Does Frothing Your Wine Actually Make It Taste Better? We Asked an Expert to Weigh in on the Viral TikTok Hack
There seems to always be some kind of new viral kitchen trend, but the latest one has given us some pause. We are seeing people all over the internet using handheld milk frothers to froth their drinks — except instead of frothing milk for a latte, they’re frothing wine. That’s certainly a technique we don’t see every day (until now, of course).
Many are claiming that frothing helps to aerate the wine in their glass and “opens it up,” elevating the entire drinking experience. But is there any truth to that claim? Should wine drinkers be frothing their beverages? Curiosity piqued, we turned to Chef Dustin Valette, owner of the Sonoma-country restaurant The Matheson and Valette, and owner-vintner of Valette Wines.
Experts Say Avoid Frothing, Try This Instead
Valette was not nearly as surprised to see this uncommon approach to wine-drinking circulating across Instagram and TikTok.
“When you froth the wine you are getting it thoroughly aerated and a little bit foamy,” says Valette. “The added oxygen decreases the tannins and supple flavors to wine.”
To put it simply, frothing your wine entirely changes the way you experience its unique taste. While some wine aficionados, like Valette, prefer to decant their wine, frothing is also effective.
“As wine ages it absorbs small amounts of oxygen through the cork, when you decant your wine this accelerates the ‘breathing’ technique and increases the phenols in the wine,” Valette explains. “The frother is taking that to the extreme!”
In fact, Valette recommends that wine-drinkers play around with decanting or oxygenating their wine. The fun for wine enthusiasts often lies in the comparison between the wine straight out of the bottle and the decanted wine.
“It’s always great to let your wine decant and ‘breathe’ prior to drinking it — the difference is amazing! I love to pour a glass of wine, take a sip, then decant the rest, and do the two side by side; the difference is astonishing.”
Valette’s advice to those who choose to try this viral wine-frothing method at home? “Be sure to clean your frother thoroughly afterward!”