We’ve all heard the phrase ‘let it breathe’ when it comes to wine.
Who hasn’t opened a bottle of red and left it ‘to breathe’ for 10 minutes before pouring it and thinking they are a wine expert?
Ahead of global drink wine day on Sunday, February 18th, the CEO of French wine tech company Aveine, who has developed what is thought to be the world’s first AI wine aerator, has revealed the benefits of wine being allowed to breathe – or be aerated – as well as which wines benefit from this process.
Aveine CEO Nicolas Naigeon, who comes from a wine producing family in Burgundy, told LLM – Luxury Lifestyle Magazine: “Aerating, or oxygenating the wine, is an essential part of improving the flavour and bouquet of the wine.
“Wine is to be savoured and enjoyed and by aerating it you will get a much better tasting glass of wine. When you see professional wine tasters swirling the wine in their glass, it is to infuse oxygen and let all the flavours and aromas burst into life.
“When wine is put into a bottle and enclosed it is left in there all cooped up. When it’s opened, it’s like awakening the wine. When we wake up, we take our time to get ready. This is the same for wine.
“When the oxygen gets into the wine, this chemical reaction does many things. It enhances the characteristics of the wine. It makes the nose more powerful, especially red wines, so that the fruit really comes through. This also improves the taste, releasing the flavours on your palette.
“How long a wine aerates for depends on the age and type of the wine. Younger wines need more time. It will soften the tannins and add complexity. Older wines, which have been maturing in the bottle, need less time.”
He added: “In terms of the type of wine, reds, whites, roses and even sparkling wines can all benefit from aeration. Age will always be a factor as to how long.
“Young reds such as those from Bordeaux, Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah (Shiraz) will definitely benefit.
“White wines such as those from Burgundy or Bordeaux, Chablis, Chardonnay and even sweet whites can all be aerated to enhance their flavour.”
How long should wines be aerated for?
Nicolas added: “The old-fashioned way of letting wine breathe isn’t just removing the cork or unscrewing the cap but to pour it into a decanter. However, for some wines you can take hours to reach perfection – and who wants to wait!
“Another option is to use an aerator, which adds oxygen to the wine as it’s poured. However, not all aerators replicate the right amount of oxygen needed to enrich the wine.
“This is why I invented the Aveine smart wine aerator, which will let the wine aerate to the exact number of hours as it is poured. There is no waiting and (wondering) whether the wine needs one hour or 24 hours, this aerator has the technology to replicate it perfectly.
“Using the Aveine smartphone app to scan the wine label on the bottle, it will indicate how long the wine needs to aerate and this information is sent direct to the aerator or it can be done manually for the perfect glass of wine.”
The Aveine smart wine aerator is available from Smartech in Selfridges or from Amazon.co.uk.
Discover more about wine and the aerator from Aveine.eu and follow them on Instagram for more fascinating facts about wine.
