Usually wines taste good, however to really get the best flavor from them, you need to decant them. Sadly most people avoid doing this step, or maybe they’re not even aware that they should decant their wine. But truth is, without decanting, the wine just doesn’t taste as good as it should.
Wine decanting means simply removing the deposits from the bottom of the wine bottle. This makes the wine less cloudy and much clearer. To decant your wine you simply pour it from your bottle into a decanter, also called a container, so that the sediments, or deposits are left behind. This way no sediments are transferred to your glass when drinking the wine.
When you decant your wine, you also enhance the taste of your drink because the wine gets in contact with air, so it goes through something called ‘aeration’. This is a process that allows oxygen to mix with the wine, thus bringing out the great flavor and aroma in your drink.
While not all wines need to go through the process of decanting, some do. Particularly older red full bodied wines need to have their sediments removed through decanting. Also wined between ages 6-15 should be always decanter prior to being consumed. Avoid keeping the wine for more than 1-2 hours after decanting, as the longer an older wine stays, the faster it loses its great flavor and taste. So if you are preparing for a party, decant the wine just half an hour before the party starts. This way the guests will get to fully enjoy the taste and aroma of your great wine.
Another important point is that older wines, that have ages between 20 and 30 years should not be decanted. The reason is because they are really mature and more fragile, so it’s very easy for them to lose their wonderful aroma through the process of decanting. You should simply pour the well aged wine directly from the bottle to the glass with care so that the sediments don’t rise to the surface.
Buying a hand blown decanter is perfect for any wine lover or decanter collector. Visit Crystal decanter to learn more.