Curious about decanting wine? Discover why and when to decant, from separating sediment in older bottles to softening tannins in young reds.

You’ve likely seen it done at restaurants or in movies—the server carefully pouring wine from the bottle into a long-necked, fat-bottomed vessel known as a decanter. But what is the purpose of decanting wine, and do you really need to do it?

Don’t worry, later in the article we’ll get into how to properly decant wine. It’s not complicated, but the method changes depending on why you’re doing it. So, let’s get into that first!

Two Reasons for Decanting Wine

I already gave it away, didn’t I? There are two reasons for decanting wine (if you don’t count “for show”). When I think about it, sediment separation always comes to mind first.

You might also do it to aerate the wine. But I want to start with the former. 

Decanting Wine to Get Rid of Sediments

As wine ages, sediment begins to form inside the bottle. Grape solids, dead yeast, and other particles from fermentation will separate from the wine and settle[i]. Sediments are not harmful but can cause undesired textures on the palate. That is why we want to remove them. To do this, we carefully transfer the wine to a different vessel, aiming to catch the sediments on the shoulders of the bottle.

You might’ve seen different shapes of wine bottles. The most common or “classic” shape, with squared shoulders, is better for catching sediment. Not surprisingly, this shape is called the Bordeaux bottle because it became popular in that region. Bordeaux wines, which are more tannic and good for long storage, produce the very sediments we want to out by decanting.

Be careful, though. Decanting old wines might not always be beneficial. When you transfer wine from bottle to another vessel, it is exposed to air. This causes oxidation. Too much exposure can harm delicate and older wines. Remember, they have already been exposed to oxygen through the years[ii]. Too much aeration can push it over the top, making it taste flat or diminished.

Decanting Wines to Aerate Them

I’ve mentioned aeration a couple of times now. It’s time I talk about it.

Something to Say About Young Wines

Tannic wines are meant to age in the bottle[iii], but you might want to try them while they’re still young. Maybe you don’t have a good place to store them, or maybe you just want to drink a bold red right now, and that young cab is all you have on hand[iv].

No matter the reason, your bottle is ready. Now you might want to consider decanting it.

Oxygen, over time, softens tannins in wines and opens them to more aromas. Pouring quickly, even violently, exposes the wine to air instantly, which speeds the process up. The result is a wine that feels smoother and more balanced.

Decanting wine certainly improves the drinking experience by making wine more enjoyable right away.

But wait, what do I mean by open, soft, and round?

Lingo Time!

We use strange words to talk about wines, don’t we? When the wine is young, we say it is closed, or tight. That means it only shows its strongest aromas—mainly ripe sweet red fruit, and other flavors picked from the barrels. In other words, smoky, leathery, and not balanced.

Let your glass sit, and after a few hours, the wine will change. It will soften and open-up. By letting it breathe, more layers of aroma unfold, and subtle scents appear. Try leaving your bold red in the glass for two or three hours, then smell it again. You might find it more complex and even more enjoyable.

But what if you don’t want to wait that long? What if you’d like to taste your wine sooner?

Aerating By Decanting Your Wine

This one’s simple: Pouring wine from the bottle into a different container quickly adds a lot of air. This speeds up how fast the wine changes, so you can enjoy it sooner.

That’s what you want, right? Right? Well, what if you don’t? To decant or not to decant. Let’s settle this!

Detractors of decanting wine for aeration validly argue that the process is too quick. They believe wine should breathe and evolve slowly in a glass. Watching it develop gradually and sipping every few minutes is more enjoyable. Why rush? Shouldn’t we enjoy our wine at a leisurely pace? If you want to speed it up, swirling your glass works just as well

What’s your opinion?

How To Decant Wine

We’ve seen the two main reasons to do decant wine, so we can expect two different ways to do it, right? Well, kinda.

In both cases, you pour wine into a separate vessel, but with young ones, you do it quickly, letting it glug and splash, helping it catch more air. Your only care should be not spilling the wine. The only other thing to remember is to let the wine to sit in the decanter for some time for the best results.

There’s no rule of thumb on how long to let it rest, but the bolder and more tannic the wine, the longer it should sit.

For old wines, however, it’s a little different. You need to take some precautions. First, stand the bottle upright a few hours before opening to let the sediments settle. Also, pour slowly. Old wine is delicate, and excessive aeration can harm it. Furthermore, you don’t want to decant so fast that you mix the sediments back in. Incidentally, it helps to have a light source[v] shining on the neck of the bottle so that it’s easier to see the solids approaching.

The Step-By-Step of Decanting Wine

1.    Not really a step, but I assume you’ll use a classic decanter with a wide bottom and long neck. You can use other shapes, of course. Just make sure they’re made of glass. It’s easier to clean, see-through, and won’t absorb odors like plastic.

2.    Open the bottle. Duh.

3.    Hold the bottle with your stronger hand. In formal settings, hold it from the bottom and be careful not to cover the label.

4.    Hold the decanter with your other hand at a slight angle. Also, hold it from the bottom, not the neck.

5.    Pour the wine. If it’s young, pour at a pace that feels comfortable. If you’re dealing with an old wine, however:

6.    Place a lit candle on the table below the bottle’s neck. Pour carefully, disturbing the wine as little as possible. Stop when sediment starts to creep in from the shoulders to the neck.

7.    Let the decanted wine sit. Or not. It’s your call.

8.    Serve yourself a glass. If the wine is old, do it slowly.

9.    Enjoy.

That’s it. Now go do it yourself and impress your friends!

The Last Drop

Some wines should never be decanted. Sparkling wines are a prime example. Many whites and lighter reds won’t gain much from aeration either. Still, if you want to decant for fun, go ahead. Some oaked Chardonnays can get better after time in the glass. Also, wines made sur lie—mostly white wines—often get decanted to remove the lees.

I used to work as a server at a restaurant over twenty years ago. We decanted every red wine on the menu. Some were old enough to need it, and some other bold reds benefited from oxygen. But most of the decanting was just for looks—something fun to do tableside.

I don’t usually decant wines at home anymore, mostly because I’m lazy. Still, it’s part of the wine ritual I used to enjoy. Maybe I’ll start decanting all my reds again someday.

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Footnotes

[i] Remember, you are supposedly storing your bottles sideways, so the sediments will not be at the bottom of the bottle.

[ii] Air slowly finds its way into the bottle though the porous nature of natural corks. This helps with the proper evolution of wine, which is why winemakers tend to prefer these closures to seal their wines.

[iii] Tannins are one of the indicators for aging potential. High acidity is another, as are high sugar and high alcohol.

[iv] Or any other reason you can think of! Do you really need an excuse to open a wine bottle?

[v] A candle is typical, but anything, as long as it doesn’t hurt your eyes as you see it through the bottle, is fine.

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Cover Image: Yes, you can decant white wines. Photo by Cottonbro Studio