decanter is expansive, allowing for faster aeration.

Our second place winner designed a more compact decanter which permits gentle swirling without exposing the wine to excessive air.

One design allows for faster aeration by spreading the wine across a great surface area and the other is a slower process, in a more compact vessel. You might use the first decanter for a young, tannic wine that requires tremendous aeration and the second for a soft wine that requires less. The most important thing is choosing a decanter that is functional and looks beautiful on the dinner table! By the way, congratulations to our winners: Eric Hwang, Mark T. Maclean-Blevins and Bozena Wysowski!

Browse our full selection of elegant decanters here 

We recently launched the exciting new white wine Vinturi on our site. The red Vinturis have been immensely popular, (receiving over 200 rave customer reviews) . People love the sleek design, ease-of-use and most importantly, the incredible results it can have on wine’s flavor and aroma. It seemed only natural to offer a white version. So, why do you need a different aerator for white wines?

It’s true that many white wines do not need aeration. But young, full-bodied whites like Viognier or old, luscious whites like white Burgundy, can greatly benefit. A white with exotic aromas needs a delicate touch of air that can make those aromas really sing. The white Vinturi aerator is specifically engineered with smaller, more delicate pores that are gentle on a white’s unique composition.  The wine travels through the Vinturi faster so that the wine receives just enough aeration, without being broken down. Watch our video demo, to learn how it works:

Click here to view the embedded video.

An aerator and a decanter both serve a similar purpose which is to expand the surface area of wine, which allows the air to mingle with it. Whether placing the wine in a larger vessel (decanter) or forcing air to be circulated throughout it (aerator), the end result is a wine with an expanded aromatic profile and/or softer tannins.  So, what’s the difference?

The difference is time. If you have limited time to spare and you’d like your wine to be softer, a handy aerator will do the trick in minutes. A Vinturi or Respirer for example, is held above your glass while you pour wine through the top of the aerator. As the wine flows through the aerator, it “breathes” as bubbles are sent through it. An aerator is therefore more appropriate for casual meals, where time is of the essence, but quality of experience is important as well.

When time is on your side, and you’re preparing a more leisurely meal or inviting over guests, a decanter is the best solution. A decanter is often used with a funnel that aerates wine as it is poured into the decanter. The wine then rests in the decanter until you are ready to serve it, opening and changing all the while. Wine can stay in a decanter for hours without spoiling, it all depends how much air it needs. Presenting wine in an elegant decanter for guests may be a more special experience for company, than using an aerator.

Aside from the time you have available, it’s also important to note the age of your wine. A very old wine (10+ years) should not be aerated but the sediment must be removed. If you’re serving an old wine at its peak, it won’t benefit from aeration, as it’s fully developed. The more an old wine is exposed to air the sooner it will start to fade. The wine should be decanted off its sediment just prior to service.

Do you prefer to use a decanter or an aerator? Or do you keep both on hand depending on what time allows? Leave a comment, and let us know!

Decanters are essential for enhancing the flavors of a young wine or for removing sediment from an old wine. There are all kinds of shapes and styles available but you may be wondering: “What do I do with it?” There are two simple methods of decanting:

1. Decanting a young wine, to aerate it
• Take out your decanter, funnel, and wine. Open the bottle of wine.
• Affix the funnel to the top of the decanter and pour a slow stream of wine through the funnel. Watch as your wine cascades from the sides of the funnel and into the decanter.
• As the wine goes through the funnel and the surface area of your wine is spreading, the wine is aerating, changing its aromatic properties.
• Once the full bottle is poured into the decanter you can remove the funnel from the top of the decanter, and pour from the decanter into your glasses.

2. Decanting an old wine, to separate the sediment
• As tannic, red wines age, the sediment often conglomerates, forming unwanted clumps in the bottom and along the sides of the bottle. The sediment is harmless–made up mainly of grape skins–but it is usually bitter, and impedes the enjoyment of your wine.
• Old wines open up over time, as the pores in the cork allow them to breathe. Therefore, aeration with a funnel isn’t necessary for an older wine.
• Slightly angle your decanter and slowly, pour the wine into the decanter so that only the liquid pours through, leaving the sediment behind in the bottle. Discard the bottle and sediment, and pour the wine from your decanter into glasses.

Now that you understand the basics of decanting, you may need some help selecting the perfect decanter to suit your needs. In this brief video, we explain some of the different styles available, and their benefits. Enjoy!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Do you have any special decanting techniques? Please share your story, with us!

In the world of wine, oxygen is both your friend and your enemy. Wines are decanted or aerated so that friendly oxygen can slip into your wine in small doses. The oxygen, in effect, allows your wine to breathe and release newly developed aromas and flavors.

Oxygen is your enemy when you let an open bottle of wine sit on the counter and heavy doses of oxygen attack the wine, stripping it of its essences. Everything in moderation.

Find oxygen-related tools like decanters, aerators and preservation tools at WineEnthusiast.com. 

Tannins are Phenolic compounds that naturally occur in grapes. They probably developed as part of the fruits’ natural defense mechanism. As a fruit is growing, the bitterness makes it less appealing to would-be eaters. As it ripens, the tannins start to subside. Tannins are found in the skins, seeds and stems of grapes. As red wines (and we are talking primarily about reds when we discuss tannins) macerate during fermentation the tannins are absorbed into the wine. If the wine is aged in oak barrels, the oak will also add tannins to the wine.

The bite of tannins contributes to the balance of a wine, where the fruitiness, acidity, alcohol and tannins all play off one another. They also contribute to the mouthfeel and texture of a wine. In terms of taste we can think of tannins as a framework on which the components are built. The bitter backbone is countered by the fruit, livened by the acid and augmented by the alcohol. Without tannins, wine would taste overly juicy, sour and simple, and it would lack textural components. When wine is young the tannins are at their strongest.

There are four things that help eliminate the bitterness of tannins. They are:
•    Fats
•    Proteins
•    Oxygen, and
•    Time

Fats and proteins bond with tannins, lessening their bitterness. That’s one reason meat and cheese are good matches with young, red wine. Oxygen does something similar, bonding with tannins to make them taste less bitter. Aerators and decanters are helpful for this. But time is the most effective way to alleviate the bite of tannins in your wine. Over time, tannins bond together to form larger un-reactive molecules that are still perceptible as mouthfeel but they’re soft and supple, without their bitter bite. That’s why cellaring your wine is the best way to insure that you’ll always enjoy your wines to the fullest.

Care to talk about tannins further? Leave a comment, here!

Our new Vinturi Wine Aerator is a great way to discover the use of aeration before purchasing a decanter. This fun, new contraption is simply used by holding it over a glass and pouring your wine through. It quickly aerates and opens up the wine while making a fun little gurgling noise that is quite satisfying. It also won’t break the bank at $39.95. Such a great find is a wonderful way to begin experiencing your favorite reds anew and even discovering wines you thought were too aggressive until they met the Vinturi.

Although the Vinturi is a great tool, it doesn’t replace the benefits of having a beautiful decanter to aerate a full bottle of wine. It is however, a great first step towards understanding and enjoying the method of aerating wine before purchasing a decanter. Looking for new ways to understand and experiment with wine is the best way to really appreciate it to its fullest. The Vinturi is one of my favorites products and is a fun addition to any wine bar.