Exposing wine to air does two things: it triggers oxidation and evaporation. Oxidation is what makes an apple turn brown after its skin is broken, and evaporation is the process of liquid turning into vapor. Wine is made up of hundreds of compounds, and with aeration, usually, the volatile undesirable compounds will evaporate faster than the desirable, aromatic, and flavorful ones. There are a few particular compounds that are reduced with aeration, such as sulfites, which are added to wine to prevent oxidation and microbial activity but can smell like burnt matchsticks, and sulfides, which are naturally occurring but can remind you of rotten eggs or onion skins. Ethanol is also a highly volatile compound, and a wine that smells too much like rubbing alcohol when you first open it might lose the ethanol note and become more expressive with some aeration.  

 

You mention funnels as a way to aerate wine, but just opening a bottle and pouring a glass will also provide aeration, as will swirling your glass of wine. For more extreme aeration, decanting a wine works well too. After a while, aerated wines begin to oxidize, and the flavors and aromas will flatten out. The more dense and concentrated a wine is, the more it will benefit from aeration and the longer it can go before beginning to fade. On the other hand, you probably don't want to aerate delicate older wines for long, as you can miss out on their unique aromas, but they're often decanted to remove sediment.  

 

The Wine Aerator By Fete Home is definitely a great accessory for any wine drinker to have for sure! Unlike most aerators that one have 1 function, this one has 7 adjustable levels With a 3 stage aeration process for both red and white wines. This allows for immediately enhanced flavor. Also, because of how this is designed, there`s no need for external tubes either like some products require. While this all sounds complex, the device is actually super easy to use. Place it on top your glass you`re going to enjoy your wine in and pour your wine into the aerator. That`s it! I found that this works great and when all is done it`s easy to clean too! Well worth having!