Decant or Not To Decant... That is the question?

Hello wine lovers!

Who actually owns a decanter nowadays? Anyone who wants the best from their wine should own one. Decanting wines is not just for show, and even in this modern age of industrial, fined and filtered wines, some will still benefit from spending some time in a decanter.

Years ago many wines were bottled with stems and particles from the wine making process but with modern techniques today and with wines filtered, very few particles or "sediment" is in a bottle of wine. However, most wines will benefit from decanting or "aerating" them before drinking.

Wines which have aged in bottles, typically red wines rather than white, will generally throw a sediment by perhaps ten years of age or more. More than any other wines, these are the ones that deserve decanting. Young wines also benefit from decanting, although the aim is not to take the wine off its sediment (there is rarely any such sediment in young wines), but rather to aerate the wine. When the wine comes in contact with the air in the decanter, it alters the wine, softening its youthful bite and encouraging the development of the more complex aromas that normally develop with years in bottle. For this reason even inexpensive wines can benefit from decanting, if a first taste reveals a tannic, gutsy taste.

Simply pour the young wine vigorously into your decanter and let it sit for 20 minutes or so before drinking. This should do the trick.

The older wines (aged in bottles 7 years and up) need to be handled differently. Keep the bottle horizontal (the same way you took it from the shelf in your cellar or cabinet) as not to "upset" the sediment. Open carefully and place a candle on the counter behind the bottle. This is done in order to see through the bottle to allow you to see the cloud of sediment you are separating from the wine. Slowly pour the wine into your decanter while carefully watching for the cloud to remain on the bottom. When you finish, you should have the sediment at the bottom of the bottle with approximately 1 inch of wine remaining. Do this up to an hour before drinking the older wines.

Review: Decant your young reds to aerate them vigorously before drinking.
Decant the old wines to separate the sediment from the wine.

Cheers!

J