Wine Unfiltered

Okay. So here it is.

I love this thing. And there are some good reasons for it. And it’s not ultra perfect.

But I love this thing.

I have the Vinturi Wine Aerator. The Respirer Wine Aerator is next for me to try. I hear that one you can use the bottle as a stand, plus a few other minor differences. But to the point…

All three do individual glasses. But so far, one is less messy, uses less hands, and is less money. And that is the Soiree. 

I am a fan of decanting and I am notorious for aerating. When my friend Rich came back from Paso Robles wine country, he described to me this wacky concoction the wineries were using that wasn’t a Vinturi, or anything I had seen in stores or in Santa Barbara wine country. I don’t know if I haven’t been looking hard enough or something, but I was then on a quest to figure out what it was. After searching online, Rich confirmed the picture and the product. The Soirée Wine Aerator.

What is Soirée?

“Soirée is a bottle-top wine aerator. Soirée fits securely into any wine bottle allowing you to pour, without dripping, directly through the Soirée. By pouring wine with a Soirée, the Soirée creates an intermediary stage where the wine is infused with oxygen and then cascades into your glass. In using the Soirée to aerate your wine, you will notice the subtleties and character of the wine emerge immediately upon entering your glass. Soirée delivers a truly “open” wine just by pouring through it. ”

How it to use it:

Well…. just look here. It’s easier. 

Andrew Lazorchak, Managing Director of Soirée was kind enough to send one for me to try. First of all, it looks cool. It turns any wine bottle into a Harry Potter pouring potion. Second, it does what it is supposed to do: it brings oxygen to your wine. And if your aerator happens to look like an alchemical orb, then “Soiree Specialis Revelio”!

I personally think it does not aerate as intensely as the Vinturi for VERY SHORT pours: like 1 or 2 ounce tastings. Just due to lack of control issues and the way it’s designed to aerate more fully while upside down. But if you are doing a full 5 or 6 ounce glass, you will most likely be holding it completely upside down, where the Soiree truly shines and aerates to its maximum. Perfect for home. Perfect for restaurants. Now, I’m not saying  you can’t turn it upside down for short pours, because I do, but you may have less control.

But it is just TOO easy to have your bottle, your glasses and just pour with the decanting mechanism attached and not have to do anything else! I guess the word is: elegant. And no drips. You heard me. No drips. Well, not yet for me anyway. Oh, did I also mentioned some of the un-poured aerated wine goes back into the bottle, opening up the wine from within? Cool. Little dimples inside the glass orb creates more surface area as well. But don’t over decant either though, people. You can kill a wine that way. If your wine is very tight, the Soiree beats Vinturi hands down. It’s not like I will never use my Vinturi again, but I have to say, I keep reaching for the Soiree with no deviation. It’s hard not to. 

The website is so complete that repeating it all here does it a disservice. Go and look.

To recap and compare:

Vituri Aerator 

($32.00 – $42.99)

Pros:

Solid aeration from very small pours to large pours.

Plastic instead of glass, so better safety wise.

You can double decant (pour via Vinturi into your decanter).

Good if you don’t want to over-aerate.

It comes with a stand. Doubles as drip tray.

Comes with pouch.

Easy to clean.

Cons:

If you pour too fast, it can overflow. If you pour too slow, wine can come out the side holes.

You will drip. On the table. On the side of the glass. On your hands. I can attest to that from a handful of tastings where I am quickly aerating 6 or 7 glasses over a white Formica table. And I am pretty good at it. 

Needs a drip stand. If it didn’t have one, it would be even messier.

You are bound to over flow pouring if double decanting.

Doesn’t aerate from within the bottle.

20 bucks more.

NOT AS EASY.

Soiree Aerator 

($19.99 – $25.00)

Pros:

WAY EASIER.

No holding the aerator over individual glasses. Sits in the bottle top.

Fits well over all wine bottles. So far. 

It doesn’t need a stand. But it comes with one anyway (as storage, not a drip tray). Looks like you got a little award statue!

Un-poured aerated wine goes back into the bottle, opening up the wine from within as well.

No dripping. Not even down the wine bottle. I don’t know how, but it doesn’t.

Fits snugly it the bottle. Comes with changeable plug for weirder bottles.

You can also double decant (pour via Soiree into your decanter). It’s just WAY easier than the Vinturi. 

Easy to clean.

20 bucks cheaper.

Cons:

Glass instead of plastic, so safety wise not as good (but then again, will definitely not effect wine taste with plastic interaction).

Not as good for short pours like a tasting (due to not as much mega aeration unless completely upside down).

May feel scared that it will come out of the bottle. It won’t.

Ugh. I was all set with my Vinturi. Now my world is turned upside down. Literally. 

Sigh…

Okay. I’m over it.

Back to new awesomeness.