Decanting wine

[TheFungle]

In my journey to 1970's middle class-dom I decided to purchase a carafe for decanting my wine, now before I give my verdict on whether it has made a difference or not I'd like to hear what far more knowledgeable folk have to say on the subject.

FWIW most of the wine I've decanted so far is 'decent' supermarket plonk at about the £10 mark.

[21TonyK]

In the past year or so I have started to decant (some) wines and it makes a significant difference even to some of the cheaper end stuff. As far as removing sediment goes I don't think that is relevant to 90% of what I drink but in terms of getting some air in it and letting it breathe it makes a world of difference.

Example, 2009 Pinotage opened and decanted last night after work at about 1AM, drank a glass and fell asleep. This afternoon it was perfect!

[0a]

Yes, I find it does make a difference. It lets air react with the wine and can take the 'edge off' - even harsh cheapo reds become more drinkable.

[Zod]

I decant most reds, but generally not red burgundy (they don't do it in Burgundy). For most reds, it aerated and wakes up the wine. It also helps to leave the sediment in the bottle. I use a little LED lamp under the bottle to see when the sediment is coming.

I also decant some whites, burgundy in particular - counter-intuitive, but it makes a difference.

[Mermaid]

And after decanting, wash out the bottle and put the wine back in the bottle. 2 bites at the cherry & many prefer to see the bottle.

[Zod]

Mermaid said:

And after decanting, wash out the bottle and put the wine back in the bottle. 2 bites at the cherry & many prefer to see the bottle.

Double decanting, as it's called. I often do it if taking wine to a restaurant.

[Mermaid]

Zod said:

Mermaid said:

And after decanting, wash out the bottle and put the wine back in the bottle. 2 bites at the cherry & many prefer to see the bottle.

Double decanting, as it's called. I often do it if taking wine to a restaurant.

[Garlick]

I always decant reds for an hour or so. For me it definitely adds something.

[0a]

Mermaid said:

And after decanting, wash out the bottle and put the wine back in the bottle. 2 bites at the cherry & many prefer to see the bottle.

Or if you have friends out keep the 1995 Lafite in the decanter and pour the red below into the bottle

[LooneyTunes]

Usually decant young wines, that I expect to have some ageing potential, to get some air through them: usually 2-12 hours depending on what it is (with a fairly aggressive pour if more aeration is needed).

Older wines often get brief gentle decant for sediment, but not always (depends on how much sediment I'm expecting and how many pours I'm expecting to make).

Don't usually find the need for any additional lighting (choosing the right spot in the room usually gets enough light through the bottle to make the progress of sediment sufficiently obvious)... but fully support the need for double decanting if taking wine out for the evening as otherwise there's rarely a chance to get sufficient airtime.

Of course the other use for decanters is blind tasting: I've got a number of identical decanters specifically for this purpose.

[Hoover.]

Can't say that ever decanted a wine, but I can say that a bottled opened one night and not re-corked tastes so much better the following night..... maybe there is something in this decanting melachy

[TheFungle]

Hoover. said:

Can't say that ever decanted a wine, but I can say that a bottled opened one night and not re-corked tastes so much better the following night..... maybe there is something in this decanting melachy

I've tried several bottles now and I'm happy enough now that it does makes a difference, to me it takes the edge of the wine and makes it far mellower, I've yet to try it with a 'bruiser' of a wine so I'm looking forward to seeing what difference it makes there.

I'm glad that all comments on the thread so far more or less validate what I've found myself so far

[Zod]

Hoover. said:

Can't say that ever decanted a wine, but I can say that a bottled opened one night and not re-corked tastes so much better the following night..... maybe there is something in this decanting melachy

Many wines do under improve overnight. I find that most red burgundy oxidises though, even quite young wines.

[HereBeMonsters]

TheFungle said:

FWIW most of the wine I've decanted so far is 'decent' supermarket plonk at about the £10 mark.

Start going to Majestic and see how much better quality that £10 a bottle gets you. It's quite astonishing.

[TheFungle]

HereBeMonsters said:

Start going to Majestic and see how much better quality that £10 a bottle gets you. It's quite astonishing.

Well after a month of wedding celebrations and the festive period I'm now on to a self-imposed wine ban, I'm not sure I can bring myself to admit just how much I've consumed this past month!