Five Questions with Vinturi Inventor Rio Sabadicci

My first video blog entry on The Wellesley Wine Press featured a review of the Vinturi Wine Aerator. The Vinturi is currently the Number 1 Selling Wine Accessory on Amazon.com. It really is a beautifully designed product that works well. Rio Sabadicci, who invented the Vinturi, was kind enough to answer some questions I had about the product. Here's what he had to say:

Q: The Vinturi is a device that you hold in one hand while you pour the wine with your other hand. Some other wine aerators attach to the bottle (for example the "Soiree" and the "Nuance Wine Finer"). Why did you decide not to have the Vinturi attach to the bottle?

Rio Sabadicci: In order for wine to pour out of the bottle, air has to go in. Plugging the bottle would prevent wine from flowing freely and we wouldn’t be able to achieve anywhere near the level of aeration we do. This is evidenced by the Menu aerator. They have a great design but forgot about air going in the bottle so their product just anemically glugs glugs a little wine.

The last thing I want is a thin glass globe sticking out of my wine. You turned the bottle upside in your video. What if the device slipped - it’s a disaster waiting to happen. Is it pronounced “Sorry”? That product is less effective than pouring wine into one glass and then another. I can’t believe some of the things wine drinkers fall for.

One of the reasons Vinturi is so effective is because it’s not stuffed in the neck of a bottle.

Q: I've had great results using the Vinturi with young Bordeaux, high alcohol content Aussie Shiraz, and tannic Napa Cabs. I even use it with white wines like Chardonnay and it seems to work well. Are there any wines that you woudln't recommend be aerated with the Vinturi?

Rio: We recommend pouring a taste with and without Vinturi and drinking the one you prefer. We just want you to enjoy your wine. However, nearly all Vinturi owners use Vinturi nearly all the time. I prefer Cabernet and Chardonnay and can’t comment on the others.

Q: I've noticed is that if I leave the Vinturi out overnight without rinsing it that dried red wine remains in the aeration chamber. How would you recommend removing the dried red wine?

Rio: Either rinse under warm water or use your dishwasher. The Vinturi, stand, and pouch are all machine washable. If your detergent leaves a white residue, rinse it off under cool water. Treat the Vinturi the way you’d treat a wine glass.

Q: Some wines have sediment in them. How would you recommend such wines be filtered in conjunction with being aerated through the Vinturi?

Rio: Someone who has cared enough to keep a bottle of wine around long enough to throw sediment probably has their own solutions. The options are to pour carefully, decant into a container first, or use a strainer above Vinturi.

Q: Is the Vinturi Wine Aerator your only product? If so, do you have plans for creating other wine aerators or accessories at this time?

Rio: We’re working on new wine products as well as accessories for the Vinturi. I won’t release a product unless I’m thrilled with it, so I don’t know when new inventions will hit the market. I think it’s safe to say that you can expect at least three new things in 2009.

Thanks for your time, Rio!

If you're interested in the Vinturi Wine Aerator, you might be interested in this video review I did of it, as well as this head-to-head blind tasting that included the Vinturi.

Question of the Day: Are you planning to buy a wine aerator soon? If so, which one and why?