Being the novice that I am, I am always wondering if I should decant a particular wine and for how long. What is the general consensus on decanting?
I see that sometimes there is a need to decant both young and old wines. How do you tell?
Also, I have a 1993 magnum Basket Press that I will be opening for my daughters 21st in October. Should this be decanted and again, what time frame before drinking?
Cheers
When to decant and for how long
Re: When to decant and for how long
This is a topic that I'm currently trying to better understand myself. Everywhere I look I see different opinions, so I don't think there's necessarily a right answer that covers all wines.
Generally, what I've found is that most young wines benefit from a good decant. That's why the last glass always seems to taste better than the first.
With older wines, I think it's more difficult to know what to do. Decanting could potentially remove too much of the bouquet and also cause loss of flavour. So what I've been doing is removing the cork a couple hours before I want to drink and just letting the bottle sit upright. This lets any sediment fall to the bottom of the bottle. After a couple hours, I then pour straight into the glass from the bottle. If the wine is still closed, then I gently pour it into a decanter it to see if that'll improve things. I think this approach is good because it errs on the side of caution -- one can't reverse the effects of decanting.
I’m sure others on this forum a lot more experienced than myself will have lots of good advice, so I’m looking forward to what everyone else thinks on this matter.
In terms of what to do with your specific wine, I’m sure others here will be able to advise what they did and what worked for them. Also, if you contact Rockford they’ll also be able to give you some good advice too. After all, nobody knows the wine better than they do.
Generally, what I've found is that most young wines benefit from a good decant. That's why the last glass always seems to taste better than the first.
With older wines, I think it's more difficult to know what to do. Decanting could potentially remove too much of the bouquet and also cause loss of flavour. So what I've been doing is removing the cork a couple hours before I want to drink and just letting the bottle sit upright. This lets any sediment fall to the bottom of the bottle. After a couple hours, I then pour straight into the glass from the bottle. If the wine is still closed, then I gently pour it into a decanter it to see if that'll improve things. I think this approach is good because it errs on the side of caution -- one can't reverse the effects of decanting.
I’m sure others on this forum a lot more experienced than myself will have lots of good advice, so I’m looking forward to what everyone else thinks on this matter.
In terms of what to do with your specific wine, I’m sure others here will be able to advise what they did and what worked for them. Also, if you contact Rockford they’ll also be able to give you some good advice too. After all, nobody knows the wine better than they do.
Re: When to decant and for how long
I would love to hear the views of the forum members here too. I see a lot of things on the message board where people open a wine then drink it over a couple of days. I had always thought this to be wrong and try to drink everything on the night opened. I'm used to bottles falling away rapidly in the next day.
As for decanting, I always decant bottles. Had an interesting experiance with my dad, who put me onto wine but a very salt of the earth bloke. He was over my house, I decanted a bottle and he said "what do you bother doing that fancy stuff for? it makes no difference and you look like a w_nker.". I said "all right, blind tasting" [poured him two glasses from same bottle, 1 decanted through a quick airater filter nozzle, 1 straight from bottle]. He tasted both, and just said "all right son, you made your point....."
As for decanting, I always decant bottles. Had an interesting experiance with my dad, who put me onto wine but a very salt of the earth bloke. He was over my house, I decanted a bottle and he said "what do you bother doing that fancy stuff for? it makes no difference and you look like a w_nker.". I said "all right, blind tasting" [poured him two glasses from same bottle, 1 decanted through a quick airater filter nozzle, 1 straight from bottle]. He tasted both, and just said "all right son, you made your point....."
Re: When to decant and for how long
Decanting should do 3 things:
Remove sediment – leave it in the bottle.
Oxygenate the wine.
De-gas the wine.
Maybe 4 things – present it nicely.
We use an aerating decanter. If you haven’t got one try pouring the wine carefully into the decanter and letting it run down the side exposing it to as much air as possible while leaving any sediment in the bottle. Hold the bottle over a white surface so hopefully you will be able to see the sediment.
