Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/97133
DEPARTMENT HEADER ON THE AER WITH VINTURI Vinturi Aerators at Wolfdale���s The Vinturi Aerator has become part of the show at Wolfdale���s. There���s no doubt Vinturi aerators are conversation-starters, offering the waitstaff and bartenders a chance to engage their guests in knowledgeable conversation about wine and spirits. But the device is no gimmick���Wolfdale���s clientele is too smart for that. ���We���ll have a guy sitting at the bar, and he���ll point to a bottle and say, ���That���s mine,������ says Bar Manager Bob Jones. Having winemakers and thought leaders in the house means it���s just another Friday night in Tahoe City. So it���s unlikely that you���re going to be able to fool anyone. Not that you have to try; Vinturi aerators seem to speak for themselves. The Vinturi Spirit Aerator, for example, ���really opens up single malts that might have been in the barrel for a while, Jones says. And according ��� to Dale, the Vinturi Red Wine Aerator is particularly effective at smoothing out big wines such as the Cline Mourv��dre. ���This is part of the show, ��� Dale says, as the Vinturi purrs and whooshes as he pours red wine through it into a decanter. ���But it���s not just in a frivolous, meaningless way. This gets results. ��� Jones and Dale let their customers make up their own minds. They���ll pour tastes of wine or spirits into two glasses: one that has gone through the corresponding Vinturi aerator, and one that hasn���t. The results are readily apparent. ���There���s a smoothness that wasn���t there before, Dale ��� says. ���It works. ��� Douglas Dale pours wine through a Vinturi Red Wine Aerator and into a decanter. december 2012 / the tasting panel / 115