We received an intriguing invitation last week to attend Fleurie, a wine bar on Bermondsey Street, for the launch of the World’s first wine ageing service. What did this mean and what is the point were two of the questions which sprung to mind. There was only one way to find out and that was to go and see what the fuss was all about.
Arriving at Fleurie (a very nice bijou wine bar on Bermondsey St), we were greeted by Michael Pritchard the inventor of the Winewizard, the wine ageing device.
The device injects micro bubbles of oxygen into a glass or bottle of wine so in seconds it is aged and improved. This mimics at speed the natural process of decanting, or of bottle ageing, rendering a wine which needs time to be at it’s best instantly drinkable. Clever stuff.
The attendees were put through our paces testing the device on a number of wines, comparing them straight from the bottle with the same wines gassed by the Winewizard, and it was remarkable how the gassing of the wines improved them. Rather over-acidic whites were softened, and young reds opened up and made more approachable. While poor wines were not made into good wines (this is not magic after all), there was clearly an improvement in the wines we tested.
As it turned out Michael Pritchard is a notable serial inventor, holding over 50 patents and was awarded an MBE in 2013. The Winewizard was tested and validated by the academics at Plumpton College (the UK’s only oenology and viticulture degree-granting body), led by professor Ashkay Baboo. So, there is serious research and science to back up the claims.
Carrying out personal research over several evenings at home the Winewizard was tested on some ‘big’ reds with impressive results, though big breakfasts were required the morning after. It seems there is always a price to pleasure.
Winewizard is available from: https://vinalchemy.com/
Fleurie is at 92 Bermondsey Street, SE1 3UB