At one point, I can remember there being one type of wine decanter — it was in the form of a gorgeous glass “bowl”. All you had to do is pour your wine in and let it breathe. Now,  everything seems to be about instant gratification and fast food (for most people) — no one has time to stare at their wine until they can finally pour themselves a glass and unwind from an impossible day. So, it seems to me that many people are turning to modern wine aerators to help them speed up the process. I will admit, at times, I am one of those people.

My most recent experience with an aerator is with a Food Network branded product, but you can find the same exact item at stores like Williams Sonoma. What I loved most about it was you could pour an entire glass of wine into the aerator that is resting on the top of your glass , rather than slowly pouring it into a smaller aerator that you have to hold in one hand. It was also easy to clean and comes with a stand so you won’t have to worry about dripping wine every where. Does it work just as well as the classic wine decanter? I think it gets the job done, quickly. But there is something about letting wine breathe the natural way.

So, my question to you… How is everyone prepping their bottle of wine before taking the plunge into their first glass? More importantly, what’s your go-to bottle of wine?

I came across this pin/infographic on Pinterest and I couldn’t help but post it to my favorite board titled Lists To Love. The chart shows you all of the different types of wine. At first, I thought it was pretty neat — and after trying to find “Malbec” on the list, I felt like I was looking at something I once tried to decipher in High School chemistry class. There are so many types of wine I just couldn’t keep track.

So, I looked for something else, something a bit less… overwhelming. I came across this neat pin/infographic that charts out the best types of cheese to eat with specific types of wine. I feel like this was made for me!