I often wonder when should I decant wine and when is straight from the bottle fine. I have heard and read many suggestions and opinions on this matter from "I decant every everything, my wine, my wife, my friends" by a sommelier at the Bearfoot Bistro in Whistler, Canada (great service, food and wine!) all the way to "Decant wine only if it is of a vintage 7 - 10 years or greater" from several books and wine shop owners.
So what is the rule of thumb? Really when should we decant the wine we drink? Does red vs. white matter? Do different varietals of Red require more frequent/sooner decanting compared to others (Zinfandel - yes; Pinot - no)? I decided to do some more research and think of my own experiences with decanted vs. un-decanted wine and here is what I found.
What does decanting do?
Decanting the wine does two things, one it allows you to pour the contents of the bottle at a controlled rate into a secondary vessel thus acting as sort of a filtering process for sediment that may be present in a older vintage or new unfiltered wine; two it allows for greater aeration and exposure to the air bringing out fuller flavor in the wine. Think of the latter as a pre-swirling in a large glass, later in-glass swirling should enhance the fullness through aeration even more. More air and less sediment in my wine both sound good to me.
So what is my take?
I think if you have the time and are opening a decent bottle of wine (for me anything upwards of $20-$25 or more discount), you should error on the side of decanting. For some it may seem unnecessary or ostentatious when in fact in can be fun, good for the wine and keep pesky wine droppings out of your glass. Sometimes decanting is not possible like at a picnic, barbecue or a casual party. In that case if the wine is deemed suitable for decanting, you might want to just slow down on the pour and not take the last ounce or two from the bottle for your glass.
Decanting Instructions:
- Always start with a clean wine decanter and glassware.
- Remove the foil completely from the neck of the wine bottle so you can view as you pour into the decanter.
- Tilt the decanter to meet the angle of the bottle so you can pour slowly into the decanter.
- Check for sediment leaving the bottle and entering the decanter and slow the pour if observed (some sediment is unavoidable and will be left behind in the decanter during a pour into the wine glass).
- Once the wine is decanted, you can slowly pour a glass of wine that has had a few important moments exposed to air.
- mmmm love that decanted wine.
