Do I need to use a decanter when I serve wine?
Laura on 1 Feb 2015
Welcome to our new blog series, 'Back to wine school' where wine expert Angela Mount will answer your questions and burning issues about wine. This week we’re talking about decanters.
Decanters are beautiful wine accessories, but frequently just gather dust, as no one seems to know what to do with them! Decanters are great for two purposes – separating the sediment that occurs in older, or richer red wines and Ports; and softening and mellowing young, tannic wines.
The traditional use for decanters is to prevent sediment getting into your wine glass. If you have a wine that has thrown a sediment, let it stand upright for at least 24 hours, to ensure the deposit settles at the bottom of the bottle. Pour the wine carefully into the decanter, stopping when you see the sediment reach the neck of the bottle, just before the wine goes cloudy. Holding the bottle in front of a bright light or a candle will help.
Where decanters really come into their own is to help soften and mellow younger and tannic wines. Many people talk about opening a wine an hour or so before serving ‘to let it breathe’. In actual fact, this isn't going to do that much at all, as so little air will come in contact with the actual bottle when it’s full. You’ll get much more impact by pouring the wine into a large glass and swirling it around to let the air get to the wine, soften it, and release the aromas and flavours.
Decanters are especially useful for young, tannic red wines, and also work wonders on cheaper wines. ‘Aereating’ a wine will bring out the best of it, and the simple act of pouring wine from the bottle into the decanter will help - a great trick to soften wines, even some white ones, but best used for reds.
And as for the decanter…. I’m sure everyone’s granny had a cut glass decanter in their ‘drinks cabinet’, but ideally use a plain glass one, wide at the bottom and narrowing to the top – the wine will glisten and beckon. However, don’t worry if you don’t have a decanter – a cheat’s tip is to pour the bottle of wine into a jug, swirl it around and pour it back into the bottle – you’ll be amazed at the difference.
By Angela Mount