What is a decanter

The decanter is very familiar to some people who love to drink wine. This is because many wines need to be decanted with a decanter before drinking. In this way, all the floating sediments in the wine can be separated, making the aroma of the wine stronger, so people will like to drink it more.

A decanter, also known as a decanter bottle or a decanter pot, is a vessel used for drinking newly fermented wine. Its function is to allow the wine to come into contact with the air, allowing the aroma of the wine to fully evaporate, and separating the sediment in the wine.

The shape of a decanter is generally characterized by a long neck and a big belly. With the changes in fashion trends, various new styles of containers emerge one after another, and are combined with beautiful decorations to make the table displaying delicious wine more elegant. The first generation of decanters is the classic teardrop-shaped structure that is commonly seen; the second generation of decanters has a bottle opening on the upper side, and the shape of the bottle is composed of two triangles; the third generation of decanters is similar in style to the first generation of decanters, narrow at the top and wide at the bottom, with elegant lines.

For aged red wine, tannins and pigments will form sediments over the long years of aging, which will not only be unsightly when poured into the glass, but will also produce a slight bitterness. So after opening the bottle, in principle the wine should be poured steadily and slowly into the decanter, leaving the sediment at the bottom of the bottle. This process is called decanting, commonly known as "changing the bottle".

For young red wine, the opening time of the decanter (including the flow process during injection) can allow a large area of ​​the wine to come into contact with the air (the decanter has larger space and opening), thereby accelerating the softening of tannins and fully releasing the enclosed aroma. This process is called sobering up, commonly known as "breathing". In addition, after "changing the bottle" for aged red wine, the sommelier will generally ask the customer for his opinion: Does it need to be decanted? The purpose is to allow the possible sulfide smell to dissipate as quickly as possible.

Before changing the bottle, please prepare a decanter, a funnel, and preferably a filter cloth to help filter out the cork fragments that flow out of the bottle. Do not use coffee filter paper as filter cloth to avoid leaving the smell of paper. Please prepare another light source, preferably a candle. [2]

When opening the bottle, be careful not to shake or turn it, as this can easily stir up the sediment in the bottle. Cut the bottle cap and tear it down as far as possible. Wipe the bottle mouth with a clean damp cloth and then dry with a napkin. When opening a bottle, use a long screw-pull corkscrew to completely pull out the cork, then carefully examine the bottom of the bottle through a light source to make sure that the sediment has not contaminated the liquid above.

When pouring wine, the person holding the bottle should keep their eyes in a vertical line with the bottle and the light source below the bottle, with the light source about 15 cm away from the decanter. To begin decanting, simply gradually tilt the bottle and allow the wine to slowly pour into the decanter. It takes about one minute to decanter a 750ml bottle of wine. After most of the wine has flowed out of the bottle, the wine holder can use the light source below to carefully control the pouring of the wine, pouring out only the clear liquid and discarding the chaotic sediment remaining in the bottleneck. Please do not stand the bottle upright during the decanting process, otherwise the sediment will immediately contaminate the clear liquid and it will be difficult to remedy.