Archive for the 'Decanting' Category

Because we offer a wide variety of decanters in many styles, we are often asked what the differences are. Does a decanter’s shape affect the wine’s aeration?

The answer is that it can, in subtle ways. Letting your wine “breathe” in a decanter softens harsh tannins and releases its full bouquet. The more space there is in the decanter, the more air can reach the wine. Thus a narrow, tall decanter would aerate more slowly than a wide decanter with a large bowl. The use of a stopper would affect the aeration as well because the stopper prevents air from getting in, slowing aeration. The opening at the top can make a difference too as this is where the air flows. The larger the opening, the more aeration.

In January we launched our first Decanter Design Contest, calling on our customers’ creative juices to design an elegant and exciting new decanter for us. Our first and second place designs are great examples of how a decanter shape can affect aeration.

Our winning design was a fluid-catamaran-like form with ample room for wine aeration. This decanter is expansive, allowing for faster aeration.

Our second place winner designed a more compact decanter which permits gentle swirling without exposing the wine to excessive air.

One design allows for faster aeration by spreading the wine across a great surface area and the other is a slower process, in a more compact vessel. You might use the first decanter for a young, tannic wine that requires tremendous aeration and the second for a soft wine that requires less. The most important thing is choosing a decanter that is functional and looks beautiful on the dinner table! By the way, congratulations to our winners: Eric Hwang, Mark T. Maclean-Blevins and Bozena Wysowski!

Browse our full selection of elegant decanters here 

An aerator and a decanter both serve a similar purpose which is to expand the surface area of wine, which allows the air to mingle with it. Whether placing the wine in a larger vessel (decanter) or forcing air to be circulated throughout it (aerator), the end result is a wine with an expanded aromatic profile and/or softer tannins.  So, what’s the difference?

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For the first time in our 30-year history, we are calling on our customers’ creative juices to design an exciting new decanter for us. Decanters are a marriage of form and function, vessels that can open the aromatics of your wine, while displaying it artfully.

Over the years we’ve carried decanters of all shapes and sizes: horizontal, vertical, duck-shaped, antique, modern and even giraffe shaped! Now we are looking for some fresh ideas, what would YOU like to see in a decanter shape? The new decanter should be both beautiful and functional.

If you have a unique idea, submit it via JPEG to Contest@WineEnthusiast.net and you could win:

• a Grand Prize of $1,000
• a 1-Year Subscription to Wine Enthusiast Magazine 
• Tickets to Toast of the Town in New York City, America’s Premier Wine and Restaurant Tasting Event. 
• Have your design featured at Toast of the Town and in Wine Enthusiast Magazine, read by thousands of business professionals every day!

Calling all wine lovers with an eye for artistry, now is your chance to create a revolutionary new wine product, enter today! Or maybe you have a friend who may be interested? Pass on the link love! For more details visit our contest page, here.

Decanters are essential for enhancing the flavors of a young wine or for removing sediment from an old wine. There are all kinds of shapes and styles available but you may be wondering: “What do I do with it?” There are two simple methods of decanting:

1. Decanting a young wine, to aerate it
• Take out your decanter, funnel, and wine. Open the bottle of wine.
• Affix the funnel to the top of the decanter and pour a slow stream of wine through the funnel. Watch as your wine cascades from the sides of the funnel and into the decanter.
• As the wine goes through the funnel and the surface area of your wine is spreading, the wine is aerating, changing its aromatic properties.
• Once the full bottle is poured into the decanter you can remove the funnel from the top of the decanter, and pour from the decanter into your glasses.

2. Decanting an old wine, to separate the sediment
• As tannic, red wines age, the sediment often conglomerates, forming unwanted clumps in the bottom and along the sides of the bottle. The sediment is harmless–made up mainly of grape skins–but it is usually bitter, and impedes the enjoyment of your wine.
• Old wines open up over time, as the pores in the cork allow them to breathe. Therefore, aeration with a funnel isn’t necessary for an older wine.
• Slightly angle your decanter and slowly, pour the wine into the decanter so that only the liquid pours through, leaving the sediment behind in the bottle. Discard the bottle and sediment, and pour the wine from your decanter into glasses.

