Review: A device the size of an orange removes headache-triggering sulfites from wine.
I drink my fair share of vino. Virtually all of it comes from what I’d guess you’d call traditional vineyards. I do know someone, though, who drinks only organic wine because the sulfites in typical wine give her a headache before she’s even done with her first glass. The organic variety has no added sulfites, but it contains naturally occurring sulfites from fermentation. So while it’s technically not zero-sulfite, it’s much-lower sulfite. But it also costs extra and the selection is much more limited. Organic wine is also known to turn cloudy or an unappealing color. Still, she feels it’s worth it to keep headaches from spoiling her evening.
So I was intrigued by the Open by Üllo wine purifier and aerator, which removes sulfites from wine. The company conveys that in more flowery terms: “experience wine open and free” and explains that their patented selective sulfite filtration “reveals fresh from the vineyard taste” that is “free from unnecessary complication.”
The last thing my friends and I want is complicated wine. Our lives are complicated enough. So, I check it out.
The test
Winemakers add sulfites to wine to preserve it and keep bacteria at bay, obviously not a frivolous function. But some people have a sulfite sensitivity. Many others are not bothered by them, myself included. But I can still be a good judge of whether taking the sulfites out changes the wine in other ways, and of how easy the Üllo purifier is to use.
In the box along with the Open itself are a lid that doubles as a base to catch stray drips, a travel pouch, and three full-bottle filters, made in the U.S. from food-grade polymer that essentially act as a magnet to pull out the sulfites contained in a typical 750 ml bottle of wine.
Each bottle you pour into the Open purifier soaks slowly through a filter and passes through the aeration chamber (more on that later) before landing in the glasses of you and your friends. I gave it a try with a $12 bottle of merlot. I set the purifier – it’s made of BPA-free, soft silicone for a snug fit – in an ordinary wine glass, and starting pouring.
I had a second bottle of the same merlot (don’t judge, Sideways fans), so a friend and I were able to easily compare and contrast the Open-cleansed wine.
What I liked
Neither one of us noticed anything off in the taste or nose in the “purified” wine. On the contrary, it was smoother and slightly less bitter. The Open purifier seemed to take at least some of the tang, or bite, out.
So as to the second function of the Open purifier … you’ve heard of letting wine breathe. Exposing the wine to the air before drinking oxidizes the tannins, which softens their mild bitterness. Red wines are really the ones that benefit from breathing, since whites and rosés have far fewer tannins. I’m no sommelier, but so far as I know, about the only whites that need aeration are the truly full-bodied ones from France and maybe some chardonnays.
Contrary to popular belief, uncorking a bottle and letting it sit on the counter for half an hour does next to nothing. If you really want to let a wine breathe, you have to slowly pour it all out into a decanter, and then let it sit for 30 – 60 minutes.
But aeration for that smoother finish is another function of the Open purifier. You can set it on whichever level you want depending on what kind of wine it is. The Open purifier does both jobs, de-sulfite-ing and aerating, at once as you pour.
What I didn’t like
Reminiscent of a Keurig, buying the machine itself is just the start. The Open only comes with three full bottle filters. The filters are what makes it work. So you’re going to be buying filters for as long as you want to keep using the purifier. And those aren’t exactly cheap. A box of 25 full bottle replacement filters runs $60 at amazon, adding $2.40 to the cost of each bottle. A box of 12 single glass replacement filters sets you back $25 at amazon, adding a painful $2.08 to the cost of each glass of wine.
Good-to-know details
All the pieces of the Open purifier come apart and are top-rack dishwasher safe, or you can just rinse them with water.
Do not put sparkling wine in the Open. It won’t end well, trust me.
At first I thought a travel pouch was an odd accessory, but then I realized it’s not necessarily for a vacation. Its portability is a real boon when you are headed to your monthly wine night at a friend’s home, and you don’t want to have to worry about the offerings possibly giving you a headache.
My final analysis
For those sensitive enough to sulfites that it’s hard to enjoy a glass of wine, the Open purifier can be a truly useful tool worth the cost. It can also be a great gift for a wine or gadget aficionado, especially if they go through a bottle of wine at a time at home, which would put the filters at a price that’s as easy to swallow as the shiraz.