Does uncorking alone really let wine breathe ?

So like many people i will uncork a big red wine several hours before drinking, i think this helps a little bit im not sure how much. Would decanting immediately equal several hours of breathing in the bottle ?

Do you think uncorking really helps or is decanting the only real way to let a wine breathe ?

is this a tangent to Audouze where this subject has been exhaustively discussed?

Not only decanting, but sometimes even decanting and pouring back into the bottle several times to get more air in the wine. Air softens the tannins.

More surface of the wine that touches air, more it decants. So I say yes that uncorking alone let’s the wine breathe but it will be slower than a decanter. Also the type of decanter makes a difference.

The answer has to be yes, but only to a tiny extent, since the surface area is like the size of a nickel for 750ml of wine.

If you pour out an ounce or two (good idea anyway so you can confirm the bottle is sound and see if it seems to need more aggressive aeration), that increases the surface area and gets the wine moving a little. Bottle minus two ounces is a good way to very slowly and gently oxygenate a bottle.

Here’s your answer:

I am a big fan of a taste (1-2 oz) then typically a double decant. Depending on the taste I may leave it decanted for 30 minutes to several hours. Rinse the bottle of sediment and pour back in until service.

I’m astounded at the number of people that don’t double decant older wines, particularly old nebbiolo. Transporting can kick up so much sediment. Treat the wines as they deserve.

Ditto.

I’m more astounded by the worries over sediment in older wines. I’d much rather have to swallow a piece of sediment than be concerned that a wine saw too much oxygen by “double decanting” it.

Pour it slowly. Use something to strain it towards the end of the bottle. I’m certain wines taste the same sans sediment as they do with. I’m am not certain shock waking them with a dump into another vessel and then back into the original vessel with it’s residual water are what “they deserve”.

I´ve posted it here many times, just my personal opinion and experience over many years, but:

immediate decanting (or even double decanting) without slow-oxing in advance CAN cause a wine to get imbalanced, tannins can become “dry”, acidity forthcoming, finish shorter (than with proper slow-oxing).
That may not be the case with all wines, but the older the more I have observed this to be the case, but also with younger ones.
On the other hand I´ve never experienced a wine that got worse due to slow oxing (of 2-5 hours), be it a young or mature one.
Exceptions: fragrant white wines meant to be drunk very young (Muscadet, Austrian Welschriesling or Muskateller …) might better be slightly recorked after opening … not to lose any bouquet …

I usually open a bottle (when possible) 3-5 hours in advance, take a small sip to taste, recork it with a neutral closure … and either decant it 5-15 minutes before serving - or serve it directly (depending … )

It´s NOT about “how much air”, it´s about “slow airing …”

Just my 0.02

Air does nothing to tannins, at least during a timeframe that small. Air can make the fruit flavors to open up, which might mask some of the tannins away.

“Young red wines, especially those that are high in tannin, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, most Red Zinfandel, Bordeaux and many wines from the Rhône Valley, actually taste better with aeration because their tannins soften and the wine becomes less harsh.” - Why You Should Decant Wine | Total Wine & More

“Decanting accelerates the breathing process, which increases the wine’s aromas from natural fruit and oak, by allowing a few volatile substances to evaporate. Decanting also apparently softens the taste of the tannins that cause harshness and astringency in young wines.” - How does decanting red wine affect its taste? And why is it suggested for red wine, but not white? - Scientific American

“If you have a young red and want to soften the tannins, simply aerate it in your decanter before drinking. This breath of air softens the tannins and makes it more immediately drinkable.” - Wine Tips- Tannins | Buy Wine & Liquor Online

There are plenty more articles if you want to Google it.

Also, I didn’t say anything about how long you let the wine sit in the decanter between each time you pour it back and forth. My mistake, and I should have known not mentioning this was a process over several hours would lead to somebody taking exception in this place. It’s as if you people scan posts for anything you can possibly counter. I’ll leave you all to your bickering & bantering.

To each his own, but if I am thinking about it I open our dinner wine before I go to work in the morning and let it sit upright in the cellar. I have found that it helps older wines and never had one fall apart as a result. I have also found that it helps younger wines as well, particularly CA pinot, that I typically do not decant. I try the wine when I get home. My preference would be to not decant anything and let it open up in the glass, however, most younger wines ex CA pinot seem to benefit from decanting. The other variable that I have found to help and sometimes help considerably is letting the wine warm up slowly. I remember asking someone at Quilceda what their recommendation was for decanting and he said slowly warming to drinking temperature was more important than decanting. I am not sure I would go that far but I have had great luck with slow ox and slow increase in temperature. I have lost old wines to decanting, and had young pinots shut down due to decanting.

I really didn’t need to Google, because I know some basic wine chemistry, having read books on the matter. However, since it’s impossible to copy-paste text from physical books, I guess I might do some Googling too so that we’re on the same page.

“Many vintners and consumers assume that decanting improves reds by softening tannins. Strictly speaking, that’s a fallacy.

It’s true that controlled aeration during vinification affects tannin structure; one primary reason for barrel aging tannic reds is that air seeps through the pores of the wood into the wine. The oxygen is thought to catalyze a chemical reaction that polymerizes tannins – bonds shorter molecules into longer chains – to give a smoother mouthfeel. But tannin polymerization requires days and weeks – not hours – to take place, according to Andrew Waterhouse, professor of enology at the University of California, Davis, the state’s leading wine research institution.”

https://www.winespectator.com/wssaccess/show/id/40856

Tannins don’t change when you decant a wine, but the wine around it. The same thing applies to the acidity.

Great thread especially the first post. Always thought “slow ox” was a prime example of wine superstition.

P&P and don’t look back.

Exactly this!