Aerating glass

Abstract

The present disclosure is directed to a glass wine drinking vessel. The vessel comprises a bowl for holding wine, and a flow disrupting formation extending inwardly from a wall of the bowl, wherein the flow disrupting formation is configured to disrupt flow of the wine, when the wine is swirled within the bowl. The flow disrupting formation may be asymmetrical, such that swirling the wine in a clockwise direction results in a different level of disruption compared to swirling in an anti-clockwise direction.

Description

AERATING GLASSTECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The invention is broadly directed to a wine drinking vessel. In embodiments, it relates to a wine glass. In more particular embodiments, it relates to a stemmed wine glass.BACKGROUND

[0002] Many wines benefit from "breathing" before drinking. This applies to most red wines, particularly medium and full-bodied reds, and also some white wines. Allowing a wine to breathe means exposing it to the air, resulting in oxidisation of some compounds in the wine (reacting with oxygen in the air), and evaporation of some compounds as well. Allowing a wine to breathe can have a number of beneficial effects, including softening tannins, reducing sulphites, and bringing out flavour notes in the wine, all of which can improve its taste.

[0003] Generally, the neck of a wine bottle is too narrow to allow a wine to breathe well. Accordingly, one option is to simply pour the wine into a wide wine glass, which provides a greater surface area for aeration. However, in many instances, aerating in this way takes too long or is not sufficiently effective.

[0004] Accordingly, decanters are often used to better aerate a wine. A decanter is typically formed with a small inlet leading to a wide base. The wine is poured into the decanter, and the action of pouring itself causes the wine to bubble slightly and be exposed to oxygen. When in the decanter, the width of the decanting chamber allows a large surface area of the wine to be exposed to the air. The exact length of decanting time can be varied depending on the wine - from half an hour or even less for some wines, up to four hours or even longer for other wines.

[0005] However, using a decanter relies on the person knowing in advance what wine they plan to drink, having it to hand, and pouring it into the decanter at the correct time, so that the wine is ready to drink when desired. In some situations, this is not possible - for instance, on spontaneous occasions, or if a guest is bringing a wine that benefits from significant aeration.

[0006] Accordingly, wine aeration devices have been developed to more quickly aerate a wine. These include handheld devices, that are held above a glass while a wine ispoured through it, and also pourer devices that can be inserted into the top of the wine bottle. There are a variety of designs for aeration devices, but in general they tend to include aerating chambers where the wine is forced to bubble slightly and is exposed to oxygen, on its way from the wine bottle to the glass.

[0007] However, different wines respond differently when aerated, and may benefit from different degrees of aeration. Aerating devices tend to apply a one-size- fits-al I approach. Furthermore, different people may have different tastes, and even when drinking the same wine, some wine drinkers may prefer the way it tastes after different levels of aeration. Existing aeration devices struggle to account for differences between wines, and particularly struggle to account for individual tastes of wine drinkers.

[0008] The present invention was conceived with these challenges in mind.

[0009] Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Although any methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can also be used in the practice or testing of the present invention, a limited number of the exemplary methods and materials are described herein.SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0010] In a first aspect, the present invention provides a wine drinking vessel, comprising: a bowl for holding wine; and a flow disrupting formation extending inwardly from a wall of the bowl, wherein the flow disrupting formation is configured to disrupt flow of the wine, when the wine is swirled within the bowl.

[0011] By disrupting the flow of the wine, the flow disrupting formation creates turbulence, which can increase the mixing and agitation of the wine. This promotes dissolving or mixing of air into the wine.

[0012] By enabling a wine drinker to aerate the wine by swirling their own glass, the present invention enables the wine drinker to choose a level of aeration to suit the wine and their individual preferences. Compared to a conventional glass, the presentinvention allows the drinker to more efficiently aerate their wine, when swirling it.

[0013] The flow disrupting formation may be asymmetrical, such that swirling the wine in a clockwise direction results in a different level of disruption compared to swirling in an anti-clockwise direction. In this way, wine drinkers have more control over the level of aeration - if they feel significantly more aeration is required, they can swirl in the direction creating the higher level of disruption, whereas they can swirl in the other direction if they would like more gradual or subtle aeration.

[0014] In different embodiments, the flow disrupting formation may extend from different parts of the bowl. In some embodiments, it may extend upwardly from a bottom wall of the bowl.

