Patent Abstract:
A device for decanting wine provides optimum aeration to readily measured minimum quantities by first causing the wine poured into the device to form a stream. The stream is then spread laterally over a convex shape before it is again collected. In various embodiments, the wine is collected by an internal funnel like structure within the device, being again spread over another convex surface. The multiple pairs of convex surfaces and associated collecting funnels are preferably housed in a generally tubular enclosure that terminates in a final spout that delivers wine to a storage flask type decanting vessel or wine glass.

Full Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    The present application claims priority to the U.S. Provisional Patent Application entitled “Wine Decanting Device” filed on May 3, 2006 and assigned application Ser. No. 60/746,294, which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
     BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to a method and device for pouring and decanting wine and the aeration of grape must or fermenting grape must. 
         [0003]    Wine is typically decanted from the bottle used for storage and aging to accomplish at least one of separating sediment deposited during aging from the wine and/or allowing the wine to “breath” before serving. Allowing wine to “breath” is generally understood to involve a slight but important interaction of oxygen with chemical compounds in the wine that improve the bouquet and/or flavor of the wine. Full-bodied red wines are well known to especially benefit from decanting. It is usually necessary to wait for sometimes upward of an hour for a decanted wine to achieve the benefits of decanting. Moreover, it is not a simple matter to predict when even the same wine will have reached the optimum benefit, as not only are wines very different form each other, but wines from a single lot will change in breathing characteristics as they age. 
         [0004]    However, it is not always practical to decant wine. Wine service by the glass is more common in restaurants as well as by the consumer, when the do not intend to drink the entire bottle at one sitting or meal. 
         [0005]    It is therefore a first object of the present invention to provide an improved method of decanting wine that results in an immediate olfactory and flavor improvement, yet that can be practiced repeated as wine is served by the glass, such as at a tasting bar or in a restaurant. 
       SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
       [0006]    The inventors have discovered a process of decanting wine that is convenient for achieving the olfactory and flavor benefits of allowing wine to breath without decanting an entire bottle. 
         [0007]    Moreover, it has been discovered that the inventive process and an associated device result in a far superior enhancement to the olfactory and flavor of wines than is achieved by decanting. 
         [0008]    The inventive and novel process involves first pouring wine into a first funnel, the causing the wine exiting the first funnel as a stream to spread laterally over a preferably convex shape. The wine that spills over the edges of the convex shape is collected. Other aspects of the invention involve repeating the fundamental process multiple times as desired to immediate achieve the optimum level of improvement. 
         [0009]    Other aspects of the invention involve providing an apparatus for the above process that comprises a fluid receiving upper portion having a lower opening with a smaller diameter than the fluid receiving opening. Disposed below the bottom of the lower opening is at least one preferably convex surface to laterally spread the wine as it flows downward. Surrounding the edges of this convex surface is at least one funnel disposed to collect the liquid as it flows downward off the edges of the convex surface. The fluid receiving upper portion, convex surface and funnel are connected by an enclosing wall that extends downward from the periphery of the fluid receiving upper portion. 
         [0010]    The above and other objects, effects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description of the embodiments thereof taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
     
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         [0011]      FIG. 1  is a cross-sectional elevation of a first embodiment of the invention. 
           [0012]      FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional elevation of a second embodiment of the invention showing the path of wine as it flows downward. 
           [0013]      FIG. 3  illustrates another embodiment of the invention in which the device in  FIG. 2  is inverted to rest on a surface along with a receiving flask. 
           [0014]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of another and preferred embodiment of the invention. 
           [0015]      FIG. 5  is a top plan view of the embodiment in  FIG. 4 . 
           [0016]      FIG. 6  is a bottom plan view of the embodiment in  FIG. 4 . 
           [0017]      FIG. 7  is a first elevation of the embodiment in  FIG. 4 . 
           [0018]      FIG. 8  is an elevation of the embodiment of  FIG. 4  taken orthogonal to the elevation shown in  FIG. 7 . 
