Review of Clef du Vin Pocket Wine Tasting Tool (Brushed Steel

I tried this product for the first time the other night on an assortment of good quality, 8-11yr old red wines from various countries. I was very very sceptical, but after a 3s dip the slightly tannic wine I was drinking was astonishingly transformed into a softer, less tannic wine. Others noticed a similar effect, although not everyone felt the change was positive, one dissenter feeling the wine had lost some of its flavor. Being forever the scientist, I then divided some fresh wine into 2 glasses, "aged" one and left the other alone. Consistently, this product did affect the wine. It was not always for the better, however, because some of the bottles we'd opened were already perfectly aged, and had been decanted for over an hour, so for some bottles I felt the effect was detrimental. I also tried leaving the product in the wine for 30s, supposedly aging the 1995 Merlot to 1965. It was ruined, not aged. Wondering why this obvious and repeatable change in the wine occurred, I hypothesized that perhaps the acidity of the wine was causing a reaction with the copper alloy, thus releasing copper and perhaps other unknown-to-me ions. So rather than actually changing the structure of the wine, it was just adding something discernible to it, hence the bad effects after a long dunking. Part of my reasoning for this was the nature of the product's instructions: that a 1s dunk into 100ml equaled 1 year of aging (something like that). I saw this as "surface area of the reactive alloy over a period of time in a certain volume of wine", which seemed to be far too short a period of time and far too small a surface area in such a large volume to actually cause a change in the structure of the wine, but was presumably enough time to add some trace ions. So I tested this hypothesis by scrubbing clean and drying a shiny copper penny, and using that in a similar fashion to the product. The results were promising, the penny having a very similar effect on the wine. So if you'd like to preview this product, I suggest you start with a nice clean penny and see whether you like the effect. It'll save you $99.94, but it won't be as classy.

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Product Description:
Mature young wine instantly. When dipped into wine, the patented metal alloy on the tip replicates the aging process, softening the tannins in young wines and improving their taste. Tested over 10 years by scientists and sommeliers, this compact taste enhancer has received praise throughout Europe, and is endorsed by the Wine Enthusiast Magazine testing panel. Bring it to restaurants, wine shops and tastings! Comes in a gift box. (Pocket Version) Lets you see the future of any wine Determines the ideal length of time to cellar wines Unique patented device, widely acclaimed in Europe and Asia Folds up pocket size with a handy carry chain Goes with you to restaurants, wine shops, wine tastings and traveling. An essential gift for any wine loverLets you manage your wine cellar like you have a crystal ball. Comes in a elegantly wrapped burgundy wooden showcase box.

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