Reasons for Decanting

Primarily, sommeliers and avid wine drinkers decant wine because of two main reasons: first, to separate the wine from any sediments or pigments that naturally form when the wine has been stationary for years on end inside their bottles. Decanting, especially for finely-aged vintages, is vital because any drinker would be put off when drinking a bottle of wine with gritty and bumpy sediments instead of the expected smooth rush of liquid gold. The most susceptible wines for sediments are the older red wines and Vintage Ports because of the nature of their color and composition. Since they have more tannins and color pigments than white wines, these two substances clump together over time and settle in the bottom of the bottle as sediments. Tempted to mix everything back together, you might give the bottle a good shake, but this is detrimental to the aesthetics of the wine (as shaking it will make the wine cloudy) or to its taste (mixing the sediments that are made of tannins will make the wine taste more like a bitter astringent). Although there is nothing technically wrong or harmful with the wine, it would be less than what it should have been quality-wise, and that can be considered a hate crime if you do it to a precious and rare vintage bottle of wine.

The second main reason why seasoned wine drinkers decant their wines is to simply aerate the wine. Since wine is aged in a bottle for decades on end, it would be wise to give the wine a bit of time to “air out” or figuratively wake up so its intended flavors come out. Decanting allows the air to jumpstart the wine and its dormant flavors, much like how you see people swirling their wine glasses to help the wine “open up”. However, aerating the wine too much also comes with its own warnings. If the wine is left out for too long, the air (specifically oxygen in this instance) will actually make the wine deteriorate because of oxidation. Oxygen or air is an enemy of wine, even when they are still hanging from their vines as grapes. Have you noticed how easily an apple cut into two turns brown after being exposed to air? Eating a sliced apple that has been exposed to the elements for too long is not the prime condition for eating a juicy piece of fresh apple. This is the case with wines, too. A winemaker’s primary role is to keep the processed grapes and grape juice in the process of wine-making from oxygen, or at the very least control the amount of exposure the wine has with it. This low-oxygen process is done so that the wine will have a longer shelf-life when it is bottled.

Aside from the two primary reasons above, decanting wines also changes the wine’s temperature, especially if it comes from a freezing wine cellar – turning it up a few more tolerable and palatable degrees for you to enjoy. Decanting also helps dissipates any build-up of sulfur or other unfortunate aromas in German Rieslings or white Burgundies, which would be a regrettable assault to our olfactory senses. Lastly, decanting is also an art of showmanship: it is a satisfying, flashy technique that would surely be a great conversation starter, or for wine merchants, an excellent way of drawing your customers in and appreciating the beauty and many traditions of wine.

How Long Should You Decant Your Wine (Or Should You Even Bother?)

The wine community and its experts have been torn about the topic itself – how long should you decant your wine? Should you even decant it? On one side, we have those that advocate for that extra exposure to air so the wine could “open up” and have more vitality, for lack of a better word. On the other side, some experts believe decanting makes the wine depreciate faster than you can appreciate it, and merely swirling the wine in your glass is enough of an exposure to the air.

Here at AEOS Auctions, we believe in your personal taste or preference. Just like how some people prefer their steaks well-done or medium-rare (or even bloody rare), there are different ways to go about achieving that perfect taste of wine, regardless if you decant it or not. As a rule of thumb, if you like a particularly old vintage wine that has been sitting for several decades and you want the taste to be concentrated and still pack a full punch of flavors, you might not want to decant it. However, if you do, make sure that you only decant it for half an hour or so; otherwise, you risk losing the flavor.

Do you have a younger and full-bodied red wine? Or simply prefer that more exuberant or “open” taste? Decanting it for an hour or more will help you achieve that taste. In fact, in some wine tastings, a wine steward might decant the wine for hours to get their preferred taste. A word of warning, though – you may possibly end up oxidizing the wine beyond the point of return if you decant the wine for too long.

In the end, decanting wine is a matter of personal preference and taste. We at AEOS Auctions aim to guide you to find that perfect wine – decanted or not.

Reference:
Decanting 101 | Wine Spectator
Decanting: A Primer | Napa Valley Wine Academy
Decanting Wine: What Is It and When Should I Do It? – Eaterh