           [0019]      FIG. 9  is a cross-sectional elevation of another embodiment of the invention. 
           [0020]      FIG. 10  is a cross-sectional elevation of another embodiment of the invention. 
           [0021]      FIG. 11  is a cross-sectional elevation of another embodiment of the invention. 
           [0022]      FIG. 12  is a cross-sectional elevation of another embodiment of the invention. 
           [0023]      FIG. 13  is a cross-sectional elevation of another embodiment of the invention. 
           [0024]      FIG. 14  is a cross-sectional elevation of another embodiment of the invention. 
           [0025]      FIG. 15  is a cross-sectional elevation of another embodiment of the invention. 
           [0026]      FIG. 16A-C  illustrate another embodiment of the invention in which the device comprises multiple components that can be stacked to provide the operative state and capable of being disabled for cleaning and storage. 
           [0027]      FIG. 17  is a cross-sectional elevation of another embodiment of the invention in which the device comprises multiple components having features of the embodiments of  FIG. 11  that can be stacked to provide the operative state and disabled for cleaning and storage. 
           [0028]      FIG. 18  is a cross-sectional elevation of another embodiment of the invention in which the device comprises multiple components having features of the embodiments of  FIG. 16  that can be stacked to provide the operative state and disabled for cleaning and storage. 
           [0029]      FIG. 19  is a cross-sectional elevation of another embodiment of the invention in which the embodiments of  FIG. 17  are stacked for delivery of wine to a mating serving receptacle. 
           [0030]      FIG. 20  is a cross-sectional elevation of another embodiment of the invention in which different embodiments of separate cylindrical chambers are stacked in an alternating configuration for delivery of wine to a mating serving receptacle. 
           [0031]      FIG. 21  is a cross-sectional elevation of another embodiment of the invention with a single aerating flow chamber with a vertical extending dispersing surface. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0032]    Referring to  FIGS. 1 through 2 , wherein like reference numerals refer to like components in the various views, there is illustrated therein a new and improved wine decanting device, generally denominated  100  herein. 
         [0033]    In accordance with the present invention,  FIG. 1  illustrates one embodiment  100  of a wine decanting device for performing one or more times the process described in the above summary. Device  100  is preferably circularly symmetric like a tube such that all elevational views and sections will be essentially the same. The device  100  deploys one or more aerating flow chambers  131 , such that device  100  comprises a fluid receiving upper portion  110  having a lower opening  111  with a smaller diameter than the fluid receiving opening  113  that extends to the rim  112 . Disposed below the bottom of the lower opening  111  is at least one disperser  130 , which is preferably a convex surface, to aerate the wine by forming the stream it receives into a thin radial spreading film layer as it flows downward. Surrounding the edges of this disperser  130  is at least one funnel portion  120  disposed to collect the liquid as it flows downward off the edges  130   a  of said convex surface. In this embodiment the dispersing surface  130  has an upper conical portion  130   a  and lower vertically descending skirt  130   b , terminating in lower rim  130   c.    
         [0034]    Spacers  125  and  125 ″ connect two or more points on the periphery about skirt portion  130   b  to the inner surface of aerating flow chamber  131 . Aerating flow chamber  131  comprises the bottom portion of lower opening  111 , funnel section  120  and preferably concave dispersing surface  130 . The fluid receiving upper portion  110 , at least one convex surface  130  and at least one funnel  120  are connected by an enclosing wall  180  that extends downward from rim  112  at the periphery of the opening  130  in the fluid receiving upper portion  110 . As shown in this preferred but non-limiting embodiment the enclosing wall  180  may be a continuation of the exterior of chamber  131 . In the embodiment of  FIG. 1 , the wine exits device  100  via neck  170 . Neck  170  extends downward from the end of the funnel portion  130  of aerating chamber  131 . In the preferred version of this embodiment illustrated herein, neck  170  terminates in a truncated conical fitted section  172  that may accommodate a matching fitting in a liquid receiving vessel  190  that is shown and described further with respect to  FIG. 3 . Like most fine serving ware for wine, device  100  in the most preferred embodiments is fabricated from glass so that the decanting process is easily observed. In such a case, if sediment does travel from the bottle of the bottle to the device  100 , it will be more readily visible on convex surface  120  as it deflects or distorts the stream of wine over the surface. 