[0015] In a preferred embodiment, the flow disrupting formation may comprise a hub extending upwardly from a central portion of the bottom wall of the bowl, and one or more fins extending substantially radially outward from the hub. The flow disrupting formation may comprise a plurality of fins. The fins may curve as they extend radially, to increase the resistance in one direction or another when the wine is swirled, helping create an asymmetrical aerating effect. Side walls of the fins may also be curved, for example to be concave or convex. Having concave side walls may increase the disruption caused by the fins, whereas convex side walls may reduce the turbulence created when the wine is forced over the convex side of the fin. The fins preferably all curve in the same direction. Concave side walls may be provided on the inside of the curve, with convex sides on the outside of the curve, to accentuate the asymmetrical effect when swirling in opposite directions.

[0016] The bowl may have a variety of shapes, but in embodiments may comprise a bottom wall and side wall(s), with a rim at the top of the side wall(s). In preferred embodiments, the bottom and side wall(s) may be curved, such that the bottom wall flows into the side wall(s) without the need for a clear demarcation between them. The bowl may have a substantially circular shape when viewed in a horizontal plane. The side wall(s) may bulge outwardly to define a belly of the bowl, and in use, wine can be poured to approximately the belly to provide a greater surface area for aeration of the wine. However, different shapes are possible within the scope of the present invention.

[0017] The drinking vessel may comprise a stem supporting the bowl, with a foot at the bottom of the stem. A stemmed wine glass generally provides better temperatureisolation of the wine.

[0018] In an embodiment, the top of the stem may extend upwardly above the bottom wall of the bowl, and may define the centre of the hub of the flow disrupting formation. The hub may be sloped on its sides, to provide a smoother, more gentle entry of the wine as it is poured into the glass. The bottom wall of the bowl may also be concavely curved. By having the hub curve into the bottom wall of the bowl, this promotes a delicate pour of the wine.

[0019] The drinking vessel is preferably formed of glass, although different materials could also be used in some embodiments. For example, the drinking vessel could be formed of plastic, metal or ceramic. However, it is usually preferred to drink wine from a glass vessel, particularly if the wine drinker is looking to fully appreciate the wine drinking experience.

[0020] In another aspect of the invention, there is provided a wine drinking vessel, comprising: a bowl for holding wine; and a sloped landing formation extending upwardly from a centre of a bottom wall of the bowl.

[0021] The sloped landing formation preferably comprises a central hub with downwardly sloped sides, to lessen or cushion the impact when a wine is poured into the bowl. The sloped landing formation may comprise the hub as described above.

[0022] A height of the hub or landing formation may be selected to correspond to a standard measure, to indicate when a standard measure of wine is poured into the bowl.

[0023] In another aspect of the invention, the use of a flow disrupting formation may be applied more general to vessels for holding wine. Accordingly, in another aspect, there is provided a wine holding vessel, comprising: a chamber for holding wine; and a flow disrupting formation extending inwardly from a wall of the chamber,wherein the flow disrupting formation is configured to disrupt flow of the wine, when the wine is swirled within the chamber.

[0024] Other features of the formation may be as described above, in relation to the first aspect of the invention. The wine holding vessel may, for example, be a decanter, enabling a wine to be decanted more quickly and efficiently than in existing decanters.

[0025] Various features, aspects, and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the following description of embodiments of the invention, along with the accompanying drawings in which like numerals represent like components. It will be understood that features used in accordance with one aspect of the invention may be utilised with other aspects of the invention.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] Embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of example, and not by way of limitation, with reference to the accompanying drawings, which are briefly described below.

[0027] Figure 1 is a top perspective view of a wine drinking vessel according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0028] Figure 2 is a side view of the wine drinking vessel of Figure 1 .

[0029] Figure 3 is a vertical cross section of the wine drinking vessel of Figure 1.

[0030] Figure 4 is at top view of the wine drinking vessel of Figure 1 .

