Why Wine Needs To Be Aerated
Opening a bottle of wine and allowing it to air is known as aeration.
By allowing it to air, the tannins which are found in the delicious drink are broken down become less noticeable which makes it far more palatable to the average wine drinker.
As some bottles, such as vintage wines and ports contain an extremely high concentration of tannins, aerating them can help to transform a bottle of wine which many people would not be able to drink into one which the very same people would enjoy drinking.
Drinking the wine from a freshly opened bottle is not recommended for these types of wine, instead it should be poured into an aerator and left to sit, allowing it to be exposed to the air.
Tannin is found in the seeds and skins of grapes.
Certain grapes contain higher levels of the tannins than others, especially red grapes.
This means that most red wines have high levels of this organic compound.
As wines get older, the level of tannin within the wine slowly breaks down, however even then, aerating the wine can drastically help to improve both the aroma and taste of the wine.
If the wine is only a year or so old though, it is pretty much impossible to be drunk without aerating due to the levels of tannins in it.
Whether the wine is left to age naturally or aerated, the effect is basically the same.
The air helps to break down the tannins.
Many cheaper wines do not contain high levels on tannins and therefore do not need to be aerated.
These cheaper wines do not benefit from being aerated, but instead are created to have a palatable taste straight out of the bottle.
If you have an older bottle of red wine, you may benefit from buying an aerator which helps to speed up the process, although as we previously mentioned, if you are only drinking cheaper bottles of red wine or do not drink much red wine at all, you probably would not benefit from using an aerator.
Bearing all this in mind, the overall message is that if you are drinking expensive wine or new bottles of red wine, it is recommended that the wine is allowed to air.
If the wine is a cheaper bottle that you might find in the supermarket or if it is white wine, it isn't really needed.
By allowing it to air, the tannins which are found in the delicious drink are broken down become less noticeable which makes it far more palatable to the average wine drinker.
As some bottles, such as vintage wines and ports contain an extremely high concentration of tannins, aerating them can help to transform a bottle of wine which many people would not be able to drink into one which the very same people would enjoy drinking.
Drinking the wine from a freshly opened bottle is not recommended for these types of wine, instead it should be poured into an aerator and left to sit, allowing it to be exposed to the air.
Tannin is found in the seeds and skins of grapes.
Certain grapes contain higher levels of the tannins than others, especially red grapes.
This means that most red wines have high levels of this organic compound.
As wines get older, the level of tannin within the wine slowly breaks down, however even then, aerating the wine can drastically help to improve both the aroma and taste of the wine.
If the wine is only a year or so old though, it is pretty much impossible to be drunk without aerating due to the levels of tannins in it.
Whether the wine is left to age naturally or aerated, the effect is basically the same.
The air helps to break down the tannins.
Many cheaper wines do not contain high levels on tannins and therefore do not need to be aerated.
These cheaper wines do not benefit from being aerated, but instead are created to have a palatable taste straight out of the bottle.
If you have an older bottle of red wine, you may benefit from buying an aerator which helps to speed up the process, although as we previously mentioned, if you are only drinking cheaper bottles of red wine or do not drink much red wine at all, you probably would not benefit from using an aerator.
Bearing all this in mind, the overall message is that if you are drinking expensive wine or new bottles of red wine, it is recommended that the wine is allowed to air.
If the wine is a cheaper bottle that you might find in the supermarket or if it is white wine, it isn't really needed.
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