Serving Wine by Picked Wines

Catalog » Serving Wine by Picked Wines

Shopping Cart

0 items

Decanter.com says

Leave everyday reds and whites until the day you need them, but bring your finer reds up from a cool cellar the day before to bring them gently upto room temperature.

Let The Wine Breathe

Decanting is the movement of wine from its original container to a fresh glass receptacle, leaving the sediment behind. It is supposed to allow the wine to breathe and improve the bouquet. When you have pulled out the cork some restraint is needed. Let the wine interact with the air, it helps the aromas develop and eases out the flavour.

Either leave the bottle standing, cork off, or better still, pour into a decanter. This will not give the wine nearly as much airing as when it is left in the bowl of a glass.

Younger, more closed wines need longer. More complex wines really show their class with a little time.

Separate The Wine From Its Sediment

The main basis for decanting is to separate good wine from sediment. Vintage port and mature claret are the greatest culprits. Barely filtered California Cabernets (Cabernet Sauvignon being renowned for throwing a deposit) or Rhones (Syrah another sediment fiend) may muddy your glass if undecanted.

Let The Sediment Settle

Sediment must settle in one place. Leave the wine upright – for 12 hours plus. Alternatively, use a decanting basket which tilts the bottle at 45 degrees, leaving the sediment on the underside of the bottle. Position the bottle neck towards the decanter with a good strong light or candle the other side. Pour slowly and steadily, lifting the bottle as you go, until the sediment has reached the neck. There is no need to filter if the sediment was settled well. Filtering can also taint the wine.

Decanting Whites

Decanting whites is of no great use, except for the sweeter dessert styles. Swirling the glass should give adequate aeration.

Temperature

As a rule of thumb, keep white wines to a maximum of 11 degrees centigrade (cooler for light, acidic still and sparkling). Reds can be just as sensitive: keep them to a maximum of 18 degrees centigrade -room temp.-(cooler for the more mature wines. Try chilling your Beaujolais or Loire reds . Always use a bucket and iced water.

Over Chilling

It is possible to over-chill wine. ..so caution is urged.

The Expert's Opinion

If you are still in some confusion, you could follow the advice of Bordeaux negociant Christian Moueix: "I prefer to decant wines, both young and old. It is a sign of respect for old wines and a sign of confidence in young wines."

From decanter.com