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Aerated Red Wine – Is It Absolutely Necessary? Well, for something lighter red wine As for Pinot Noir and Chianti, the answer is probably no. But for other, medium- and full-bodied red wines, the answer is yes.
Aerating means exposing red wine to air (and more importantly, the oxygen it contains), which improves flavor and aroma and makes the wine taste smoother and more balanced. Removing the cork or opening the bottle cap about an hour before drinking helps, but wine bottles have fairly narrow necks, and exposure to air is naturally limited, so aeration takes longer.
I’ve seen how different aerators can speed up this process, from simply inserting a pourer/aerator into the bottle, to using a handheld aerator over each glass, and finally using a specially designed aerator to clean the entire bottle. Each should provide you with a more balanced wine with a better bouquet and enhanced flavor.
The best wine aerators for 2025 are:
- overall best – Final Touch Conundrum Aerator and Revolve Decanter: £75, johnlewis.com
- best budget option – UberStar Wine Aerator: £17, Uberstar.com
- best electronic options – Cellardine Rouge 02 Electronic Wine Breather: £16.99, Amazon.co.uk
- Best for styling – Final Touch Conundrum Wine Aerator: £34.99, Amazon.co.uk
How we tested
I put a series of wine aerators to the test. Each aerator and aerating decanter were tested with the same non-aerated supermarket red wine. The wine was tested before aeration and then sampled after aeration. I considered design (an aerator shouldn’t be difficult to use), effectiveness (I wanted my wine to taste better after aeration) and price (a good aerator shouldn’t break the bank). I explain my testing criteria in more detail at the end of this article.