         [0035]      FIG. 2  illustrates another embodiment with multiple aerating flow chambers such that there is in effect a cascading flow from one aerating flow chamber to the next. Thus, first the wine spreads as thin film over a surface in the first chamber, is collected in the funnel portion such that it can then be dispensed to cascade into the next aerating flow chamber where the process is repeated until the wine exits the device. The device  100  also comprises a fluid receiving upper portion  110  having a lower opening  111  with a smaller diameter than the fluid receiving opening  113 . The lower opening  111  is also preferably the end of a funnel shaped wall leading to upper chamber  131 . Upper chamber  131  also includes at least one convex surface  120  to laterally spread the liquid wine as a radial film layer as it flows downward. Surrounding the edges  120   a  of this convex surface is at least one funnel shaped surface  130  disposed to collect the liquid as it flows downward off the edge or lower rim  130   c  of the dispersing surface  130  such that it exits through a lower opening  111 ′ between upper chamber  131  and middle chamber  141 . Thus, wine will flow over the dispersing surface  130  before it enters middle chamber  141 . 
         [0036]    Middle chamber  141  also includes at least one preferably convex dispersing surface  130 ′ to laterally spread the liquid wine as a radial film layer as it flows downward. Surrounding the edges of this convex surface  130 ′ is at least one funnel shaped wall  120 ′ is disposed to collect the liquid as it flows downward off the edges  130   c  of the dispersing surface  130 . The funnel shaped wall  120 ′ again collects and directs the wine such that it exits through a lower opening  111 ″ between middle chamber  141  and the lower chamber  151 . 
         [0037]    Accordingly, as the wine  20  then flows into lower chamber  151  via opening  111 ″ it again encounters another convex surface  130 ″ that laterally spreads the wine as a radial film layer as it flows downward. Surrounding the edges of this convex surface  130 ″ is again a funnel shaped wall  120 ″ disposed to collect the liquid as it flows downward off the edges  130   c  of the dispersing surface  120  such that it can finally exits device  100 . In this example, wine exits device  100  by entering and flowing through neck region  170 , which includes in more preferred embodiment a truncated conical fitted section  172 . 
         [0038]    While the dispersing surface  130  in the various embodiments is preferably convex, is may also be flat or a tilted planar surface, as well as a porous surface for dispersing the wine over a large area before recollection and concentration in the funneling portion  120 . Further, non-limiting examples of convex dispersing surfaces are pyramids, cones and dome, the latter of which can have an elliptical, spherical or compound curvature, and the like. 
         [0039]    Not wishing to be bound by theory, it is believed that the combined and repeated separation of the wine into a flowing film over the convex surface, with repeated recollection provides a beneficial form of aeration or breathing to wine by entrapping or absorbing oxygen from the surrounding air. This seems to occur in a manner that is also gentle in not bruising the wine and stripping important volatile olfactory substances that contribute greatly to the nose, taste and fullness. The effect, if not actually improving the wine over conventional decanting processes, has at least the benefit of being very rapid and suitable to aerate a single serving portion, rather than entire bottle. 
