Friday, June 11, 2010

Gadget Inspector



Remember the Vacuvin, guaranteed to "slow down…taste-destroying oxidation"? Or the wine cork puller with the two prongs? How about the Rabbit?

I've lost count of the gadgets we've gone through over the years as they broke or were lost in the back of the utensil drawer along with the various can't-live-without-it items like the beer can chicken stand. My brother, a wine guy and debunker of pretentiousness, was moved to comment on one of the latest of those, the Vinturi, which claims to produce "a better bouquet, enhanced flavors and smoother finish" in a bottle of wine.

2 comments:

thesharps said...

Bruce might want to give the Vinturi a bit more of a test than his 15 second fast pass. While it does not enhance all wines, I have found that it works very well on some. One complaint that I heard from a wine seller is that he enjoys the unfolding of flavors and aromas that comes about naturally over the course of a bottle being consumed (that is, unless the whole bottle is poured out at once.) The Vinturi accelerates the process for many wines, so it is a question of whether you're in a hurry to get to the fully aerated state.

Kathleen Bauer said...

I guess my question is, does it really "aerate" the wine in the same way as letting it open up in the glass? For me, spending $30-$40 on a gadget (noise and gauche factor notwithstanding) just doesn't make sense.