Decanting Wine
There are two reasons to decant a wine. The first is to separate out any sediment that might have formed in the bottle.
What is sediment? In red wines, things like tannins and colour precipitate out of the wine.
In white wines, most sediment occurs in the form of tartrate crystals. These are harmless and often form when the wine is kept too cold for too long.
The second reason to decant a wine is to incorporate air into it to help it open up and ready it for drinking as quickly as possible. This is especially important in a restaurant setting where almost all wines should be decanted, but sadly never are.
When was the last time you were on a flight longer than 4 hours? Remember how you felt being stuffed in your place for so long? I would imagine that it was until you had collected your bags, walked out to the taxi or maybe even until after you’d arrived at your accommodations and fully freshened up that you had fully “opened up”.
The same goes for wine. After being trapped in a bottle for so long, wine is just itching to get out and express itself. It too needs some time to stretch its legs. Especially wines under stelvin closure, AKA screw cap. This is because they can have a little bit of reduction and need to blow that off.
Ever wonder why that bottle of sauvignon blanc has a hint of burnt match notes when first opened and the tropical fruits and cut grass appear after the first glass? That is reduction and can be helped along by splashing it around into a decanter.
With the exception of very old Burgundies and maybe a few others, all wines could benefit from being splashed around a little.
The next time you’re at a party and want a wine to taste great ASAP, throw some air into it by splashing it into a decanter.
Most wines in the market are mass produced commodities. But at the quality end of the spectrum, wine is a sensitive beverage. It is unique and is most certainly affected by movement and temperature. It requires time and a little compassion from the drinker to allow it to reveal its most vulnerable self. Because at its core, wine wants to tell you all about where it came from. We just have to willing to listen.