Decanting Wine

When I'm out talking to people about wine, I get asked many questions. And there are many Frequently Asked Questions. So, along with talking about wines that I'm drinking, I also want to address those questions. They will be labelled FAQ. (I know, I'm just too clever sometimes). So, for the inaugural FAQ, I want to talk about decanting wine.

There are 2 main reasons to decant wine. 1, to add oxygen and 2, to prevent sediment from getting into your glass. Older red wines (and some whites) can form deposits (sediment) in the bottle. By pouring that bottle into another container (decanter) you can make sure that if there is sediment in the bottle, it will stay there. Some decanters come with a fancy strainer to help you out. Don't worry if you don't have one because you really don't need it. When you are decanting wine, pour the wine slowly and gently from the bottle into your chosen serving vessel. Do not pour it like you are filling your bathtub. Wine is more temperamental than women and really doesn't like being handled roughly. The best way is to let it glide from the bottle down along the inside of the decanter. Look at the neck of the bottle while you are doing this and watch for the sediment. If the bottle you are decanting has sediment, you will not pour all of it into the decanter. Make sure you leave all the sediment in the bottle. In order to do this, you will also be leaving a bit of wine behind too.

The next question would then be, how long do I leave the wine in the decanter before serving? This depends on the wine you are decanting. People think that older wines benefit from decanting more than younger wines. The opposite is actually true. I wish I could give you a handy chart or formula telling you if the wine is X years old, decant Y hours before serving. It doesn't work that way. Each wine and wine region is different. The varietals used, the year and the wine-maker all factor in. So here's some general guidelines.

If you have a young red wine, decant it at least 30 minutes before serving. You don't want to give it too much oxygen or you may lose some of it's character. Here's an example. I served a 2004 Chianti Classico by Rocca delle Macie last week. I made the mistake of decanting it too early. By the time we got around to drinking it, the wine had lost some of its tannic qualities making it smoother than it should have been. My guests thoroughly enjoyed the wine but I found it lacking. Sometimes, the younger the wine, the more oxygen it will need. Keep that in mind when you're picking up some of the new releases. Sometimes you can't wait to open that bottle even though you've been told to store it for at least 6 months.

Now, what if you have a really old bottle? Say something that's over 20 years old. The reason you decant this is for sediment purposes. Taking a very old wine and letting it sit in a decanter for a long period of time is not a good idea. As wine ages, the color becomes more orange. Think, terra cotta. This is a natural process. What started out as a ruby red will become more orange with time. This wine does not need any more oxygen to mellow out the tannins. My advice would be to decant and drink. Slowly of course (both the decanting and the drinking).

Hopefully this has taken away some of the mystery about decanting. Now you can use that fancy decanter that I know you've got in the cupboard but didn't know exactly how and when to use it. And if you don't have one, you now have a good excuse to go buy one.

PS. When you clean your decanter, just rinse it out with really hot water. The last thing you want is soap residue in it. Chateau Palmolive really doesn't sound appealing.