Drink Wine Day is approaching, and French Company Aveine encourages everyone to raise the perfect glass on 18th February. The inventor of the world’s first intelligent wine aerator, Nicolas Naigeon, talks us through the wide range of benefits his Aerator offers.
The term “let it breathe” is synonymous with red wine, and it refers to taking the cork out of the bottle and letting it stand before drinking the contents. But not many of us will know why this should be done.
Aveine CEO Nicolas Naigeon, who comes from a wine-producing family in Burgundy, says, “Aerating, or oxygenating the wine, is an essential part of improving the flavour and bouquet of the wine.”
Adding, “Wine is to be savoured and enjoyed, and by aerating it, you will get a much better tasting glass of wine. When you see professional wine tasters swirling the wine in their glass, it is to infuse oxygen and let all the flavours and aromas burst into life.”
Jeremy Webb wanted to know more and posed some questions to Nicolas to get a better understanding of why oxygen is so important to wine.
Luxurious Magazine: What is the process involved in aerating?
Nicolas Naigeon: When wine is put into a bottle and enclosed, it is left in there all cooped up. When it’s opened, it’s like awakening the wine. When we wake up, we take our time to get ready. It is the same for wine.
This chemical reaction does many things when the oxygen gets into the wine. It enhances the characteristics of the wine. It also improves the taste, releasing the flavours on your palette.
LM: How long should you aerate wine?
Nicolas: How long a wine aerates depends on the age and type of the wine. Younger wines need more time. It will soften the tannins and add complexity. Older wines, which have been maturing in the bottle, require less time. In terms of the type of wine, reds, whites, roses and even sparkling wines can all benefit from aeration. Age will always be a factor as to how long.
Young reds such as Bordeaux, Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah (Shiraz) will benefit. White wines such as those from Burgundy or Bordeaux. Chablis, Chardonnay and even sweet whites can all be aerated, which will enhance their flavour.
LM: How does your Aerator improve the wine?
Nicolas An aerator adds oxygen to the wine as it’s poured. However, not all aerators replicate the right amount of oxygen needed to enrich the wine. It is why I invented the Aveine smart wine aerator, which will let the wine aerate to the exact number of hours as it is poured. There is no waiting, and whether the wine needs one hour or 24 hours, this Aerator has the technology to replicate it perfectly.
LM: You have developed an App to go with the Aerator. What does this do?
Nicolas Using the Aveine smartphone app to scan the wine label on the bottle will indicate how long the wine needs to aerate, and this information is sent directly to the Aerator, or it can be done manually for the perfect glass of wine.
About Aveine
Aveine is a French WineTech start-up created in 2016 by Nicolas Naigeon to give everyone access to great tasting wine. He created the first smart Aerator that allows the wine to exhale all its flavours and aromas instantly. The Aveine smart tech wine aerator is a high-tech premium device plugged onto the neck of the bottle, and it instantly oxygenates the wine while pouring it via patented micro-oxygenation technology.
The device calibrates itself for optimal oxygenation after recognising the bottle through a simple scan with the application, as literally taking a picture of the bottle.
The Aerator, which comes in two models, has received several awards and accolades, including a CES Innovation award.
The Aveine smart wine aerator is available from Smartech in Selfridges or from Amazon.co.uk and is priced at £340. Discover more about wine and the Aerator at www.aveine.eu.
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