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wine Better in 3 days?

Hi

I opened a 2003 red wine on Saturday. The nose was a bit sharp and full bodied but still very fragrant and good to drink. Having only 1 glass I closed he bottle up with the cork again and left it to stand. Last night I opened it up again and WOW what a change! The sharpness has changed into a soft butery taste with a pronounsed oak flaviour coming through.

Can this change be due to oxidation taking place after I opened the bottle? Another question is will this be what the wine will mature to in 1 or 2 or even 3 years in the bottle without being opened?

Your views appreciated.

Your Winemaking friend in South Africa Mannetjie

Reply to
Mannetjie
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I think most of us who have made a lot of wine have run into this. It is called "allowing the wine to breath". Sometimes you can pour the wine and let it sit in a glass for an hour and it will improve drastically. Other times a left over half bottle will taste better the next day. Keep notes on this so you will know how to treat each wine you make. Your wine may mature in time so the breathing time will shorten or it may stay the same. It is amazing the first time you run into this!

Ray

Reply to
Ray

Allowing a wine to breath is very important. I often open the wine a few hours before the meal and decant it. Decanting is done to pour the wine off of any sediment, but it also allows the wine to breath, thus the wide base to expose a lot of surface to the air. I'm not knowledgable enough to give you particular times for different types, but experiment and you'll be pleased. Ed snipped-for-privacy@snet.net

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Reply to
Edwin Pawlowski

Ray Thanks for the reply. I must say this is really a intereting find. Like you say it is amazing.

Mannetjie

Reply to
Mannetjie

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