quote:

Originally posted by Bordeaux4Wino:
This is anecdotal though at best.
Who was the panel? What kind of wine? Etc.
This study isn't going to influence me to toss out my decanters!....Now, one of those gadget aerators, well....

quote:

Originally posted by Danyull:
The descriptions are too vague in the article to conclude anything.

Most wines will not improve with air, but most wines are also not meant to.

Northern Rhone reds in particular for me change quite a bit with air. Recently had the 2007 JL Chave St. Joseph. When I first tasted, it was rather ordinary and I didn't really detect much Northern Rhone character. Just seemed like a typical nice, but forgettable Syrah. After about 2 hours, it really opened up into something very nice.

So I disagree with the article.

quote:

Originally posted by GregT:
One of the main things that happens is that the sulfur compounds become less noticeable - the "bottle funk" goes away. That can also happen, and in fact does happen, with very young wines that have recently been bottled too. Sometimes they're just too young and when you open them you can tell they've just been sulfured so a decant and in fact, a really vigorous shaking, can help them.

And sometimes no amount of shaking, no matter how violent, seems to work. I've suffered thru a few of those too. Just bad wine making I think.

As far as the panel goes - it's like so many of them. Being able to distinguish one from the other requires fairly close and analytical attention to the wine and most people don't taste like that, whether it be wine or anything else. Focus group tests and tasting panels combined with marketing geniuses have given us wonders like Pringles and McRibs.

The main thing to do with results like those in the article is pretty much to ignore them. Most people can't tell the dif? OK. "Most" people apparently prefer Yellow Tail and Two Buck Chuck to decent wine, otherwise how could they be selling millions of cases a year?

quote:

I will say that I love the mcrib =)

quote:

Originally posted by jorgerunfrombulls:
it's not. the "panel" was BS.

I've conducted this same experiment at home several time with friends who couldn't care less about wine, and it's patently obvious when a wine has been dumped into a decanter vs aerated vs poured directly from the bottle.

quote:

Originally posted by Randy Sloan:
The entire article is about wine needing air and there is (at the end) a brief mention of the contrary findings by the Fresno taste panel.

It's not a myth. Many (or even most) wines benefit from at least a bit of air.

quote:

Originally posted by StanS:
Probably. The question is how much air? I find a few minutes in the glass and anything more doesn't make a bit of difference.

quote:

Originally posted by Randy Sloan:
The entire article is about wine needing air and there is (at the end) a brief mention of the contrary findings by the Fresno taste panel.

It's not a myth. Many (or even most) wines benefit from at least a bit of air.

quote:

Originally posted by StanS:
Probably. The question is how much air? I find a few minutes in the glass and anything more doesn't make a bit of difference.

quote:

Originally posted by Randy Sloan:
The entire article is about wine needing air and there is (at the end) a brief mention of the contrary findings by the Fresno taste panel.

It's not a myth. Many (or even most) wines benefit from at least a bit of air.