         [0040]    The path of wine  20  as it flows downward from  110  to  170  is shown in  FIG. 2  to further illustrate another beneficial aspect of the devices design with respect to pouring measured servings of wine, such as a tasting bar or for wine by the glass service at a restaurant, bar or café. Specifically, in other preferred embodiments, the sidewalls  110   a  of fluid receiving upper portion  110  include vertical pouring marks  114  and  114 ′. As the flow constricting opening  111  in each funnel portion  120  limits the rate at which wine  20  poured into fluid receiving upper portion  110  can escape into each successive aerating flow chamber, the server can quickly pour up to vertical pouring mark  114  or  114 ′ before a major portion of the wine has exited the device  100  via neck  170 . Thus, vertical pouring mark  114  or  114 ′ represent different measured servings of wine that are controlled by the limited flow rate of wine through device  100 . Ultimately, the serving of wine  20  measured by pouring to mark  114  or  114 ′ eventually flows downward through each chamber  131 ,  141  and  151  such that a glass or another receiving vessel will be filled with the desired unit serving. 
         [0041]    It should be appreciated that the size of the fluid receiving upper portion  110  can be varied to be of a different scale and even shape than chamber  131 ,  141  and  151 , as may be preferred to accommodate a larger or smaller quantity of wine. However, it should be understood that a wide range of device sizes and shapes could be deployed to successfully decant an entire bottle of wine by simply avoiding pouring wine  20  into fluid receiving upper portion  110  faster than the rate that the wine exits neck  170 . Further, it should be appreciated that the first opening  111  may have a small diameter, while other openings between aerating flow chamber may have a larger diameter. 
         [0042]    It has been discovered by taste tests described below that multiple aerating flow chambers  131 ,  141  and  151  in device  100  of  FIG. 2  more preferably aerate the wine in each pass over the convex surfaces  120 ,  120 ′ and  120 ″. While a comparable aeration is achievable using the device  100  shown in  FIG. 1  multiple times, having the three chambers that combine a preferably convex dispersing surface and a collaborative collecting funnel is far simpler and faster for a server that must accommodate a larger number of clients. 
         [0043]    In addition to the devices  100  of  FIG. 1  providing an the immediate improvement in quality, the multiple cascade device  100  of  FIG. 2  can provides uniform aeration of any volume of wine when multiple passes through the device of  FIG. 1  are desired. Further, like the device  100  in  FIG. 1 , the devise in  FIG. 2  facilitates the aeration and breathing of a serving size portion of wine. 
         [0044]      FIG. 3  illustrates another embodiment that includes a liquid receiving vessel  190 . Receiving vessel  190  has a wide resting base  193  at the bottom of intermediate fluid collecting portion  191 . The wide base  193  aids in supporting the taller device  100  in  FIG. 2  when fitting male fitting  172  on neck  170  is inserted into the mating female fitting  192  at the top of flask  190 . The width, w, of base  193  is preferably at least the same, and more preferably larger than the height, H, of vessel  190  from bottom  193  to the bottom portion of female fitting  192 . Most preferably, the mating contact surfaces on male fitting  172  and female fitting  192  have a ground glass finish to facilitate removal after insertion. 
         [0045]    It should be appreciated that as shown in  FIG. 3 , the device  100  in addition to being inserted into vessel  190  by following the dashed line can also rest on a table or other lateral surface  10  on rim  113  when the wine in flask  190  is poured into serving glasses or other another vessel. 
         [0046]    Thus, flask  190  may be large to store an entire bottle of wine that is decanted, or small, say for collecting a single glass serving of wine or merely catching drips from device  100  after it is used to directly direct wine into serving glasses or other another vessel. 
         [0047]    It should be further appreciated that the device and method of use disclosed herein provide the benefit of avoiding the need to decanting an entire bottle when smaller portions are desired. It further provides the benefit of providing an optimum aeration of the wine minimizing the time a decanted bottle needs to breathe. 
         [0048]    It should also be appreciated that device  100  of either  FIG. 1  or  FIG. 2  while preferably being an integrated glass assembly, can also be fabricated by assembled by stacking interlocking components, as will be described with respect to additional embodiments. Such stacked components can be permanently attached or fused together in the case of glass, or be intended to be de-interlocking for storage and cleaning. Further, it can be fabricating by first stacking individual glass components before welding or fusing them together to form an integrated device  100  of  FIGS. 1 and 2 . 
