Friday, February 6, 2009

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!

6 comments:

Liz said...

Love the review! I am so excited to try this myself-- it should arrive today!

And you'll have to tell us if it can improve that delicious bottle of Silver Oak. Jealous.

Grace said...

Call me a sucker, but I will be receiving one of my own in 5-9 business days. Thanks for the review.

Kennedy said...

I'm sold. Plus I love everything about this post, esp Doggy Insom providing the 'tripod' for your camera. -kpow

Hilary said...

Off to Amazon....

Feminist Gold Digger said...

I've heard really good things about this thing. I'll have to pick one up.

Liz said...

Tim and I tried it out with just a basic Rosemount Shiraz last night. Amazing differences!

We set up the taste test indicated in the instructions and could definitely tell the difference. Next is the double blind taste test we'll set up with the assistance of my parents. I'll report back.