How to choose a decanter

In prestigious restaurants, the sommelier always performs decanting. He pours the wine from the bottle into a beautiful decanter before serving. And the master does this not only with the goal of paying tribute to the culture of alcoholic drinking, but also in order to maximize the taste characteristics of the drink. Why can’t you do without a decanter and how to choose one? More on this below.

What is a decanter?

A decanter is a vessel that is used for pouring and serving drinks. It is made from ordinary or crystal glass. A device of this type is decorated with a shaped handle or a removable lid, or is complemented with removable decorations made of non-ferrous metals.

A decanter can be used for more than just wine. Decanting improves the taste of all those strong alcoholic drinks whose drinking ritual is based on the “reading” and “unfolding” of aromas.

What is a decanter used for?

The alcohol is first poured into a vessel in order to make the drink tastier. A decanter helps:

• freshly prepared wine - to ripen and open;
• mature alcohol - to appear at its best.

Once inside such a decanter, the wine begins to “breathe”. It becomes more balanced due to the fact that carbon dioxide leaves it. The sugary astringency of the alcoholic drink is smoothed out. And its distinctive taste characteristics begin to fully manifest themselves.

In the decanter, the wine gets rid of its natural sediment (the so-called “tartar”). This natural sediment not only negatively affects the taste of alcohol. He grits his teeth unpleasantly. In the vessel, the red drink becomes crystal clear, and the bitter notes disappear from it.

In general, using a special device before tasting helps improve the taste of alcohol. And the use of an unusual decanter of a bizarre shape turns the usual drinking of a bottle of noble wine into a real spectacular show.

What types of decanters are there?

Decanters come in various shapes: spherical, in the form of a bottle or a fancy decanter, and more. You need to select a vessel for wine based on the characteristics of a particular drink.

With a large neck and a wide base

A wine device with a wide base is more suitable for aerating full-bodied wine. The shape of this decanter is ideal for an immature, tannic variety with dominant Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Tempranillo, Sagrantino, Tanna and Monastrell. Thanks to the rounded bends of such a vessel, the wine is quickly absorbed with oxygen. The wide decanter looks like a designer bottle. With it, ordinary table setting takes on a new look.

With a wide neck and a medium bottom

A decanter with a medium-sized bottom is used for decanting more complex types of alcohol - Barbera, Merlot, Grenache or Dolcetto. This device is also suitable for pink or white drinks, for which the aeration process does not matter. This vessel is complemented with a lid.

With a narrow neck and narrow base

This is a decanter for delicate varieties: Burgundy pinot noir and gamay, pulsar, nebbiolo, as well as very old, aged wines. Such wines are often subtle and delicate and do not need unnecessary contact with oxygen, which can simply kill their aromatics. Such a vessel is more suitable for old alcohol (at least 5 years of aging). Such a complex, velvety alcohol does not need unnecessary interaction with air, which can simply “destroy” its aroma. A pitcher-type decanter is used to filter alcohol from crystals at the bottom.

Which decanter to choose for white wine?

Many people mistakenly think that light wine does not need to be aerated. But that's not true. As a rule, a light drink hardly interacts with oxygen during vinification, so primary fruit aromas predominate when bottling it. Secondary and tertiary flavors are added to the drink during the aging process. And only aeration dispels colorless gas and other enzymes. This procedure brings the aroma and taste properties of the wine to the fore.

To aerate light wine, you need to take a round decanter with a geometric neck. The container should be filled with alcohol only at the lower level. It is not advisable to shake alcohol in a bottle. The filled bottle can be placed in ice for a while. You can keep light wine in a container with ice for no more than 10 minutes, otherwise it will lose its taste characteristics.

Which decanter to choose for red wine?

When choosing a vessel for decanting red wine, you need to look at the aging of the alcohol.

A ripe drink made from red grape varieties contains a lot of tannins. It has a very tart taste. In 5–6 year old wineage, primary aeration is carried out through a stopper, so it is decanted to filter out the crystalline sediment. The red drink can be decanted in a vessel of any shape: spherical, cylindrical, or in the form of an elegant jug. The smooth curves of the glass decanter will help to fully preserve the taste of the wine.

A young drink is usually characterized by an undeveloped aroma. Therefore, a container with a wide bottom and a narrow neck is more suitable for it. The shape of such a carafe, similar to a laboratory flask, will allow the drink to better come into contact with the surface of the dish. Its narrow spout will preserve the aroma of wine until drinking. And the funnel-shaped neck will create a twisting stream when pouring, thereby allowing the wine to absorb oxygen as much as possible.

If the bottle has a volume of 750 ml, you should take a carafe with a capacity of 1.5 liters. It is important that the red drink is poured only into the widest part of the vessel. For wines aged more than 7 years, a decanter is prohibited. Decantation only worsens these noble varieties.

How to care for your decanter?

To ensure that your wine accessory does not deteriorate over time, you need to properly care for it:

• The decanter should be rinsed immediately after drinking alcohol;
• if you cannot wash the decanter immediately after pouring the wine, you need to fill the glass container with warm (not hot) water and leave it in that state for a while;
• To wash the vessel, you can only use professional products without fragrances or dyes in the composition, intended for the care of glass;
• The walls of the device should be wiped only with dry cloths, changing them periodically;
• The decanter can only be dried vertically on a lint-free towel;
• The wine aeration vessel may only be stored in the neck down position.

To care for the decanter, it is strictly forbidden to use detergents for washing ordinary dishes! The concentrated cleaning composition leaves a subtle chemical odor, which can then be transferred to the drink. For washing, do not use hard sponges, which can damage the surface of the vessel. Invisible scratches are easily stained during the decanting process.

A decanter is an accessory that makes serving alcohol to the table more impressive and reveals the taste properties of aromatic wine. This wine device cannot be replaced with a regular glass water decanter. A good decanter doesn't have to be expensive. But you need to take into account the fact that low-quality glass is used to make a budget vessel. And this undoubtedly affects both the taste and aroma of the product. When buying a decanter for pouring, you should not save money. A vessel made of high-quality glass is not only a good choice, but also a completely justified investment. Only such a device will allow you to completely immerse yourself in the world of aesthetic pleasure in wine and experience all the charm of intoxicating noble drinks.