Decanting also helps to de-gas the wine – releasing compounds that cause off tasting flavours, quite often caused by sulphur compounds.
We find that there is a marked difference for the better in the taste of wine by using a decanter for red wines. For whites, using an aerating pourer also makes a difference especially for younger wines. For the non believers, try it with a blind taste test.
There’s no reason not to use a decanter for whites either if it’s going to be poured straight away, it won’t warm up that much in a few minutes.
If you haven’t got a decanter or don’t want to fork out too much for one, then use an aerating pourer for the reds too.
For the really brave drinking a younger red, try hyper-aerating a red by pouring it into a blender and whizzing it for 30 to 60 seconds. Wait a few minutes for the froth to subside and pour. Do a blind taste test and decide for yourself. Possibly don’t do this on an older red, the gentle approach is called for here.
Remove sediment – leave it in the bottle.
Oxygenate the wine.
De-gas the wine.
Maybe 4 things – present it nicely.
We use an aerating decanter. If you haven’t got one try pouring the wine carefully into the decanter and letting it run down the side exposing it to as much air as possible while leaving any sediment in the bottle. Hold the bottle over a white surface so hopefully you will be able to see the sediment.
Decanting also helps to de-gas the wine – releasing compounds that cause off tasting flavours, quite often caused by sulphur compounds.
We find that there is a marked difference for the better in the taste of wine by using a decanter for red wines. For whites, using an aerating pourer also makes a difference especially for younger wines. For the non believers, try it with a blind taste test.
There’s no reason not to use a decanter for whites either if it’s going to be poured straight away, it won’t warm up that much in a few minutes.
If you haven’t got a decanter or don’t want to fork out too much for one, then use an aerating pourer for the reds too.
For the really brave drinking a younger red, try hyper-aerating a red by pouring it into a blender and whizzing it for 30 to 60 seconds. Wait a few minutes for the froth to subside and pour. Do a blind taste test and decide for yourself. Possibly don’t do this on an older red, the gentle approach is called for here.
Re: When to decant and for how long
Thanks for the replies.
I do have a decanter and use it quite often. I am really after info on which requires decanting for longer. Younger or older reds?
I guess what I am trying to avoid is planning for a good bottle to be drunk on a particular night and finding that I have not decanted it for long enough to bring out the best, and thus either drinking it too early or having to wait too long to enjoy it..
I do have a decanter and use it quite often. I am really after info on which requires decanting for longer. Younger or older reds?
I guess what I am trying to avoid is planning for a good bottle to be drunk on a particular night and finding that I have not decanted it for long enough to bring out the best, and thus either drinking it too early or having to wait too long to enjoy it..
Re: When to decant and for how long
Hi Ads
I'm not sure there is a definitive answer unfortunately.
One way to assess without overcommitting is to slow-ox. Open the bottle, pour a some into a glass, have a sniff and a taste, then pour back into the bottle.
This small amount of oxygen will slowly impact the wine, and if after a hour or 2, its not progressing as quickly as you like, you can double decant the whole bottle.
Its a good idea to post particular wine and canvas opinion that way...like you did with the 93 BP Magnum.
One tip is pay attention to where you think the wine is in it life cycle, rather than age...some wines maybe 10+ years old, are still relative pups. These wines often demand long decants...i.e. Grange, Signatures
With wines that are considered fully mature, i generally think a slow ox for couple of hours with a gentle decant (to remove sediment) before serving is the best approach.
However with Burgundies, i rarely decant regardless of the age, to preserve the aromatics as much as possible. Also young Burgundies can close up with prolonged air.
Like i said, no definitive answer, depends on your style/taste preferences and the wine in question, but definitely a good idea to post here when you have a specific bottle in mind.
