Soirée Science
Active vs. Passive Decanting

Passive Decanting:

Below is a traditional wine decanter. Wine entering the decanter does not receive much encouragement to open up; a process we have coined "Passive Decanting". The wine must now sit and wait for oxygen to find it. Historically, this decanter was designed to portion off the "clear" wine from the sediment often found at the end of the bottle. The long and narrow neck allows you to see when sediment starts to come from the bottle, so you know when to stop transferring wine into the decanter.

Passive Decanter

Passive decanting requires:

  • A minimum of 45 minutes to "open".
  • A square foot of table space.
  • A funny brush to clean it.
  • The strength to serve the wine with basic elegance.

Active Decanting (aeration)

Below is a diagram of how Soirée, by design, aerates wine just by pouring, also known as, Active Decanting. The 5 steps below demonstrate what is happening in the bottle when Soiree is properly used.

Wine_Oxygen_Wine Soiree

One _ Wine Soiree Science

The cork is removed and Soirée is placed securely in the mouth of the bottle. The wine is now passively decanting with minimal wine : air contact.

Two _ Wine soiree Science

Serve and pour the bottle normally as you do when serving any wine. Notice that the wine (red arrows) pours out of the bottle and the oxygen (blue arrows) enter into the bottle. Due to the slightly reduced bottle opening, the air and wine are making a "gurgling" sound as the wine and oxygen must force their way past each other.

three _ Wine soiree Science

The Full Invert! This is where Soirée gets its groove on. You will see the wine cascading around all edges of the glass aeration chamber. The oxygen is now moving straight into the bottle forcing the wine to the edges of the glass chamber. The air now entering the bottle is forced to interact with the wine, giving the wine a "massage" which further exposes it to oxygen.

four _ Wine Soiree Science

As the pour is being finished, the wine now flows back into the bottle in similar fashion to step 2 above. Now, however, the wine in the bottle has seen oxygen moving through it in a bubbling motion. (Our video shows this full action)

five _ Wine Soiree Science

The bottle is now turned right-side up. The aerated wine re-entering the bottle, now creates a more open and vibrant wine as it melds these wines together. With each pour you will see the wine continue to open. Note: some wines may not require as much aeration, so use Soirée to suit your taste.