For one of my private at-home wine tastings in August, I selected an Alentejo red to finish the night. I opened it, took one sip and immediately decided to give it a quick vigorous decant into a water pitcher for maximum oxygen exposure. Then I poured it back into the bottle, tasted it and quickly did it again. After the second decant, I took one last sip and the wine was a different animal, much more supple and open.
Usually, red wines and even some whites need a breath of fresh air to unleash their true potential after being cooped up tightly inside a bottle. If you don’t have a decanter, you can substitute it with a carafe, water pitcher, or even another wine bottle.
If a wine is young, closed, overly tannic or has a slight effervescence, decanting can improve its approachability and reveal its full range of aromatics. It can literally be the difference between a bottle you pour down the sink and one you savour for the rest of the night.
Another reason I may decant is to blow off or aerate foul smells. Most of these are easily decanted away. However, some compounds in wine, like “cork taint”, will only get worse with time. If you’re unsure, decant the wine and let it sit. If it’s truly off, you can pour the wine back into the bottle and return it.
Perhaps the most traditional reason to decant is for sediment. While not harmful, the remains can be absolutely gross if a big glop splashes into your glass or your last sip of that rare, delicious wine is full of gritty, wet sediment.
Lastly, do it for show! No matter the price of the wine, decant to celebrate the night, the wine and your company.
Wine of the month
Julian Reynolds Reserva, Alentejo 2018
ABV13% Vegan 40% Alicante Bouschet 40% Touriga Nacional 20% Syrah. Fermented in French oak, then 50% of the wine is aged for one year in a barrel, followed by two years in a bottle. Smooth, red and black berry compote, coco, sweet earth and candied violets. Delicious! (€17.61 from Grappolo Enoteca in Lagos)
