I visited a winery the other day and heard it said that 1 hour of decanting equals 2 years of aging. (The wine in question was a 2001 Napa Valley Cab Sav reserve.)
I'm not sure this is right so I would like to know if decanting really is as good as aging.
2007-09-15 15:36:45 · 5 answers · asked by toastergnome 4 in Food & Drink ➔ Beer, Wine & Spirits
the idea behind decanting is to expose the wine to air, which encourages the fruit aromas and flavors to open up (which is dandy, if it's a complex young wine that's meant to be aged). as the fruit opens and becomes more pronounced, the tannins seem less astringent though they don't actually decrease.
after a while (a couple hours to a couple days, depending on the wine), the fruit starts to fade; it can only take so much air. as the fruit fades, the tannins become more prominent. eventually, all the fruit will fade and the wine will be dried out and tannic.
in a decanter, the amount of tannin stays the same; it's basically the power of the fruit that varies. tannins take much longer to polymerize and evolve; this requires years in barrel or bottle.
looking at it in another way, wine is an intricate balance between its soft components (fruit, sweetness, alcohol) and its hard components (acidity and tannin). by decanting, you're boosting the fruit, which is soft, so the wine seems more soft, less hard.
2007-09-15 15:47:11 · answer #1 · answered by j_ardinger 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
While Freesumpin has good points, I agree mostly with J_ardinger.
Decanting allows the flavor and aroma of the wines to come out.
Aging changes the texture of the wine, helping breakdown of tanning and thereby "softening" the wine, so the fruit flavor and complexity can come out.
You can drink a young wine with or without decanting, but it would be full of tanning (bitterness) that might cover the complexity of the wine, regardless of the decanting process. That is because there is no aging.
You can open a bottle of aged wine without decanting, just let it sit there for a few hours, and you will see the wine "opening" up, with initially tight (minimal aroma and taste) to full flavor at the end. Whether you decant or not, if the wine is aged appropriately, a lot of tannin is gone, leaving the underlying wine with complexity and flavor. Decanting just speed up that process so you don't have to sit there for hours.
Yes, decanting also takes the sediment away. Honestly, that is not the reason I decant. I don't mind having to chew a bit of the sediment. One of my friends love to chew on sediment, and he gets the bottom of every bottle.
2007-09-15 19:38:38 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Decanting also allows you to get rid of sediments, especially if the wine is not fully filtered
2007-09-15 17:20:21 · answer #3 · answered by Experto Credo 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
decanting you pour from origal bottle or other container into a serving bottle or pitcher?
aging is origal bottle aged by turn sereval time over the years in a cellar (original) one! maybe 5 years or more like Finer types
the wine producer usely hold back 10% of order to age it!
2007-09-15 15:45:15 · answer #4 · answered by ? 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Are you a Liberal or Conservative? Do you prefer black, white or a rainbow?
They've asked this question for years and years and still argue their points.
The only reason I can see to decant is sediment. If it made young Reds taste old they'd patent the techniques!
2007-09-15 15:48:50 · answer #5 · answered by Freesumpin 7 · 4⤊ 0⤋