Decanting in a decanter vs. in a glass

WINE TALK
1

This is going to be a very newbie-type of question that I just haven’t understood well:

I’ve noticed that the wine in my glass tends to flatten out and lose flavor over time, and when I take some more wine from the decanter the wine tastes fresher and more flavorful. This would make sense to me with older wines (greater aeration in the glass = collapsing wine), but I’ve noticed this with relatively young wines too. I would expect younger wines to get better with the aeration in the glass, not worse over time.

So, is there really that much difference between a wide-bottomed decanter and a Riedel bordeaux glass in terms of air exposure? And is this something that you’ve noticed before?

FYI, I tend to drink my wines over hours, so each small glass tends to sit for an hour or so while I sip on it. Also, for reference, I was drinking a 2000 Bordeaux petit chateau today and I definitely noticed it happening.

Thanks in advance for indulging my inane questions.

2

I’m a solid decant guy especially with reds. In addition to shedding sediment, I find that the wine opens up a bit faster and for my wife and I is a bit more ready to have with food.

I will concede that you will see more evolution of the wine by aerating in the glass.

There are many proponents on the board of slow ox’ing or the Audouze method.

3

You can spank and splash in a decanter more than in your glass. Wake that baby up!

4

I just received a Vinturi for Chanukah, (yeah a little early) and let me tell you it works, and you do not need to dirty up the decanter!

5

Question on the venturi: what do you do with a wine with a lot of sediment? I guess you could just be careful not to stir it up when pouring and filter the last glass or two. Just curious.

On the original topic, I have certainly noticed the same thing when wine is drank slowly over a long period of time. My theory would be that the swirling of the wine in the glass is the main contributor as wine in a decanter is relatively still (unless of course you swirl the decanter). You will find over time that every bottle is different in terms of what it will do once opened regardless of the method. A lot of people enjoy drinking wine over a period of time starting when it is first opened so they can witness the progression in the decanter/bottle/glass or other method.

6

Ashish, the small amount of wine in your glass will warm to room temperature much faster than a full decanter.

Wine that is warmer than optimum (about 65°F for most reds) will lose taste and definition.

7

Tom,
mine came with a filter.