DECANT! Yes You Can

How and Why to Decant a Bottle of Wine

Two years ago, The Editor bought me a beautiful decanter with a rippled glass design that looks like an optical illusion as the the wine swirls from the bottle and hits the glass. It's a pretty nifty piece, and as my grandmother told me when she bestowed a lovely heirloom ring upon me in recent years, "It's the kind of gift you give someone when they're ready to be responsible." That ring and I have been through a lot together, but the wine decanter and I, not so much. Despite my near daily glass of the red stuff, I tucked the decanter away in a cupboard, and saved it for "special occasions." I thought of it as something to break out over dining room tables with fancy linens and custom stemware, not the 12' x 12' walls of our "quaint" one bedroom apartment. Or that I had to wait for a $100 bottle of wine or an '82 Bordeaux for the timing to be just right.

Then came the heckles from The Editor.

You don't like my gift. 
You say you like wine, but you never use the decanter I got you.
I spent a lot of time looking for that decanter.
That thing just sits up there...collecting dust.


He was right. Though I had a serious affinity with wine, I wasn't one for "wine gadgets"...extras, that took away from my experience, or simply held them up. Charms and expensive tool kits weren't my bag. I liked a good ol' sniff test, a strong swirl and swig--down the hatch, instant gratification. But, my wines weren't always instantly gratifying...even the $15 "drink it now" types. Heavy Cabernets were filling my tongue with bitter tannins while bodacious Zinfandels were overwhelming my mouth with fruit and spice. They needed air, they needed room, they needed--to breathe!

And that, my friends, is where decanting comes into play. Not only did I feel guilty about the thoughtful gift The Editor bought me, but my taste buds were crying out for help. I had all but given up on Zinfandel and I was getting tired of chewing on Aussie Shiraz sediment. Does decanting wine make it taste better, softer and more elegant? Yes, yes and yes. For more reasons why to decant, read on...