How to Decant Your Wine?

Decanting wine requires a light hand and a little patience. Here’s how to do it.

1. If your bottle of wine is stored horizontally, remove it from storage and set it upright for an entire day before pouring. This allows the sediment to settle at the bottom of the bottle.

2. Open your new bottle of wine with a corkscrew.

3. Tilt the neck of the bottle towards the carafe. Hold the bottom of the bottle at a 45-degree angle to prevent the wine from spilling out (and disturbing the sediment).

4. Pour the wine into the decanter at a steady rate. Look for sediment nearing the opening (shining a light or candle can help).

5. Stop decanting when you see sediment approaching the neck of the bottle. Tilt the bottle upright again and start again.

6. Finish pouring the wine, leaving about half an ounce in the sediment bottle.

You can decant up to four hours before you expect to drink the wine. There is little risk of most wine being decanted too much; however, try to enjoy or enjoy the wine within 18 hours.

What Is the Difference Between a Decanter and a Carafe?

While both wine decanters and carafes are both vessels used with wine, they are used for different purposes. The shape of glass decanters is designed to aerate your wine, while a carafe is designed exclusively for serving wine.

How to Serve a Decanted Bottle of Wine.

Even though your wine is now in a separate vessel, make sure to keep both the original bottle and cork. If you’re serving the wine to guests, display the original bottle and cork alongside your crystal decanter. The label will inform your guests about what they are drinking, while the cork is useful as a stopper in case you need to pour the wine back into the bottle and save it for later.