[0031] Embodiments will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which various embodiments, although not the only possible embodiments, of the invention are shown. The invention may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments described below.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] With reference to Figure 1 , there is illustrated a drinking vessel in the form of a wine glass 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The wine glass 100 includes a bowl 110, supported by a stem 130 and a foot 140. The bowl 110 issubstantially circular in the horizontal plane, and generally comprises a bottom wall 112 and a side wall 114. The demarcation between bottom and side walls need not be precise, as it will be appreciated that the bowl 110 is integrally formed of glass, which curves to transition from a substantially horizontal bottom wall 112 up to a generally vertical (although curved) side wall 114 defining the sides of the glass 100. The side wall 114 bulges out to define a belly 116 of the glass 100, and rises up to a rim 118 from where a drinker can sip the wine. The upper portion of the glass 100, above the belly 116, may be partly or predominantly concave, to better capture the aromas of the wine.

[0033] Of particular note, the wine glass 100 of the present invention comprises a flow disrupting formation 150, 160 extending upwardly from the bottom of wall 112. In this embodiment, where the vessel 100 is formed of glass, the flow disrupting formation is formed integrally with the bottom wall 112 of the bowl 110.

[0034] The flow disrupting formation includes a central hub 150, with fins 160 extending substantially radially outward from the hub 150. The fins 160, in particular, create turbulence when wine is swirled within the bowl, to increase the mixing and agitation of the wine. This promotes dissolving or mixing of air into the wine, and the often-beneficial effects of aeration.

[0035] As best seen in Figure 3, the hub 150 is formed around the top portion 132 of the stem 130, which extends up above the bottom wall 112 of the bowl 110. In some embodiments, the hub 150 may be less pronounced.

[0036] As best seen in Figure 4, the fins 160 curve as they extend substantially radially outward from the hub 150. All of the fins 160 curve in the same direction - clockwise when viewed from the top. This creates an asymmetrical effect - when swirling the wine in different directions, different levels of turbulence will be created. In this case, swirling clockwise with the curve of the fins 160 will result in lower turbulence and therefore lower aeration of the wine, whereas swirling anti-clockwise will result in higher turbulence and therefore a higher degree of aeration of the wine. In some embodiments, side walls of the fins 160 could be concave or convex to accentuate this asymmetrical effect.

[0037] It can also be seen, in Figures 1 to 3, that the height of the fins 160 decreases as they extend outwardly from the hub 150.

[0038] The wine glass 100 provides a wine drinker with control over the particular level of aeration they desire. They can aerate their wine more quickly than swirling in a conventional wine glass, due to the turbulence created by the flow disrupting formation. In addition, they can obtain faster aeration by swirling in an anti-clockwise direction, or more gradual aeration by swirling in a clockwise direction. This allows them to more choose the particular level of aeration they desire, which may be different to other drinkers of the same wine.

[0039] The height of a part of the flow disrupting formation may be selected to correspond to a desired volume of wine. For example, the height of the hub 150 may be selected to correspond to a standard measure (e.g. a standard drink), such that when a standard measure of wine is poured into the bowl 110, it will align with the top of the hub 150. The person pouring the wine can know to stop pouring when the hub 150 is just covered.

[0040] In other embodiments, different parts of the flow disrupting formation may be set to correspond to a standard measure (such as the height of the fins).

[0041] The vessel 100 may be manufactured using known manufacturing techniques. For example, where the vessel is formed of glass, it may be mould-blown glass. For the embodiment 100 depicted in the figures, a collapsible mould may be used to define the shape of the flow disrupting formation and create the undercut in the bottom of the glass 100. However, the vessel may be machined in other embodiments, and different manufacturing techniques may be used dependent on the material of the vessel.

[0042] It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that numerous variations and modifications may be made to the above-described embodiments, without departing from the scope of the following claims. The present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative of the scope of protection, and not restrictively.

[0043] By way of example, in some embodiments, the bowl 110 could be square in when viewed in the horizontal plane, with four substantially vertical walls. Many other shapes are possible within the scope of the present invention.

[0044] In another example, the flow disrupting formation may extend inwardly from side wall(s) 114 of the bowl 110, rather than upwardly from the bottom wall 112 as depicted in the figures. In such an embodiment, substantially vertical fins could be provided onthe side wall(s). The substantially vertical fins could extend (for instance) downwardly from approximately the belly 116 of the bowl 110, so that any wine that is filled to the belly 116 could be aerated by the vertical fins, when swirling the glass. The vertical fins could also be curved as they extend in the vertical direction, to provide an asymmetrical formation such that swirling in one direction produces a different amount of aeration to swirling in the other direction. Equally, the side walls of the vertical fins could be respectively concave or convex to accentuate this effect.

