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Decanting 101 please

K kissincousinsMember
Hello,

I have read a bit on decanting. Some say the old wines. Some say decant the young wines. Some say that an hour in a decanter is like a year in the cellar. Is this to say that two hours in a decanter is like two years in the cellar? I would think not, I think….

As you can see I am still a little confused with this subject and its process. My questions in a “grape skin” as opposed to “a nut shell”:

1. Why decant?
2. Decant for how long, and why?
3. We only decant Reds, yes?

Any extra info is welcomed also.

We are still learning and loving it! Thanks in advance for your replies.
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steve8steve8Member
quote:
Originally posted by Kissin Cousins:
Hello,

I have read a bit on decanting. Some say the old wines. Some say decant the young wines. Some say that an hour in a decanter is like a year in the cellar. Is this to say that two hours in a decanter is like two years in the cellar? I would think not, I think….

As you can see I am still a little confused with this subject and its process. My questions in a “grape skin” as opposed to “a nut shell”:

1. Why decant?

To separate wine from high levels of sediment and/or to aerate young wines.

2. Decant for how long, and why?

Prepare for a wide variety of answers to this one. If it's an old wine and the decant was done for sedimental reasons only, not long. If it's a young wine in need of lots of air, anywhere from 2-12 hours. I've had wines that were decanted the day before.

3. We only decant Reds, yes?

Yes.

R ronmc2Member
[QUOTE]Originally posted by Kissin Cousins:
3. We only decant Reds, yes?
QUOTE]
No. Many YOUNG whites that taste syrupy, like big, Calif Chards(Kistler, Kongsgaard, even Beringer Prv Resv., etc.) need 1/2 to 1 hour. Example, 2001 Kongsgaard in 2002- thick, flabby. Maybe 90-91 points. After one hour decanting, best Cal Chard I've ever tasted. 97-98 points.

Alsace, White Burgs, Chablis, even young German Reislings & dessert wines will benefit. They become cleaner with more delineated structure & flavor.

Agree with Steve8 on the other two.
T theschoolmarmMember
Great answers from steve8 and ronmc2.

I myself rarely decant for a couple reasons.

First, older wines can be very delicate and can fall apart quickly when exposed to oxygen. So, even if they have sediment, I usually use a wine basket that holds the bottle just slightly upright from horizontal.

Second, I like to see how wine evolves in my glass during dinner. The evolution over the course of an hour or two can be amazing.

Cheers!

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