Wine aerators

The pourer goes into the bottle and stays there. Handy when you pour several glasses from the same bottle, and it replaces a drip ring at the same time. The set is for anyone who wants to be able to set the aerator down separately, above a decanter for instance, and includes a stand so it does not drip on the tablecloth.

The drip disc is something else. It does not aerate, but rolls up into the neck and cuts off the stream so no drop runs down the bottle. On a white tablecloth that is the difference between a stain and no stain, which is why many people use the two together. With every version, check that it fits the neck. Standard wine bottles are almost all the same size, but thick Burgundy bottles and some screw-cap bottles differ.

Aeration helps with young, full-bodied red wine and wines that still smell closed right after opening. Pour slowly, so the wine has longer contact with air. With an old wine, do the opposite: it is fragile and loses its aroma within minutes instead of opening up. White and sparkling wines should also be left alone.

If in doubt, pour one glass with aeration and one without, then smell the difference. For wine you mix anyway, such as in a sangria, aeration is pointless, because the fruit and ice do the work. The glasses in which the difference is most noticeable are the red wine glasses.

Wine residue dries into a sticky film that blocks the air holes, and then nothing gets aerated at all. So rinse the aerator through with warm water straight after use, from top to bottom, and let it drain upside down.

The plastic parts can go in the dishwasher on a short programme, but keep them away from the heating element at the bottom. Leave rubber sealing rings out of it and clean them by hand, because hot air makes them hard and then they no longer seal against the neck.

If you prefer the classic route, the decanters are grouped together, from slim models to wide ones. To preserve an opened bottle, take a look at the wine stoppers, and to keep it at the right temperature, see the wine coolers. The complete overview is available under wine accessories. Looking for something to mix rather than pour? You’ll find the recipes on the cocktail pages.