Forget the Rolex, lose the Jimmy Choos - and definitely ditch that little Prada clutch. The accessory you really need is probably already in the house – sitting forgotten in the back of a cupboard between the fondue set and the crock pot.
Once the sparkling showpiece of every sideboard: the noble decanter has experienced a dizzying - and undeserved - fall from grace.
Slow Wine
Maybe it’s inverse snobbery (or the democratisation of wine!) that has seen decanters relegated to the Cupboard of Unwanted Gifts. But WineDown suspects something else has been at play…
In our rush to raise our glasses, there’s not a minute to waste. We don’t even lose precious seconds looking for a corkscrew anymore: a convivial glass of wine is just a twist of the wrist away. But when we decant, we slow things down. We take the time to build anticipation; time to allow our wine to be as good as it possibly can be.
Breathe and let Breathe
Decanting exposes wine to air. (Too much exposure will oxidise your wine, resulting in flat, dull flavours and a Sherry-like smell - which is never good when it’s not Sherry). But a LITTLE oxygen has a magical effect: softening the impression of tannins on the palate and opening up fruit flavours - making wines appear more aromatic, more expressive, and better integrated.
Decanting also allows any unpleasant aromas (volatile compounds) to “blow off”, while allowing fragrant fruit and intriguing secondary characters to gather force. Interestingly, it isn’t just old or high-end wines that benefit from decanting. Strapping young reds, like Malbec, Shiraz, Cabernet, Tempranillo et al, are all more inclined to show their soft and sensitive sides after aeration.
Pardon Me if I’m Sedimental
Older wines, like older humans, often require a little more consideration - and gentler handling. As wines age, colour and tannin molecules drop out of solution, forming a sediment in the bottle. (importantly, the Molecules of Deliciousness remain in solution.) Once a sediment has formed, it can’t be reincorporated into the wine, so don’t even think about getting the blender out…
Plan it, Janet
If your old red has been stored on its side, sediment will be deposited along the length of the bottle. Gently stand it upright and leave it for a day or two to allow the sediment settle in the base. When you’re ready to decant, pour slowly, keeping your eyes glued to the shoulder and neck of the bottle. As soon as you see sediment near the neck, or when the wine appears cloudy, stop pouring. Time will already have softened your older wine, so it won’t need extended air contact.
Making Decanting Great Again
Your decanter may be a limited-edition hand-crafted object in the shape of an endangered waterfowl; or a glass carafe that has doubled as a vase. Both will aerate the wine, separate the sediment, and elevate your wine experience. Only one, however, can truly tame the tannin in your tulips.
We’ll just leave that with you…