I've never had the 93 BP, but its not considered a great Barossan vintage, although magmums mature more slowly i'd suggest its ready to go, pop the cork an hour or 2 before you want to drink, pour some out to check and let the funk blow off etc....then check again after an hour or 2, and decant gently to remove sediment once you're happy.
One personal thing i always enjoy is watching a wine evolve in the glass, over a night, so no harm IMO if you pour it and find the last glass shows more than the first.
Finally, cellartracker is a great source to reference particualr wines, often posters will specifically outline how the wine was prepared.
Enjoy!
I'm not sure there is a definitive answer unfortunately.
One way to assess without overcommitting is to slow-ox. Open the bottle, pour a some into a glass, have a sniff and a taste, then pour back into the bottle.
This small amount of oxygen will slowly impact the wine, and if after a hour or 2, its not progressing as quickly as you like, you can double decant the whole bottle.
Its a good idea to post particular wine and canvas opinion that way...like you did with the 93 BP Magnum.
One tip is pay attention to where you think the wine is in it life cycle, rather than age...some wines maybe 10+ years old, are still relative pups. These wines often demand long decants...i.e. Grange, Signatures
With wines that are considered fully mature, i generally think a slow ox for couple of hours with a gentle decant (to remove sediment) before serving is the best approach.
However with Burgundies, i rarely decant regardless of the age, to preserve the aromatics as much as possible. Also young Burgundies can close up with prolonged air.
Like i said, no definitive answer, depends on your style/taste preferences and the wine in question, but definitely a good idea to post here when you have a specific bottle in mind.
I've never had the 93 BP, but its not considered a great Barossan vintage, although magmums mature more slowly i'd suggest its ready to go, pop the cork an hour or 2 before you want to drink, pour some out to check and let the funk blow off etc....then check again after an hour or 2, and decant gently to remove sediment once you're happy.
One personal thing i always enjoy is watching a wine evolve in the glass, over a night, so no harm IMO if you pour it and find the last glass shows more than the first.
Finally, cellartracker is a great source to reference particualr wines, often posters will specifically outline how the wine was prepared.
Enjoy!
Re: When to decant and for how long
Complicated subject, and many opposing opinions.... I think Ozzie and Michael R have great ideas, and of course my thoughts will be different from others.
I always decant young red wines and good quality young Chardonnay/Semillon, say 10 years or under. Normally for a couple of hours. Young Riesling, not so much.
Older wines.... depends on the wine, how long I have to spend with it while drinking (watch it evolve) OR will I be drinking half tonight and half tomorrow (in which case no decant).
For a BP 93 Magnum, I would decant it in the mid/late afternoon sometime, smell it, taste it, it is awesome, fruity, vibrant, smell wafting out of the glass? Yes? Put it back in the bottle via a funnel and serve it tonight. No? Leave it for a couple of hours and see if it's changed at all. 1 hour really won't do much for a big red, give it two or three. Then try again...
Really old wines (say 30yrs+) mostly benefit from 1/2 hour to 2 hours, but again you want to be careful it's not going to fall over, so if in doubt, pop 'n' pour, or open and decant carefully just before serving to remove the sediment, then pour. The 'bigger' and more tannic the wine and those more designed for the long haul (e.g Cabernet), the longer it should be decanted.
Hard to summarise really, so many factors and personal preferences. I know a lot of people dislike decanting Burgundy as they fear they may lose some of the initial 'perfume' which can be a big part of the wines greatness. I agree for very very old Burgundy, but for anything young or a 'big' vintage (like 2002 or 2005), I would prefer that the wine softens up a little and comes out of it's shell more with some exposure to air, rather than keeping it tight and slightly unyielding. If the wine is any good, that perfume shouldn't disappear!
At the various dinners I've attended with the RareWineDinners crew over the past five years, I've been served wines from 1907 - 2000, usually most of their wines are 40's - 80's vintages. They almost always decant every wine, and believe they show at their best after a few hours of setting down. Some older more 'fragile' wines are not decanted, mostly old Burgundy like the 1907 Volnay, or a village level 1959 Gevrey-Chambertin, to name a couple from memory. But these non-decanted ones are the exception, not the rule.
