Decanting the wine ... need or false myth?

Every world has its own traditions, or rather those dogmas which, beyond their actual usefulness and their being actual, have a charm that makes them untouchable.

In the world of wine, which more than other sectors lives often secular traditions and for this reason considered unchangeable, there are a lot ot these one, some truly out of time, others still current and with valid reasons to continue to exist.

One of these, undoubtedly among the most fascinating associated with this world, is that of decanting, a practice that anyone of us will have seen done several times as sommeliers or self-styled ones (in a restaurant, on TV or on some web channel) and that - sometimes - he may even have found himself to do in his own home.

With this post I will try to provide guidelines on the subject, highlighting, beyond how to perform a correct decanting of wine, if - and especially when – it makes sense to practice it.

First question (trivial but at the same time fundamental): WHAT IS THE USE OF DECANTING A BOTTLE?

Mainly to eliminate potential sediments, a phenomenon which can affect in red wines aged for a long time.

After that, it allows the wine to oxygenate more quickly and above all correctly, thus giving it the opportunity to best express its olfactory bouquet.

This aspect explains the reason why a decanter of an appropriate shape is used instead of simply pouring of wine into a random container or even into another bottle, even if in recent years we are witnessing an artistic drift of the decanter itself, which it’s increasingly becoming an object of art and less and less an instrument of enological utility.

Having clarified the technical reasons behind the decanting, let's move on to the central theme of the article, namely: BEYOND THE "SCENOGRAPHIC" CHARACTER, IS IT REALLY IMPORTING TO DECANT A WINE?

The answer, in a world of apparent certainties, is once again… it depends!

And the variable that determines the actual usefulness (or not) can only be the wine we are about to taste.

Basically:

- It’s necessary to decant almost only red wines. Rarely this practice can also be applied to whites, practically never on sparkling wines and sweet / fortified wines, with the exception of botrytised wines, in which a rapid decantation - accompanied by a passage through the silver tastevin - allows the elimination of the excess sulfur dioxide that characterizes them

- Young wines can also be successfully decanted which, upon opening, show evident signs of reduction, therefore characterized by odors that are not really pleasant, reminiscent of cheese or an environment closed for too long time

- Wines close to their evolutionary peak (therefore which have about ten years of life) should be decanted in the event that it has not been possible to open them and air them well in advance. In this case, the operation can be performed half an hour before serving it on the table, time enough for the bouquet opening of the wine.

- In the case of wines decidedly advanced in age (therefore with at least 20 harvests behind them) the operation is decidedly risky, as too rapid and prolonged oxygenation could harm the wine, leading it to too much oxidation rapid and therefore to its premature "death". In this case, it would be better to open the bottle several hours before, take a small amount (such as to encrease the base in contact with the air) and let it breathe calmly. If this is not possible, and the wine just opened is apparently silent, decanting must be done with great caution and only a few minutes before bringing the wine to the table.

Therefore, the advice I would like to give is to limit the use of this practice to the indispensable, even if, I must admit, the fascination it exerts - on neophytes but also on long-time enthusiasts - has very few equals in the world of wine.