Now that you understand the basics of decanting, you may need some help selecting the perfect decanter to suit your needs. In this brief video, we explain some of the different styles available, and their benefits. Enjoy!

Do you have any special decanting techniques? Please share your story, with us!

In the world of wine, oxygen is both your friend and your enemy. Wines are decanted or aerated so that friendly oxygen can slip into your wine in small doses. The oxygen, in effect, allows your wine to breathe and release newly developed aromas and flavors.

Oxygen is your enemy when you let an open bottle of wine sit on the counter and heavy doses of oxygen attack the wine, stripping it of its essences. Everything in moderation.

Find oxygen-related tools like decanters, aerators and preservation tools at WineEnthusiast.com. 

So you’re ready to take your wine enjoyment to the next level and experience all of the benefits of decanting like a more full aromatic bouquet and a softer glass of wine. You’ve seen many elegant decanters in all shapes and sizes like the Riedel Amadeo and even wild Massimo Lunardon animal decanters. As beautiful as these are, you may be wondering: “How in the heck do I clean one of those?
Luckily we offer a wide variety of cleaning accessories that are catered to specific decanter shapes. We have long cleaning brushes and beads that soak up red wine from the deepest decanter crevices and drying stands that prevent water spots. Here’s how they work:

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Though the benefits of decanting are immeasurable, some people hesitate to invest in a decanter. Do I really need it? Does it make much of a difference? You may wonder. You may already be aware of the benefits of decanting including softer tannins, a broader bouquet, or sediment removal. But maybe you’d like to see for yourself?

Our new Vinturi Wine Aerator is a great way to discover the use of aeration before purchasing a decanter. This fun, new contraption is simply used by holding it over a glass and pouring your wine through. It quickly aerates and opens up the wine while making a fun little gurgling noise that is quite satisfying. It also won’t break the bank at $39.95. Such a great find is a wonderful way to begin experiencing your favorite reds anew and even discovering wines you thought were too aggressive until they met the Vinturi.

Although the Vinturi is a great tool, it doesn’t replace the benefits of having a beautiful decanter to aerate a full bottle of wine. It is however, a great first step towards understanding and enjoying the method of aerating wine before purchasing a decanter. Looking for new ways to understand and experiment with wine is the best way to really appreciate it to its fullest. The Vinturi is one of my favorites products and is a fun addition to any wine bar.

After Bordeaux, Port may be the most famous wine in the world. Everyone’s heard of it and millions have enjoyed it. But how much do you really know about Port?

Here’s a quick rundown of the ins and outs of this popular sweet sensation. Yes, Port is a sweet wine and the real thing comes from Portugal, although so-called “Port” is made in many regions around the world. Port is a fortified wine, because to make it, alcohol (brandy) is added to the fermenting vats. This interrupts the fermentation because the high alcohol level kills off the yeasts. Thus, a high quantity of grape sugar remains in the wine. There are several types of Port, each with its own distinct character and proper method of handling.

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Have you ever taken a nice, white wine out of your cellar and as you reached the bottom of the bottle, noticed there were crystals floating in it? These are tartrate crystals. They are formed when the tartaric acid in your wine combines with the potassium (also found naturally in wine, another one of wine’s many health benefits) under very cold temperature conditions forming the salt, potassium bitartrate. If you’ve ever used cream of tartar in cooking or baking, it is the same substance pulverized into a powder. In fact, these crystals scrapped off of wine barrels are the source for the cream of tartar you buy in the supermarket. Tartrates can be found in red wines as well, but they are more often found mingling with the sediment, and are normally decanted out.

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Presenting wine in a stunning decanter offers aesthetic pleasure, but beyond the beauty, there is a greater reward. Better tasting wine. Letting your wine “breathe” softens harsh tannins and releases its full bouquet. Contrary to what you’ve seen, simply uncorking a bottle is not enough—the bottle opening is too small to let in a sufficient amount of air. Wine needs room to “stretch its legs.” Most wines ultimately benefit from the aromatic unfurling a good decanter provides.

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