Wine Aerator vs. Decanter: Pros, Cons, And Alternatives

When wine is exposed to oxygen just before serving, undesirable molecules within the wine change and evaporate. That’s why people swirl wine around in their glass. By increasing the surface area of the wine, the amount of oxygen the wine is exposed to increases.

It’s called aeration and it enhances the wine’s flavor and scent. It’s also referred to as “letting a wine breathe.” Deciding to aerate your wine is a no-brainer, then. But deciding how to do it is a little trickier.

While swirling wine in a glass works just fine, there are faster and more effective ways to aerate wine and having a good understanding of what are tannins will help you along the way. Two wine accessories, specifically: the aerator and the decanter.

Both succeed in aerating wine before you hit your perfect wine pour, but they each go about it differently. They each also have some unique benefits that the other doesn’t.

So, let’s look at what a wine aerator is, what a wine decanter is, and the ever present discussion of wine aerator vs decanter. Then, brace yourself. Because we’re going to pop the brain right out of your gigamind. We’ll show you some wine aerator decanters. Yes, combinations of the two. Are they the best of both worlds or masters of none? We shall see.

What is a Wine Aerator?

A wine aerator is a device that forces wine through a funnel of pressurized oxygen. Doing so aerates the wine instantly. The pressurized air also accelerates evaporation by vigorously rushing through the wine. But this vigor means aerators aren’t suited for fragile wines like aged red wine and delicate whites.

Wine aerators are either bottle-stopper aerators that fit into a wine bottle opening or handheld aerators that are held above or placed on the wine glass (or the wine glass with pour lines, for the disciplined among us). To use one, you pour the wine through it.

What Is a Wine Decanter?

A wine decanter serves many purposes. Foremost, it decants wine by exposing wine to lots of surface area. Like how a wine glass does, but on a much bigger scale. Which makes it far more effective. And secondarily, the act of pouring wine into a decanter is used to identify and avoid serving sediment in mature red wines.

The increased surface area a decanter provides wine is also used to increase a wines temperature if it came out of the cellar too cold. Optimal wine storage temperatures are different than ideal wine serving temperatures. Some wine collectors opt for a dual-zone refrigerated wine storage cabinet to solve that temperature issue, too. Wine cellar apps help with this. White wines that are reduced, or have flavor profiles and scents that are compromised, can be slightly improved with a brief decant. And finally, decanting is a pleasure to behold. The glassware is beautiful and the choreography of decanting is charming to anyone who values the tradition and history of wine.

Decanters are also less likely to spill, so you won't be needing a wine stain remover if you use one.

Wine Aerator vs. Decanter

So which is right for you, the aerator or the decanter? It depends what you’re looking for and what kind of wines you drink. Let’s break down the pros and cons.

Wine Aerator Pros and Cons

Pros

Aerates wine immediately
Available as wine pourer aerators
Can get a decent one for $10 to $20
Small and easy to clean and store

Cons

Not good for aged red wines
Not good for white wines
Not terribly attractive

Wine Decanter Pros and Cons

Pros

Allows the decanting of more delicate wines like mature reds and whites
Can be used to increase a wine’s temperature
The glassware itself is beautiful and adds to the wine experience

Cons

Can take up to 3 hours
Large, unique shapes make it harder to store and difficult to clean a decanter
On average, more expensive than aerators

The big takeaway here is that wine aerators aerate wine immediately and cost less. If you don’t drink very expensive wines and you’re just looking for a simple way to get the job done, pick up an aerator. We’ve got a list of the best wine aerators right here.

If you do occasionally pick up a complex, old red wine and if you like the look and feel of the traditional wine service experience, then pick up one of these best wine decanters. Be careful, though. It’s easy to start collecting the darn things. Some of us know from personal experience. Also, make sure you know how to clean a decanter to keep it in good condition.

And if your mind still isn’t made up, then you should look into wine aerator decanters.

Frequently Asked Questions On Wine Aerators and Wine Decanters

The general idea of a wine aerator and wine decanter is fairly simple, but there's still plenty to learn about these gadgets. A few common questions include:

Do I Need Wine Aerators and Wine Decanters?

