Is it really necessary to decant wine?

By / Food / September 19th, 2013 / 3

Ah yes, the age old question. Well, you’ve come to the right place. Let me begin by suggesting that there isn’t a simple yes or no answer. It depends, you see. For instance, some aged wines develop sediment which floats to the bottom of the bottle. When you tip the bottle and pour the wine into the glass, sometimes that sediment will pour out, too, especially when you’re pouring the last glass or two from the bottle. Transferring the wine to a decanter will keep the sediment at the bottom, thanks to its special design.

You’ll probably hear that decanting wine allows it to breathe, which in turn allows the full bouquet and flavour to come through. Well, that may or may not be the case, the jury’s still out on that one. What I’ve found is that decanting a young wine actually does help those aromas to show up sooner. If the wine you’re drinking is fully mature, don’t decant it. You run the risk of aerating it too much and  causing it to oxidize.

The best course of action is to experiment.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rosemary Mantini has always loved words. When she isn't working as the Associate Editor at Tidings Magazine, she's helping others achieve their writing dreams, and sometimes she even relaxes with a good book and a glass of wine.

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