Let’s face it: when it comes to wine, there are times for splashing out – birthdays, Friday nights, Christmas– and times for reigning it in, such as mid-week or at the end of the month.
While some bargainous bottles can be surprisingly good – increasingly so, it has to be said – there are still those that are a little lacklustre on the nose and palate. And what about that special bottle you just haven’t had time to decant to bring out the best of its bouquet?
That’s when a wine aerator can become your best friend. “For centuries, wine-lovers have poured their big, bold – even young – red wines into a decanter, knowing this as the best way to expose the liquid to air and ‘open it up’,” explains Anne Roque, head of sales at Coravin, maker of the famous preservation system that lets you enjoy truly remarkable wine by the glass without having to open the bottle.
“In technical terms, we call this ‘aeration’, and it’s basically because bringing a wine into contact with oxygen can enhance its flavour, aroma and overall drinking experience. For example, you might have a young red whose tannins could do with being softened a little or a wine whose complex flavours would show best after a few hours resting in a decanter. But, sometimes, we don’t have time for that, and this is where an aerator comes in – a device that does the work of a decanter in a fraction of the time.”
Roque explains: “There are different ways aerators work – maybe it’s quickly drawing wine through a chamber at the same time as outside air or perhaps it’s forcing the liquid through a series of small holes or mesh to increase the surface area exposed to air. Even a spiral can simulate the way the decanter can be swirled around!”
The expert concludes: “Our Coravin aerator breaks the pour of wine up into 32 little streams and those streams become droplets. This increases the surface area by a factor of 1,000 so the wine is aerated the equivalent of 45 minutes to an hour in your glass, and all while you’re pouring.”
Best wine aerators at a glance
- Best overall: Le Creuset Wine Aerator, Pourer & Stopper - £40, Amazon
- Best for splashing out: Coravin Timeless Aerator - £52.49, Amazon
- Best for good looks: Georg Jensen Wine Funnel & Aerator - £25, John Lewis
- Best for avoiding drips: Zwilling Sommelier Decanter - £39.95, Zwilling
- Best for budget buy: ProCook Wine Aerator - £3, ProCook
- Best for innovative tech: Winewizard Smart 3-in-1 Wine Aerator - £59.95, Amazon
- Best for all wine: FLOW Red Wine Aerator - £9.99, Amazon
- Best for quirky design: SOIRE’E Soireehome Bottle Wine Aerator - £19.96, Amazon
- Best for gifting: Hotder Wine Aerator - £10.98, Amazon
- Best for low effort: Rouge O2 Electronic Wine Breather & Aerator - £21.45, Amazon
How we tested
It was only fair that we tested each aerator with a ‘house’ (read: budget) bottle of supermarket wine and a more expensive, ‘serious’ bottle to assess the difference on the nose and palate. We also considered the design of each, because home bars should be for beautiful things exclusively.
Below, we round up the best aerators to make even a budget bottle sparkle.
Le Creuset WA163 Wine Aerator, Pourer & Stopper
Best: overall
J’adore anything Le Creuset – the French brand famed for its cast-iron cookware that comes with a lifetime guarantee – including its Champagne stopper that slides onto the top of opened bottles to create an airtight seal (not that we need those bubbles preserved for long, mind).
Its combined wine aerator, pourer and stopper is no different. Ensuring a smooth pour that brings out subtle, rounded flavours, its patented three-in-one design – featuring a double-aeration chamber – instantly aerates to enhance both the aromas and flavours of any wine. Better still, the flow from the bottle is controlled and the stopper seals securely for easy storage.
Buy now £40.00, Amazon
Coravin Timeless Aerator
Best for: Splashing out
The priciest of aerators, Timeless from Coravin is proof that sometimes you really do get what you pay for. It rapidly aerates wine as you pour to serve up aromatic and smooth results in seconds, which is the equivalent of decanting for up to 90 minutes.
The catch? It’s designed for exclusive use with the brand’s Timeless Wine Preservation System. Push the aerator onto the spout, ensure it’s attached properly and use the device as you otherwise would.
This investment aerator features a sleek and sexy design – comprising stainless steel and black plastic – and works quickly and effectively to noticeably enhance wine. Chef’s kiss.
Buy now £52.49, Amazon
Georg Jensen Sky Stainless Steel Wine Funnel & Aerator
Best for: Good looks
This stainless-steel object d’art from Georg Jensen is designed to aerate the wine and funnel it into a decanter at the same time. Combining Scandi aesthetics with clever functionality, the aerator is made from mirror-polished steel and complements the Sky decanter from the same range – but can be used with any – while it comes with a special detachable filter to remove sediment. We found the aerator added a theatrical flourish to decanting wine and sped up how long it needed to decant before aromas and flavours were noticeably improved in the glass. Plus, it gets extra points for being so damn beautiful, meaning you can display proudly rather than stash away.
