PFI Magazine

At our last Diamond Ridge wine club meeting, there was some discussion about decanting red wine. Decant young hearty red wine to help it “open up” or quickly allow the tannins to mature. Unlike the technique for decanting old wines, new wine decanting can take place up to an hour prior to serving and slow, careful pouring is not required. Fragile red wines should never be decanted as such aeration can cause a sharp metallic flavor. Swirling wine in a glass offers good aeration as well and can be done as needed.

Those of you who are handling older wines, decanting removes the sediment that has developed over the years. Before decanting an older wine, be sure to stand it up for 6-12 hours so that the sediment settles to the bottom of the bottle. Decant just prior to serving and handle the wine very gently.