Zazzol Wine Aerator Review

We purchased the Zazzol Wine Aerator so our reviewer could put it to the test in her home. Keep reading for our full product review.

Whether you’re a wine expert or a novice (we’re definitely the latter), your daily/weekly/monthly glasses could surely benefit from a little aeration. The Zazzol Wine Aerator might seem gimmicky, but the tool promises to improve the flavor of your wine by infusing it with oxygen. So does it really work? That’s the question we set out to answer when we ordered one. Read on to see if the Zazzol earned its place in our kitchen. 

Performance: Prone to leaks 

If you’re not familiar with wine aerators, let us give you a little primer. Basically, the tool works by infusing your wine with extra oxygen—a process that encourages volatile compounds (like sulfites) to evaporate and persuades hidden notes, often fruity and nutty ones, to emerge. 

Aerators can’t really hurt your wine, but they generally work best with complex, young red wines—AKA those with lots of bitter tannins. This knowledge in mind, we picked up a bottle of Campo Viejo 2016 Rioja Tempranillo—a Spanish red that ran us roughly $12.

To use the Zazzol, you simply hold it over your wine glass with one hand and pour your wine through the top of the aerator with the other. As the wine pours over the umbrella-shaped top, it fans out and is exposed to more oxygen. It then trickles down through a series of 32 holes and then through an air-injected tube before finding its way into your glass. Zazzol claims that this three-step process promises better results than aerators with just a single-stage process. 

At first, we weren’t sure we’d know the aerator was working, but soon it started making a tell-tale whooshing sound that indicated the wine was bubbling and being infused with air. Unfortunately, we also noticed that some wine was spilling out the sides of the aerator; an issue we chalk up to the tool’s sheer number of parts which have to be carefully screwed together. 

When it came time to test our aerated wine, we expected it to have a smoother taste than our non-aerated control glass. But what we tasted wasn’t a fruity or nutty undertone—it was plastic. We should note that when we unpacked the Zazzol, it had a synthetic smell. We were hoping this would dissipate after a wash, but the smell still infiltrated our wine. After a few subsequent uses, this no longer happened and the wine did improve in taste and smoothness, but you’ll want to make sure you give the Zazzol a really thorough wash before using it. 

Ease of Use: Wide opening

As we mentioned, the Zazzol has a wide, umbrella-like opening that makes it easy to pour into. When compared to other tools we’ve used—which have just an inch-wide opening—we found we didn’t have to be nearly as precise with our pour. For this reason, we can see ourselves using it more frequently. 

Care: Seven small parts to clean

One of our biggest qualms with the Zazzol is that it has seven small parts to disassemble, clean, and reassemble. Though this may seem convenient for cleaning purposes, it ends up feeling unnecessary—especially when you consider other aerators are comprised of just one piece you can run under a faucet. 

The aerator comes with a reusable box and soft cloth carrier if you want to take it out to parties. In reality, we don’t picture ourselves using them, though. It also comes with a solid rubber stand, which is convenient as it helps keeps wine stains off your table or countertop. We could also see someone using it to display the aerator on a bar cart. 

Price: A bit above average

The Zazzol Wine Aerator has an MSRP of $40, but you can often find it for $20—which is average for this kind of wine aerator. Because it leaks and has so many parts to clean, we wouldn’t recommend buying it full price, but if you can get it on sale, it may be worth it. 

Competition: Lots of worthwhile contenders

Vinturi Wine Aerator: The Vinturi Wine Aerator has a similar design and price, but it’s leak-proof and also comes with a mesh sediment filter. Despite not having Zazzol’s patented three-stage aeration process, we found it made just as much of a difference in taste. Given its elegant look and more expensive feel, we think it’s a better investment. 

Vintorio Wine Aerator Pourer: If you’re looking for an aerator that’s even easier to use, the Vintorio is a great option. The combined aerator/pourer attaches directly to your wine bottle and allows for one-handed operation. The tool is effective and will run you just $20. 

Aervana Essential Electric Wine Aerator: If you’re already sold on the idea of an aerator and you’re willing to spend a little more on the accessory, check out the Aervana. Like the Vintorio, the $60 spout attaches directly to your bottle, but unlike its competitor, you don’t even have to pour your wine. Simply press the button on top of the aerator and it’ll dispense wine into your glass.