Never pay more than £6 for a bottle of vino again? FEMAIL tests out £49.95 Winewizard gadget which claims to transform cheap reds, whites and roses into fine vintages

• FEMAIL carried out a blind taste test to see if the Winewizard actually works
• READ MORE: How to make your cheap wine taste vintage – and avoid a headache 

Not all wine lovers have the budget to splurge on expensive, vintage ones. But what if there was a way around that? 

Enter the Winewizard – an aeration device invented by Colchester-based Michael Pritchard MBE, which says it can make your cheap wine a bit more fancy.

Winewizard claims to be the first device to replicate and accelerate the effect of traditionally bottle-ageing a wine – something which usually takes place over years or even decades in a cellar.

It costs just £49.95 and can treat as many as 80 bottles before needing refilled – but does it work? FEMAIL tested it to find out…

Winewizard costs just £49.95 and can treat as many as 80 bottles before needing refilled – but does it work? FEMAIL tested it to find out

HOW IT CLAIMS TO WORK 

The device claims to work by using technology developed by Pritchard called ‘smart nano-oxygenation’.

This increases the surface area of the wine by 10,000 times and infuses micro-quantities of oxygen into it. 

The oxygen then reacts with the wine and replicates the ageing process – which improves the taste, aroma and perceived quality of the wine. 

At the same time, it neutralises sulphite additives that can cause headaches.

Pritchard spent two years developing the the device, before taking it on the road to try out on the palates of experts – receiving ‘universally positive’ reviews. 

These experts included Masters of Wine, the highest qualification there is for viniculture expertise, and sommeliers from some of the world’s top Michelin-starred restaurants. 

SO, HOW DID WE GET ON?  FEMAIL TAKES THE TEST

I used a £6.50 bottle of Malbec and to best figure out whether the Winewizard really transformed the beverage or not, I carried out a blind taste test – using the device on one glass of wine and leaving a second untreated. 

The device is made up of an aeration device and a tube with a micro-diffuser attached – which is said to inject oxygen into the wine and speed up the ageing process.

I set up with two wine glasses, my cheap Malbec and my Winewizard, and began by pouring a roughly 175ml glass of red. 

To best figure out whether the Winewizard really transformed the beverage or not, I carried out a blind taste test – using the device on one glass of wine and leaving a second untreated 

Setting that first glass to one side, I poured another and got my Winewizard ready to go – by inserting the tube into the top of the aerator. 

To use the device, I placed the end of the tube [the micro-diffuser] into the glass until it touched the bottom – before pressing on the trigger on the aerator. 

The length of time you have to hold down the trigger depends on the type of wine you are drinking. For a 175ml glass of red wine it is one to two seconds, whereas it is just one second for white and rose.  

As soon as I pressed down, bubbles started to form and the instructions say you are looking for them to be around 1cm high – so you can’t press too hard.

After the bubbles had settled, it was time to taste and I turned my back while a colleague mixed up the glasses. 

THE VERDICT: DID IT WORK? 

Winewizard claims to be the first device to replicate and accelerate the effect of traditionally bottle-ageing a wine – something which usually takes place over years or even decades in a cellar

My instant reaction on drinking the first glass was ‘this tastes cheap’, not bad, but it had that distinct tackiness cheap wines do – where you’re suddenly gasping for a glass water.

Onto the second glass, I quickly noticed it smelled much less pungent.

And on tasting it, I knew straight away that it was the one that the Winewizard had been used on. I was soon told I had guessed correctly.

The second glass of wine was much more smooth and most of the vinegar-taste of the first glass had disappeared. 

How to use the Winewizard 

Before first use: Wash the micro-diffuser under cool running water for 60 seconds. 

While one colleague preferred the first glass, another could also tell straight away which the Winewizard had been used on – and agreed the change was impressive. 

I am no wine expert, but what I can say is that the aerated wine tasted so much better. This is totally worth it.

Instead of shelling out for expensive wine, or buying cheap and just braving the vinegar taste, you can now transform 80 bottles of affordable wine for just £50 upfront. 

This means that each glass of wine costs just 12p to treat. 

And it’s not just the taste the device claims to help with, as it apparently also removes the nasty additives that contribute to your morning-after headache – so you could possibly enjoy it without the threat of a hangover. 

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