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Wednesday 12 September 2012

Wine Decantation-What You Need To Know

By Juliette Johnson


When tannins and other particles in wine harden, sediments form. It may take up to 8 years for sediment to form in a bottle of wine. It is important to remove sediments when they have formed because these can alter the taste of wine. The process of removing sediments is called decantation. In this process, wine is simply poured into a decanter, which filters out the sediments. Not all wines will benefit from decantation. It is wines like older red wines that benefit most from decantation. Learn more about decanting wine by reading through this page.

Before wine is decanted, the bottle should be placed in an upright position for a couple days so that the sediment is allowed to settle at the bottom. This will make the process of removing the sediment easier and faster.

As you slowly pour the wine into the decanter, carefully observe the wine through the neck of the bottle for any sign of cloudiness. When the wine is cloudy, that means that it still has unacceptable amounts of sediment in it.

Another benefit of decanting wine is that it is allowed to breathe. Allowing wine to breathe is also known as aeration, which simply means that you expose the wine to air in order to improve its taste. Aeration is very beneficial to wines that are harsh tasting due to high levels of tannins. Aeration makes these wines taste smoother. Aeration is better done when wine is decanted than when you just allow it to sit with the bottle open, because the former exposes the wine to adequate amounts of air while the latter does not. The opening of a wine bottle does not allow adequate amounts of air to reach all of the wine. Moreover, when decanting wine, always remember that you do not need an expensive decanter. You can use any large container at home. It is preferable that you use a container that is made of glass.

There are other things that can improve the taste of you wines besides decanting. For wine to taste good, it is imperative that you store it properly. No matter how expensive your wine is, if it is not stored the right way, it will go to waste. Be willing to invest in an efficient wine cellar cooling unit and have it installed in your wine cellar so that your wines are kept in the ideal conditions.




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