Based in Napa Valley - home to the World-class vinewards of America - Soireehome pride themselves on innovating tradtitions with their collection of wine related gadgets and accessories. And when it comes to preparing, enhancing, serving and of course enjoying a good glass of red, these guys really know what they are talking about. Here we meet Drew Lazorchak (founder of Soireehome) to find out how we can all make the most of our Nation's favourite tipple.



Welcome to the Forma blog Drew! The classic soirée aerator was the first product you designed, how did you start in the business of wine & barware design? I imagine living in Napa Valley must have been an inspiration?

To be honest, I just fell into the wine accessory business and it was all due to our first, and one of our best products - Soirée. I lived in New York and was an architect when we started the idea for Soirée, but as you can imagine, Soirée changed a lot of things in my life. Everything stemmed from the combination of great family, friends, designing a Wine Bar, and a few spirited cocktail napkin sketches. One night while at the wine bar, we took an extra curious look at some wine gadgets and we looked at each other and said, “Wouldn’t it be fun to design our own?”
 
Ten years later, we were right! Calling Napa Valley home for the past 7 years has had a major influence on all aspects of our business, but definitely given me a great education on wine, gourmet standards, and fine design.



We often get asked why you need to aerate wine in the first place – should it not just be ready to drink if a decent wine?

Great question! The simple answer is that wine is delicate, and with aeration the flavor profiles will show their best. Furthermore, there was a survey done and approximately 70% of people admit to never using or even owning a wine decanter. This is why our Soirée aerator is so great, it saves you time, money and space of a traditional decanter - simply pop in the bottle and you're good to go. Contrary to popular belief, everyday value wines (think supermarket) will benefit the most from aeration. I also like to ask people to consider how quick a bottle of wine goes at a dinner party, a single bottle may be served in 30 minutes, meaning it is gone before it can open up naturally.
 
And as a general rule, all wines need oxygen in order to release their embedded flavors and aromas. Soirée does this easily, gently and naturally.  

You should aerate your wines too:
- Help integrate the flavours
- Release the aromatics
- Expand the structure and temper excessive tannin
- Blow-off some of the heat that higher-alcohol wines have (alcohol can mask the flavour embedded in the wine)

Wine accessories in general is one of our best-selling sectors. Why do you think the trend in ‘taking care’ of our wines doesn’t seem to be slowing down any time soon?

People like drinking :-), and wine has always been a traditional gift item, so wine accessories and barware should be popular for a while.



There are so many wine gadgets out there, where should people start when it comes to making the most of your wines at home?

I recommend 3 things be considered before enjoying any beverage. Temperature, Aeration and Glasses are the 3 most critical factors to enjoying wine properly. So naturally I’d have to recommend our Soirée, Tempour, & Dimple glasses!

Does filtering and aerating your wine really make a big difference in enhancing the drink? The Tempour from your collection offers an all-in-one solution doesn’t it?

Yes the tempour does it all. Stopper, pourer, aerator, filter, & chiller - Tempour is definitely one of my proudest designs. Die-cast stainless steel assures great looks & quality, which easily distinguishes it from plastic competitors. The chiller will keep any bottle at temperature or chilled for up to a half hour, the stopper keeps wine fresh, a filter is included for any wine sediment, and an aeration hole helps smooth the wine and airflow.



What is your favourite product from the Soireehome collection that you just cannot live without?

Soirée is definitely a special one for me, but for versatility and performance, I love tilt, our stainless steel chilling spheres. They work really well and I use them in so many things. Of course they are great for cocktails, wine and beverages, but tilt can also be used for packed lunches, salads, or even on a bruise. Tilt has a cult following and is not our best-seller, but definitely a unique & diverse product that I love, because it is so unassuming.



How do you see the World of wine aeration and barware evolving... what’s the next big thing for you to explore, or can’t you reveal just yet?!

Wine & barware will keep expanding with an emphasis on lower-cost gadgets and kitsch items, yet I also envisage the “craft beverage” audience entertaining higher-end systems for beer and wine. For Soireehome, we are planning to introduce a few new and unique essentials for the bar, and perhaps a few “fun” accessories too! 

If you could invent anything in the World what would it be?

Solar Powered World Peace Generator & Atmosphere Cleaner.

As an expert in wines, what would you recommend for a novice?

I always recommend trying new wines, by exploring a wide range of Countries and grapes. Take pictures of the wine labels that you enjoyed and get to know a wine shopkeeper well; in turn they can help you understand what wines you like. And finally make sure you buy a nice bottle every so often, that is how to best grow your palate.