Episode 96: Wine Trippin’ on Aeration
Why, when, and how do you subject your wine to an oxygen trip? It’s a question that gets asked often, and the answer can be somewhat controversial in many wine circles. We go there, while we allow our Factoid and Wino Radar segments go – well – everywhere. Pour a glass, give it a swirl and come along for a little wine road trip to chat, “breathing, aerating and decanting – oh why?”
In our glasses:
Steph: 2008 Montefalco Sagrantino from Scacciadiavoli.
Val: 2014 Triton Tinto de Toro.
Does anyone remember grape what Tinto de Toro is also known as?
The answer: Tempranillo! Also, here’s a little more information from the back of the bottle about the legend of Triton and the wine from Toro.
“At the dawn of Roman Mythology, Neptune and his son, Triton, were gods of rivers and lakes and were depicted astride gallant stallions which represented waves upon the waters. The river Duero plays a very important role in the history of the wine. The ancient vines were planted in gravel strewn sandy soil created by the river. The wretched soil prevented infestations that devastated vineyards throughout the world.
Enjoy this elegant wine created from old vines of Tempranillo from the best areas in the south of Zamora province. Meticulously vinified in small lots and aged in the best French oak for fifteen months, the wine has a distinctive balance of ripe red fruit flavors and a delicate spiciness. A hint of dark chocolate completes the long finish.” (Grupo Jorge Ordoñez)
Discussion Topic: Aerating Wine – How, When and Why
This is a controversial topic and that’s why we present both sides in a casual discussion.
Why aerate wine? What we are talking about here is exposing the wine to oxygen. The oxygen will help volatilize the aromatic molecules in the wine, allowing the undesirable compounds to evaporate and enhance the desired, expressive notes. Sometimes people say that a wine is “closed” or “tight” and they are describing a wine that would benefit from oxygen.
How to aerate wine? The act of pouring a glass a wine or merely swirling it gives it oxygen and allows the wine to “breath”. For some wine drinkers, that is all the air that they want their wine exposed to. Yet other people choose to use an aerating gadget, decanters, or even the extreme – pulverizing the wine in a blender. There are many ways to do this and there’s no best way or right way.
When to aerate wine? Well the short answer is – that is also subjective and based on personal preference. However, the loose guideline is that old wines don’t benefit from aeration because they had the luxury of time on their side. There was the ever-so-small oxygen exchange happening in the bottle over years. Tasting the old, aged, delicate wine is timely and the aromatics can be quite fragile, easily evaporating once the bottle is open and the wine poured. Young wines, on the other hand, might need to “stretch their legs” and appreciate the help. Our suggestion is to pour yourself a taste and experience the wine yourself. Is the wine talking to you? Can you smell something nice and inviting? If not, give it a swirl. And if it still needs encouragement, well, that depends on your patience and if you’ve got the gadget or decanter.
We also discuss the difference between aerating and decanting.
Factoid:
What is a “porrón”?
A porrón is a Spanish drinking vessel, and actually, a communal drinking vessel. It looks like a cross between a decanter and a watering can. It is meant to be fun and spontaneous and is traditionally used at parties, celebrations, and joyful gatherings. Just tip your head back and pour the beverage (it doesn’t have to be wine) into your mouth. There’s only 1 rule – Do not let the porrón touch your lips!
Winoradar:
Val: “More like an obsession, hopefully temporary. Half bottles. Dammit, there were half-bottles, or 375 ml bottles everywhere we looked in London and Rome. I bought a 375 of of Berlucchi for 9 euro to take back to our hotel room. One night at dinner I found a Deltetto Arneis to be a better choice than some of the wines BTG at a restaurant. When you go into the food halls at Fortnum and Mason the selection is ridiculous. I’ll say it again, I wish more wines were available on the shelves because I dump a hell of a lot of wine, especially when I’m traveling or doing gift baskets. Fortunately, there’s quite the selection at K&L.com with about 180 wines, including champagnes, and at wine.com with a nearly 300 selections & a $5 flat shipping rate. Many of these wines are decent and a better value than a glass of wine at most restaurants. I don’t know much about wine.com, but they are on my radar.
I also like keeping ½ bottles of Champagne in the house for those nights you just want a little sparkling some’n-some’n before dinner or the main wine event.”
Steph: “There’s a few things on my radar… like Lady Gaga’s wine brand “Grigio Girls”, Valentine’s wine and movie pairing ideas (Casa Blanca and Veuve Clicquot) like my friend Ken Severson sent me, and also the flash floods and major mud slides in Napa.”
Shoutouts:
Val: “My shoutouts go to those of you posting pics of your W25 govino glasses and wines as you continue the W25 challenge. We saw a cool Brazilian sparkling wine from Lynn, and the coolest govino pic from Aswani on instagram recently. Definitely tag us if you’re posting so we find your pics and we’ll be happy to repost, retweet, re-whatever!”
Steph: “This weekend I was up in Steamboat for a ski weekend with my friends Chef Jason Schaeffer from Chimney Park and his wife Joanna. We dined at Laundry Kitchen & Cocktails and it was amazing!!! We ordered like half-a-dozen or more of their small plates and tried to taste through the menu. It was a culinary Disneyland for sure! We also had a Pinot Noir that got 2 thumbs up from all of us – 2014 Anne Amie Vineyards Pinot Noir Winemaker’s Selection.”
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