Decanting Wine With a Glass Decanter

Decanting Wine With a Glass Decanter

A glass decanter is a beautiful way to showcase your favorite wines, spirits or liqueurs.glass decanter The perfectly angled bases of these crystalline glasses are designed to aerate the drink, deepening its taste, and tight-fitting stoppers help preserve that developed flavor. Whether you are hosting a party or simply storing your favorite drink for later, these handcrafted vessels offer a sophisticated and dramatic display.

Decanting, or allowing wine to "breathe", is an ancient practice and can be done in any vessel that allows airflow such as punch bowls and party-ready porron bottles.glass decanter Using a specialized glass decanter, however, increases the surface area of the liquid, giving it more room to react with the oxygen and smooth out some harsher mouthfeels and potential wine faults.

When you are decanting a bottle of wine, it is important to slowly pour it into the decanter, so as not to disturb the sediment in the bottom of the bottle. Ideally, you should keep a match or lit lighter under the neck of the bottle as you pour. This will enable you to spot any sediment and stop pouring when the bottle is almost parallel with the ground. This process will also allow you to see if the wine lighted by the flame appears dusty, cloudy or clear. This is the sign that you have poured out all of the wine that contains sediment.

Depending on the wine and its stage of development, moderate aeration can help to bring out a wine's flavor profile and enhance its aromas. This is especially true of young complex wines and old, tannic red wines that could benefit from the extra air exposure to help soften their astringent mouthfeels.

In addition to aerating, decanting can be used to remove sediment from older wine. When pouring an aged bottle, it is important to be extremely careful as the sediment can be very fine and can cause injury if swallowed. Using a metal filter in the neck of the decanter, or gently pouring through a cheesecloth placed in the neck of the decanter will ensure that you don't accidentally swallow any sediment.

Glass decanters are beautiful works of art and come in a variety of shapes, sizes and designs. Many are influenced by art deco design, with swoon-worthy angles and sleek geometric lines that would fit right in at a party hosted by the Great Gatsby himself. Others have more organic curves and may even have bubbles within the glass. These details are part of the charm of antique glassware and are a good indicator of quality.

Whatever style you choose, look for a decanter that is easy to fill, pour and clean. You can find specialty tools to make this easier, but a simple solution is to rinse the decanter with hot water and vinegar and then to rinse it again with hot water only. Be sure to dry thoroughly, as a decanter that is not properly cleaned can absorb and retain unwanted flavors from the residue left behind.

Tags:decoration of the glass bottle