Wine wisdom
HOW TO… Decant
Most Decanter readers will be planning on opening something special for the Christmas festivities, whether it’s that expensive bottle of Bordeaux or Burgundy (see our Christmas guide to vintages, p44), or your favourite vintage Port. But what are the main reasons for using a decanter and what are the key things to remember?
The decision on whether to use a decanter will be very much down to individual enthusiasts – there really are no right or wrong answers when thinking about decanting. However, one thing is always worth bearing in mind – you cannot magically ‘age’ a wine by decanting it before drinking. When you decant, what you are doing is exposing the wine to oxygen, which starts to have an effect on many of the complex compounds within the bottle. These will cause the wine to change, but bear in mind that
