Why You Should Decant Your Wine

Wine is a curious beverage. Every glass rewards your senses with dozens of scents, flavors, and textures. That’s what makes wine unique— it takes you places. Of course, not all wine is created equal, and some wines are shyer than others. Here’s where decanters come in. 

Let’s discuss decanting wine from its purpose to the most popular decanter models, including the Zalto wine decanter and the Grassl glass decanter — the vigneron series. Every single serve from a wine decanter is more memorable, so let’s find out why. 

What Are Decanters, and What Do They Do? 

The decanter’s primary purpose is to allow you to pour a bottle of wine that has accumulated sediments into another container (the decanter), effectively separating the liquid from the deposits. Of course, wine with such noticeable residues is rare — only age-worthy red wine aged for many years undisturbed accumulates worrying amounts of precipitated particles. 

Today, decanters serve another purpose — they aerate the wine. Wine becomes more expressive when in contact with air and, therefore, oxygen. Pouring wine from its bottle into a decanter is an efficient way of aerating it. 

How to Properly Use a Decanter?

If you’re using a decanter to separate wine from the deposits accumulated on the bottom of the bottle, you must pour the wine undisturbed into a decanter. Ideally, a light source below the bottle’s neck allows you to stop before the sediments find their way into the decanter. 

If you’re using a decanter to aerate the wine, just pour it. There’s no trick to it. Pour aggressively to wake up the wine, or pour gently to expose more delicate wine to air without agitating it too much.

Here’s a common question regarding decanters. Is decanting ever bad? Good and bad are two hard-to-use words in the wine world since we all like different things. Although almost no wine needs decanting to leave deposits behind, most wines benefit from aeration — even sparkling wines!

Still, if the wine has a delicate bouquet, its most subtle scents might be lost during the violent process. Generally, incredibly old, delicate wines should be gently decanted or served straight out of the bottle. 

Why Wines Should You Decant?

Decant young red wine to bring forward its fruity personality. The same goes for every white wine. Aged wine is not always compatible with aeration since pouring it straight from the bottle and swirling the wine as you sip can achieve similar results. 

No, you can’t ruin a bottle of wine by decanting it, but you might agitate it too much for it to lose its most subtle notes, buried under its more expressive fruit aromas. Should you own a decanter? If you’re into wine, absolutely. You can decant every bottle elevating your dining experience while giving the wine a chance to shine.

Although decanters come in all shapes and sizes, the most classic and slickest designs are often the best. The Grassl Glass Decanter - Vigneron Series is as elegant as decanters come, and it is suitable for inexperienced wine lovers and seasoned wine tasters. Practice decanting with our Grassl Glass Decanter and give your wine the attention it deserves.