The Auswine Forum

Why does the last glass of wine from a bottle always seems like the best? I think it's a combination of factors, but which factor is the main one?

I think that the wine tastes better primarily because my perceptions and sensitivities change over the time I spend drinking the wine. Yes, there's some oxidation, but I don't think the wine change so much as the wine taster changes.

Let us know your thoughts.

Probably not as it potentially could have a heap of sediment at the bottom!

Where is the final option where you often completely tire of the wine after a glass or two?

On the good bottles, ill take some of option 1 and some of option 3.

Usually quite 'jolly' by the last glass!

I went for being pissed. But I think it is both 1&3 equally.

Often a case of why did I not buy more of this...when at the end of the glass or bottle, cue 86 Keyneton Estate at $50 a case!

Cheers
Craig

A little from column A, column B and column C. Of course the wine changes after opening - decanting will give it an oxygen batch and all the rest; your mouth will be more used to the flavour and able to concentrate on the other subtleties revealed; and you get a bit tiddles. All working together to make the wine taste better (unless it's a crap wine, in which case the first is the best). I always use the second sip of a scotch for my tasting notes, as the first one hits your tongue so hard. Wine's a little more subtle...

Cloth Ears wrote:A little from column A, column B and column C. Of course the wine changes after opening - decanting will give it an oxygen batch and all the rest; your mouth will be more used to the flavour and able to concentrate on the other subtleties revealed; and you get a bit tiddles. All working together to make the wine taste better (unless it's a crap wine, in which case the first is the best). I always use the second sip of a scotch for my tasting notes, as the first one hits your tongue so hard. Wine's a little more subtle...

Yes, I'd agree, and also probably the same for getting tired of a wine.

Hard and fast rules for aeration? I've none, but do try mixing it up to discover what works best for you and your favourite wines. I'm certainly going to try out extended aeration for certain very old wines, and there are champions for the subtle 'Audouze' method, or the more significant (gentle) decant off sediment, return (gently) to cleaned bottle and leave for a few hours. I've an open (if slightly sceptical) mind on these techniques. A friend also swears by a vigorous decant of younger white wines - more so than reds.

Ian S wrote:A friend also swears by a vigorous decant of younger white wines - more so than reds.

Having recently watched the Luke Lambert Chardonnay 2015 shift from a pop-and-pour "amazing quality but a bit of a struggle to drink now" through to "greatest young white wine ever" after a brief decant, ill be trying it more in future myself.

After reading all the comments, I see I could have worded my question better. Even after decanting/Adouze/whatnot prior to drinking, the last glass poured from the decanter/bottle still usually tastes the best for me. Over the duration of drinking a wine, does the wine change more than the drinker? A very subjective question of course. Perhaps one day someone will test this line of thought using a more scientific/objective approach, using a Coravin to exclude oxidation as a factor. It'd certainly make for an interesting experiment.