         [0049]      FIG. 4-8  shows more preferred embodiment. A typical 750 ml wine bottle  5  is shown in  FIG. 4  so that the scale of device  100  is better appreciated. It should be apparent from these figures that only a single spacer  125  is used to support each disperser  130 . Funnel portion  120 ″ is dimpled at elongated depression  135  to provide an air vent when the neck  170  of device  100  is inserted into a larger wide necked decanter to allow air to escape Similarly, the truncated conical fitted section  172  has a longitudinal external slit  173  to vent air when the mating flask  190  is filled. Further, the truncated conical fitted section  172  has an internal narrowing taper  174  to better direct the wine as a stream into flask  190  or any other receiving vessel, such as a wine glass, carafe or larger decanter. 
         [0050]    For single serving use it is desirable that the wine can be filled to the level of the fill marks before a significant portion escapes into the lower aerating flow chambers. This is achieved by restricting the opening  111  to a diameter less than about 7 mm, and more preferably less than about of 5 mm. In device  100 , the funnel portion  120  preferably has an upper diameter of about 6 cm, while disperser  130  has a diameter of about 5 cm. The dispenser  130  cone portion  130   a  has a height of about 1.5 cm and the height of the descending vertical portion  130   b  that terminates at lower rim  130   c  is about 1.5 cm. Thus, with these preferred dimensions a serving portion of wine, filled to about a 3 cm height in the receiver (represents a volume of about 90 ml or 3 U.S. fluid oz.) completes the aeration process in 10-12 seconds cascade into the flask  190  or another receiver vessel 
         [0051]      FIG. 9  is a cross-sectional elevation of another embodiment of the invention. Like the alternative embodiment  100  shown in  FIG. 10-19 , a plurality of discrete aerating chambers of the geometry of  FIG. 1-8  is not required, as a plurality of funnels  120  is attached to the a single internal and substantially upright surrounding wall  119 . In this embodiment a series of three dispersers  130  are solid inverted cones interspersed between funnels  120  and arranged with the apex pointing upward and disposed below the outlet of each funnel  130 . The dispersers  130  are optionally connected to either each other by vertical spacer rod  126 , the funnel  120  or the upright sidewall  119  by various alternative spaces  125  also shown in dashed lines in  FIG. 13-14 . The combination of a funnel  120  and a disperser  130  define an effective aerating flow chamber  131 ,  141  or  151 . 
         [0052]      FIG. 10  is a cross-sectional elevation of another embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, a series of three dispersers  130  are open inverted domes arranged with the apex pointing upward and disposed below the outlet of each funnel  120 . The dome can have an elliptical, spherical or compound curvature and are centered within single cylindrical wall  119 . The inverted domes are optionally connected to wall  119  by spacers  125  or to the bottom of each funnel  120  by vertical spacers  126 . 
         [0053]      FIG. 11  is a cross-sectional elevation of another embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment a single disperser  130  is an open inverted domes centered within single cylindrical wall  119  and arranged with the apex pointing upward and disposed below the outlet of the first or upper funnel  130 . The dome can have an elliptical, spherical or compound curvature. Spacers  125  are shown in broken lines to indicate that they are optionally placed at different locations to connect the dome to the cylindrical wall  119 . 
         [0054]      FIG. 12  is a cross-sectional elevation of another embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment a series of three dispersers  130  are flat plates disposed below the outlet of each funnel  120  and centered within single cylindrical wall  119 . 
         [0055]      FIG. 13  is a cross-sectional elevation of another embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment a series of three dispersers  130  are flat porous plates disposed below the outlet of each funnel  120  and are centered within the single cylindrical wall  119  of device  100 . 
