Liquid Jazz Patented Decanter by Michael Fors
- Feb 7
- 2 min read
Michael A. Fors didn’t set out to build a business. He set out to solve a very specific problem at his own table. For more than two decades, Michael has hosted “wine night,” a Thursday ritual that has ranged from two friends sharing a bottle by the fire to fifty guests filling his yard with music, food, and conversation. Those nights were built on connection and ceremony—the kind of easy tradition that makes time slow down. But there was always one practical snag: red wine can taste harsh when first opened, and the classic solution—waiting for a decanter to work its magic—doesn’t fit real life when the door keeps opening and more friends keep arriving.
The turning point arrived not in a lab, but along the Gloucester shoreline. Sitting near the ocean, Michael watched waves roll over rocks, breaking open the air with salt and seaweed aromas. He imagined wine moving the same way—flowing over contours that could open it naturally, quickly, and without stripping away the sense of ritual. That moment became the spark for Liquid Jazz®, a patented decanter designed to bring out a bottle’s best character in just four minutes.
Michael’s first prototype was built with the help of a local metalworker, and it proved the concept immediately: the wine softened fast—without the long wait that so often turns “let’s open a bottle” into “let’s open a bottle later.” What began as a sketch inspired by ocean waves became a tangible tool, one that blends engineering with hospitality. Liquid Jazz isn’t about “hacking” wine or replacing tradition—it’s about honoring it in a way that works in modern homes and busy restaurants.
Today, Michael speaks less as an inventor and more as a host who understands that wine has always been about more than what’s in the glass. A bottle carries stories: the rhythm of a family dinner, the shared laughter of old friends, the small rituals that make gatherings feel like gatherings. Michael’s work lives at that intersection of design and human connection—showing how thoughtful innovation can preserve ceremony rather than erase it.
In restaurants, Liquid Jazz helps sommeliers and service teams navigate a familiar tension: guests want the theatre of wine and the best expression of a bottle, but they don’t want to wait. By rethinking how wine is aerated and presented, Michael’s approach helps overlooked bottles become memorable features, while keeping the experience smooth and inviting for the guest. At home, the decanter sits on the bar like an art piece—ready to turn an ordinary evening into something worth lingering over.
As a podcast guest and featured speaker, Michael shares the real journey behind the patent: the persistence, testing, and timing it takes to turn a homemade prototype into a refined product. But the heart of his story remains simple and relatable—an everyday frustration transformed into an invention that deepens tradition, keeps people at the table, and helps everyone “enjoy every note” of the Liquid Jazz experience.