I think for most big reds, under 30 years old, a decant of 2 hours will always do them good.
An aerator pouring device will only expose the wine to a tiny extra bit of oxygen while pouring it into a decanter, and only for a few seconds while it's being poured. I fail to see the science here, time exposed to air is the key. Blending probably works for aeration, but is so aggressive, feels cruel and only naughty bad wine would deserve it.
Cheers
TiggerK
I always decant young red wines and good quality young Chardonnay/Semillon, say 10 years or under. Normally for a couple of hours. Young Riesling, not so much.
Older wines.... depends on the wine, how long I have to spend with it while drinking (watch it evolve) OR will I be drinking half tonight and half tomorrow (in which case no decant).
For a BP 93 Magnum, I would decant it in the mid/late afternoon sometime, smell it, taste it, it is awesome, fruity, vibrant, smell wafting out of the glass? Yes? Put it back in the bottle via a funnel and serve it tonight. No? Leave it for a couple of hours and see if it's changed at all. 1 hour really won't do much for a big red, give it two or three. Then try again...
Really old wines (say 30yrs+) mostly benefit from 1/2 hour to 2 hours, but again you want to be careful it's not going to fall over, so if in doubt, pop 'n' pour, or open and decant carefully just before serving to remove the sediment, then pour. The 'bigger' and more tannic the wine and those more designed for the long haul (e.g Cabernet), the longer it should be decanted.
Hard to summarise really, so many factors and personal preferences. I know a lot of people dislike decanting Burgundy as they fear they may lose some of the initial 'perfume' which can be a big part of the wines greatness. I agree for very very old Burgundy, but for anything young or a 'big' vintage (like 2002 or 2005), I would prefer that the wine softens up a little and comes out of it's shell more with some exposure to air, rather than keeping it tight and slightly unyielding. If the wine is any good, that perfume shouldn't disappear!
At the various dinners I've attended with the RareWineDinners crew over the past five years, I've been served wines from 1907 - 2000, usually most of their wines are 40's - 80's vintages. They almost always decant every wine, and believe they show at their best after a few hours of setting down. Some older more 'fragile' wines are not decanted, mostly old Burgundy like the 1907 Volnay, or a village level 1959 Gevrey-Chambertin, to name a couple from memory. But these non-decanted ones are the exception, not the rule.
I think for most big reds, under 30 years old, a decant of 2 hours will always do them good.
An aerator pouring device will only expose the wine to a tiny extra bit of oxygen while pouring it into a decanter, and only for a few seconds while it's being poured. I fail to see the science here, time exposed to air is the key. Blending probably works for aeration, but is so aggressive, feels cruel and only naughty bad wine would deserve it.
Cheers
TiggerK
Re: When to decant and for how long
An aerating pourer will definitely de-gas a wine and will help oxygenate it. It’s going into a glass which you are going to swirl around anyway.
An aerating decanter will expose the wine to a much greater surface area while it is being decanted and will therefore shorten the time you need to leave it in the decanter.
Two hours should be more than enough for any red.
An aerating decanter will expose the wine to a much greater surface area while it is being decanted and will therefore shorten the time you need to leave it in the decanter.
Two hours should be more than enough for any red.
-
Michael McNally
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Re: When to decant and for how long
gap wrote:For the really brave drinking a younger red, try hyper-aerating a red by pouring it into a blender and whizzing it for 30 to 60 seconds. Wait a few minutes for the froth to subside and pour. Do a blind taste test and decide for yourself. Possibly don’t do this on an older red, the gentle approach is called for here.
Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm, Cabernet Frappe!
Cheers
Michael
Bonum Vinum Laetificat Cor Hominis
Re: When to decant and for how long
Ozzie W wrote:
Generally, what I've found is that most young wines benefit from a good decant. That's why the last glass always seems to taste better than the first.
