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Which Riedel Decanter to Choose?

There are 3 good reasons to decant. Historically, before standard bottles and bottle labels were common place, it was not deemed sophisticated enough to serve wine from an ugly vessel. Therefore glass ‘decanters’ were introduced into civilised society for the dinner table. The problem of labelling was solved by decanter labels, identifying the wine or various wines at the table. Today, decanters still make a more attractive alternative to an open bottle and in these brand conscious times, remove any pretension from serving the wine, allowing only the quality of the wine to speak for itself and not the label.

Secondly, many wines are made to be cellared and opened anywhere between 5 – 25 years from the vintage. If cellared properly in the right environment, these wines will be immeasurably more complex and enjoyable. To drink young wine that ideally should be kept for a while, pour it into a decanter for 60-90 minutes and allow the air to speed up the maturation of the wine. Air contact of this volume will not produce a wine anything like a complex as a slowly matured wine, but the wine will still soften and develop an aroma more complex than when first poured straight from the bottle. Removing the cork from a bottle without pouring any wine does not let the wine breathe. It does absolutely nothing.

Wine that has been stored properly tastes better, and cellaring over time usually results in a sediment forming in the bottle as the tannins ‘fall’ out of the wine. To be able to serve clear wine, without sediment, the wine should be carefully poured out of the bottle into a decanter, ideally through a filtered funnel. Many people wil recognise that the first glass of wine from the bottle tastes quite different to the last glass, because the wine evolves and softens with air contact. Older wines do not need to breathe in a decanter for nearly as long as young wines, so be careful how long before you drink aged wine you decant, as the wine will evolve quite quickly.

Decanters make a beautiful gift and enhance your drinking pleasure.

Text Copyright, Daniel Primack, Around Wine.

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