Why Aerate Wine?
Have you ever wondered why aerate wine?
Why aerate wine when we are already pouring it out of the bottle before drinking……or at least we hope you are?!
We expose wine to air (aerate wine) to find its deeper characteristics as it softens the acidity (tannins) that are often be found in younger wines. The process of aeration also coaxes out those complex tastes hidden in more mature bottles. One person to thank is Louis Pasteur who helped to save the wine industry of France through his understanding of microbial fermentation. I know, big stuff. Anyway, enough of the history, why does adding air matter to you?
WineWeaver® delivers the highest level of gentle and naturally aerated wine served directly to your wineglass or decanter, revealing not only a heightened aroma but a smoother taste and more mellow finish than a wine poured straight from the bottle. Instant aeration is the outcome.
Why aerate wine at all?
When a wine is made the bottles are carefully managed to ensure the wine doesn’t spoil in the bottle from too much heat, lack of humidity or too much air entering the bottle (this is the Pasteur bit). However, when we want to drink our wine the exposure to oxygen is a positive attribute.
Many of the wines we drink today are young and very tight which results in a sensation of locked-in flavours, scents and a drying sensation on the palette. In order to release the true youthful exuberance of the wine it is necessary to introduce the process of aeration.
Technically speaking, aeration unites the polyphenols with the oxygen and elongates them into a less rigid structure resulting in a more palatable wine. Indeed, you can smell the wine as it changes throughout the process and it is these improvements that answer the question of why aerate wine at all?
The WineWeaver® wine aerator has been designed to naturally introduce air into the wine from the moment pouring from the bottle commences. The liquid is concentrated into the middle of the wine aerator which has the effect of enhancing and accelerating the ratio of air to liquid. As the wine leaves the precision designed spout, any small particles are caught and the resulting radial of wine bonds with more air before reaching the inner wall of the glass. The aeration process continues at this point through the spreading of the wine into a fine liquid thereby maximising its natural exposure to the air.
The process in a glass or a decanter is the same and you will notice from the product photos and videos of our wine aerator on site that the effect in the glass is to emulate the process in the decanter – the more traditional method of wine aeration.
The WineWeaver® aerator is simple to use, easy to clean and light enough to place directly onto the rim of the glass to aid hands free pouring. Why not take a moment to see the full range of WineWeaver® aerators for wine and other gifts in our wine aerator shop?
