11 best wine aerators to unlock your vino’s full potential

Brayden Studio’s final touch conundrum aerator and revolve decanter really is the business. It’s a set that combines a gently revolving wide-body decanter with a glass aerator bowl that instantly aerates the wine as you pour it. And the way it does it is likely to stop any dinner table banter before it starts. All eyes will be fixed on this.

First (phase one), the stainless-steel filter removes any sediment, then (phase two), the wine escapes from holes in the aerator bowl into the glass globe below, before (phase three) the wine continues its journey into the decanter. Lastly, remove the aerator (phase gour) and gently swirl the wine for a final aerating flourish. The red wine I tasted was certainly improved with more flavour, body and aroma than before.

An established name in the wine world and a classic piece of kit. The Vinturi aerator is simple to use. Simply hold it above the wine glass or the decanter and gently pour the red wine through the wire mesh filter into it. As you do so, air is channelled into the aerator, and the wine mixes with the air and falls gently into the glass.

The aeration that they claim would take three hours in an ordinary decanter is completed in seconds, with an improved bouquet, enhanced flavour and a smoother finish. Just remember to keep your hand steady.

Similar in design and function to the Vinturi aerator, Uberstar’s wine aerator channels the red wine into a central chamber where the air – and that much-needed oxygen – is drawn in. The result, they claim, is “better tasting wine in seconds”.

The only drawback, as with the Venturi, is that you must hold the aerator with one hand and the bottle with the other, ensuring you are directly above the glass or decanter you intend to fill. Otherwise, there could be some nasty stains on the tablecloth. But it does the job, the bouquet is certainly improved, and it is very reasonably priced.

CellarDine’s rouge 02 electronic wine breather is the best electronic aerator I tested. Once assembled (follow the helpful photo instructions on the packaging) and you have a handheld aerator that you simply place in the neck of the bottle. Press the button, and it will send gently bubbling air through the wine for 45 seconds.

For the same effect on a single glass of wine, insert the stem and use the on/off button. The wine certainly tasted fresher, and the aroma and bouquet of the wine were enhanced.

Vin Bouquet’s FIA 001 bottle aerator is the best wine pourer and about as easy as you can get. Insert the aerator into the neck of the opened bottle and pour – that’s it.

What happens is that there’s an aperture in the funnel that lets the air in and aerates the wine as you are serving it. A simple idea and a simple gadget that gives the wine a more rounded taste.

Pulltex’s inox aerating funnel is another piece of kit that looks as if it’s something that Q would be offering to 007 in a James Bond movie. In fact, it’s not that difficult to use.

The funnel is inserted into the decanter. The wine is poured in and then escapes from the disc below onto the walls of the decanter, making sure that the wine is evenly and fully aerated. It’s a solid item made from stainless steel and has a two-year warranty. The red wine I used tasted smoother with an enhanced bouquet.

Like the Vin Bouquet aerator, the CellarDine rouge 02 is another that you simply push into the neck of the bottle of red wine and then pour. I found it the best for speedy results. Easy to fit and straightforward to use, the aerator drops bubbles of air into the wine as it is poured.

It also provides drip-free servings, and once fitted, there’s no need to remove it from the bottle. The result is a red wine that tastes better, with a stronger bouquet and aroma.

Final Touch’s conundrum wine aerator is easily the most stylish. You might mistake it for an elaborate glass vase. It consists of two glass bowls joined together with a spout at one end and a rubber stopper at the other.

The theory is that the wine travels into the first chamber, where it’s gently aerated before entering the second chamber, where the curves go to work and aerate the wine even more. Once you’ve enjoyed watching the wine make its elaborate journey, you’re left with a fully aerated glass. I have to say that it does work, and the bouquet and taste of the red wine were noticeably improved.

Another push-into-the-bottle-and-pour aerator that does the job by creating a constant flow of bubbles as the wine is poured into the glass. Like the others, it’s uncomplicated and very simple to use. As it’s transparent, you can watch as the wine becomes aerated.

The aerator also fits the neck of nearly all bottles of wine, whether they are cork or screw cap. The wine tasted better with a perceptible improvement in the bouquet.

It was UK designer and wine buff Tom Cotton who came up with this beauty, the ETO 750 stainless steel wine decanter.

The immensely stylish decanter aerates a full bottle of wine as it's poured in and then preserves it with a valve that seals the wine against the oxygen in the air. In doing so, it provides the best of both worlds – an aerated wine that’s not in danger of becoming vinegar-like through an excess of oxygen. Beautiful and elegant enough to grace any dinner table, it’s a costly buy but one worth investing in.

Those of you with long memories may recall a song called “Windmills of Your Mind”, which talked about going “round like a circle in a spiral, like a wheel within a wheel”, which precisely describes what happens to red wine in this twisted glass aerator and decanter set. It works in a similar way to the Conundrum aerator with a three-stage process.

Firstly, the wine is filtered by the wire mesh, aerated in the glass globe and finally dispersed in the seemingly never-ending glass spiral. Apart from providing a wonderful table-top show, it also solidly improves the bouquet and flavour of the red wine that’s poured through it.