Wine Aerator as seen on Shark Tank: Vinamor

A great example of how applying a novel design to an existing idea can be profitable.

This is a product example that I saw on the TV show Shark Tank.  It’s the development of service industry professional Gary DeJohn.

It is designed to sit on top of the glass while the wine is being poured.

First, the metal strainer removes any bits of cork or large sediment particles from the bottom of the bottle.

Then the wine runs over the glass ball, bringing it into contact with air.  Aerating the wine evaporates some of the excessive alcohol, brings out the flavour, and opens up the aroma.

Here’s an example of a typical wine aerator you would normally find.

For interest, here’s a discussion of what’s accomplished during wine aeration.

Check out the Vinamor Wine Aerator website

Comments on the Design of the Wine Aerator

Personally I think this design has a lot going for it.  It is simple, trendy, easy to clean, and using it is both obvious and easy.  This fits into most glasses and it is quit obvious how to use it.

In fact, it would be quite difficult to truly mis-use the product – a characteristic that I highly recommend.

Though I like the cleanliness of glass, one problem I see is how fragile the unit appears.  Slender legs made of breakable glass – but tough enough to possible break your wine glass first.

Glass is easy to clean, does not stain, doesn’t hold odours or flavours, and isn’t made of oil or chemicals that could leach into your drink.

But some people may prefer a version of this made out of plastic: it would be lighter, cheaper, more durable, easily transported, and much easier to manufacture.

The possible problems with plastic though are already listed above: possibility of changing the taste and smell, addition of small amounts of harmful chemicals, and red wine could certainly stain the colour.

This would make material selection a very important task if one were to redesign to be manufactured out of plastic.  Perhaps an opaque red or burgundy colour could be a solution.

Hopefully this product example gives you your own idea or design inspiration.  What do you think of the Vinamor Wine Aerator?

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