Decanting is a strange word to many people. Some do not even know what it means exactly. Taking
sophistication out of it, decanting literally means pouring wine from bottle to a special glass container. This is done in order to expose wine to oxygen and enrich it.What is meaning of this process? Do all wines benefit from decanting or not?
The wine experts are not in agreement. Some say wine should be decanted in order to allow it to “breathe” and develop fully before consumption. Others claim decanting does not contribute to quality of wine.
So who is right? Well, truth is somewhere in middle. Decanting does seem to benefit certain wines more than others. Most red wines, except for very aged and some white ones would definitely benefit from decanting 1-2 hours before serving. Young red wines, on other hand, which are low in tannins, light and fruity, would not improve if allowed to oxidize. There are also wines that would actually suffer from decanting. Those are aged reds. Their quality could worsen if allowed too much contact with air.
