iSommelier

[jdaw1]

Purified & highly concentrated oxygen
iSommelier filters the ambient air to remove any impurities (moisture, dust, odors) and isolates oxygen from nitrogen and carbon dioxide. It aerates wine with a constant flow of purified and highly concentrated oxygen thanks to its advanced oxygen extraction system which uses no chemicals.


Constant flow of purified and concentrated oxygen
Decanting wine with a purified oxygen significantly increases the efficiency of this process in terms of time and quality:
• iSommelier eliminates most of the air pollutants and moisture
• The constant flow of oxygen mitigates the issue of decanting wine at a location with different air pressure
• This advanced system guarantees that any wine will be served with a constant quality wherever in the world it is decanted

Patented glass decanter
Purified and highly concentrated oxygen flows upwards into the specially designed tube inside our patented decanter. It then reverses direction, and flows downwards and back out into every milliliter of the wine.


Softer tannins and enhanced aromas
The specially designed glass decanter evenly diffuses oxygen throughout the entire volume of wine, rather than just the surface:
• It truly completes oxygenation
• It rounds out tannins providing a smooth mouthfeel
• It sublimes all aromas revealing the full potential of the wine

Time efficiency
iSommelier reduces the decanting time from hours to only minutes, keeping the full flavors and aromas of the wine that winemaker wants to deliver to your palate. It also allows to have better control of the serving temperature of the wine being less exposed to
ambient temperature.

Preserved flavors and aromas
Unlike traditional decanting that inhibits some flavors and aromas and limits the full potential of the wine over time, iSommelier:
• Shortens the decanting time to prevent wine from a long exposure to damaging elements and ambient temperature
• Preserves all the complex flavors and aromas released simultaneously during oxygenation

Fantastic, or an abomination? Or both?

[Doggett]

There was a feature on this on the UK Wine Show podcast a couple of weeks ago, and my understanding is the pricing is indeed 'fantastic' in the truest sense, and would be an abomination to my bank account! Very clever though, and useful if you want to drink a great old port without the need to pre-plan your decant. I hope lots of restaurants buy them to give more options to drink older wines without feeling like they needed more time to breathe.

[jdaw1]

Reportedly it is being sold only by Harrods (wrong vendor if the market is trade). The price? £1299 ≈ $1958 ≈ €1,847!

[LGTrotter]

It sort of reminds me of those devices which are supposed to age your wine in minutes, producing 1947 Cheval Blanc from Sainsbury's Saint Emillion. Well it was nonsense and so is this. Either it doesn't use any chemical process, in which case it won't work, or it does and will alter the wine.

I have an admiration for the price, the 'age your wine in minutes' device was about a tenner and so clearly was not expected to work, but this at least has the authority of a chunky price tag. When it comes to selling fakes you must look your mark squarely in the eye and demand the full price.

[DaveRL]

A money extraction mechanism!

Bottle variation doesn't seem to be mentioned. Quicker decant, maybe, but doesn't necessarily mean better. Anyway, I do like to take the time to do it right - adds to the theatre for me.

Could just get a J cylinder of medical O2 and bubble it through. Considerably cheaper (I nearly choked when I googled the price). In fact, I think I have a nearly full 7l (@200 Bar) of O2 from my scuba days upstairs, but it has been in the cylinder rather longer than I would like for experimenting.

Interesting though. I wonder if it actually works.

[LGTrotter]

Anyway, I do like to take the time to do it right - adds to the theatre for me.

My thoughts exactly. Elizabeth David made a comment to the effect that all those chefs who claim you can whip up a delicious meal in minutes were lying, it takes time and effort to get good food and the same is also true of wine.

[jdaw1]

you can whip up a delicious meal in minutes

You can: cheese. Though the Port to go with it does need some decanting time.

[Glenn E.]

It sort of reminds me of those devices which are supposed to age your wine in minutes, producing 1947 Cheval Blanc from Sainsbury's Saint Emillion. Well it was nonsense and so is this. Either it doesn't use any chemical process, in which case it won't work, or it does and will alter the wine.

Oxygen is a chemical, so it uses a chemical process. Decanting is a chemical process that alters the wine.

While all the other aerators that we've seen were nonsense because they didn't actually do anything that simply decanting through a filter also does, this one might actually work at least somewhat. If it truely uses pure(r) oxygen to do the aeration, then it might in fact help the wine oxygenate faster. For $2000. Totally worth it. Buy now! Hurry, before they're gone!

[LGTrotter]

"iSommelier also softens the tannins and transports the wine to a stage of maturity that would otherwise require years of cellaring." (a quote from the advertising).

Hooray! It does accomplish years of aging in a trice. We need not wait until 2051 to assess the 2011, we could do it next week. All that is needed is a two grand soda stream. And you can turn it on with your phone, which is such an advantage.

[jdaw1]

I have enquired whether a demonstration would be possible. Perhaps we would bring several bottles from the same case: perhaps freshly decanted, 3 hour decant, 9 hour, 30 hour, and one or two bottles to put into the iSommelier.

We might be really impressed. And we might not. The proof of the pudding &c.

[DRT]

I have enquired whether a demonstration would be possible. Perhaps we would bring several bottles from the same case: perhaps freshly decanted, 3 hour decant, 9 hour, 30 hour, and one or two bottles to put into the iSommelier.

We might be really impressed. And we might not. The proof of the pudding &c.

Perhaps we should offer to purchase a bottle of the most expensive >10 year old Vintage Port from Harrods provided that they decant it for us using this device. We can then do the experiment at no cost to the retailer.

[SCP]

Fairly related, but alot cheaper, the Farr Vintner Xmas sale has Coravin on offer...
http://www.farrvintners.com/offer.php?offer_id=518