Vinturi Essential Wine Aerator

by Vinturi

• Measures 6 inches high by 2 inches wide; safe to clean in the dishwasher
• Easily and conveniently enhances the flavor, bouquet, and finish of any wine
• Patent-pending design speeds up breathing process by instantly aerating in the time it takes to pour a glass of wine
• Hold aerator over glass and pour wine through for instant aeration; mixes proper amount of air in right amount of time
• Made of acrylic, the aerator comes with a no-drip stand
• Note: There are two slight fold lines that extend upward from each air hole. These are normal. During manufacturing, material folds around rods and wraps back, and this causes the fold lines.

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 4 x 4 x 6 inches ; 7 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B000UPOJ5W
• Item model number: 6700
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1,024 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #69 in Kitchen & Dining (See Top 100 in Kitchen & Dining)
  • #1 in Kitchen & Dining > Wine Accessories > Wine Accessory Sets

Product Description

Color: Red Wine

Red wine needs to breathe to allow it to open up, release its intended aromas, and of course, make it taste better. Vinturi's patent pending design speeds up this process by instantly aerating with ease and convenience. It delivers recognizable improvements immediately: better bouquet, enhanced flavors and smoother finish. Perfect aeration in the time it takes to pour a glass. It couldn't be easier. Comes with a no-drip stand. Made of acrylic. Aerator and stand are dishwasher safe. The glossy, clear acrylic is elegant and clean. But do note that there are two slight fold lines that extend upward from each air hole. These are normal. During manufacturing, material folds around rods and wraps back, and this causes the fold lines.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

453 of 461 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars I'll be darned ... it works April 24, 2007

By elvindeath

Color Name:Red Wine

I bought one of these on a whim when the product launched just before Christmas, 2006. It seemed like a perfect - if unnecessary - stocking stuffer for my wife, since we're both wine enthusiasts. I never really felt these "gimmick" aerators did much that a solid 1/2 hour decanting couldn't do. Boy was I wrong.

The device itself is attractive, compact and solidly built. It appears to be a simple oblong plexiglass "funnel" with a rubber grip. There are two small channels in the center of the funnel, which look like "cracks" in the plastic (I've read product info that assures worried buyers these cracks are proper and unavoidable). Wine is poured through the top of the funnel, and immediately a suction sound is heard as the pouring draws air into the wine before it escapes out the bottom of the funnel. The aerator is easily held, and I've never had a problem with spills.

Now on to the "effect" of the Vinturi. I've been using the Vinturi for 5 months now, on a variety of wines ... from a bottle of "Two Buck Chuck", to a nice '98 Vietti Barolo, to a bottle of 97' Phelps Insignia. In every circumstance, with every wine, I've noticed a significant improvement in the quality of the wine when poured through the Vinturi, as opposed to tasted directly from bottle. The flavours are more blended, the finish is less acidic, and frankly, it has made most of the wines I drink a more pleasurable experience, from sniff to swallow. I've conducted several "blind" tastings with friends, and we all agree - this thing works.

If you're a serious wine drinker - or shopping for a wine drinker in your life - give this product a try. At $40, it's about the price of a decent California Cabernet, and will yield results for decades to come.... I plan on picking up a few dozen this Christmas and giving them out as gifts to business clients. Read more ›

608 of 625 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Pretty Darn Good Product December 10, 2008

By Robert Dwyer

Color Name:Red Wine

Length: 2:01 Mins

Vinturi Essential Wine Aerator
The Vinturi Wine Aerator is the longest selling and most popular wine aerator on the market. I give this product a favorable review in this short clip.

307 of 317 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Blind taste test and the power of suggestion July 8, 2008

By G. M. Vanderdussen

Color Name:Red Wine|Amazon Verified Purchase

Many of the reviewers here are claiming that the Vinturi works. Well, I was skeptical, yet I was curious enough to purchased one.

I began by pouring an ounce or two of a red wine directly into the glass, not using the aerator, then tasting the wine. Then I'd pour more of the same wine through the Vinturi and taste again. In most cases I believed I could taste a difference between the non-aerated and aerated wine. For a week or two I was quite impressed with the Vinturi; yet deep inside I was wondering whether the power of suggestion was influencing my assessment.

In order to objectively challenge the performance of the Vinturi, I performed a little experiment. I left the room and had my wife pour three glasses of red wine from the same bottle; two were poured without the aerator and one with the aerator. Once the bubbles from the aeration settled (30 seconds or so), my wife called me back into the room to perform the "blind tasting" to see if I could discern the wine which had been poured through the Vinturi.