[0045] Furthermore, the invention may be applied to different types of drinking vessels, including both stemmed and stemless wine glasses. In some variations, the invention may be applied more generally to other wine holding vessels, in particular decanters, wherein a flow disrupting formation (in accordance with the variations illustrated and described above) may be provided within the chamber of a decanter. It will be understood that, whilst this will allow efficient aeration of a larger volume of wine, it will provide less personal control to the wine drinker (compared to the wine drinking vessel illustrated in the drawings).

[0046] Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Although any methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can also be used in the practice or testing of the present invention, a limited number of the exemplary methods and materials are described herein.

[0047] As used herein and in the appended claims, the singular form of a word includes the plural, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, the references "a," "an" and "the" are generally inclusive of the plurals of the respective terms. For example, reference to "a feature" includes a plurality of such "features." The term "and / or" used in the context of "X and / or Y" should be interpreted as "X," or "Y," or "X and Y.

[0048] It is to be understood that, if any prior art publication is referred to herein, such reference does not constitute an admission that the publication forms a part of the common general knowledge in the art, in Australia or any other country.

[0049] In the claims which follow and in the preceding description of the invention, except where the context requires otherwise due to express language or necessary implication, the word “comprise” or variations such as “comprises” or “comprising” isused in an inclusive sense, i.e. to specify the presence of the stated features but not to preclude the presence or addition of further features in various embodiments of the invention.LEGEND

Claims

CLAIMS1. A wine drinking vessel, comprising: a bowl for holding wine; and a flow disrupting formation extending inwardly from a wall of the bowl, wherein the flow disrupting formation is configured to disrupt flow of the wine, when the wine is swirled within the bowl.

2. The wine drinking vessel of claim 1 , wherein the flow disrupting formation is asymmetrical, such that swirling the wine in a clockwise direction results in a different level of disruption compared to swirling in an anti-clockwise direction.

3. The wine drinking vessel of claim 1 or 2, wherein the flow disrupting formation extends upwardly from a bottom wall of the bowl.

4. The wine drinking vessel of claim 3, wherein the flow disrupting formation comprises a hub extending upwardly from a central portion of the bottom wall, and one or more fins extending substantially radially outward from the hub.

5. The wine drinking vessel of claim 4, wherein there are a plurality of fins.

6. The wine drinking vessel of claim 5, wherein the fins are evenly spaced around the hub.

7. The wine drinking vessel of any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein the fins are connected to the bottom wall of the bowl.

8. The wine drinking vessel of any one of claims 4 to 7, wherein the fins curve as they extend substantially radially.

9. The wine drinking vessel of any one of claims 4 to 8, wherein at least one of the fins has a curved side wall.

10. The wine drinking vessel of claim 9, wherein the curved side wall is concave.

11. The wine drinking vessel of claim 9, wherein the curved side wall is convex.

12. The wine drinking vessel of claim 9, wherein each fin comprises a convex side wall on a first side of the fin, and a concave side wall on an opposing side of the fin.

13. The wine drinking vessel of any preceding claim, wherein the bowl has a substantially circular shape when viewed in a horizontal plane.

14. The wine drinking vessel of any preceding claim, wherein side wall(s) of the bowl bulge outwardly to define a belly of the bowl, and then narrow towards a rim of the bowl.

15. The wine drinking vessel of any preceding claim, further comprising a stem supporting the bowl, with a foot at the bottom of the stem.

16. The wine drinking vessel of any preceding claim, wherein a top of the stem extends upwardly above the bottom wall of the bowl.

17. The wine drinking vessel of claim 16 when dependent on claim 4, wherein the top of the step defines a centre of the hub of the flow disrupting formation.

18. The wine drinking vessel of any preceding claim, formed of glass.

19. The wine drinking vessel of any preceding claim, wherein the flow disrupting formation is integrally formed with the bowl.

20. A wine holding vessel, comprising: a chamber for holding wine; and a flow disrupting formation extending inwardly from a wall of the chamber, wherein the flow disrupting formation is configured to disrupt flow of the wine, when the wine is swirled within the chamber.

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