HiCoup HiCoup Pourer User Manual - Page 10

Browse online or download pdf User Manual for Kitchen Appliances HiCoup HiCoup Pourer. HiCoup HiCoup Pourer 14 pages. Wine aerating pourer

Print Page

Wine Aeration Group #1: Young, tannic reds with a lot of attitude

Wines are most tannic when young.

So young wines, especially reds that are often known for their high tannic profiles, (i.e.

Cabernet Sauvignon, Barbera, Bordeaux, Montepulciano, etc...) will be greatly served

with a bit of aeration, since this allows the tannins to mellow a bit, softening the wine's

harsh edges and making it a more pleasant drinking experience that isn't overpowered

by a tannic punch.

In this sense, wine aeration is trying to replicate the wine's natural aging process, and

making up for lost years bottled in the cellar with an injection of oxygen exposure.

But with true bottle aging, many other chemical reactions take place over time which

can't be made up for by aerating alone.

But on the plus side, you're impatient and want to drink that bold red NOW, and aerating

allows you to taste the backbone flavors and aromas that can then be brought up to the

surface of your palate, without the hassle and risk of wine storage.

The younger and more tannic the wine – the longer it needs to breathe.

An hour is usually enough to soften the tannins and enjoy a young,

robust red wine.

Wine Aeration Group #2: Aged red wines with visible sediment

Red wines are commonly aged - and after a point in time, various elements in the wine,

such as tannins and other chemicals, begin to bind together, solidify, and sit as a sleep

sediment on the bottle of your wine bottle.

This usually occurs between eight and ten years of aging, although this depends on the

type of red wine being stored, the conditions of its storage, etc...

The sediment of aged wine can taste bitter - which makes sense – it's mostly tannins! -

so it's always a good idea to segregate the sediment while you're aerating aged wine.

To do this - remove the desired bottle from its aging rack, which it has probably been

laid sideways, and place it upright for a couple of days to allow the sediment to slowly

float down and settle at the bottom of the bottle.

This way, when you're ready to aerate the wine, you simply pour very slowly so as not

to agitate the wine and sediment on the bottom, and keep an eye out for when to stop

pouring, making sure the murky wine and sediment on the bottom stays in the bottle,

and doesn't pour out into the aerator with the rest of the wine.