Once Again: Less is More

Does the Vinturi Wine Aerator Really Improve Wine?

Love wine but tired of the hassle of pouring it into a decanter and waiting more  than 30 seconds to drink it? Good news! Assuming you have any Yuppie friends,  there’s a strong chance you’ll be the recipient of a Vinturi  wine aerator as a holiday present this year. They’re all the rage  (especially with types who already own The Rabbit bottle opener).  The Vinturi wine aerator is a 6″-tall device that looks a little  like a funnel and is meant to speed up the process of decanting. To use it, pour  wine through the Vinturi into your glass, and watch the device take advantage of  Bernoulli’s Principal, which states that as the speed of a fluid increases, the  pressure within it decreases.  According to a Vinturi rep, this  “accelerates the natural blending of air and wine, revealing its true essence  and character.” In other words, the Vinturi claims that it can do in a matter of  seconds what a decanter does in an hour or more. Sounds good. But also sounds  gimmicky.
We sat down with New York sommeliers Michael Madrigale  (Bar Boulud, Boulud Sud), Francesco Grosso (Marea), and Jordan Salcito (Crown)  for a blind tasting to find out if a Vinturi really delivers a better glass of  wine.
A total of four wines of varying styles were tasted blind in four  flights; each flight consisted of a glass that had been poured directly into the  glass and one that had been poured into the glass through the Vinturi aerator.  Each sommelier was asked to choose the wine they preferred and discuss the  differences between the two glasses in each flight.

Top 12 Rosé Champagnes

Tom Stevensons top 12 rosé Champagnes

Its estimated that 150 million bottles of Champagne are produced every year with the majority being consumed throughout the festive season. With the rise in popularity of rose Champagne we ask Champagne expert Tom Stevenson to give Decanter his picks for this years best bottles plus three great British alternatives.

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