Vinturi Review

Here's my review of the Vinturi Wine Aerator!

I bought it at Amazon.com for $33 and free shipping, but it's available at other places and some will offer a discount if you buy in bulk.

The box looks attractive enough.



The actual device is made of plastic with a rubber grip that provides a secure hold.




You get all this! The vinturi, a holder/stand, an attractive velvetish carrying bag, and some verbage about how great the vinturi is. Note: bottle of wine not included.



I actually made my own demonstration video with the Flip camera that Mr. Insomniac gave me for my birthday, but (1) it came out crappy - Mr. Insomniac's out of town on business and so I had to create a makeshift tripod with doggy Insomniac's dog food container so I could operate the vinturi effectively; (2) by the time "take 2" rolled around, I was drunk and laughing a lot and sounded stupid. My written voice sounds a lot better than my high squeaky speaking voice. No one wants to hear that, I realized; and (3) I couldn't figure out how to put it on my computer. So three strikes on that one.

So you're stuck with this video I found on youtube. Which is also pretty hilarious.



Shout out to envinoveritas! I used mine to pour glass after glass, as opposed to in a decanter. What wasn't shown in this video (but what I showed in mine) is that you can see the bubbles in the glass as it gets aerated. But I love that sucking sound. Pretty neat.


For my first tasting, I used a run of the mill wine - a Robert Mondavi Pinot Noir that I got at Trader Joes for 8 bucks.



Scientist that I am, I did a comparison test with a glass from the same bottle, but made sure it was un-vinturied. I must add this caveat though... this was not a blind taste test. Like I mentioned earlier, Mr. Insomniac's away and so we couldn't set up our customary taste experiment.

BUT (and this is very important) the difference between a glass right out a freshly opened bottle and one that's been poured with the vinturi was actually dramatic. Wow. I even said that out loud (I have the tape to prove it). Wow.

Here's what the website advertises:

• Better bouquet - Sample the nose. You'll appreciate the subtle aromatic differences and the full aroma of the wine. Vinturi allows wine to display its intended aromas.

Now I actually didn't do this. I just drank it. Eager beaver insomniac. My bad.

• Enhanced flavors - Go ahead, take a sip. Vinturi's wine tastes better. It is more flavorful and has better mouthfeel. It tastes like a richer, more expensive wine. It tastes like it was intended to and is more enjoyable.

Check. I'm no oenophile, but even my 2 buck Chuck drinking ass could tell a difference. Amazing.

• Smoother finish. Ahh. Vinturi's aeration is very effective at softening tannins which results in a much more pleasant finish. Any bitterness or bad aftertaste is reduced or eliminated.

Double check. Smooth as silk. A much more pleasant and drinkable wine.

Overall recommendation? Two thumbs up. A great way for making cheap wine taste good. I'm very curious to see what a better bottle will taste like... I suppose that will have to wait for the weekend!