It turns out that the Vinturi really does work. I was able to pick which wine of the three was aerated. All skepticism has been removed as far as I'm concerned. I've recommended the Vinturi to several of my wine drinking friends and they likewise have confirmed the effectiveness of the Vinturi's aeration.

There are two reasons why I don't give this product a five star rating. The first reason, as another reviewer has already noted, is that the wine must be carefully poured into the Vinturi at a specific rate. Pour too fast and the wine will overflow. Pour too slow and the Vinturi will run dry and won't aerate properly. It takes careful attention.

Second, the Vinturi will continue to drip wine after each use.... It does come with a handy little holder which keeps the wine from running onto the table, but then the little holder needs to be washed after each use.

These concerns are small matters in the overall perspective. It really comes down to the tasting experience. If you enjoy tasting good red wines then these blemishes are small compromises to make. Read more ›

299 of 333 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Does it work? November 25, 2008

By Joseph Boone VINE™ VOICE

Color Name:Red Wine

After reading a number of reviews, it's obvious that a lot of people are convinced that the Vinturi Aerator does a good job of making wine taste better. I arranged a taste test of my own with three people. I poured two glasses, one aerated and one not and none of the three knew which was which. The verdict was unanimous among all three that one glass was better than the other and they actually chose the non-aerated version as the winner. Two of the three are wine afficianados and one is not so there was a variety of palettes involved.

Based on my test of this product, it appears to be an abject failure. Yet, dozens of people have written glowing reviews and a large number of them appear to have done blind taste tests of their own. Since I certainly don't believe that everyone else is lying (a conspiracy, that's it!) I can only surmise that some people may find the effect of aeration more pleasing than others.

My recommendation is simple. If you're interested in this product, see if you can try one at a friend's first or buy it from a place with a liberal return policy. That way you can decide for yourself whether it's an improvement or a waste of money.

47 of 50 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars The Vinturi works best with fine, young reds November 26, 2008

By Debbie Lee Wesselmann TOP 50 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Color Name:Red Wine|Amazon Verified Purchase

I love wine, particularly reds, so when I received this Vinturi device, I couldn't wait to test it. In my youth, I had worked as a manager at a French restaurant with one of the top wine lists in the country, so I knew all too well the importance of allowing a fine wine to breathe, thus maximizing the bouquet and flavor through the oxidation. Now, of course, far removed from that life, I just like my wines to be enjoyable.

The first time I tried my Vinturi, it was a disaster. I didn't want to try it out on an expensive wine for fear of ruining it, so I chose a inexpensive red wine, an Australian Shiraz. Because I used it in a restaurant with ten people at the table watching , I tilted the device toward me so I could reach it, and poured. Red wine spilled everywhere. As the wine passed through the device, it sounded like a soda machine that was close to empty. Although I could taste the difference between a glass poured right out of the bottle and one poured through the Vinturi, the difference was barely noticeable. Was it worth the spilled wine and the only slight taste difference? Suffice it to say that I was ready to bury it at the bottom of a drawer.

But then . . .

I decided to give the Vinturi another try. I knew that the spillage most likely had to do with how I had held the device and/or the bottle. My second attempt, on a better red, a Rhone with a relatively recent vintage, worked much better. I held the Vinturi straight up and down, and poured from a standing position rather than reaching across a table. The only spill came from a few drips at the bottom after I removed it, and even then, they collected in the included holder, not on the table.... The wine, which needed a few more years in the bottle, was noticeably changed after it had been poured through the Vinturi. The tannins were softened, and the flavor enhanced. However, it was not until I used the Vinturi on a big California blend, a high-quality red that needed another five to eight years in the bottle, that the most noticeable change occurred. Without the Vinturi, the taste was tight, high in tannin (which lends that dry, pucker-y sensation), and definitely too young despite the obvious underlying complexity. The Vinturi opened that wine up so that it tasted as though it had been aged for another five years. The difference was marked. I was sold.

The device itself is a relatively heavy, lucite object with a rubberized grip for holding. The air holes on the sides create turbulence inside the cup and funnel to aerate the wine as it passes through. The box comes with a black rubberized holder (essential to catch the drips after using it) and a pouch to protect it from scratches. The design is both simple and oddly beautiful.

The Vinturi is obviously manufactured for oenophiles, people who regularly drink high-quality red wines and can taste the difference. Don't bother getting this if you're primarily a white wine drinker (whites don't need the kind of breathing that reds do) or if you always buy wine that is ready to drink. Since less expensive wines are generally sold to be drinkable immediately, they are not affected the same way that wines destined for cellars are. And there's no way that any device can make a so-so wine into a good one. That happens at the winery, never at the table.

-- Debbie Lee Wesselmann Read more ›