Some wines simply need a little air to show you what they’re capable of. Aeration encourages a wine to open up, helping soften harsher edges while allowing its aromas, flavors, and subtleties to become more expressive.
Il Piccolo Sommelier is designed to enhance this interaction with oxygen as you pour, making it especially well-suited for bold reds, structured varietals, and complex blends. Here are five wines we love to experience with Il Piccolo Sommelier.
1. Pinotage
South Africa’s signature red grape, Pinotage is known for its deep fruit character, often showing notes of blackberry, plum, dark cherry, spice, and smoke. Depending on the bottle, its tannins and more intense smoky or earthy qualities can be quite pronounced when first opened.
Why aeration helps: Aeration can soften Pinotage’s tannins and allow its dark fruit and spice to become more expressive. With Il Piccolo Sommelier, the wine can feel smoother and more balanced, while aromas that may initially be hidden begin to emerge.
2. Cabernet Sauvignon — Smith & Hook
Cabernet Sauvignon is practically made for aeration. Smith & Hook Cabernet Sauvignon is a rich, full-bodied expression of the varietal, with dark fruit flavors and the structure Cabernet lovers expect.
Why aeration helps: Cabernet Sauvignon’s firm tannins can make a freshly opened bottle feel tight or slightly aggressive. Introducing oxygen helps soften that structure, allowing notes of dark fruit, spice, oak, and other nuances to become easier to distinguish. Il Piccolo Sommelier can help reveal a rounder, more aromatic expression from the very first glass.
3. Sangiovese — Bocelli Wines
Sangiovese is one of Italy’s most celebrated grapes and the foundation of many iconic Tuscan wines. Bocelli Wines offers expressions of Sangiovese that showcase the grape’s characteristic bright cherry fruit, acidity, subtle earthiness, and savory complexity.
Why aeration helps: Sangiovese can initially present with noticeable acidity and tannin. Aeration helps bring the wine into balance, allowing its cherry and red-fruit character to become more prominent while opening up its herbal, earthy, and savory notes. The result can be a smoother, more expressive glass.
4. Bordeaux-Style Red Blend
A Bordeaux-style blend typically brings together varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Malbec. The combination can create remarkably complex wines with layers of dark fruit, herbs, spice, earth, and oak.
Why aeration helps: This complexity is exactly what makes Bordeaux-style blends so rewarding to aerate. Oxygen helps the individual components of the blend begin to unfold, softening tannins and making it easier to experience the layers of aroma and flavor within the wine. With Il Piccolo Sommelier, a wine that initially seems closed can become significantly more expressive.
5. GSM Blend — Grenache, Syrah & Mourvèdre
GSM blends combine Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre to create bold, layered wines. Grenache contributes ripe red fruit, Syrah brings darker fruit and spice, and Mourvèdre adds structure, earthiness, and savory character.
Why aeration helps: With so much happening in one glass, GSM blends can benefit tremendously from oxygen. Aeration helps integrate the different varietal characteristics, soften the wine’s structure, and bring forward its fruit, spice, and aromatic complexity. Each component begins to feel more harmonious rather than competing for attention.
Awaken What’s Already in the Wine
Great wine contains layers that aren't always immediately apparent when the bottle is opened. The right amount of aeration can help reveal those layers—softening tannins, opening aromas, and allowing the wine's character to become more expressive.
Whether you're pouring a powerful Cabernet Sauvignon, an elegant Sangiovese, or a complex red blend, Il Piccolo Sommelier helps awaken the spirit of your wine—one glass at a time.