Purpose of a Wine Aerator

Let's set the record straight: You want to make a good first impression on your neighbors and you'd like to make the wine you purchase live up to its price. Most wine enthusiasts would recommend that you purchase a wine aerator (and probably a wine decanter, too). An aerator coupled with a decanter will make your $30 bottle of wine match up to its price, instead of tasting like a $20 bottle. So, investing in a wine aerator will actually help you save money in the long run.

Like we mentioned on the first page, a wine aerator helps air filter into the wine. Though wine can aerate itself if you let it sit in a decanter for an hour or two, there are times when you need it to aerate much faster. That's why a wine aerator comes in handy -- it can accelerate the aeration process.

Now you're probably wondering how and why a little oxygen will make your wine taste better. It seems like letting it "breathe" would cause some of the wine's undertones to escape. Please don't think this! By allowing the contents of the wine bottle to breathe, you are actually ensuring a smoother taste. Aerating wine, coupled with decanting, will highlight the individual accents and smells so you can recognize them more fully [source: Xomba].

Read on to figure out the most important part -- how to use a wine aerator properly.