With older wines, I think it's more difficult to know what to do. Decanting could potentially remove too much of the bouquet and also cause loss of flavour. So what I've been doing is removing the cork a couple hours before I want to drink and just letting the bottle sit upright. This lets any sediment fall to the bottom of the bottle. After a couple hours, I then pour straight into the glass from the bottle. If the wine is still closed, then I gently pour it into a decanter it to see if that'll improve things. I think this approach is good because it errs on the side of caution -- one can't reverse the effects of decanting.
This for me. 100%.
never underestimate the predictability of stupidity
Re: When to decant and for how long
Getting the decanting time right can be a bit of a black art.
There are some pretty good general rules that have been given for reds and whites here, but there will always be an exception to the rule.
I drink a bit of port so I thought I'd mention my experiences with that. Most tawny ports will benefit from a run in the decanter. This is particularly true if they have been in the bottle for a long time. Tawny ports don't improve once they have been bottled and if they spend a long time in the bottle they can often develop a bit of bottle stink. A bit of time in the decanter will usually allow this to blow off. An hour or 2 often does the trick.
Vintage ports are a bit more complicated. In general it is true that the older the port the, less decanting time is required. but it isn't always the case.
To give an example, I've tried the 2011 Croft and Warre's this year (amongst others) The Croft was significantly better after 4 days in an open decanter. The Warres was best after about 8 hrs. To give another example, I opened an 85 Grahams and a 77 Gould Campbell for a tasting earlier this year. I gave them 8 hours which was perfect for the Graham's but the Gould Campbell could have done with an extra 4 hrs I think (Unusually, the 77 Gould campbell and Smith Woodhouse are much bigger ports than some of the better known brands of that vintage).
So, it pays to read some tasting notes. Hopefully whoever has written them will give details of decant times, particularly if it is out of the ordinary.
There are some pretty good general rules that have been given for reds and whites here, but there will always be an exception to the rule.
I drink a bit of port so I thought I'd mention my experiences with that. Most tawny ports will benefit from a run in the decanter. This is particularly true if they have been in the bottle for a long time. Tawny ports don't improve once they have been bottled and if they spend a long time in the bottle they can often develop a bit of bottle stink. A bit of time in the decanter will usually allow this to blow off. An hour or 2 often does the trick.
Vintage ports are a bit more complicated. In general it is true that the older the port the, less decanting time is required. but it isn't always the case.
To give an example, I've tried the 2011 Croft and Warre's this year (amongst others) The Croft was significantly better after 4 days in an open decanter. The Warres was best after about 8 hrs. To give another example, I opened an 85 Grahams and a 77 Gould Campbell for a tasting earlier this year. I gave them 8 hours which was perfect for the Graham's but the Gould Campbell could have done with an extra 4 hrs I think (Unusually, the 77 Gould campbell and Smith Woodhouse are much bigger ports than some of the better known brands of that vintage).
So, it pays to read some tasting notes. Hopefully whoever has written them will give details of decant times, particularly if it is out of the ordinary.
Re: When to decant and for how long
Thanks for all the replies.. There is some great info there... I guess a bit of trial and error is the way to go for the time being for me. This is why I usually buy 3 or more of a particular wine as it gives me some options to try something different the next time I have it..
Re: When to decant and for how long
Michael McNally wrote:gap wrote:For the really brave drinking a younger red, try hyper-aerating a red by pouring it into a blender and whizzing it for 30 to 60 seconds. Wait a few minutes for the froth to subside and pour. Do a blind taste test and decide for yourself. Possibly don’t do this on an older red, the gentle approach is called for here.
Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm, Cabernet Frappe!
Cheers
Michael
My personal tip: do not attempt this if your last use of the blender was to whip up a green curry paste!!
