Understanding why decanting wine is an important part of developing your wine confidence. By applying the below tips, you will know how to make an $18 bottle of wine taste like it was a splurge. Don’t worry I won’t tell.
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Decanting Basics
What: Most red wines can benefit from decanting. There is no real need to decant light bodied red wines (such as some Pinot Noir) but a pro-tip is knowing that you can also decant big, bold chardonnays.
Why: Decanting is an easy way to age a wine very quickly or to help the wine relax before enjoying it’s aromas and flavours. Wine needs to be exposed to oxygen in order to fully develop its flavour potential. Another reason people decant wine is to separate the sediment (small crystal particles that form during the aging process) from the rest of the wine – this happens if the wine is unfiltered and/or old.
How: To decant your wine you’ll need a gorgeous glass decanter. Winners and HomeSense are also great places to find one or you can splurge on a professional one from Riedel – you might as well make sure your entire glassware collection follows suit. Choose large bowled or overall big glasses for red wine. To open, remove all tinfoil from around the neck, slowly pour the wine into the decanter – use a filter if there is a lot of sediment and pour on an angle or with a candle. Pour slowly and consciously. Film it for instagram. Allow to breathe for 60 minutes prior to serving. Pour into large glasses to enjoy once ready to sip.
If you’re decanting an old, or really full-bodied red wine to separate sediment, place a tealight candle under the neck of the bottle as you pour into the decanter. This way you’ll be able to see the sediment separating.
Serving Temperatures
Be sure to serve your wine at the right temperature:
- Sparkling wine: serve very chilled (7 degrees)
- All white wine except chardonnay: serve chilled (10-12 degrees)
- Chardonnay: best served just mildly chilled (14-16.5 degrees)
- Most reds wine: a little below room temperature (16-18 degrees)