Question about decanting wine

Personally, I almost never decant wine when there isn't a sediment issue. Sometimes I decant if I'm in the mood for the visual presentation. I *very rarely, almost never* decant for the sake of breathing.

Dana

I always decant if there is a sediment reason. I will decant know BIG reds just to give it a little time to breathe. If you are buying everyday one, decanting is most likely an overkill. But when you start talking $$$, I have found it usually helps.

There are basically three reasons to decant a wine:

• One trick if you are going to aerate the wine - let it "breath," is to decant all but one glass. Pour this for your own edification and see if you like the young wine better with, or without aeration. Most seem to like this aeration, but others do not. It is totally up to you. Some also like to experience the wine, as it is aerated in the glass, and metamorphises over time. This is up to you and to your tastes.

Hunt

No need to invest into a decanter, a funnel is just enough. Just decant into an empty (rinsed & clean) bottle, and pour back into the original bottle. This action, called "double decanting", should aerate your wine sufficiently.

M.

] In article , snipped-for-privacy@chartermi.net ] says... ] >

] >Is it worth decanting new wine? I've read that the only reason to ] >decant is to get sediment out of older wine. Possibly to let the wine ] >breath better as well. I'm looking at investing in a decanter however ] >I generally never drink older vintages. ] >Any help would be appreciated. ] >Skenzer ] ] There are basically three reasons to decant a wine: ] ] 1.) the possibility of sediment, which can mare the taste and the presentation ] of the wine, most likely an older red/Port. ] 2.) to aerate the wine and give it a "quick aging," but you might not like the ] results. This is most often done with younger reds, that might be a bit harsh ] in its youth.* ] 3.) the label of the wine is not one that you want your guests to see, so a ] decaner will hide the fact that you are serving something that they might not ] drink of their own volition. ] ] * One trick if you are going to aerate the wine - let it "breath," is to ] decant all but one glass. Pour this for your own edification and see if you ] like the young wine better with, or without aeration. Most seem to like this ] aeration, but others do not. It is totally up to you. Some also like to ] experience the wine, as it is aerated in the glass, and metamorphises over ] time. This is up to you and to your tastes. ]

Hi Hunt,

There is one other reason, although it's not often mentioned. When a bottle comes from a cold cellar it may not be sufficiently chambré at dinner time, and sitting in its cold glass doesn't help it hurry along. I often decant for the simple reason of letting the wine warm up just a little faster.

-E

And you can speed up the action by rinsing the decanter with hot water previously. Doing it my way (double decanting, as mentioned aforehand) one can put the intermediate bottle into abucket with warm water.

M.

Yes, I will, on ocassion, do the same, though more often, I'll just cradle the glass in my hands for a bit to allow it to warm. Especially in the AZ heat, it doesn't usually take too long. More often, than not, I'll even place my reds into a chilled stone sleeve, between pouring - kinda' like a reverse "ice bucket," constantly used on whites.

As an aside, #3 on my little list never really comes into play around my cellar, but I always place it in the list as an attempt at humor.

Hunt

I guess I'm just old school here - man, I'm going to miss my corks! - but I like the proceedure of the decanter, my little silver funnel, a candle, and of course, my good "reading glasses." Besides, how else can I justify my collection of decanters to my wife, if I don't use the blame things? Next, she'll want to see me put all those little pieces of string, that I collect, into use... !

Hunt

] >-E ] >--=20 ] >Emery Davis ] ] Yes, I will, on ocassion, do the same, though more often, I'll just cradle the ] glass in my hands for a bit to allow it to warm. Especially in the AZ heat, it ] doesn't usually take too long. More often, than not, I'll even place my reds ] into a chilled stone sleeve, between pouring - kinda' like a reverse "ice ] bucket," constantly used on whites. ] Hmm, cooling is never a problem for me, sadly. I can rarely get my house here above 62 F, in the winter it's more likely to be below 60, even with the big fireplaces going. So when I say chambré... :)

] As an aside, #3 on my little list never really comes into play around my ] cellar, but I always place it in the list as an attempt at humor. ]

My Dad, an inveterate trickster, did #3 for years. With Carlo Rossi jugs, no less. Horrible stuff, it garnered many a compliment... I always hid my head when these bottles appeared.

-E

In article , notareal@address. com says... [SNIP]

I've actually done the reverse with a few good friends, by saving a bottle from a lesser wine, and then putting a, IMHO, much better wine into the empty, clean bottle. It's fun to hear the responses. I always divulge my trickery, especially if the wine is the hit I hope it to be, so my "friends" don't go out and put in several cases of the dummy wine by mistake.

Hunt