The Joy Of Decanting
Decanting is an exercise of vitality and sheer pleasure given the gorgeous sight of finely aged red wine flowing graciously from bottle into purposely curved crystal glass vessel so let’s explore both the purpose and joy of decanting.
What is it important to decant certain styles of red wine?
Wine is perennially loved and criticized for pretty much the same reason –- all the effort and tools needed for wine to be enjoyed at its best. How wine is stored, the temperature of storage and service and precise glassware that determines how the wine tastes. All of this has been talked and fussed over aplenty. There is one more critical detail though, unique to certain styles and older vintages of red wine that deserves more illumination. Decanting is the process of slowly pouring wine from bottle into a decanter. This has to be done without disturbing the sediment that gathers at the bottom of the bottle of wines that have been aged for several year or decades even. A decanter is essentially a curvaceous crystal glass vessel – the curves have a clear purpose of opening up the wine.
Decanting a wine allows the wine to breathe – a significant change for a wine that’s been sitting inside a bottle for several years. As the red wine runs into the decanter’s glass and encounters ambient oxygen, – and fully unlock its aromas and flavours. There’s the additional benefit of the sediment having settled at the decanter’s bottom as sediment in the wine glass can impart a needless bitter taste to the wine. It doesn’t hurt your cred as a wine party host to stylishly pour wine from a swan-shaped decanter. The time needed to decant wine is also an important detail. Light to medium bodied and wines of recent vintages need 20 to 30 minutes while full bodied and older reds should sit in for 40 to 60 minutes. Believe us, the patience is opulently rewarded when you nose and taste a decanted Bordeaux or Barolo, taking in the sheer depth of flavour of a wine that has just stretched its legs after years of being curled up under cork. Who says exercise isn’t good for alcohol, needs to buy a decanter!
Do check out our fine range of crystal decanters by Lucaris at thewinepark.com/Category/wine-accessories