         [0056]      FIG. 14  is a cross-sectional elevation of another embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment the funnels  120  are the off center portion of a downward facing cone attached to the side of cylindrical wall  119  such that the opening or hole  141  is adjacent wall  119 , rather than centered with respect to the central axis of device  100 . Below the outlet of each funnel  120  is disperser  130 . Each disperser  130  is the offset portion of an upward facing cone attached to the upright inner wall  119  such that the opening  141 ′ is at the opposite side of the wall  119 , rather than centered with respect to the central axis of device  100  so that the drain hole  141  or  141 ′ from the funnel  120  and disperser  130  respectively are also disposed adjacent wall  119 .  FIG. 14B  is a plan view illustrating the profile of the hole  141 ′ between the edge of the disperser  130  on the right side of the wall  119  and the  141  between the edge of the funnel  120  and the left side of the wall  119  to ensure a full cascade of wine over each disperser surface  130 . It is more preferred that each disperser  130  have an upward bulge  136  below the drain portal of the funnel  120  disposed above it. The bulge  136  is shaped to disperse the fluid over the majority of the disperse element  130 . It should be understood that none of the embodiments require that the draining or collecting surface be smooth, but may have bulges, ripples or ribbing and the like to increase or improve the dispersion of wine as well as the exposure to air. 
         [0057]      FIG. 15  is a cross-sectional elevation of another embodiment of the invention, the funnels  120  and disperses  130  are arranged as in  FIG. 9 , however now the disperser  130  is a portion of an off center a dome wherein the hypothetical apex is pointing upward outside the upright cylinder walls  119 . The dome can have an elliptical, spherical or compound curvature. Note that the drain hole  141 ′ from disperser  130  ( FIG. 15   b ) is shaped around a portion of the cylindrical wall  119  to collect wine flowing in the direct of the arrows and then drain in on the portion of the collecting funnels  120  ( FIG. 15C ) below representing the starting point of the arrows on the collecting funnel  120 . 
         [0058]      FIG. 16A  is a cross-sectional elevation of another embodiment of the invention in which a plurality of draining surfaces  140  and  141 ′ generally point downward and are attached to the side of the cylindrical wall  119  but are rotated by 180 degrees with respect to the central axis of device  100  to stagger the position of holes  141  and  141 ′ draining surfaces  140  and  140 ′ respectively. Each of the draining surfaces  140  and  140 ′ has a dispersing surface portion  130 ′ and a collecting or funnel like surface portion  120 ′ such that is acts likes an aerating flow chamber  131 ,  41  and  151 , etc. in other embodiments. The dispersing surface portion  130 ′ is generally convex and the collecting surface portion  120 ′ is generally concave. Plan views,  FIG. 16B  and  FIG. 16C  of draining surfaces  140  and  140 ′ illustrate with arrows the direction of fluid flow across the adjacent draining and collecting surface. The staggered location of holes  141  in each draining surface provides that the hole or outlet  141  of the collecting surface  120 ′ of the upper draining surface  140  is oriented to drain onto dispersing surface portion  130 ′ of the lower draining surface  140 ′. 
         [0059]      FIG. 17A-C  illustrate another embodiment of the invention in which the device comprises multiple tubular components  117  that can be stacked to provide the operative state shown in other embodiments, yet be disassembled for cleaning and storage. Each funnel  120  is disposed with a generally cylindrical element  117 . Each cylinder  117  has at least a partially laterally extending upper rim  117   a  for receiving the separate and detachable disperser  130 , as well as resting the lower rim  117   b  of another funnel and cylinder component on it to ultimately provide multiple aerating flow chamber  131  of the most preferred embodiments. The disperser  130  may take any cross section shape previously described, as well as equivalents thereof, but preferable has 3 or more appendages  171  that extend from the edge to rest on the upper rim portion  117   a.    
         [0060]    FIG.  18 AB are cross sectional elevations of an alternative embodiment where separable cylinder  118  are comparable to that shown in  FIG. 16 , but have the off center single draining surface element  140  that operates as shown in  FIG. 15 . In this embodiment, identical cylinders can be stacked, provides they are rotated by 180 degrees as shown to provide for the multiple cascade of wine over each draining surface  140 . 
