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A wine carafe - often referred to as a decanter by wine connoisseurs - is not only decorative, but is primarily intended to aerate wine for a while before drinking. Oxygen allows the aromas to develop more fully. In addition, the sediment is separated from the wine in older red wines. The market offers a huge selection of manufacturers and models, so in this article we would like to give you the most important facts about decanting.
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Reading time approx. 2:30 min
If you look at expert opinions on decanting, you will quickly see that opinions are divided on this topic. Some experts are in favor of "letting wine breathe," some are against it, and a third group only recommends certain wines for this process.
The famous oenologist Émile Peynaud, who worked for the major Bordeaux wineries, recommended that decanting - if at all - should only be done shortly before drinking. Old, fully ripe wines should not be decanted at all, as the aroma would be destroyed in short bursts by oxidation after about 30 minutes. Other experts recommend this for young, tannic and still fairly closed red wines. It is clear that decanting definitely changes the taste and aroma of a wine, as the also very well-known wine expert Hugh Johnson has found.
The best thing to do is to try it yourself so that you can gain your own experience and form your own opinion. A good way to do this is to take two identical wines, decant one and open the other an hour or two later and then compare.
Did you know?
When it comes to decanting, people usually only talk about red wines. But you can also decant white wines ! However, as with red wines, you should only decant young and full-bodied white wines.
On the one hand, decanting aerates the wine. This accelerates the ripening process, making the wine more aromatic and softer.
By the way: If the only aim is to bring a wine into contact with as much oxygen as possible, the term carafing is used instead of decanting.
In addition to letting the wine breathe and aerate it separates the sediment (also known as deposit), tartar and other suspended particles that often occur in older and old red wines. To check this, you can either hold the neck of the bottle in front of a candle so that you can see when the sediment reaches the neck, or use a special filter. In any case, the wine must be poured carefully and slowly into the carafe.
Tip:
There are so-called decanter pourers available to buy. They are inserted into the neck of the bottle and ensure that the greatest possible oxygen supply is introduced when pouring from the bottle into the carafe or directly into the wine glass.
Available here on Amazon!
Decanting: young red wines rich in extract and with a lot of tannin, as well as young, strong white wines. It is best to use a decanter with a flat and wide base so that there is as much contact surface as possible between the wine and oxygen.
Do not decant: fully ripe, old wines; even many single-varietal wines such as Tempranillo, Pinot Noir or Sangiovese can suffer from this. If you still want to decant such wines, use a narrow carafe for a small contact surface.
You've probably seen the simplest wine decanters in restaurants, which can be had for as little as five euros. They usually sell their house wine in 0.5, 0.7 or 1.0 liter decanters with a measuring line. They are very bulging at the bottom so that the wine inside has as much surface area as possible for aeration. The average price range for good products is between 30€ and 90€.
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U-shaped decanters with two openings, one for pouring and one for pouring, have an unusual design.
Available here on Amazon!
Tip: How to clean a wine carafe without effort
The narrow neck makes cleaning decanters and carafes difficult. With a simple trick, it's as easy as pie. Pour a packet of baking soda or baking powder into the container, add half a cup of vinegar or fruit vinegar and fill the rest with hot water. Then let the mixture soak for at least 15 minutes. Then rinse the carafe a few times with cold water until it no longer smells of vinegar. Done.
There is no golden rule for carafing or decanting.
You can only find out what is good for a wine and what tastes better to you by trying different wines frequently.
Then browse through our wine tastings and let us explain the world of wine to you personally!
You have already read 6 of 12 articles on the topic of wine. Now take a look at the next article to complete your connoisseur knowledge!
Or go to Wine Course Part II to get an overview of all topics!
