Customer Reviews

Soiree bottle-top Wine Decanter & Aerator

5 star:		(49)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(14)

 

 

Length:: 3:50 Mins

The Soiree is an on-the-bottle wine aerator/decanter. It provides one-hand operation and aerates wine differently than competing products. Rather than passing the wine through a narrow chamber and injecting air into the wine, the Soiree achieves aeration by relying on the tendency liquids have to adhere to surfaces- effectively exposing much of the wine to air while pouring. In a 4-way blind tasting I conducted with 3 tasters of varying degrees of familiarity with wine, the Soiree finished first. Enjoy this video and let me know what you think with comments- I will check back and follow up.

I got interested in aerators after experiencing a blind taste test with the Vinturi at a winery. I couldn't really see that the Vinturi was adding a lot of surface air to the wine, but the taste difference was striking. I Googled around a lot and found that people didn't like the Vinturi because it requires two hands and careful pouring (causing spills), and it's not really easy to clean.

I found a comparative review at an online wine site, where they tested I think five different aerators. They judged that the Soiree produces the best tasting wine, and gave the Vinturi a very close second. The others tested all came in a lot lower than these two.

I picked the Soiree because I like the bottle-top functioning, and I think the large-surface-area technology is better than what the Vinturi has. It's also very easy to rinse out after use. In using the Soiree you turn the bottle vertical, so the wine flows out in a thin sheet all over the insides of the glass sphere, exposing it to lots of air.

The only thing I don't like about the Soiree is that a tablespoon or so of aerated wine flows back into the bottle after each pour. Fine if you're going to drink the bottle in one setting, but maybe not so good if you're going to put half the bottle in the fridge for tomorrow. Maybe I'm being too neurotic about that.

I bought this item as a gift for a friend. She received 2 aerators, the Soiree from me and the Vinturi from her parents, so we decided to do a side by side taste test to compare. The soiree won hands down, and the Vinturi was returned! We all agreed that the Soiree did a fabulous job of opening up the wine, much better than the Vinturi. The only fear on my friend's part was that it is made of glass and not acrylic, and she is not kind to glass and was convinced that she would break it---well so far so good, it is still intact. I have since broken my beautiful Wine Enthusiast decanter, so am going to replace it with the Soiree---was just waiting for an excuse to buy it---and here it is!

We tested it! We took a cheap table wine, tasted it as it came from the bottle and then as it was presented through the Soiree Wine Decanter....a distinct improvement in the taste. The wine had lost it's overriding acidity, instead we could taste a deep black cherry flavor--one that is often present in much more expensive wines. So, already satisfied with our purchase, we proceeded to a moderately expensive wine, tasting it both ways once again. And, once again a definite improvent in the taste..it seemed this time, that a whole bouquet of tastes had emerged that we couldn't detect in the wine served directly from the bottle. Our conclusion is that no wine lover should be without one and that no red wine should be served without passing through the Soiree. White wines, we found, were not so dramatically affected, but we use it with them as well--not taking a chance of missing a single nuance of flavor in every bottle.

I have to admit I'm a bit disappointed with this aerator. We attended a party at a friend's house and they had a bottle-top aerator. Coolest thing ever (in the wine drinking category of "cool things"). So I searched the internet but couldn't find the one they had. I decided to go with this one. Pros: it does what it's supposed to do (oxygenates the wine one glass at a time); comes with two rubber inserts (one for cork bottles, the other for twist-cap bottles - although I should say we use the cork bottle insert with our twist-cap bottles without any problem); includes a nice little stand when you're not using it; it looks good and the glass is quality made. So why only three stars? It takes FOREVER to pour a glass of wine (we have only used this for reds). Now I know it has to aerate the wine, but this little baby is ridiculous. That said, we use it every day and will continue to use it because it is a good product.

I am suspicious of products that have high "gimmick" potential but this one works. I still prefer to decant and wait a few hours but when you forget this does it in few seconds. I actually can tell no difference. It passes the test of my Italian friends who are even more suspicious of gadgets like this.

I bought this for my husband who is the wine drinker in the family--he can never be bothered to use a decanter. The aerator is pretty and fun to watch but can be a little precarious when handling. You have to be careful that it is securely in place in the bottle top of course. I bought it liking that it was made out of glass and not plastic which I thought would help the taste of the wine. I have to say we hold our breathe handling it because it seems pretty fragile. It is a bit difficult to store it because it is glass. The aerator does come with a little stand that it sits in but it is easy to knock it off and there is nowhere to put the rubber stoppers that would make the aerator fit correctly so I end up putting it all back in the box...which makes us use it less frequently. I bought the Venturi with the stand and that tends to be the one we go to since it is already sitting out and ready for action. Happy with the product though

Works great. I like that you can decant/aerate a glass at a time without pouring the whole bottle through.

Great product! I did a few taste tests with it. First drinking a little bit of wine without using it, and then putting the Soiree on the bottle and taking another sip of wine that was poured via Soiree. And WOW, i definitely notice a difference! it makes the wine much smoother and more velvet-y. It reduces that acidic "bite" that some wines have. Or makes the taste less alcohol-y. I really enjoy using the Soiree! I have purchased two more as Birthday/Christmas gifts. I have given one of them already (the b-day one obviously..) and my friend absolutely loves it too.

I got this as a gift for my dad for Christmas. He was a sommelier for a 4 star restaurant for a number of years and he says that it works wonderfully.