“Decant Vigorously”

By / Magazine / September 10th, 2010 / 1

I wasn’t sure what Bernard Stramwasser (Le Sommelier Inc. Exclusive Wine Agents) meant when he said that, especially since the wine he was recommending this treatment for was obviously not an inexpensive bottle of burger wine that one could decant artfully to fob off on the in-laws as steak-deserving (I don’t do that, no, I never do that).

Bernard’s organic Ulithorne Paternus Cabernet Shiraz 2008 from McLaren Vale is a very decent drink at $47.49. So decent, in fact, that its grapes (68% Cab, 38% Shiraz) may have been close neighbours to the bunches that went into Penfolds Grange, but that is unsubstantiated twitter. Needless to say, the wine is really good no matter where its grapes were hanging out.

This is a big, lush yet elegant treasure with some untamed tannins but no lack of acidity to turn it into a flabaster.  If I was a sybaritic type with pockets as deep as my love of Aussie wine, I’d order all of the 200 – 6-packs coming in. Get yours from Le Sommelier.

And… keep it in the cellar to age gracefully or if you must, decant vigorously thus: pour one glass of wine and set it aside. Recork and shake the bottle energetically… a foam will form at the top. Don’t panic. Let the wine rest until the foam disappears, then pour the glass of wine and the bottle contents into a decanter and serve with confidence. 

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Brenda McMillan is thrilled by new sights, sounds, aromas and flavours, and old buildings, barrels and friends. She travels at the drop of a corkscrew and is always "just back" from somewhere.

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