(I imagine... I personally would not put my poor wine into a nasty blender ... how would you like it if I put you in a blender?? Exactly... good wine doesn't need you, you need it, so treat it with respect)
Seriously though some good notions in this thread. I tend to only briefly decant young wines, but drink them over several days (usually stored with capsule on and in the fridge). For most older wines I do some variant of a slow-ox (cork out but untouched) and then decant briefly before serving to remove sediment. For medium-aged wines I play it by ear, depending on the rarity and cost of the wine, the occasion, etc etc
------------------------------------
Sam
Sam
Re: When to decant and for how long
Can I just put in a note of caution here? Decanting a mature wine enables oxygen to combine with volatile molecules which makes them easier to pick up, in other words, a cleaner more aromatic wine ie more expressive and cleaner, fruitier. If you take out the sediment this works well but if you leave the sediment in or worse, mix it up during decanting, it takes up the oxygen and so prevents or reduces the oxygen from dissolving and combining with the volatiles like it's supposed to and so makes a more closed and reductive wine ie dull and earthy.
Decanting also of course, allows the off smells caused by thiols to oxidise making them more difficult to detect, allows sour acids to diminish and over time, half a day or so, diminishes the polyphenols including tannin.
I haven't tried the blender to accelerate the binding of oxygen and tannins but will do for half a bottle of a young bordeaux before the next tasting.
Decanting also of course, allows the off smells caused by thiols to oxidise making them more difficult to detect, allows sour acids to diminish and over time, half a day or so, diminishes the polyphenols including tannin.
I haven't tried the blender to accelerate the binding of oxygen and tannins but will do for half a bottle of a young bordeaux before the next tasting.
http://vinsiders.com.au
Re: When to decant and for how long
I have not seen anything that would indicate leaving the sediment in will create a problem while decanting but interesting to hear....
The Audoze method seems to work for quite a few and the sediment would be in there...
Personally I think young wines can all use a decant of some sort to show their best...
Older wines it becomes a bit more tricky and the timing becomes a bit tougher as well...If you're going to serve the entire bottle at once, decanting a bit to show its best is probably a good idea..if you're drinking an older bottle over several hours, I'd personally not want to decant it at all..I'd want to see the development and I'd certain not want to risk it falling over before I'm done with it...
Things like a Vinturi...generally I don't bother with except when a wine is really tight for some oddball reason (and for me it tends to be whites..which is odd). I suspect a lot of trapped gases or whatever...This does a good job of releasing those gases and really slaps the wine into place. Eg. Acid actually starts showing whereas before it might seem dead...
The Audoze method seems to work for quite a few and the sediment would be in there...
Personally I think young wines can all use a decant of some sort to show their best...
Older wines it becomes a bit more tricky and the timing becomes a bit tougher as well...If you're going to serve the entire bottle at once, decanting a bit to show its best is probably a good idea..if you're drinking an older bottle over several hours, I'd personally not want to decant it at all..I'd want to see the development and I'd certain not want to risk it falling over before I'm done with it...
Things like a Vinturi...generally I don't bother with except when a wine is really tight for some oddball reason (and for me it tends to be whites..which is odd). I suspect a lot of trapped gases or whatever...This does a good job of releasing those gases and really slaps the wine into place. Eg. Acid actually starts showing whereas before it might seem dead...
Re: When to decant and for how long
Polymer wrote:I have not seen anything that would indicate leaving the sediment in will create a problem while decanting but interesting to hear....
I've read a couple of articles that are quite emphatic about it and a test on dissolved oxygen and redox oxygen on the same wine from the same bottle when sediment was not allowed in one decanter and allowed to fall in another. In both in initial take up and over time was significantly different when there was sediment.
I'll see if I can find it. IIRC the difference was huge in chemical terms
http://vinsiders.com.au
Re: When to decant and for how long
I have a 1993 magnum Basket Press that I will be opening for my daughters 21st in October. Should this be decanted and again, what time frame before drinking?
