The world seems to split into people who know and appreciate wine and those who can't understand what all the fuss is about. I was reminded of that when I recently came across a product called Spinwine, a wine aerator or decanting pourer. The definition of an aerator is to supply something with air or expose it to the circulation of air. This patented product claimed that wine aeration was the key to unlocking the full taste and aroma of wines. Spinwine is apparently a very ingenious and effective tool that brings out the best in wine instantly. This made me think of an uncle who was a wine expert and connoisseur. He used to entertain and impress us with tasting and taking in the aroma of a wine, and then naming not only the country or region where the wine came from, but often also the exact locale or even vineyard, and sometimes even the year! I used to think it was some sort of parlor trick to impress friends and family until I found that more often than not he was right. Since my uncle enjoyed wine but did not drink it excessively I wondered how he could possibly know all those wines and places where they came from. Much later I found that it is possible. Human beings have millions of cells with which we can taste and smell things, and some people can differentiate between thousands of smells. It's probably a special talent or gift to then be able to identify and classify smells and tastes and link them to a particular product, in this case the exact origin of a bottle of wine, but it is possible. Wine is unique in things we drink and taste in that it can contain an almost endless variety of aromatics and other volatile compounds, some of them strong and dominant, and some delicate and subtle. Aromas and tastes are often hard to describe and marketers may resort to language like, "a hint of blackberry" or "a subtle undertone of honey and black currant." All of this is often called a wine's "bouquet," the enchanting smells generated by reactions between alcohol, sugars, and a variety of compounds. Each wine has its very own, and they are as unique and distinctive as human fingerprints or DNA. This is why no two wines are ever exactly the same, and why the variety is endless. It is also the reason why wine connoisseurs love wine and consider it both a hobby and a passion. This is why there exists a whole industry dedicated to wine and its enjoyment. There are wine decanters, wine pourers, wine funnels, wine aerators, and any number of other wine accessories. Decanting and aerating of wine is a science all by itself. Not all wine experts agree on how and when wines should be decanted so they can "breathe," and what will help a wine to best release its natural aroma and flavors. There are also many opinions on wine aerators and what methods and technologies work best. Ideally, wine is circulated with air for just the right amount of oxidizing without any danger of spilling. The aerator should be durable, portable, easy to wash, and as elegant and refined as the wine itself. A pourer like the Spinwine wine aerator may well complement or replace conventional decanting to truly unlock the essence of wine. And that is what it's all about.
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