Technically you don't need a wine aerator or a wine decanter. You can enjoy wine just fine without an gadgets. However, if you want to have some fun, and learn more about the enjoyment of wine in the process, checking out these handy tools is a great, and often very affordable option.

What Are Wine Aerator Decanters?

Wine aerator decanters are shaped like decanters but have an aerator fixed to the opening. After you uncork a bottle with a wine opener, it's placed right on top.

But it’s a simpler kind of aerator, one that maximizes surface area through pouring. The wine isn’t forced through a funnel of pressurized oxygen. It’s poured over nodes that disperse it outward or turn it into a spray of small droplets which cascade down the sides of the decanter.

The wine then comes to rest in a vessel that maximizes its surface area. If you’re going to use one of these, just know that it’s not going to be necessary to decant the wine for very long after pouring it through the aerator. Probably 10–15 minutes. Also note that you should still not be pouring aged red wines or delicate, light-bodied whites through the aerator.

What Will A Wine Aerator Decanter Cost?

A wine aerator and wine decanter combo will cost you anywhere from $15 to $50. There's nothing wrong with the $50 options, but if you want to enjoy this new way to taste wine on a budget, the $15 and $20 options will do just as well.

Six Best Wine Aerator Decanters

If you’re short on counter space and looking for a combination of an aerator and a decanter, we’ve got a collection of the best wine aerator and decanter combinations right here. Here are our top six wine aerator decanters.

Jiaran Fountain Wine Decanter‍

This fountain wine decanter has the classic decanter shape and a built-in bottle-stopper aerator. It’s called a fountain decanter because it utilizes a waterfall pouring design which sends the wine in all directions upon its exiting the aerator and entering the decanter. That further increases the wine’s surface area. Conveniently, the aerator has a slanted top for pouring ease and a filter to block any impurities when the wine is being served after aeration and decanting.

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YouYah Wine Decanter with Built-In Aerator

The YouYah Wine Decanter also uses a bottle-stopper aerator fixed to the decanter’s opening and a waterfall pouring design with a filter. The difference here is the shape of the decanter itself. With a groove design on the bottom, some say the YouYah is easier to hold than a traditional decanter with a large, flat bottom.

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Rabbit Super-Aerating Decanter System

The Rabbit is a hand-blown crystal decanter with a connected aerator that utilizes a crystal glass wine spray funnel. It breaks down red wine into small drops that spray down the sides. Breaking down wine into micro-particles is another way to increase the surface area of wine and accelerate aeration and oxidation. It also features a sediment screen, though, again, wines that are old enough to have sediment should not be aerated. This would be a great gadget for young, big, tannic reds that need some taming.

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Godinger Wine Aerator Decanter 50-Ounce Carafe‍

This piece from Godinger is a touch smaller than the others; it’s a wine aerator decanter carafe. It will still comfortably fit a bottle of wine at 50 ounces, though. The aerator is a bottle-stopper like the others. What we like most about this one is the shape. It’s a simple, flat-bottomed shape with a wide neck. It has a slightly modern aesthetic, which fits well with the product type.

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Brew to a T Wine Decanter Aerator‍

The Brew to a T wine decanter aerator is designed to specifically create the maximum surface area for a single 750 ml bottle of wine. It’s got a bottle-stopper aerator built in with a stainless steel filter for serving the decanted wine. Brew to a T’s glassware itself has a unique wide-bottomed doughnut shape with a tapering neck that widens to a slanted pour spout for spill-free serving.

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Menu Winebreather Carafe

This here beauty aerates wine using a similar method as the waterfall technology by dispersing the poured wine along the insides of the carafe to maximize air contact. What’s remarkable about this one is that, to fill it, you place it upside down on top of the wine bottle. Then you invert them both and watch your wine cascade down the sides of the carafe. It’s a sight to behold.

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Wine Aerating vs Decanting: Whichever You Choose, You'll Be Okay

If you're putting effort into home wine storage, you've got to follow up with excellent wine serving. The great part about aerating and decanting wine is that you don't have to be in the process of becoming a sommelier to do it. It's easy!

Though if you do want to, we've got some great resources on sommelier classes and courses, sommelier certification levels, and prepping for the master sommelier exam (or any other level of certification). Sorry, went off on bit of a tangent there. The point is, this is all easy. You don't need any special training to make your wine taste like you paid 100% more for it.

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