We, AFWAC, had a 1993 magnum 2 years ago and it was superb. WOTN for some. We double decanted (pour from bottle to receptical, rinse bottle, and return) about 2 hrs before consuming. The wine was still evolving in the glass as we drank. I would rather have the wine evolve in the glass than fall over for having been aerated too long.
BTW: the 1993 we had was more akin to a Eden Valley fruit wine than the warmer Barossa fruit wine. So if you think it more elegant than a traditional Barossa the cooler vintage may help explain the wine in the glass.
Hope you enjoy as much as we did.
cheers
Phill
Drink the wine, not the label.
Re: When to decant and for how long
crusty2 wrote:I have a 1993 magnum Basket Press that I will be opening for my daughters 21st in October. Should this be decanted and again, what time frame before drinking?
We, AFWAC, had a 1993 magnum 2 years ago and it was superb. WOTN for some. We double decanted (pour from bottle to receptical, rinse bottle, and return) about 2 hrs before consuming. The wine was still evolving in the glass as we drank. I would rather have the wine evolve in the glass than fall over for having been aerated too long.
BTW: the 1993 we had was more akin to a Eden Valley fruit wine than the warmer Barossa fruit wine. So if you think it more elegant than a traditional Barossa the cooler vintage may help explain the wine in the glass.
Hope you enjoy as much as we did.
cheers
Phill
Ahhh excellent Phill, that is exactly the answer I was after. Many thanks! It sounds like it should be a cracker and a suitable wine to celebrate my baby girls 21st..
Re: When to decant and for how long
rossmckay wrote:Polymer wrote:I have not seen anything that would indicate leaving the sediment in will create a problem while decanting but interesting to hear....
I've read a couple of articles that are quite emphatic about it and a test on dissolved oxygen and redox oxygen on the same wine from the same bottle when sediment was not allowed in one decanter and allowed to fall in another. In both in initial take up and over time was significantly different when there was sediment.
I'll see if I can find it. IIRC the difference was huge in chemical terms
That is definitely interesting...but I don't know if that means it is better or not....Maybe the sediment keeps it from falling over too quickly after being open...Unfortunately, wine doesn't seem to be an exact science....It doesn't even seem that people can agree how a wine ages...Even in this thread there are different opinions about what should be done..I don't think anyone is wrong....
Re: When to decant and for how long
Polymer wrote:rossmckay wrote:Polymer wrote:I have not seen anything that would indicate leaving the sediment in will create a problem while decanting but interesting to hear....
I've read a couple of articles that are quite emphatic about it and a test on dissolved oxygen and redox oxygen on the same wine from the same bottle when sediment was not allowed in one decanter and allowed to fall in another. In both in initial take up and over time was significantly different when there was sediment.
I'll see if I can find it. IIRC the difference was huge in chemical terms
That is definitely interesting...but I don't know if that means it is better or not....Maybe the sediment keeps it from falling over too quickly after being open...Unfortunately, wine doesn't seem to be an exact science....It doesn't even seem that people can agree how a wine ages...Even in this thread there are different opinions about what should be done..I don't think anyone is wrong....
So true, I was astounding to read recently that decanting had little effect on tannins in young wine until they were open for about 12 hours. it took that long to take up the oxygen sufficiently. I've always breathed decent young wines for about 5-10 hours and thought at the time that they should have been open a full day or more but there you go.
This is an excerpt from the article. It's on Jancis Robertson's subscription site so I won't post the full thing
The wine served with sediment had 0.7 ppm of dissolved oxygen without any evident increase in the second measurement after half an hour. The redox potential remained immobile around 200 mV throughout the 30 minutes.
In contrast…
The wine served without sediment had 1.6 ppm of dissolved oxygen initially and this increased to 2.6 ppm after half an hour in the decanter. The redox potential was also higher, up to 250 mV evolving to 275mV after 30 minutes.
http://vinsiders.com.au