Tips for double decanting a wine for restaurant consumption?

[John_Morris]

@Otto_Forsberg

The Science of Wine of wine is a great source of knowledge, but a bit dull piece to read for fun because it’s quite super-serious, closer to a fleshed-out encyclopedia. Still definitely a book that is handy to have at hand.

Definitely an essential reference.

[John_Morris]

@Chris_Seiber

@S_Stevenson

LOL.

Simply open the bottle at the restaurant and have them decant it then.
Then go to the thread, “The Myth of Letting Wines Breath.”

You’re welcome.

I respectfully disagree here. Your option can certainly be the right option, depending on the restaurant, your relationship with the restaurant, the wines, how much time you have, how much you do or don’t believe a given wine will benefit from aeration, and other factors.

Don’t play with the troll.

[AaronR]

Rather than try to replace the original cork I’ve been using this:

https://www.amazon.com/Stoppers-Plastic-Capsules-Replacement-champagne/dp/B09N3M9MNT

[Robert_D]

'03 Ch. Montrose

[Robert_D]

Thanks for the breakdown!

@Chris_Seiber

The one thing I’d add is that in LA/OC, I’ve never encountered a situation where a restaurant objected to the wine having been opened beforehand,

I need to update my profile – I’m no longer in SoCal. Thanks, COVID!

[p.perret]

I, too, have a lot of relevant experience. I live in the SF Bay Area/Silicon Valley. I have a strong and mostly French wine collection and only bring “special” wines to local restaurants. I always double decant in advance to eliminate sediment and to make them more drinkable, as I would do at home. After double decanting, I place the bottle(s) in the refrigerator to keep them at a temp that I anticipate will be the temp I want to drink them when served at the restaurant. I keep on hand a number of corks from sherry or other similarly closed bottles that I use as replacements for the original corks. Never have had a problem with that. Those who tried to reinsert a cork in an aged wine are asking for trouble.At a restaurant I always insist, just bring the glasses, we’ll do the rest. Still tip well, of course.

[Chris_Seiber]

@Stephen_Pepe

In the current Decanter issue, there is an article stating that decanting older Italian reds adversely affects and is detrimental.

But what do they know about decanting anyway?

[Mike_Evans]

@Robert_D

'03 Ch. Montrose

Recently I double decanted a magnum of 2003 Montrose just before leaving for a dinner and it was showing very well when we got to it a couple of hours later. The last quarter of the bottle was still drinking very well at dinner the next night about 24 hours later so I wouldn’t worry too much about your timing on decanting. For the double decant I poured it fairly gently into a magnum decanter through a Rabbit funnel, rinsed out the bottle, then poured it back into the bottle and stuck a Rabbit stopper into the bottle.

[Robert_D]

Awesome, thanks for this info! What was your impression of the '03 Montrose? Did you take any tasting notes? It’s my first time with a Montrose.

[Mike_Evans]

I didn’t take any notes on it from that night, but it wasn’t too different than my last note from several years ago:

2003 Château Montrose - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe (11/4/2017)
Saturday Bordeaux: Gorgeous licorice, cedar, and rich black currant, deceptively soft but with a lot of supple tannin on the back, very drinkable but with a long life ahead. This is the kind of wine that first made me love Bordeaux more than 20 years ago. (96 points)

[Robert_D]

Awesome, thanks! It looks like it was your wine of the night that night?

[Mike_Evans]

That night it was. The most recent bottle was very good, but didn’t quite reach that height.

[R_Frankel]

.

But seriously, that is just so wrong, so unhelpful, so generalized, it’s ridiculous. Idiotic. Sorry Decanter.

(Not Chris’ joke, which was perfect.)

[Ian_Sutton]

Otto has answered that better than I could - I’d merely say that if you have an interest in wine AND science / scientific perspective, then they’re probably ideal for you.

FWIW I gave up following his blog after a write-up of a particularly extravagant freebie courtesy of Wine Australia, which firmed up a growing frustration that his blogs crept too close to advertorials at times. His writing though is very good and he’s never shy of offering an bold opinion, and his books will be free of that commercial influence.

[C_Mc_Cart]

I follow him on Instagram. He DOES appear to travel a lot. It’s great for content, but to your point about his blog, he must be invited to many events/ conferences around the world. Seems to post from a different continent every week.

I like the notes he does on camera. Not usually wines I know or drink, but I like his approach/ verbiage.

[Mike_Grammer]

@Andrew_K

I’ve never had an issue in my state with a Somm and an opened bottle, so I don’t worry about that anyway.

This part is sometimes a bit more of an issue up here. For this, and also to address some of the recork concerns, a possible alternative approach----pour the wine back into an empty screwcap bottle, screw the cap on tightly and take that (plus the empty, or a photograph, to show people the actual wine) to the restaurant. Appreciate all the other insights already mentioned on this thread

Kwa Heri

Mike