Written on 05/05/2022
All you need to know about wine aeration
Before tasting a wine, there's one essential step to take into account: airing it to allow its bouquet to open up and release all its aromas, so you can enjoy it to the full. If a wine is too closed, don't panic. Unlike corking, this defect can easily be corrected with a few hours or minutes of aeration.
Four different techniques can be used, depending on the aeration required. It can be done directly from the bottle, in a carafe, by the glass or with a wine aerator.
Bottle aeration: this is undoubtedly the simplest technique. Simply open the bottle a few hours before tasting. This allows oxygen to come into contact with the wine. It passes through the neck, which is a very small surface area, allowing aeration to take place very gradually, so as not to alter the quality and taste of the wine too much. But beware: the opening time will vary according to your wine. A light wine should not be opened too prematurely, at the risk of losing all its aromas. A stronger wine, on the other hand, should be opened well in advance.
Aeration with a decanter: This is another popular method. Simply decant the wine a few hours or even minutes beforehand. If the wine is too closed, you can accelerate aeration by gently swirling the wine in the decanter. The surface area in contact with oxygen will be relatively large, enabling rapid oxygenation. In fact, the flared neck of the wine allows oxygen to enter more easily.
Aeration by the glass: thanks to this technique, wine aerates much more easily. You've probably noticed that when you pour yourself a glass of wine, it tastes better at the end than at the beginning. As with the decanter, if you feel that the wine is too closed, you can turn it in your glass to let the oxygen in and release the aromas. The surface area in contact with oxygen will be large, so aeration will be rapid.
Aeration with an aerator: this is the most technical and least common way of aerating a wine. And for good reason, it is often reserved for the specialist who wants perfect aeration of the wine. There are, for example, connected aerators that automatically regulate the aeration your wine needs to fully enjoy its aromas .
