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When should one decant a wine?
This is a question my customers often ask and the answer is fairly simple.
Rule of thumb; one decants older reds, ports, madeira and fine older white dessert wines where sedimentation is obvious. Your everyday drinking wines need not to decanted. Consider it a ritual reserved for the finer and vintage wines.
I would say that there are three principle reasons to decant a wine:
The first and most important is decanting old wine or any wines where you can see sedimentation. You do not wish to serve a wine to your guest that is hazy, with bits of sediment “suspended” in the wine. This not only undermines the wine you just served but can actually kill a great wine.
The second reason is to aerate the wine. In this situation, we are talking about younger “closed” wines which need plenty of time to breathe. Be not afraid to open one of these wines up to 2 hours ahead. A word of caution, make sure the room temperature is not above 65-67 degrees in order not to accelerate the oxidation process. Older wines need less time (please read “how to decant a wine” for more information on this.)
The third reason people decant is purely psychological or for show. I am hosting a dinner party tonight, my budget is tight and I want to make great a impression, so I serve the wine in decanters hence my guest will think that I am serving them a great wine. Should you guest be wine challenged, you can get away with this approach. I personally do not recommend it as most of these cheaper wines tend to loose the little bouquet they might have. A true bouquet can be smelled in a glass hours after it has been consumed (for more information about this, please read “aromas vs. bouquet; what is the difference”).