For The Love Of Port

No, I am not talking about a traditional method of decanting.

Vinturi is likely the most popular brand and is sold all over in Costco and I've even seen them in upscale grocery market chains. Then there is the BEV WIZARD WINE SMOOTHER which uses some sort of magnet and otherwise attaches to the bottle; or The Soiree which is appealing to those who like blown glass.

I am sure there are many others out there, but I am more curious if any of you have actually used these for Port. If so, which category of Port have you tried it on and how effective was it?

I've used aerators when into a pop n pour situation, but only on rubies and occasionally on an LBV. With most LBVs of a VP, I'd rather go the traditional route.

It usually seemed to work out alright. That would be an easy thing to experiment on.

Wow, I'd have thought more people use these devices on Port.

I have two wine funnels that have sprinkler holes at the bottom. I use them when I feel a longer decant than I have time for would be better.

Doesn't pouring my Port into a decanter or glass and swirling it around for a couple seconds do the same thing? Is there any science behind those things?

I have a Venturi, but I rarely use it. A friend of mine swears by it and uses it on virtually every bottle of Port he opens. It does change the wine and I suppose that it is matter of taste as to that being a good or not as desirable thing...

Andy Velebil wrote:Doesn't pouring my Port into a decanter or glass and swirling it around for a couple seconds do the same thing? Is there any science behind those things?

There is only so much oxygen you can work into solution from a little swirling. That is why for culturing yeast, biochemists use stir plates for constant swirling (hours of it). I can imagine that an aerator properly designed can draw in more air than just swirling. How much? I can't say. (As an aside, for pitching yeast in beer, when I lived in Virginia I just swirled a little bit. I found that was insufficient when I moved to Colorado and pitched at higher altitude--less oxygen.)

But now I'm tempted to open a bottle of Port, put half in a half bottle and the other half in a beaker on a stir plate and compare after some time intervals.

Marc J. wrote:I have a Venturi, but I rarely use it. A friend of mine swears by it and uses it on virtually every bottle of Port he opens. It does change the wine and I suppose that it is matter of taste as to that being a good or not as desirable thing...

I'm sensing a semi-blind taste-off the next time we see each other.

I don't think they do anything. They're a waste of money.

In all honesty, I think advertising for them is misleading because it claims that they have an effect. Chemically, I just don't see it so the ads are (to me) fraudulent.

I'll give a (very very slight) benefit of the doubt for their use when using them to pour into a glass, as it's difficult to swirl vigorously in a glass. When pouring into a decanter, though, they're completely useless because you can just give a good hard couple of swirls in each direction in the decanter to accomplish the exact same thing.

Pop and pour into glass they must do something, but I doubt they'll advance the wine more than the decanter would after 30 minutes of sitting and swirling.

Andy Velebil wrote:

Marc J. wrote:I have a Venturi, but I rarely use it. A friend of mine swears by it and uses it on virtually every bottle of Port he opens. It does change the wine and I suppose that it is matter of taste as to that being a good or not as desirable thing...

I'm sensing a semi-blind taste-off the next time we see each other.

I think you're right.

Moses Botbol wrote:Pop and pour into glass they must do something

Not really. Unless you're an extremely careful pourer, the act of pouring wine into the glass creates sufficient aeration. These aerators merely create... more. But if the wine has already received sufficient aeration, does more really accomplish anything? I doubt it.

Save yourself the $20. But that's just me.

I have a funnel I use (rabbitt brand - best one out there) with a super fine mesh has some sprinklers on the bottom. I use for Port because I am not good at pouring and not getting some sediment out...and I do not have to use any cheesecloth.

I've considered buying them but I don't drink enough wine to justify $30 on an aerator rather than spending it on a new bottle. When I say I don't drink enough, I mean Port is the only wine I'm willing to drink without having a get together, and since I'm one of the few of my friends still in an apartment, get togethers at my place have gone down in number.

Does anyone think an aerator would work well to get rid of the heat/alcohol that tends to be present quickly after opening a port?

I don't have an aerator but know of a free substitute that I use regularly when I pop young ports that are a bit hot or raw on opening.

Pour into a decanter. Place the palm of your hand firmly across the top of the decanter to form an airtight seal. Shake vigorously. Remove hand. Pour. Drink.

A friend of mine indicated to me recently that he occasionally subjects a young red wine to "aggitation" in a blender as a way to aerate it and to make it more drinkable. A good idea? I'm not sure, just throwing it out there for consideration. I've never done it but will probably try it at some point in time to see what the results are. The guinea pig would not be a good bottle.

Michael Hann wrote:A friend of mine indicated to me recently that he occasionally subjects a young red wine to "aggitation" in a blender as a way to aerate it and to make it more drinkable. A good idea? I'm not sure, just throwing it out there for consideration. I've never done it but will probably try it at some point in time to see what the results are. The guinea pig would not be a good bottle.

ilkka siren, the finnish guy behind the "fortified friday" campaign, has a very funny video of this on his blog- he calls it "hyper-decanting"!

Michael Hann wrote:A friend of mine indicated to me recently that he occasionally subjects a young red wine to "aggitation" in a blender as a way to aerate it and to make it more drinkable ... The guinea pig would not be a good bottle.

Nor would a guinea pig