Buy now £25.00, John Lewis
Zwilling Stainless Steel Decanter
Best for: Avoiding drips
We assumed that if Zwilling knows how to craft a knife befitting of chefs, then the German brand would also know how to create an aerator suitable for at-home sommeliers. We weren’t wrong.
Equipped with a special spiral system on the inside, its ‘decanter’ – a point deducted for the confusing name – works by putting the wine into intensive contact with the air as it’s poured to fully unlock its potential.
Better still, the design means there’s no more dripping red wine on your tablecloth, while the integrated stopper seals the bottle perfectly.
Buy now £39.95, Zwilling
ProCook Wine Aerator
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Best for: Budget buy
Cheap and cheerful, this device from ProCook eschews fancy design for straight-up functionality with a simple but effective aerator made from plastic and silicone.
The secret is in the twisting design that encourages agitation of the wine while the end ensures the aerator fits perfectly onto your bottle and holds it in place as you pour.
Promising to infuse your wine with the optimal amount of oxygen, I discovered noticeable results, particularly pleasing at this price point. At just £3, I bought a load of them to take as gifts when invited over to friends' for dinner.
Buy now £3.00, ProCook
Winewizard Smart 3-in-1 Wine Aerator
Best for: Innovative tech
In this publication, I’ve previously sang the praises of the Winewizard – the three-in-one aerator that dramatically improves any bottle by replicating the decanting and ageing process – and I’ll do it again.
This aerator comes in a sleek and sophisticated aluminium canister with gleaming bronze accents that’s surprisingly lightweight even when full of gas. A squeeze of the trigger sends a swarm of micro-bubbles into the depths of your glass from the micro-diffuser attachment to instantly aerate the wine.
While the fire-extinguisher format could feel gimmicky, the device bolsters the mouthfeel of even the most budget of bottles. Extra points for being recyclable once empty. You’ll just need to remember to buy additional refill packs for £34.95.
Buy now £59.95, Amazon
FLOW Red Wine Aerator
Best for: All wine
We admit that we were drawn by the fancy-pants design of the FLOW aerator. Rather confusingly given that red wine is included in the name, it can be used for any variety of wine – red, white or rosé, although the latter two aren’t as universally aerated like the former – and speeds up the breathing process by instantly oxygenating the wine in the pourer. It does so by sucking in air through the chambers and mixing it with the liquid to bring out complex aromas and flavours. The sturdy display stand also stops any drips from forming.
Buy now £9.99, Amazon
SOIRE’E Soireehome Bottle Wine Aerator
Best for: Quirky design
While it looks more like a bong than anything else, the SOIRE’E Soireehome Bottle Wine Aerator is hand-blown from glass that’s five times thicker than your average wine vessel, the food-grade silicone gasket securely fitting most cork or screw cap bottles. Whether red, white or rosé, simply tilt as you pour to achieve the degree of aeration desired, which for a budget bottle is always the most. It works, and it works well.
While we don’t think this device quite delivers on its claim to turn a £10 bottle taste like a £20 one, there was noticeable improvement on the wines we tried it with. Perhaps they just need to relook at the price point?
Buy now £19.96, Amazon
Hotder Wine Aerator
Best for: Gifting
Claiming to aerate wine in a minute, this acrylic design from Hotder maximises the amount of air the wine is exposed to in order to accelerate tannin oxidation and bolster taste.
While it took a little longer than a minute to improve ours, we were pleasantly surprised that this small – and relatively cheap – aerator punches above its weight.
Because it comes with a filter (to separate any sediment collected at the bottom of the bottle), handy stand, protective pouch and gift box, it’s great for giving as a present, too.
Buy now £10.96, Amazon
Rouge O2 Electronic Wine Breather & Aerator
Best for: Low effort
Now this is something a bit different. Billed as an electronic wine breather, Route O2 reduces breathing time from one hour to just a minute by gently bubbling air through the wine to help it release its full bouquet and flavour. Simply put the batteries in, pop the device into a glass and away you go.
Gimmicky? A little bit? Low effort? Definitely. I was quietly impressed.
Buy now £21.45, Amazon
Verdict
Call me a brand snob, but I loved Le Creuset’s offering with its three-in-one aerator, pourer and stopper. Not only am I a fan of their signature design – sleek and heavy – but I really thought the double-aeration chamber worked a treat to deliver the most improvement to wine in the least amount of time. That the pour is controlled is also a bonus for a clumsy drinker like me (even when I haven’t touched a drop).