         [0061]      FIG. 19  is a is a cross-sectional elevation of another embodiment of the invention in which the cylinders  117  are stacked with disperser  130  as described with respect to  FIG. 17  with the lower rim  117   b  of the lowest cylinder  117  disposed on the upper rim of the wine receiving vessel  190 . 
         [0062]      FIG. 20  is a cross-sectional elevation of another embodiment of the invention in which the cylinders  200  and  200 ′ are similarly alternatively stacked for delivery of wine to a mating serving receptacle  190 , to define aerating flow chamber  131 . Cylinder  200  has a centrally disposed funnel portion  120 , while cylinder  200 ′ has an inverted cone dispersing element  130  comparable to that shown in  FIG. 1-8 . 
         [0063]    Blind taste testing was used to evaluate select configuration of device  100 . The four participants were given five glasses filled with wine that had been marked: Bottle, 1, 2, 3, and 4. They were then asked to compare the taste of each marked glass to that of the glass marked “bottle”, representing un-decanted wine. They were then instructed to grade each marked glass, and record their grades on a questionnaire. The ordering of the samples was randomized for each participant to eliminate the potential for bias from discussions or observing the other participants reactions. There were crackers and water for pallet cleansing. Taster&#39;s were asked to differentiate any change from the un-decanted wine on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being no change, 2 slight improvement, 3 moderate improvement, 4 significant improvement and 5 greatly improved. Four alternative configurations of device  100  were evaluated, the single aerating flow chamber of  FIG. 1 , a comparably dimensioned device with dual aerating flow chambers as well as the triple aerating flow chamber device  100  of  FIG. 2 . Further, a device  100  shown in  FIG. 21  with a single tall aerating flow chamber  130  was also evaluated. The disperser surface  130  has an upper cone portion  130   a  with a height of about 1.5 cm and the height of the descending vertical portion  130   b  that terminates at lower rim  130   c  is about 15 cm. 
         [0064]    As their where 4 individual tasters, the maximum raw score any configuration could achieve were 20 points. The results below are the sum of the raw scores of the four tasters, divided by 20 and expressed as a percentage. The lowest score, no change, in contrast would be 4/20 or 20%. 
         [0000]    
       
         
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
                 Triple Chamber: 
                 81% 
               
               
                   
                 Double Chamber: 
                 64% 
               
               
                   
                 Single Chamber: 
                 52% 
               
               
                   
                 Tall Chamber: 
                 48% 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
         [0065]    As the results indicate, the triple aerating flow chamber device was judged as providing the most improvement with a significant margin between it and the alternative embodiments. thus, the use of multiple flow chambers that successively cause the wine to diffuse over a first surface and then collect it again in a funneling portion provide a surprising and unexpected advantage of quickly breathing and improving the taste and olfactory sensations of wine. It should be noted that all embodiments showed some improvement, as even the slightest improvement would result in an average score of 40%. 
         [0066]    It should also be appreciated the device and methods of the invention are not limited to the aeration of wine, but may be deployed for the aeration of grape just or grape must to provide oxygen that is beneficial to the fermentation process. 
         [0067]    While the invention has been described in connection with a preferred embodiment, it is not intended to limit the scope of the invention to the particular form set forth, but on the contrary, it is intended to cover such alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. 
         [0068]    For example it should be understood that the various embodiments of the device  100  need not be strictly limited to having a cylindrical cross-section but can be oblong, elliptical, rectangular and of any arbitrary shape so long as the function of one or more aerating flow chambers is preserved. Further, it is expected that any combination of the different aerating flow chambers disclosed herein, as would be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art after disclosure of this application, can be mixed and interchanged to form a device with multiple aerating flow chambers.

Technology Classification (CPC): 1