Decanting
Advantages
of Decanting
1
Increase Acidity
Decanting accelerates oxidization and
hence increases the acidity of the wine. For young white wines and rosés,
this is not desirable. Never decant a Champagne.
2
Loss of Aroma
Hastening
the development of the aroma might kill a red grand cru that has past
its peak, as the structure of the wine is already very unstable. That
is why we never decant an ancient fragile red wine.
Decanting
a wine is the action of pouring the wine into a container like a carafe or
jug.
Disadvantages
of Decanting
1
Gas trapped inside
To let out traces of gas trapped inside
the bottle as a result of fermentation.
2 Oxidization
Decanting
facilitates oxidization of the wine, turning a vigorous young red wine more
mellow and round.
3
Bouquet
4
Sediment
It
helps the development of the aroma, bringing out the bouquet of the wine.
In
the case of most aged Red Grands Crus, a natural sediment is produced when
colour pigments react with tannins. Decanting enables us to separate the
sediment leaving the wine crystal clear to drink.
How
to Decant
A
young and robust wine can be handled with less care. But extra attention
has to be paid to mature red grands crus. They should be taken out of the
Cellar and left standing upright 1 or 2 days before drinking. This will
allow the sediment to settle.
1
Open the bottle
Rest the bottle in a basket and proceed
to open the bottle.
2 A Carafe
Have
a clean carafe ready. Rinsing it with a little bit of the wine will be better
as the chemicals in the carafe will react with the wine producing unwanted
flavours.
3
Light a candle
4
A single steady pour
This
is for lighting up the neck of the bottle during pouring. It also helps
warming up the wine.
With
the neck of the bottle immediately above the candle, pour the wine slowly
but steadily into the carafe without causing any backward flow even when
sediment is approaching the neck. During pouring, the bottle should be maintained
as horizontal as possible.
5
Stop
Stop
pouring when the sediment is accumulating and settling down on the neck
of the bottle.
