I’ve had the ‘decant or not decant’ conversation countless times with wine lovers and industry insiders, and have discovered that most either love or hate these seemingly benign glass containers.
I fall firmly into the hate ’em camp, especially when it comes to decanting old wines. Aged wines are fragile, and after years of being under cork the sudden explosion of oxygen creates the worst possible shock. On impact, the wine loses aromas and flavours that will never be recovered. Decanting is like opening a novel on page 50: you lose the intro and never get the plot.
And if you want to totally destroy an aged wine, double decant it by pouring the wine first into a decanter then back into its original bottle, presumably cleared of sediment. This practice is quite common at restaurants.
I was on the receiving end of this travesty several years ago when I attended a tasting of aged Barolos at a highly esteemed New York City establishment with an award-winning wine list. The line-up included celebrated producers and stellar vintages, spanning 1964 to 1989. I had fond memories of tasting many of the same wines and vintages on other occasions and was excited to revisit them.
But that night all six Barolos were lacklustre, deprived of aromas, flavours and vibrancy. Could this have been due to poor storage by previous owners of the bottles? Yes, it’s possible. But all six? Not likely. Having a lot of experience with older Barolo, I expected a constant evolution of aromas in the glass, ranging from forest floor, tar, dried rose, tobacco and camphor that I usually find in aged Nebbiolo from the best names in outstanding vintages. I also anticipated an array of flavours such as dried cherry, cake spice, dried mint and beyond.
Yet there were none of these sensations or evolution. Not even at the end of the night after the wines would have had ample time to breathe, if that had been the issue. I asked the sommelier when the wines had been opened, and he declared they had been double decanted a few hours beforehand, which explained their vapid state.
So why does anyone decant? Sommeliers and wine lovers tell me they decant aged wines because they’re turned off by the sediment that usually sits at the bottom of bottles. Another reason is because many believe decanting is the best way to aerate wines in a short time frame.
But the risk of ruining a great old vintage outweighs the meagre benefit of avoiding sediment. If sediment is your issue, don’t drink the last ounce or two left in the bottle that would have stayed in the decanter anyway.
It’s worth noting that sediment in aged wine is perfectly normal. As the late Franco Biondi Santi used to say, it was his favourite part of tasting older vintages as it contains all the substances, including colour and flavours, that wines cede over time.
Fine wines made with Nebbiolo and Sangiovese are particularly penalised by decanting. When cultivated in the best sites, both grapes are rich in norisoprenoids. This class of aromatic compounds contributes to a wine’s varietal character, allowing the development of intense aromas in the best Barolos, Barbarescos and Brunellos that evolve throughout the years. These wines need gentle aeration or they lose their enticing aromas.
That’s why, when I pull a wine from our cellar, I uncork it three or four hours ahead of time for gradual, consistent aeration. If I’m at a restaurant, I order the older red right away, and have them uncork it at the table while I sip a young white or bubbles with my starters and first courses.
Would I ever decant a young, robust wine that could hold up to decanting? Nope. For all the same reasons: even with young, sturdy wines, I want the whole story and to watch the wines evolve. It takes time, but I’m never in a rush when it comes to enjoying fine wine.
I’m not the only Don’t Decant Diehard: nearly all Italian winemakers shun decanting, especially for their older bottles. As they say, when in Rome do as the Romans do. And in this case, even when not in Rome.
Based in Italy, Kerin O’Keefe is a wine critic, author and speaker, as well as founder of kerinokeefe.com
This should be the baseline for serving old wine / wine with sediment: decant just before serving. By contrast, we have observed countless times that some wines benefit from extended time in the decanter; this is especially true for Barolo and Barbaresco, including most very old bottles of those wines.
Would I ever decant a young, robust wine that could hold up to decanting? Nope. For all the same reasons: even with young, sturdy wines, I want the whole story and to watch the wines evolve. It takes time, but I’m never in a rush when it comes to enjoying fine wine.
So why does anyone decant? Sommeliers and wine lovers tell me they decant aged wines because they’re turned off by the sediment that usually sits at the bottom of bottles. Another reason is because many believe decanting is the best way to aerate wines in a short time frame.
I was on the receiving end of this travesty several years ago when I attended a tasting of aged Barolos at a highly esteemed New York City establishment with an award-winning wine list. The line-up included celebrated producers and stellar vintages, spanning 1964 to 1989. I had fond memories of tasting many of the same wines and vintages on other occasions and was excited to revisit them.
That’s why, when I pull a wine from our cellar, I uncork it three or four hours ahead of time for gradual, consistent aeration. If I’m at a restaurant, I order the older red right away, and have them uncork it at the table while I sip a young white or bubbles with my starters and first courses.
Fine wines made with Nebbiolo and Sangiovese are particularly penalised by decanting. When cultivated in the best sites, both grapes are rich in norisoprenoids. This class of aromatic compounds contributes to a wine’s varietal character, allowing the development of intense aromas in the best Barolos, Barbarescos and Brunellos that evolve throughout the years. These wines need gentle aeration or they lose their enticing aromas.
I haven’t had this wine. Given the vintage and producer, I see no reason to open this specific wine unless it is purely to ‘check in’ or ‘for science.’ If I were to open a top tier Barolo in the 15-20 year range, I’d taste at the outset and taste throughout an epic decant (24-48 hours). Then I’d at least know I tasted the bottle at its maximum, though more age would be my preference. In the case of barolo decanting, I’d agree with Mr. Klapp that it is foolish to adhere to any specific regimen and instead listen to the bottle. todd waldmann:
Generally speaking, we’ve established that decanting young Barolo may not be a good idea. Decanting old Barolo, even for extended periods of time, may be a very good idea. So the question becomes what is the line of demarcation between young and old. Obviously this will vary depending on the wine and vintage. As an example, let’s use the 1996 Sandrone Le Vigne. Decant or not to decant, that is the question. Michael S. Monie:
Should I decant Barolo wines? with Elena Penna Currado Vietti in Castiglione Falletto, Italy
FAQ
Does Barolo need to be decanted?
Should you let Barolo breathe?
Should Barolo be chilled?
Which wines should not be decanted?
Should you decant Barolo wines?
You should definitely decant Barolo wines. As mentioned before, these rich, tannic wines need some exposure to oxygen to release their aromas and soften their tannins. Thus, decanting them for 3 to 3.5 hours helps you enjoy them to the fullest. Be aware that too much oxidation can harm wines that are 25+ years old.
How do you decant a bottle of Barolo?
Before a bottle of Barolo can be drunk it is best to be decanted using a decanter. A decanter is a glass jug that is wider at the bottom than at the top. The wide bottom ensures that a large part of the wine is in direct contact with the air.
Should you decant a wine?
Sometimes a winemaker will choose to bottle something with residual sediment, but most traditionalists balk at any kind of haze or cloudiness. In the holistic act of appreciating wine, visual irregularities are bound to make a mark on how we first perceive a wine. But before you can even make the call to decant, you need to prepare the wine itself.
How long does it take to decant a wine?
He recommends decanting a minimum of 30 minutes, but warns that the process of finding a wine’s best moment isn’t as easy as setting a timer. “In order to enjoy the peak of the wine after you have opened a bottle, you have to [taste] its evolution from the moment you open it.