Winewizard review: can this gadget really turn a bad wine into a decent one?

Let’s be honest: even the biggest wine snob isn’t going to open a seriously expensive bottle in the middle of the week without good cause for celebration.

In fact, I’d hazard a guess that even the most discerning of oenophiles would rather reach for bog-standard wine to go with their TV dinner rather than plunder the precious collection stashed deep in their cellars.

I’m guilty as charged. It’s a cheap-and-cheerful bottle of Merlot or Sauvignon Blanc from Monday to Thursday, while all bets are off at the weekend when I go wild with Whispering Angel or even crack open a Champers. No matter how much cash we’ve got in the bank, I think we’re just programmed that way, right?

But what if you could enjoy all the aromas and flavours of a more refined wine during the week without breaking the bank?

Enter: Winewizard. This three-in-one aerator claims to dramatically improve any bottle by replicating the ageing and decanting process. It uses micro-oxygen methods to boost wine’s flavour, scent and mouthfeel, making it taste far more expensive.

Sorcery or science? We’ll be the judge…

(Winewizard)

The science 

Winewizard was invented by Michael Pritchard MBE during lockdown. Pritchard explains: “I was given one of those ‘venturi-type’ wine aerators that are supposed to aerate your wine and make it taste better. I tried it one evening on several wines and couldn’t taste any difference and neither could anyone in my family. I’m generally inspired to invent when I either get angry at something or annoyed with a product. This hit both of my hot buttons!”

He continues: “I spent the next few months looking into what they were trying to do by putting air into the wine. It became clear that the key to ‘wine ageing’ is the perfect quantity of oxygen. It took a further 18 months of studying other patents and performing hundreds of experiments before I arrived at the perfect solution that I use for Winewizard.”

His ‘wizards’ tell me that low quantities of oxygen passing slowly through the cork of a bottle react with compounds in the wine to soften tannins, boost flavours and reduce sulphites to serve a more expressive, well-rounded and (crucially) expensive-tasting tipple.

Meanwhile, pouring wine into a decanter lets it breathe and allows ethanol and other unwanted aromas to evaporate over several hours.

The aesthetics  

Looks-wise, the Winewizard is light in the hand and easy on the eye. It comes encased in a sleek and sophisticated aluminium canister that wouldn’t look out of place on the smartest of home bars. Better still, you can add luxury packaging and a laser engraving if you’re buying one as a gift.

Back to the canister itself: all glossy and grey with gleaming bronze accents, is similarly sexy and like a miniature – albeit boozy – fire extinguisher (and who doesn’t want one of those?!).

At about the length of your arm, it’s a compact little thing too, meaning it can be stashed away without taking up too much space. Best of all it’s surprisingly light even when it’s full of gas.

(Winewizard)

The functionality 

The good news? The Winewizard couldn’t be easier to use.

Simply open an average bottle of vino – red, white, rosé, whatever – then pour into a glass (mine’s a goblet, naturally). Attach the shorter micro-diffuser to the top of the canister, then squeeze the trigger to diffuse a swarm of micro-bubbles into the murky depths of your plonk, instantly aerating the liquid.

Alternatively, use the longer micro-diffuser if you want to replicate the process directly into the bottle, although we found the former was easier and more effective.

Buy now: £49.95, Vinalchemy

Winewizard

Make an average bottle of wine taste extraordinary through a simple meeting with this wine-ageing gadget. Winewizard is a three-in-one aerator that uses micro-oxygen methods to boost wine’s flavour, scent and mouthfeel, making it taste far more expensive. Resembling a mini fire extinguisher, the results are dramatic and delicious in equal measure.

Buy now

Verdict

I’ve tried many aerators, and most are all fur and no knickers. Inventor Pritchard knows this all too well, so his inspired Winewizard device actually works, and works rather well.

Having tried it on multiple bottles – it’s a tough job and all that – I discovered it genuinely improves the flavour and complexity of even the most budget of bottles (and I mean like, really budget). It’s just a shame it can’t do the same for personalities!

Extra points go to the canister for being recyclable once empty; an additional pack can be purchased for just over £30. Well worth the investment.

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