10 Tips on How to Decant a Bottle of Wine the Right Way

When you are looking to celebrate a major milestone, wine offers a perfect way to uncork your creativity and create lasting memories.

Be it any occasion like a team event, birthday party or a wedding, wine enhances your enjoyment. In fact, the ritual of serving wine has its own ceremony.

No matter what the occasion is, the making of wine is always shrouded in mystery. The process of making wine is more or less the same, but there is a subtle difference in technique which yields different flavors.

Pouring wine rightly is an art. It is one of the essential step to escalate the experience of drinking wine. Moreover one should also consider the variety of wine and explore what type of method is found to be the best.

With these simple tips, we shall try to make your decantation an everlasting experience.

1. Assemble Your Collection:

Before starting the process of decanting a bottle of wine assemble few things which you will need. Ensure you have all the necessary equipment as this will help you get prepared, in case you miss the right shot.

You will need few rudiments before getting started, like decanter,  the wine, corkscrew, wine glass, Napkin/ serviette, and a suitable receptacle.

2. Know Your Wine:

It’s very difficult to tell if a wine contain sediments or not. There is a least possibility that you see it at the bottom or sides of the bottle.

It’s a known fact that young wines which are generally 7-8 years old tend to have no impurities. That being said, Vintage Ports, old Red Wines, or unfiltered wines may have some sediments lying down.

3. Prepare Your Wine:

It is recommended to keep the  bottle standing upright overnight. As this provide passage for sediment to drop at the bottom of the bottle.

But if you are unable to do so, try not to shake, throw, juggle or spin the bottle. It is important to prevent too much of movement as this will helps to mingle the sediments with wine hence making the decantation pointless.

4. Remove The Seal:

Try to remove the entire capsule from around the neck of the bottle using a knife or other equipment. It’s vital to remove the whole capsule and not just the top. This allow clear visibility of the neck of the bottle, while you’re pouring down the drink.

Suppose your decanter is kept safely and not been used since ages (probably with all the dust over it- smirk) It’s high time to bring it out.

Try to cleanse with hot and after that in cold water. Don’t use detergent, unless really necessary. Stand the decanter and let it dry.

5. Uncork The Bottle Of Wine:

You can observe the wine coming through the neck for any sediments. To enhance your view of the wine from the neck, try positioning the light source shining through the neck from behind.

Once done, you are ready to pour a small amount into a glass. Smell the wine– make sure it is still in good condition, it’s not corked, cloudy, nor has something unpleasant floating in it.

6. Clean The Decanter:

Hold the receptacle in one hand and the bottle in the other. If the wine is good, pour from the glass into the decanter. The idea here is to clean the decanter using the small amount of wine.

This will get rid of any leftover, water, dust etc. Keep swirling the wine around, then pour it back into your glass.

This is very crucial step so do it very carefully because here, you need to make a decision whether to discard or to drink it.

7. Decant The Wine (Slowly):

With a calm and balance act, pour the wine into the decanter. Don’t be in haste rather use a gentle,  stable  movement,  to avoid mixing the sediments in the wine.

This step is simply decanting the wine very slowly into the decanter. When you get the last few drops of wine, you may witness some sediments coming through. At this point,  stop pouring.

8. Keep A Check:

If you’ve done it all correctly, this should be the end result. A decanter of clear wine, with just half a glass or so of sediment-loaded with wine remains.

This remaining portion makes a great addition to the gravy,  if you are decanting the wine as an accompaniment to a roast dinner.

Don’t fret too much if you haven’t achieved the target of crystal clear pour. A small amount of very fine sediments is not a great concern.

Just make sure that the large,  unpalatable pieces have been removed.

9. Wait And Serve:

Wait for approximately  20 minutes to an hour for the wine to breathe and  aromas to develop.

Keep your napkin to the hand, so you can avoid making any mess.

10. Check Your Decanting Properly:

Remember that once a wine is over decanted, you can never revive it. Unless, you have super powers. No form of decanting can resuscitate a dead wine.

Wine is a living entity with a lifespan that varies depending on its type, the vintage, how it was stored and even the size of the bottle.

Now that you know these tips, don’t forget to pour yourself a glass of your fave drink, and relish it.