Customer Reviews

Vinturi Deluxe 6-Piece Wine Aerator Set

5 star:		(100)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

First of all, if you are a wine drinker, get this. It works, or else I've been taken by the psychology of it. I first encountered it at the Sterling winery in California. Since we were joining the "club", we got quasi-VIP treatment, which included a demo of this device on a newly opened bottle of wine (yes, the Sterling wine store had them for sale for $45). Wine was poured into one glass from the bottle, and another through the Vinturi. It clearly made a difference in aroma and taste. We've since done a couple of blind tests, and picked the aerated wine every time.

Now, let me save you a couple bucks. The basic device includes a small rubber stand for storing the Vinturi. It is just fine. The upgraded 6-piece set includes a less-than-useful stand. It is not attractive enough to leave on display, so it's another bulky thing to store. Also, we found that our wine glasses were either too short--and we got spashing--or they were too tall and wouldn't fit. Plus, the stand holds the Vinturi perfectly vertical, which is contrary to the included instructions, which tell you to tip it slightly to the side.

So, fellow wine drinkers, get the $25.47 model, and you'll be quite pleased. Don't waste your money on the six-piece version with the stand.

Well, I'll be... this silly little thing actually works. How can you get the effect of decanted wine in the time it takes to pour a glass from a newly-opened bottle? After reading other reviews, I was convinced to try it, but after seeing it work I thought, "There's no way- that was too fast and too easy."

I was wrong.

I took 3 blind taste tests. I washed 2 identical glasses, opened a new bottle of Merlot, poured one straight from the bottle and poured the other through the Vinturi Aerator. I left the room and asked my wife to move the glasses to the table and call me when all the bubbles were gone. There was no question which one had been aerated. I picked it right away. Even when my son tried to tell me I picked wrong, I stood by my choice, it was that obvious. It softens the wine, releases the bouquet and created a silky finish. I took multiple tests and picked it right every time. My wife took turns testing and could tell as well.

I got an aerator for red and white so a couple days later I opened a bottle of white and did the same test and got the same results. The difference is enough that I won't have a glass without it now. Even wine I would normally open and pour and drink right away is now aerated, red or white, it makes a real difference.

I bought the tower, which is an added expense, but it's nice for parties so guests can serve themselves and not have to handle the aerator, just pour and enjoy. The quality of the parts feel solid, not cheesy plastic like I thought it would be. Taken care of, I don't see why these can't last for many years, and since it's just liquid and air, it should work just as well in 10 years as it does today.

I'm impressed and plan to show them off to my fellow wine enthusiasts at our annual New Years party.

I have had this aerator for many months and am very pleased with it's ability to let the wine breath as it is poured. This aerator is quick and relatively neat, except for some drippage from the air holes. I highly recommend it for heavier red wines.
Now the stand/tower just makes this drippage issue worse. It runs down the inside of the stand pooling where you would set a glass, and down the outside of the stand directly onto the table/tablecloth.
I love my aerator, I just wish it didn't drip the way it does.

The Venturi is just what we hoped it would be. All the young wines at restaurants today make it difficult. We've used it on a newer red, 2007 Brunello, and an older, 1998 Shiraz, just to see the difference. The Shiraz was already ready to drink but the Venturi opened it quickly. The 2007 was amazing - it was far too young and yet the Venturi did the trick. It still isn't a 1998 vintage but the difference was truly amazing. You can take the Venturi anywhere in its cloth case. Get the tower as well but use a decanter underneath instead of a wine glass. With a glass (even a taller one) there is some spill from the height. The tower does have a "catch" for the spill but the decanter takes away most of that.

A friend bought the Red wine Vinturi model recently. He and his wife visit the Napa Valley area frequently and have gotten to know the vineyards and owners. Back at home, they have a basement wine cellar. I mention this because his wife and he enjoy wine for what it is, and doesn't fool with junk. He brought the Vinturi out and explained how and why this gadget worked, which I and others found did quite well. I was impressed and confident enough to turn around and buy a Red wine Vinturi for my brother's 40th birthday gift, which was used with numerous bottles of wine. Another brother in attendance nicknamed the device "Bobcat" after comedian Bobcat Goldthwait for the intensely caffeinated noise this thing makes as the wine mixes with air. Blind taste testing resulted in most everyone picking the glass of wine poured though the Vinturi with having the best flavor, which seems lighter, sweeter and with a better aftertaste. They hosted another party shortly after the birthday party and emailed me that the Vinturi was a centerpiece "hit". I have bought one myself; maybe I should start entertaining others now...the wine will be at its best.

Don't expect a miracle, but it does help. I usually let a good glass of red wine sit for about an hour to an hour and a half before drinking it. The Vinturi product cannot match this, however, it is equivalent to letting wine sit for about 15 to 20 minutes. If that's what you are used to doing, you'll be happy. If you really let your wine age properly, you won't be happy unless you are simply using the device to speed up the process. Using the Vinturi and then letting the wine sit for an hour produces a nice wine. It can cut about 30 minutes off the normal process without the aerator.

I tested the device on four bottles of good reasonably priced wines. They were -

1) Bogel Old Vine Zinfandel (2007) - full body, very good Zin $11
2) Rodney Strong Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon (2007) - very good Cabernet that needs some air $18
3) Shenandoah Vineyards Zinfandel Special Reserve (2008) - very nice full body zin $10
4) Grand Pacific Vineyards Heritage Red table Wine (2007) - surprisingly decent inexpensive and easily drinkable $7

The aerator worked to some degree on all of the wines, but on the full bodied Cabs and Zins, it really couldn't begin to compete with letting a glass of wine sit in a wide glass for 90 minutes. For the table wine, it did a better job, but there was still a noticeable difference between letting it age naturally and using the aerator. Blind tests on all of the wines showed modest improvements over drinking the wine straight out of the bottle, but also showed significant difference between aerating and further aging.

Next point, the tower is a joke. It enhances splattering instead of preventing it. The only way to use the tower and stop splatter is to jam the opening below the rim of the glass. Without the tower, the device isn't bad.

A friend recommended a wine aerator, so I ordered the Vinturi set from Amazon for my husband who is the wine connoisseur in our household. The aerator is great, but the stand is a waste of money. If you try to pour the wine through the aerator using the stand, the wine pours directly down and makes a mess. The directions say to hold the aerator at an angle, which is what you have to do to make the aerator work properly. I don't understand why the stand/holder aims the aerator straight down rather at an angle as instructed. I highly recommend the aerator but not in the set. It is better and less expensive to order the aerator separately and forget the stand because the stand simply cannot be used without making a complete mess on the countertop. As for the aerated wine, my husband says that a mediocre bottle wine tastes like a much more expensive wine when aerated with the Vinturi, and that was the objective, so the aerator is great, but the stand is worthless.

This item has been everything that we expected. No more waiting on an open bottle to breathe; I have no idea how this thing works -- but it clearly make a difference to the palate!As avid wine-enthusiasts, it was recommended that we purchase one of these after trying out an identical model at a friend's house. Highly recommend the purchase. Arrival of the item was efficient, price was fair.

I love the idea of being able to aerate my wine in a much shorter time frame. I found that the product worked well except that no matter how I poured the wine it would spill out of the aerator holes. The price was the best I could find.

The only problem is that the top leaks. We figured out you have to clean it out after every use to prevent leakage.